Why You Can Trust CNET 2014 Infiniti Q60 review: Drive like it's 2007 in the Q60
Infiniti must have thought the only thing wrong with its sport coupe was the name, as the old G37 coupe becomes the Q60, with virtually no changes to the tech.
With its G- and M-series cars, Infiniti mixed performance with high-tech luxury, but then rested on its laurels for a good five years. I waited for the next innovative model update, but all Infiniti offered was rebranding, changing the model names of its entire lineup.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
So the G37 coupe becomes the 2014 Infiniti Q60, and the old G37 sedan now sports a Q50 badge.
From my desk, it was a disappointing update. But when I got behind the wheel of the Q60, I was instantly reminded how good the old G37 coupe was. Besides the model name, there isn't much new in the Q60. It features the same 3.7-liter V-6 engine, seven-speed automatic transmission, and dashboard infotainment system.
Fortunately, this car has aged well. In coupe form particularly, it looks good. The front fenders show a styling language that Infiniti refined for over 10 years. And it's more than just removing the rear doors from the sedan version; the coupe's roofline drops back sharply toward the rear. That design might mean less headroom for rear-seat passengers, of which only two can fit, but who needs that extra weight in a sports coupe anyway? You aren't a taxi service for friends and family.
The Q60 isn't a very practical car. The oddly shallow trunk only holds 7.4 cubic feet of cargo.
But it is a particularly satisfying sports car. The model I tested was in Journey trim, meaning it could only be had with an automatic transmission. It included all the packages: Premium, Navigation, Sport, and Technology, raising the price about $10,000 from its base $40,400. Infiniti also offers a Q60S model with a six-speed manual transmission.
Ready to rumble
Gripping the Q60's steering wheel, I was pleased to see long paddle shifters attached to the steering column. Unlike steering-wheel mounts, column-mounted paddles maintain their position no matter how much you're turning. The power-adjusted seats were well-bolstered and very comfortable, befitting the Q60's premium segment, but I wasn't crazy about the high-gloss wood trim in the cabin. It's a car, not a bureau.
The engine sounded ready to rumble from my first stab at the start button. This 3.7-liter mill carries over from the previous G37 models, and builds on the 3.5-liter V-6 Nissan put into play back in 2001. The variable valve lift and event programming serves to adjust fuel delivery for different engine speeds, resulting in an impressive 330 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque.
Infiniti's 3.7-liter V-6, the VQ37VHR, is a bit long in the tooth but still has plenty of bite.
This same engine sees use in the Nissan 370Z.
This V-6 earned awards and praise for its linear power delivery, and those qualities remain in the Q60. Unlike lower-displacement turbocharged engines, popular among other automakers for improved fuel economy, the Q60's V-6 put power to the rear wheels as soon as I hit the gas. I could easily modulate that power delivery by feathering the pedal, making it easy to drive in heavy traffic.
Given changes among the competition, the Q60 feels like an old-school muscle car in the sport-luxury segment.
When I got into the power, the exhaust note sounded off with a growl to warm the heart of any gearhead. More than that, from my grip on the steering wheel, the Q60 felt taut, like a puma ready to pounce. The power steering is one of the diminishing numbers of hydraulic rigs you'll find among new models. I appreciate the precision of high-tech electric power steering, just now coming into vogue in so many other models, but steering the Q60 felt like going back to basics, reinforcing the car's old-school feel.
Set up for sport
This car's Sport package, for a very reasonable $1,950, brought in 19-inch alloy wheels, a limited-slip differential, and a tighter suspension. That last feature added to very enjoyable handling when I was bombing down a twisty road, but also some back-wrenching bumps when using the car for mere transportation.
As a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive car, the Q60 maintains classic sport-luxury architecture.
Infiniti doesn't offer any sort of adaptive suspension on the Q60, so the factory tuning is what you're stuck with. On smooth pavement, the ride is fine, but a lot of miles over bad roads can be torturous. If you're not an adrenaline junkie, forgo the Sport package in favor of a more comfortable ride.
As impressively as the engine, steering, and suspension come together when flogging the Q60, the automatic transmission is the weak link. I threw the shifter into the Sport position and there was no immediate change in the car's response. But once I got onto the power -- flooring it for the straights and braking hard at the turns -- the Sport program engaged, holding the engine speed in its power band.
The real disappointment came when I hit the paddles to engage manual shifting. This seven-speed automatic showed typical torque converter lag, with a little hesitation before each shift. To make this Q60 really competitive, Infiniti needs to either go to a dual-clutch automated manual or look at the sorts of quick-shifting automatic transmissions that companies like Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar are using.
Long, column-mounted paddle shifters behind the steering wheel don't make up for the transmission's slow manual shifts.
In city and highway cruising, the paddles didn't come into play, and the transmission shifted through its seven gears smoothly. Partly because of the responsive engine, the car was never caught flat-footed when I need a quick boost for a merge. The cabin appointments added to the comfort of this sort of driving, although the ride quality made me suffer when the pavement turned rough.
Even though Infiniti hasn't shown much recent innovation in the drivetrain, the Q60 still boasts fuel economy of 27 mpg on the highway. However, it drops down to 19 mpg in the city. I saw low 20s for my time in the car, ending with a real-world average of 21.4 mpg.
One tech area Infiniti has pushed in the past is driver assistance systems, including surround-view cameras and self-stopping in traffic. The Q60 doesn't benefit from Infiniti's entire arsenal, but this model came with an adaptive cruise control system and a reasonably advanced rearview camera showing trajectory guidance.
Adaptive cruise let me set my speed and following distance, after which the car automatically slowed down and matched the speed of traffic ahead. I tried it out in heavy traffic, and it performed well. However, the closest following distance it would allow still left a couple of car lengths ahead, inviting other cars to slip in.
With only two doors and a roofline that drops quickly and gracefully to the rear, the Q60 is a true coupe.
The Q60 will have to wait until Infiniti gives it electric power-steering boost before it can get features such as self-steering in traffic or automatic parallel parking.
Faded but functional
Driving over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, a glance at the navigation system showed the car plowing through blue water. At first I thought it had lost its GPS lock and was prepared to note that down as a fault, then realized I was on the recently completed new bridge span, off to the side of the original bridge.
The GPS lock was fine, but the navigation system's maps weren't up-to-date.
To be fair, that's not an uncommon problem with in-vehicle navigation systems, which commonly used stored maps. The Q60 has its maps stored on a hard drive, which, on the positive side, leads to good response times. The maps render quickly and show perspective and plan views.
The interface for Infiniti's cabin tech works very well, although the system is dated.
I particularly like Infiniti's cabin tech interface for the Q60, which combines a dial and buttons with a touch screen. Although those two entry methods are duplicative, I find that the touch screen works well for some things, and the dial for others.
The Q60 also features voice command, but this older system has limited capabilities. It let me make calls by saying the name of contacts on my paired phone, but it didn't offer much control over the stereo. Entering addresses required me to say each piece of a street address at separate voice prompts, which is very tedious.
The Q60's navigation system also lacks any online search capabilities, another indicator of its age.
The car's standard hands-free phone system offers the usual features, such as integrating a paired phone's contact list and making those names available on the screen. It also has an onscreen dial pad, for people who actually still memorize phone numbers.
The stereo shows a full music library interface for both old and newer iOS devices.
I could also stream music through the stereo from my Bluetooth-paired phone, although I had to take a minor extra step indicating to the system that my phone should be included as a streaming source. Other audio sources included satellite radio and anything I could plug into the car's USB port.
An 11-speaker Bose audio system, part of the Premium package included on this model, delivered impressive sound. I've heard some mediocre Bose systems in the past, but this one, which Infiniti calls Studio on Wheels, proved very enjoyable. It did a fantastic job of producing bass, making percussive notes that pounded out through the cabin air. Treble notes were also very good, just not quite on the same level.
Tested over time
The G37 was an excellent car when it came out five years ago, but technology has advanced since that time, and looking at the 2014 Infiniti Q60 through that lens, it remains competent, but not quite the star it once was. The power output from the engine is very good, as is its response. The transmission tech isn't quite up to the Q60's sporting ambitions.
More telling is the fixed suspension, which could definitely benefit from adaptive technology with modes for comfort and sport.
Infotainment systems tend to suffer the most with age, but this one mostly shows its venerability through a lack of newer, connected features. It may not do everything that competitive systems do, but it performs well for what it does. For example, the navigation system is still very functional, although the maps could use updating.
Bluetooth and the USB port still work excellently well as audio sources, and probably won't become obsolete for a long time. The Bose audio system, as with any good stereo, also stands the test of time, as good sound quality does not diminish.
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| Tech specs | |
| Model | 2014 Infiniti Q60 |
| Trim | Journey |
| Power train | 3.7-liter V-6 engine, 7-speed automatic transmission |
| EPA fuel economy | 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway |
| Observed fuel economy | 21.4 mpg |
| Navigation | Standard hard-drive based with live traffic |
| Bluetooth phone support | Standard |
| Digital audio sources | Bluetooth streaming, iOS integration, USB drive, auxiliary input, satellite radio |
| Audio system | Bose 11-speaker system |
| Driver aids | Adaptive cruise control, rearview camera |
| Base price | $40,400 |
| Price as tested | $50,405 |