Infiniti q50 sport Test Drive
#16
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Jeez dude, your so consumed hating on audi you didn't even read my post correctly. I didn't compare the C450 to the A4. The C450 is a step up. How are you going to buy a C450 at $51k? They start at $51k. You mean you'd buy a mercedes and put zero options on it? come on dude. Get real. they cost $60k
The A4 has 252 hp but it also has 273 lb of torque, same as the 6 cyl IS350. It's faster than the IS in stock form and APR just released a stage 1 tune that bumps the HP and TQ to 310/375. That puts the 0-60 in the high 4's. Leather is standard, Rain sensing wipers are standard, Back up camera is standard. Every **** and piece of plastic in the car is quality. My car is coming with 19" wheels from the factory (suspension is lowered 23mm when you order the 19" wheel package). I get all this with upgraded fully adjustable leather sport seals plus a dual clutch transmission and all wheel drive for the same price as a rear wheel drive IS350. I might not beat a 340 or a Q50 but I'm sure you and your IS350 would be at the back of the pack. The IS is nice it just doesn't have the power the others have.
You seem to be basing your version of "superior" based on single car integration and packaging which is fine, you value these items more than the driving characteristics of the car, the quality of build and perhaps most importantly the credibility of the company.
Last edited by sdiver68; 08-14-16 at 11:29 AM.
#17
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The 340 powerplant is insane. With a tune, the car can compete with an ISF. lol.
-Josh
-Josh
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Your #1 Dealer for Aftermarket Performance Products
Orange County, CA
Email: info@merakiautoworks.com
Text/Call: 213 394 2886
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#18
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Agreed, I used to embarrass M3's with my tuned 335i at the track. Everyone @ BMWCCA track days wanting to know what was done to it and I just honestly replied wheels and tune. Unfortunately that performance comes with significant out of warranty risk.
#19
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-Josh
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Your #1 Dealer for Aftermarket Performance Products
Orange County, CA
Email: info@merakiautoworks.com
Text/Call: 213 394 2886
Website: www.MerakiAutoworks.com
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Your #1 Dealer for Aftermarket Performance Products
Orange County, CA
Email: info@merakiautoworks.com
Text/Call: 213 394 2886
Website: www.MerakiAutoworks.com
#20
#22
Lexus Test Driver
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It's not the styling that they dropped. F30 chassis is even more uninspiring than its looks and commonality. The IS350 really did their chassis right at the expense of its powertrain.
#23
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This ^. Recently I've driven a bunch of the new IS competitors. The 340i steering was extremely numb and the interior quality/sound system wasn't as good as the IS350 F-Sport. Surprisingly, the closest car I've driven in terms of feel to the IS350 F-Sport (out of the 340i, Q50 Red Sport 400, XE, M235i, S4) was the M235i. The other cars felt much more disconnected and less "raw" than the M235i and IS350.
#24
Lexus Champion
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Wow! I'm surprised that you felt that way! My father leased a '08 G37 coupe 6MT and that thing was super fast! I guess the new Q50 isn't as exciting as the G35 or G37!
#26
Lexus Champion
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For those who are interested in the read, Car and Driver just posted their review of the Red Sport 400.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...00-test-review
The 400-hp engine is plenty strong, getting the Q50S to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, quicker than a BMW 340i and a Cadillac CTS Vsport and matching the last Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG Sport (now replaced by the C43) we tested. This VR engine is loosely related to the old 3.7-liter VQ, which justly earned a reputation for harshness across its rev range. The new VR still lacks smoothness, but only near its 7000-rpm redline. At low rpm, the engine does an excellent impression of a velvety inline-six, and turbo lag is virtually nonexistent. With an EPA combined fuel-economy rating of 22 mpg, which also happens to be what we averaged, the 400 beats the old VQ’s mark of 21 by just 1 mpg.
Our curiosity with Infiniti’s Direct Adaptive Steer (DAS), what the carmaker calls its steer-by-wire system, continues into the second-generation version found here. It adds $1000 to the Red Sport 400’s $48,855 base price. Under normal circumstances, there is no physical connection between the steering wheel and the steering rack. It made “disconnected steering” a literal term when it launched in 2014. About 15 percent of Q50 buyers opt for DAS, and Infiniti says most actually like it.
Steer-by-wire gives Infiniti engineers a blank sheet when it comes to tuning. From the center-stack menu, one can set steering ratio and effort to one of three modes (stand*ard, sport, or sport-plus). While in sport or sport-plus, one can also alter the steering response, or how the steering reacts just off-center, using one of three sub-modes (default, dynamic, or dynamic-plus), giving the driver seven discrete steering-behavior choices.
And though the big menu means there’s probably something for most behind the Q50’s wheel, we found perfection elusive. Standard mode is numb, the electronics *filtering out all the wheel kickback you’d expect from, say, a pothole. We found sport-plus with the response set to default to do the best impression of a conventional—albeit heavily weighted—electrically assisted steering system. Feedback to the driver remains limited, but there is a smooth transition from on-center to turning, unlike in dynamic or dynamic-plus (which makes the steering darty). And in all modes there is still a disconnect between lateral loading and steering effort, particularly at the limit. Where a normal car’s steering goes light, this tiller’s resistance holds firm.
Steer-by-wire gives Infiniti engineers a blank sheet when it comes to tuning. From the center-stack menu, one can set steering ratio and effort to one of three modes (stand*ard, sport, or sport-plus). While in sport or sport-plus, one can also alter the steering response, or how the steering reacts just off-center, using one of three sub-modes (default, dynamic, or dynamic-plus), giving the driver seven discrete steering-behavior choices.
And though the big menu means there’s probably something for most behind the Q50’s wheel, we found perfection elusive. Standard mode is numb, the electronics *filtering out all the wheel kickback you’d expect from, say, a pothole. We found sport-plus with the response set to default to do the best impression of a conventional—albeit heavily weighted—electrically assisted steering system. Feedback to the driver remains limited, but there is a smooth transition from on-center to turning, unlike in dynamic or dynamic-plus (which makes the steering darty). And in all modes there is still a disconnect between lateral loading and steering effort, particularly at the limit. Where a normal car’s steering goes light, this tiller’s resistance holds firm.
#27
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I personally think the A4 and 340i are both unimpressive, cheap feeling, and poorly made. My sister bought a 2014 A4 new and that thing has problems left and right...constantly at the dealer getting repairs. This is after her BMW 335i which kept having issues with the engine to the point where she was able to get a full reimbursement for the car for having the same issues over and over. I am a firm believer in Japanese cars because of the R&D they put into them. Yes Lexus plays it safe, they may not have the best styling or the fastest motors, but they sure do have the best quality and reliability which puts more time in your life, and more money in your pocket at the end of the day. Just wait a few more years until Lexus start pushing out their new motors. In 2019 they're gonna release the new twin turbo V6 non "F" motor with more than 400+hp and 330+tq that should be in line for the IS, GS, and RC.
Last edited by mjn88; 08-16-16 at 03:59 PM.
#28
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Ill be in line for the Next IS if thats the case. I will definitely disagree with you about the 340i. The quality of material and feel did not feel cheap. A4 I can see the issues would that would be left and right with the virtual cockpit.
I personally think the A4 and 340i are both unimpressive, cheap feeling, and poorly made. My sister bought a 2014 A4 new and that thing has problems left and right...constantly at the dealer getting repairs. This is after her BMW 335i which kept having issues with the engine to the point where she was able to get a full reimbursement for the car for having the same issues over and over. I am a firm believer in Japanese cars because of the R&D they put into them. Yes Lexus plays it safe, they may not have the best styling or the fastest motors, but they sure do have the best quality and reliability which puts more time in your life, and more money in your pocket at the end of the day. Just wait a few more years until Lexus start pushing out their new motors. In 2019 they're gonna release the new twin turbo V6 non "F" motor with more than 400+hp and 330+tq that should be in line for the IS, GS, and RC.
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