Lengthy-Term Road Test Intro
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Drive-by-wire sports sedan joins our extended-term fleet.
Months in Fleet: 5 months
Present Mileage: 8268 miles
Typical Fuel Economy: 25 mpg
Variety: 440 miles
Service: $ 85
Regular Put on: $
Repair: $
Harm and Destruction: $
The initial new model to debut below Infiniti’s reshuffled alphanumeric nomenclature scheme, the 2014 Q50 requires the spot formerly held by the G37 sedan. As Infiniti’s torchbearer in the competitive entry-luxury sport sedan segment, the Q50 was tasked with covering a lot of solution bandwidth for the brand. As a result, when the revamped Q50 hit the ground at the 2013 Detroit auto show, it brought with it the announcement that a hybrid version would be available for 2014. Our interest was piqued–eco-posturing aside, what driver rewards would a hybrid Q50 offer that weren’t currently present in the nonhybrid version? To draw our personal conclusions, we ordered a 2014 Infiniti Q50S Hybrid AWD in a deep shade of Venetian Ruby for a proper 40,000-mile evaluation.
The Q50s Hybrid AWD arrived at our Ann Arbor offices wearing the exact same fresh sheetmetal, interior attributes, and pair of sinister-seeking front headlamp binnacles that adorn all Q50 trim levels. The variations begin with the powertrain: In addition to selecting up a 67-hp electric motor and its attendant 1.4-kWh battery pack, the hybrid version employs a 302-horse 3.5-liter V-6 in location of the nonhybrid’s 328-hp 3.7-liter V-6. Combined, the hybrid program is rated at 360 horsepower, a 32-pony enhance more than the normal automobile. Shared outright are the 6-speed automatic transmission and Infiniti’s controversial Direct Adaptive Steering technique (much more on that later).
All the Toys
Taking the important fob to a Q50S Hybrid AWD grants one particular access to a quite complete assortment of standard attributes, which includes Infiniti’s slick InTuition method, which permits the storing of preferred climate, audio, and driving settings on stated crucial fob, eliminating the require to reset them manually every single time a single enters the car—ideal for 2-driver households. Further standard niceties fitted to our Q50’s graphite-colored interior include a energy moonroof, 8-way power heated leather front seats with manually adjustable thigh supports, dual-zone automatic climate handle, and a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel on a power-adjustable tilt and telescopic column. At the corners reside 19-inch aluminum wheels with 245/40 Dunlop 5000 SP Sport DSST CTT run-flat tires.
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The optional equipment on our test automobile was limited to the Navigation package ($ 1400), which brings voice recognition, SiruisXM Traffic, and 12 months of the proprietary Infiniti Connection telematics method, as well as the All Climate Package ($ 230), which adds 4 floor mats and a trunk protector. Including location, the Q50S Hybrid’s MSRP crept to an as-tested price of $ 51,035, close to the stickers of luxury-branded competitors such as the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 and the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD.
Strapping our test gear to the auto revealed some encouraging numbers: The zero-to-60-mph sprint clocked in at 5. seconds and the quarter-mile at 13.7, bettering the numbers of the rear-wheel-drive 2014 Q50S Hybrid we tested previously by .1 second in both measures. Interestingly, it was just mere tenths behind the 4.9- and 13.5-second marks set by a nonhybrid rear-wheel-drive 2014 Q50 also tested. Digging a tiny deeper, we found that the acceleration numbers matched these of the 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 in the zero-to-60 run and gave up only .2 seconds in the quarter-mile. Hauling the 4161-pound Q50 to a cease from 70 mph needed 174 feet, a shorter span than necessary by either of the aforementioned hybrids. The Q50 Hybrid did, even so, suffer from heavy fade.
Touchy, Feely
However, those respectable overall performance numbers don’t translate to a tactile feel at the helm, specially in the places of braking and steering. In spite of an update early in the model run to address drive-quality deficiencies, the Q50 Hybrid’s logbook is littered with criticisms directed at the car’s fully electric, drive-by-wire Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS), one particular editor going as far as saying that “playing Gran Turismo on a dual-shock controller delivers much more feedback and feels a lot more organic.” Particularly, the majority of the complaints focus on the steering’s “freaky” fast nature, coupled with zero feedback and the require to make virtually continual corrections. The brakes also inspired some colorful commentary, centering on a grabby initial pedal response followed by a basic lack of linearity. One editor summed it up nicely by stating, “they are not possible to modulate smoothly.”
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Nonetheless, the Q50 managed to roll up considerable miles in its 1st handful of months right here. Early in its stay, we swapped the all-season Dunlops for Bridgestone winter rubber, which combined with the Q50’s AWD drivetrain to make the vehicle double as a snow machine for the duration of the long harsh winter. To this point, Virginia is the farthest from residence that the Infiniti has traveled. So far, it has yielded an all round fuel efficiency of 25 mpg, a disappointing 2 mpg under the EPA city rating. 1 especially relaxed-pace excursion into the flat expanses of Ohio generated a ideal-but quantity of 30 mpg, proving that the Q50 Hybrid is capable of attaining its EPA highway rating of 31 mpg when driven in accordance with state targeted traffic laws.
Just after the snow receded right here in Michigan, we sent the Q50 Hybrid westward for a stint with our Montana bureau editor John Phillips. We’re confident he’ll have no shortage of words and insights when it comes time for the Q50’s initial extended-term test update.
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2014 Infiniti Q50S Hybrid AWD Lengthy-Term Test Intro: Drive-by-Wire Comes Beneath Fire
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