2019 Infiniti Q50

The 2019 Infiniti Q50 is one such attempt by Infiniti to put a formidable opponent for the other European brands in the market. The 2019 Q50 is available in three trims, namely the Pure, Luxe, and Sport. An additional performance variant, the Red Sport 400 with 400 HP is also available. The prices for the Pure trim start at $35,560 and go up to $ 48,050 for the Sport trim. The Infiniti Q50 faces stiff competition from the likes of Kia Stinger, Genesis G70, and Alfa Romeo Giulia.

For 2019 the Infiniti Q50 is available with three trims that are Pure, LUXE, and Sport. The base Pure trim level comes equipped with 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, dual touchscreen for infotainment, Bluetooth connectivity, two USB charge ports, and forward-collision warnings with automatic emergency braking. All this is priced at $35,550 for the RWD layout, while the AWD comes for an extra $2,000.

The mid-spec LUXE trim is also packed with features like 18-inch wheels, synthetic leather upholstery, and the dual touchscreen infotainment system, and going for the top of the line Sport trim level means adding adaptive suspension, updated brakes, 19-inch wheels, leather upholstery, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, navigation, and rear parking sensors to the list.

Which trim should you buy?

The base trim level comes with a lot of features like 17-inch wheels, LED headlights, synthetic leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, dual touchscreens for infotainment, Bluetooth connectivity, two USB charge ports, and is also packed with safety equipment, so it is going to be our pick if the four-cylinder turbocharged motor is not an issue for you. But if you want the much-talked-about V6 motor, then going for the LUXE trim level makes the most sense.

For this year, Infiniti decided to drop the hybrid powertrain option for the Q50, which means there are only two power options available now, which are a 2.0L turbocharged inline-4 or a twin-turbocharged V6. The inline-4 is available only on the base Pure trim and produces 208 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. Now, these are no highlight figures, so we expect this motor to be quite relaxed and not very exciting in nature. Even at freeway speeds, the engine is able to match the speeds of other vehicles with relative ease. It is only when you start to really push this engine hard, you get the feeling that it is crying for a bit more power, and then you start wishing for the V6.

The V6 is an absolute hoot to drive as it produces nearly 300 horsepower, which is quite sufficient to push the car from naught to 60 MPH in just under five seconds. These are quite quick times considering the 2019 Infiniti Q50 is a bit on the heavier side when compared to other cars. Both the engines are paired to a 7-speed automatic transmission, and this is among the smoothest transmission we have experienced. It almost feels like a CVT, and even when you take control in your hands and shift via the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, it still manages to impress you with incredibly smooth transitions.

In the 2.0 L avatar, the 0-60 mph takes just about 7 seconds, which is the slowest among the competition. Both Kia and the Genesis come neck to neck as they both share the same powertrain with slightly different tuning. The Alfa Romeo is the star kid here with better power output and the least 0-60 mph sprint time. Also, all other rivals come with an 8-speed automatic transmission which aids with better highway cruising.

How well does the 2019 Infiniti Q50 handle?

The Q50 comes with an RWD layout as standard, while the AWD comes as an option worth $2,000. For the ones who want a lighter and tauter car, the RWD configuration with a V6 makes a very good combination as it is the most lively choice of drivetrain here. It is quite fun pulling drifts on corners with the RWD model as the chassis is quite well balanced.

The Sport trim even comes with adaptive dampers to make the ride even more fun. And for the ones who want to set fast lap times, then the AWD system might be a better pick as it is quite efficient in putting down all the power on the road. The steering wheel is also very well weighed and there is nearly no steering error.

Braking Performance

The 2019 Infiniti Q50 is a relatively heavy car, and to stop all that flying mass, you need anchors, and that too quite good ones. Well, thankfully, the car is just equipped with the right amount of stopping power that you’ll ever need. It gets 12.6-inch rotors up front and 12.1-inch rotors at the rear. With a curb weight of 3,803 lbs, it is slightly on the heavier side as compared to the rivals. So we know that the higher the mass, the higher is the momentum, and to stop it, we would require a better braking system.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is the lightest of the lot, and yet it comes with the largest rotors at both ends. So its braking performance is bound to be good. Both Kia and Genesis share the brake components, and we expect their test results to be very similar. The Infiniti Q50 lacks behind in the braking department in terms of dimensions of rotors and brake pedal feel.

With the omission of a hybrid powertrain, there is an expected decline in the fuel economy figures of the Infiniti Q50. The turbo-4 is the most frugal and is rated at 23 MPG in the city, 30 MPG on the highway, 25 MPG combined. Even the more powerful twin-turbo V6 is also quite an efficient engine for its category and gives decent fuel economy figures of 20/29/23 MPG for city/highway/combined driving, respectively.

The Q50 has a really big fuel tank which helps it in having the maximum driving range, though its fuel economy figures aren’t the best. The Guilia is a real surprise here as it is the most powerful and the most fuel-efficient as well. But owing to a smaller fuel tank capacity, it cannot offer the best range. Kia and Genesis offer very similar fuel efficiency figures and have nearly the same fuel tank capacity. However, the Stinger takes the lead and offers a better range than the G70.

Infiniti is a luxury brand, but the interior of Q50 is certainly not the best place to be in. It just doesn’t have the wow factor that you get from some other cars in its class. While the base trims get cloth interior, go up the line, and you’ll find leather interior trim and soft-touch plastics everywhere. The touch and feel of materials used inside the cabin are quite good though, and despite its age, the interior feels quite solidly built as there is no squeaking whatsoever from any piece of trim. 

The seats are massive and can absolutely make anyone comfortable. The upper trims get ventilated and heated functionality for the front row seats with power adjustments and lumbar support. The rear seats compromise a bit on space as the legroom is a bit tight, and even the headroom gets cut off by the slightly sloping roof design. The shorter occupants though won’t feel much of that as the seats are very soft and plush to sit on. Also, they can be reclined by a few degrees for that added convenience. This is nearly a four-seater car as the fifth occupant will find themselves extremely cramped in this space.

The numbers tell the same story as Infiniti Q50 is the one here with the most amount of space in the front row, while the rear seat space is a mixed bag with everyone having an advantage in one or another dimension. About the trunk volume, Kia absolutely demolishes the competition with its massive 23 cubic feet of volume, which makes the other cars feel tiny. The Genesis G70 offers very less cargo space, hence is the least practical of the lot. Some of the standout interior features of the 2019 Infiniti Q50 are:

• 8-way power-adjustable front seats
• Lunar Black interior trim accents
• INFINITI Intelligent Key with Push Button Start
• Dual-Zone Automatic Temperature Control System
• Maple wood interior trim(Luxe trim)
• Leather-appointed sport seats with thigh extension (Sport trim)
• Heated Steering and Front seats (Sport trim)

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The infotainment system might be the Achilles heel of the 2019 Infiniti Q50. It is outdated and has a lower resolution. In this segment, we expect a better resolution and touch screen quality. The setup basically comprises two screens, which are not in sync at all. If the car comes with navigation, the upper screen is where you’ll find it, but it doesn’t work with touch commands. Rather you have a small joystick-like device mounted on the central console to help you navigate through the menu. 

This display even lacks fairly basic features like Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The lower screen is used to control every other function and is touch-sensitive. This is maybe the least intuitive system of the bunch and is not at all good like the ones seen in the competition. Besides all this, you get support for SiriusXM services and Bluetooth connectivity. The Sport trim also gets support for navigation services. Some of the standout infotainment features of the 2019 Infiniti Q50 are:

• SiriusXM Radio
• SiriusXM Travel Link
• Bose Premium Audio System (Sport trim)
• Infiniti Intouch navigation system
• Voice Recognition 
• Hands-Free Phone connectivity via BT

The 2019 Infiniti Q50 has just been updated last year with a few styling cues and genuinely looks quite good on the road. It is among the best-looking sedans in the market and is also one of our favorites too. The exterior has curves and creases to give it an unmistakable premium sedan feel. A revised front bumper opens wide at the bottom, swallowing up the road and spitting out wonderful exhaust notes from the dual tailpipes at the rear. 

The sloping roofline gives it a premium look, but that results in lower headroom for the second-row occupants. The alloy wheels blend well with the overall design language and are available in different sizes depending upon the trim you opt for. The Pure and LUXE trims even come with a pinch of chrome to the outside, while the Sport trim gets blacked-out accents for the sporty character.

The Q50 is the heaviest car here which affects its fuel economy and performance to some extent. Also, the Q50 has the tallest stance and is the second-longest here. The wheelbase is also just a few inches shorter than the Kia Stinger. The ground clearance of the Q50 is slightly on the lower side, but considering its urban terrain, it won’t be much of an issue. Some of the standout exterior features of the 2019 Infiniti Q50 are:

• LED signature headlights,
• Zero-lift aerodynamics
• Power sliding/tilting moonroof (Luxe and above)
• Chrome front fascia finishers (Luxe)
• Sports front and rear fascias (Sport)

The 2019 Infiniti Q50 hasn’t been tested yet by the NHTSA, so we just can’t comment on that. The independent organization IIHS has tested the car on a few parameters, and in all of those, the Infiniti Q50 has received a “Good” rating. IIHS also rated the car’s standard front crash prevention system as “Superior” in functioning, while the headlights received only “Acceptable” and “Marginal” ratings depending on the trims. The car is well able to maintain the survival space for the passengers, and the cabin showed really less deformity in the event of a crash which are signs of a well-built structure. Some of the standout safety features are as follows:

• Slide-away brake pedal assembly
• Emergency inside trunk release
• Predictive forward collision warning 
• Forward emergency braking
• Blind Spot Warning 
• Around View Monitor 

2019 Infiniti Q50 vs 2019 Kia Stinger

Kia is an excellent value for money proportion when you see what it is bringing on the table and has a trunk to swallow almost anything. The engine options are good and powerful, and you get a lot of tech for the price you pay. The Infiniti Q50 offers better comfort and fuel economy combined with a better range as compared to the Stinger. Nonetheless, we definitely feel the Kia makes a better buy if you want a car to drive rather than driven in.

2019 Infiniti Q50 vs 2019 Genesis G70

The Genesis G70 is the distant cousin of the Kia Stinger who went to a bit more premium school and befriended the rich kids there. The Genesis G70 is also quite a recent car, but the way it has impressed all of us with the luxury and premiumness, the G70 is more of a statement that you don’t have to compromise on luxury even if you are on a budget. The Q50 offers better fuel economy and comes with better cargo space. The RED SPORT trim of the Q50 is an absolute hoot with 400 HP, which the G70 can’t beat.

2019 Infiniti Q50 vs 2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is one of the best cars we have ever driven. The way it makes you feel is just surreal, and you simply can’t compare the driving feel and dynamics of the Giulia with any of the cars in the class. It is also quite a lot more powerful than the Q50 and a hell of a lot lighter which gives it the power to weight ratio advantage, and that is what the entire automotive industry is about. Though, when you choose the performance, you skip on practicality, and that is the same scenario here as the Giulia is not as spacious as the Infiniti and also the Giulia is considerably expensive too.

Infiniti makes a strong case for itself, though it is starting to show some signs of aging now. The car is quite well packed, comes with two very potent engine options, and drives acceptably well. The interior is quite premium, and the space inside is more than in abundance. The only thing though, while all other cars in the bunch are quite fresh and also the German trio will soon receive an update, the Infiniti Q50 seems a bit from the yesteryears in front of them, and that makes it quite difficult to justify the asking price. It is undoubtedly a brilliant everyday car but just needs a few updates to stay fresh.