Infiniti Q60S
Free Your Ride.
The first Infiniti I ever drove was my uncle’s 1997 Infiniti I30t, a model that Infiniti no longer makes, but wow did I love that car. I was 18 years old and for me, every moment behind the wheel, was the epitome of what a car should be - power, grace, and sophistication.
It has taken me nearly 20 years to get behind the wheel of another Infiniti, but I can tell you that starting the ignition and smelling the leather, even after such a long hiatus, let me know that my ‘road’mance was still there.
The Q60S, for a lack of better words, will allow you to enjoy the open road the way it was meant to be. With a new and more powerful stance and daring curves it has the same persona as the Q50S, but it comes in just a bit lighter.
And what’s even more striking and enjoyable to this driver is the 2-door Coupé. The old saying of “every picture tells a story” can be amended here to “every line shapes an emotion”. A far cry in sporty sophistication from my uncle’s I30, The athletic stance with the 19-inch alloy wheels make your intensions known to other drivers.
The Art of the Drive
Infiniti knows that to really enjoy one of its models, you need to first be able to enjoy the drive. The Q60S has a number of state-of-the-art techno things happening all around you to make sure this happens.
First, the road trip play list. Encompassing the cabin is an amazing 13 speaker Bose Audio System that puts you in the ‘front row’ of every track on your play list’s internal concert.
Combine this with AudioPilot 2.0 Noise Compensation Technology that is constantly monitoring outside sounds and adjusts the music accordingly and you’re well on your way to a legendary road trip.
But is that where the sound stops? No. The sound actually stops at each of the windows, which just happen to be made of Acoustic Glass. Thin sound-absorbing material is sandwiched between glass layers to dramatically reduce road noise, in turn making the cabin quieter, and delivering a more personal driving experience…making the music and the conversation better.
The seats are also contoured to fit you. As you ease yourself into the Q60S you will notice the plushness of the leather and surroundings. The sportiness is not lost as the well-built and supportive front seats grip around you when the g-forces go up.
And for the techies, there is also a very modern technology based world all at the tip of your fingers, much like a smart phone. The InTouch system keeps your moving digital world close by at all times. The voice, text, calendar, navigation and music on your mobile phone can easily be synced to the onboard systems so you never miss any moment.
The Sign of Performance
Inconspicuously pinned to the only side of the Q60 that most drivers will ever see, the back, you’ll find the Red ‘S’. It represents the highest level of performance and power in the Infiniti lineup. Power rushes out of the 3.0-liter, twin turbo V6 like an endless flood. The seemingly limitless acceleration rush will let you know that you’re using all of the 400 ponies under the hood…and they aren’t stopping until you lift your foot from the floor.
As you’re gleefully holding on for the ride, you’ll find that being in the cockpit makes one feel like they are in mission control. Two touch screens mounted one atop the other in the center of the dash brings all of the onboard entertainment and mechanical settings right to the driver. It takes a bit of time to learn the system, but once you get the onboard systems figured out, you’ll find that there are 336 customizable driver settings available.
With engine selections ranging from Standard, Snow, ECO, Sport, Sport+, and a personal mode, things get gnarly pretty fast. You can then further adjust your drive by fine-tuning steering, engine, and suspension inputs to fit your personality and mood at any given day and time. When it all comes together to just the way you like it, your experience can catapult past road conditions and preset factory settings.
Cruise smarter. Steer easier. Respond faster.
The Q60S is certainly capable of unadulterated fun should it find its way into the hands of somebody who is properly trained to turn in the best time on a hot lap. But with all that power and speed and ‘hair-on-fire’ capabilities, safety has not been left out of the mix.
The Q60 helps you steer easier. Active Lane Control is always looking out for your safest route. It scans the road surfaces in front of you to detect any variant in road surface and will make slight steering angle corrections to keep you out of harms way. It even helps you to compensate against cross-wind.
The predictive powers of the front facing radar is also monitoring, not only the car in front of you, but the vehicle in front of it as well. Providing an audible and visual alert, the Predictive Forward Collision Warning system helps to avoid potential risks, Something that I’m glad to say I never got to experience.
The passengers are also looked after as well as the driver. The Infiniti Advanced Airbag System adjusts the inflation in the dual-stage front supplemental air bags based on the severity of the crash and seat belt usage. There are also roof mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags that are activated by a roll-over sensor if you end up upside down. Also something I’m glad I didn’t get to experience.
Turn heads
Packed with plenty of power and enough speed to make you feel like you belong on a racetrack, the Q60S actually impressed me more with the technology. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun to drive, but I didn’t think that it was the spec’d-out sports car that it was made out to be.
Infiniti hasn’t sacrificed too much of the luxury for the racing feel or vice versa. Depending on your age, you’ll either get envious looks from other middle-agers as they take in the sexy lines and angles. Or, you’ll catch the eye of the younger generation as you leave fiery tire marks on the pavement when the light turns green.
In a world that has been seemingly smothered with 4-door sedans and SUVs, I like the idea that the Coupé is back! Empower your drive; I’ll see you out there.
Price as tested: $60,000
Engine: V6, 3.0litre Twin-Turbo
Horsepower: 400HP @ 6,400rpm
0-60mph: 4.3 seconds
Top Rivals: BMS 4 Series Coupe, Audi A5
