I've seen a few new Infiniti's recently and am really liking their exterior styling. I find it interesting to see some of the similarities of Infiniti and Lexus, both of which are obviously luxury Japanese brands, as they both use some harsh angles in both the body and things like headlights, tail lights, fog lights, etc. I wonder why the Japanese designers are trending this way which is pretty different from designs of other luxury brands (Germans, Volvo, etc) which are either squaring things off or rounding things off.

I'm starting to think I prefer some of Infiniti's exterior styling cues over the direction Toyota and Lexus are heading- specifically I really like how Infiniti uses some curves/arches in areas like the hood. I definitely like the Q60 (coupe) and the Q70L really catches my eye from certain angles. I also have always liked the styling of what is now called the QX70 and the QX "Sport Inspiration Concept" looks really cool (similar front styling cues from the Mazda CX-9 in my view). I can't speak for the driving experience compared to Lexus, but I certainly like the styling and the interiors look very nice.

Anyone else?

 

I thought the G35 coupe at the time was more beautiful than anything Lexus had made. I actually like the newer Lexus designs over the Infiniti designs but I do think the Q60 is a beautiful car. The interior design is pretty bad though and I think the new LC500 is way better than anything in the Infiniti stable.

 

I used to like some of the older Infiniti designs but up through the last few years I don't like any of their styling at all and have no interest in buying one.

 

The new Q60 actually borrows a lot of styling cues from RC, and Infiniti's grille is shaped similarly to Lexus grille.

 

I have had a Q50 for almost 4 years and do not see the connection between the Infiniti grill to the Lexus spindle grill (which I am no fan of).

I have always seen the Q50 design as a Japanese interpretation of a BMW 5 series.

To me the Q60 is really just a more stylish version of the Q50.

 

Like the coupes. Everything else is forgettable.

 

Not seeing the similarity at all. saw a silver rc f at a light the other day and i wasn't feeling the proportions and front end, but when i see a q60, i think it's more balanced and elegant.

 

Speaking of the RC, have you had a chance to sit inside one yet? I examined a couple of them yesterday, an F-Sport and the Full-F (regular versions seem hard to find), but didn't do a test-drive. .....I probably will, later, for a review). The F-Sport listed for around 55K.....the full-F, about 75K. Both, of course, had the smart-looking wine-red leather interior. The exterior showed the usual excellent Lexus fit / finish and materials, as did parts of the interior, such as the door panels and seat-leather. But the console, mid-dash, and glove box lid were some of the crudest, thinnest, and cheapest-looking/feeling plastic I've seen yet on a Lexus product.....especially for something selling at that price. My big rump LOL was also clearly too wide for the narrow-bolstered sport-seats.

 

I don't mind the direction Infiniti is heading with their design language, which started with the Q50 about 5 years ago. Lexus is hit or miss with the spindle grille - it should be left off of cars like the ES and LS. At least neither brand is as ugly and bland as Acura.

 

Worse than the ES? Just joking

My local dealer has pretty much everything in the range from the CT to the LX in their showroom. I was looking at all their cars last weekend while waiting for my car to be serviced and I didn't notice anything strange with the RC. The fit, finish and materials quality in that car felt similar to the GS and the new RX, as in pretty darn good. The IS, CT and NX were a step below and the facelift ES was the worst in terms of tactile feel.

 

there's a middle ground between overdesigned and bland.

I don't think either company understands that yet.

 

I owned three Nissan Maximas. The latest one was a 03 Maxima SE. 03 had more repairs and rust than my first Maxima. If Nissan has quality issues, unsure I'll trust their luxury division regardless their designs.

 

I agree 100%! I used to love Acura's back in the 90's but their newer cars are so bland and boring. I test drove the TLS last year and could have gotten a great deal from a friend that was a manager at the dealer but I just couldn't get over how boring the car looked and drove.

 

Odd, I preferred the IS/RC interior over its similarly-priced competitors. The plastic, compared to what I am used to, feels pretty substantial - as far as plastic goes. When you tap on it, it doesn't sound hollow like in mainstream cars.

I was a little disappointed with the upper portion of the door not being more squishy though, for better elbow comfort, I concede that. The BMW did a better job in that aspect, but I prefer the Lexus seats by a long shot. Though, I am kind of skinny.

 

Infiniti sells 800+ Q60 per month vs. lexus RC 400+ per month. Frankly, I was shocked when I saw the sale figures. Maybe next year after Lexus switching to a 10.3" inches screen and updating the dated infotainment system, RC might have better chance. Personally, infiniti isn't my dish. But I notice that they are becoming sexier.

For those who love RC, they will always accept RC no matter what. Although, for a large amount of people who are not into RC, if you ask them why, usually they would say : 1, lack performance due to the obesity- too heavy 2, dated infotainment system, tiny screen.