By the end of 2020 there will be one less choice for new car purchasers in Australia as INFINITI will be ceasing their local operations. INFINITI has advised that until late 2020, operations and the customer experience will remain the same and they are putting plans in place to ensure that their customers continue to enjoy the service and support they expect long after that date allowing for a well-managed transition from Australia for both dealers and customers.
I’m very late to the INFINITI party and have only recently spent a week with the Q50 2.0t GT, which is the base model in the Q50 line-up. The refreshed Q50 was launched in late 2017 for MY18 and beyond models and continued the tradition of offering innovative features for the driver like Direct Adaptive Steering in a nice looking four-door sedan.
The rear wheel drive GT comes with a 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine that produces 155kW and 350Nm and the engine is paired with a 7-speed automatic transmission. The official combined fuel consumption is 7.3L/100km and for my week I used 10.2L/100km, which is not as good compared to other 2.0 litre petrol cars that I have driven.
The Q50 is pleasant to drive and has four drive modes to choose from; Standard, Sport, Snow and Personal. Under the Personal mode you can select options for Engine/Transmission, Steering and Response.
You are surrounded by a nice interior layout with two screens, the lower screen showing climate settings and other menu options while the upper screen has your sat nav with SUNA traffic information. There is a small storage cubby under the arm rest and two cup holders in the centre console.
Audio options include AM/FM, DAB, Disc, Bluetooth, USB, iPod and AUX with two USB ports and an AUX outlet under the arm rest and a 12V outlet at the front of the centre console where there is a ledge that is not big enough for large modern smart phones.
The leather accented front seats are comfortable and have 8-way power adjustment with two memory positons for the driver and none for the passenger. They are also heated for those cold winter’s mornings.
The rear seats have OK leg room for adults, but limited headroom. They have two ISOFIX/two rear tether child seat restraint points. The central seat folds down as an arm rest with two drink holders. These are the only drink holders in the back as there are no storage cubbies at all in the rear doors. Rear passengers also miss out on USB ports and only have central vents with speed control. The rear seats have 60/40 split-folding and a central hatch for carrying long items like skis. The boot is a good size as well, but the ledge at the back does limit the floor space in the boot.
The weekly shop.
I found the steering a bit odd particularly the bump stops and the active lane control did not work as well as in other cars that I have driven. My Q50 also did not have blind spot assist and only had standard cruise control. It did have a 360o rear view camera with sensors and front wheel position indicator and passive safety features include driver and passenger airbags and roof-mounted side-impact SRS airbags contributing to the Q50’s 5-star ANCAP safety rating.
The INFINITI Q50 GT is a nice, comfortable four-door sedan and as tested in costs $54,900 plus on-roads. Visit your preferred INFINITI Centre for more information about the Q50 before it’s too late.
| Pros | Cons |
| 5-star ANCAP safety rating | Uncertainty once INFINITI leave Australia |
| Nice design | Not competitively priced |
| Pleasant to drive | Not great fuel efficiency |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.