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Infiniti Q45 Road Test
Silver, large, and implanted
with a powerful 340 horsepower V8, Infiniti's Q45 is a bit of a luxury car
bargain at $60,000 (US). But, you get what you pay for, and this "bare bones"
Infiniti offered only one thing in abundance and that was acceleration. It just
wanted to go quickly. Of course, the downside was a real thirst for premium
fuel. We were hard pressed to get 20 mpg and in town and that mark could fall to
16 mpg with ease. In other words, if you want to move 4000 pounds of car in well
under seven seconds be prepared to pay at the pump.
Mom's view
I was quite comfortable
in this Infiniti. The seats were nice and the ride bordered lived up to its
luxury label. Our test vehicle had a lot of miles on it and we are glad to
report that after 12,000 plus miles of heavy use the car was still quite solid.
It was readily observed that this car loved to ignore the posted speed limit. It
wasn't sneaky fast, such as the
supercharged Jaguar which smothers your
senses, but more bludgeonly fast. In other words, you have the hammer and you
are well aware of the power. The weak spot was the transmission, which had a
hick-up or two, but other than that you pretty much were only limited in how
swiftly you wanted to go by the fuel remaining in its 21-gallon tank.
Coincidentally, despite this less than ecological friendly gas mileage, Infiniti
has placed a little leaf on their small, indash monitor. The leaf turns green if
you are not accelerating and is drained of its color the faster you travel.
Although it was interesting, this is a large, energetic vehicle and driving is
not a computer game. I see no benefit for this attractive nuisance.
I liked the a full-size spare,
puddle lights under the outside mirrors, and adjustable rear seat head
restraints, but most of all the large number of useful standard features made an
impact of my value system. You get plenty of safety equipment such as control
dual front airbags, front side airbags, curtain side airbags, front-seat active
head restraints, antilock brakes, antiskid system, and a tire-pressure monitor.
The other standard issue items were equally impressive with a five speed
automatic transmission, dual zone climate controls, interior air filter, power
steering, power tilt/telescoping wood/leather-wrapped steering wheel w/radio
controls, cruise control, leather upholstery, heated front bucket seats, 10-way
power driver seat with power lumbar, a much appreciated 8-way power passenger
seat, wood interior trim, heated power mirrors, power windows, power door locks,
remote keyless entry, power sunroof, analog clock, outside-temperature
indicator, compass, universal garage-door opener, variable-intermittent wipers,
superior xenon headlights, and alloy rims. Of all these features, easily the
best were the magnificent headlights. They are extraordinary.
On the other hand, the
difficulty in figuring out the climate controls and confusing audio controls was
a problem. With time this would not be a problem, but why did Infiniti make the
buttons nearly the same size, label them "audio" and "auto," and place them next
to each other? I also felt that the voice-activated feature was easy to use.
Just a click on the steering wheel mounted button and you could change a number
of functions such as the radio station or temperature setting for the driver's
side. The driver's mirror also turned downward when you were backing up, which
was an interesting feature.
Dad's view
Infiniti builds notable
engines and the 4.5-liter V8 is simply magnificent. It has dual overhead
camshafts, 32 titanium valves, and continuous variable valve timing. The result
is a car that loves to romp, but it doesn't get up on its toes until 6400 rpm,
which makes it essential that the transmission cooperates and kick-down rapidly.
It doesn't always do this and so we did shift for ourselves on occasion. We
found it difficult to more the lever quickly and soon abandoned the notion and
accepted the Infiniti for what it was intended, a cruiser. It as also
anti-climatic to find the steering is rather dull and there is enough lean in
the corners to take some of the joy of spirited driving away. If you are into
such adventures, the Infiniti M45 is a probably a better choice with the same
engine and a few hundred pounds less weight to tout. But neither car is a canyon
runner. We would definitely look into the handling option when buying the Q45.
Driving such a dominant sedan
demands good brakes. The Infiniti has them thanks to brake assist, and
electronic brake force distribution features. This is also important because
this is a large vehicle with a 113-inch wheelbase, and it takes up over 16 feet
of the fast lane. That is a lot of car to stop and it is not nimble.
We test shop cars on a regular basis to get the feel of why and what people are
interested in buying. With the Infiniti Q45 the major draw were its unique
electronic features and high horsepower rating. But, most of the buyers were
drawn to the more agile and affordable
G35 and the FX series that offers the same
V8 engine, but with significantly less power, albeit for $20,000 less. No wonder
the FX is selling well. But, the overwhelming experience we had at several
Infiniti dealers was in a real customer caring attitude. We have experienced
that before, for example when Lexus first started selling cars in 1989, but few
others measure up. When people ask me why pay more for an Infiniti than a Nissan
I ask them to compare the way they are treated and the differences in warranty
coverage. The extra money for an Infiniti is worth it. In fact, my brother just
picked up a mint I35 for less than a
Toyota LE Camry. He is now riding around in
a powerful luxury sedan that uses regular gas. So don't overlook the great
Infiniti used cars. We have owned an Infiniti ourselves, and found the treatment
and vehicle performance wonderful.
Young working male's view
There is plenty of room
for two in the back, but three would be tight. If they are all golfers forget it
unless they want to share clubs, because the trunk has only about 14 cubic feet.
The heated and cooled air got to the rear promptly enough, but seated back there
you don't feel you are in a luxury car as much as you do in some of the
Infiniti's competitors. There are no little touches such as your own radio
controls or fold down mirrors.
The stereo is average with
reception being limited. The driver computer is easy to mange, but quite complex
to master for some tasks. With time this should not be a problem. An interesting
option is available when you order a Premium edition of the Infiniti. It is a
rearview monitor camera that works when the car is placed into reverse. We
didn't get to test this option, but we know from experience that road dirt can
quickly compromise the view.
In front, the cupholders are good, but if you have a tall drink access to the
center console requires some dexterity. I liked the foldout door pockets, but
they were easy to scuff. There was good storage for the rear passengers.
In truth, this is just not my type of car. I sort of liked its appearance, and
the engine was very cooperative, but the ride wasn't to my liking. However,
Infiniti has a cure for that if you have the additional funds. You can order an
adjustable suspension and I definitely would unless enjoy a Santa sleigh like
ride. The Premium edition is also the most interesting version of the Q45. You
get the same performance of the Luxury edition, plus 18-inch wheels, heated and
cooled front seats, reclining heated rear seats, a nice intelligent cruise
control designed to maintain a set following distance from other cars, and the
rear vision camera. Also available are the must have satellite radio and
run-flat tires.
Young working female's view
The transmission is not
easy to shift by hand, and when left in automatic mode has a habit of upshifting
early and downshifting late. Driving on smooth roads is quite relaxing, but
there is a floating feel, although surprisingly, the Q does not hesitate to let
you know when the road is rough. Cornering is marred by the soft suspension, but
the brakes were very good. I had mixed feelings about this Infiniti. I liked its
looks and I liked the seats and it was quiet. But parking it was a problem due
to it girth and the premium fuel required to make the engine purr made me wince
when I filled it up. I probably am not the demographic group Infiniti was
looking for anyway, but it would be nice to spark some interest in my age
bracket. Perhaps if we had tested the more upscale Premium edition the bells and
whistles would have perked my interest.
Family conference
Damned by faint praise
may be the best way to describe the Q45. It does many things well, but nothing
splendidly well. Yes, it is quite capable of getting you to work on time, but
for the money it should do more especially considering the competition from
Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Cadillac, Lexus, and Jaguar. However, if you can get
yourself a good deal, the dealer experience and the superior headlights and
acceleration make this a clear winner.
Good points:
engine, price, customer service, headlights, seats
Needs improvement:
gas mileage, dash controls, handling, cargo area
Written by The
Car Family |
