2020 Infiniti Q50 puts the sport in luxury sport compact sedans

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Just a few weeks ago, I spent a week in the Infiniti Q60 sport coupe, and I really enjoyed the drive. You can read that review here at Wheels. Now I’ve had a chance to drive the Q50 sedan and compare the two options.

The main difference between the two vehicles is a pair of doors. Specifically, the rear doors on the Q50 are the difference, because the Q60 is a two-door coupe. However, that design difference is key in how you use and enjoy the two cars.

Mechanically, the Q50 and Q60 are very much alike. You’ve got your choice of 300 or 400 horsepower from the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, and you can choose rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive. Both come with a 7-speed automatic transmission. The Q60 I drove was the 300-horsepower version, while this Q50 was the 400-horsepower model.

In real-world driving, there’s not a lot of difference between the two. But let me explain that for a moment. The fact is, both cars offer plenty of power, and driving around Portland, you won’t get many chances to use all of it. Both cars I tested were equipped with all-wheel-drive, so their handling was equally crisp and predictable. Though with modern traction and stability controls, it’s getting hard to tell the difference between rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive unless you’re on snow or ice.

Inside, both cars offer the same levels of luxury, but I found the Q60 to be substantially more comfortable than the Q50. The reason is that as a sedan, the Q50 has shorter doors and has to allocate a little more space for the rear passengers. The Q50 is actually about 5 inches longer than the Q60, but there’s more space in the front seats in the Q60. Be sure to try both, and see which one fits you better.

The technology package in any 2020 Infiniti is impressive. Our test Q50 came with a dual touchscreen setup that supports tablet-style gestures. The lower screen handles all your settings, including climate and audio controls. The upper screen that’s closer to your view of the road is for backup camera and navigation display.

Infiniti thoughtfully also equips the Q50 with real buttons for climate, so you can easily adjust the temperature and air direction. You also get a real volume knob for the audio, and some convenient buttons for radio tuning.

If you buy the top Red Sport trim level, some advanced safety features are standard, and they’re optional on less expensive trims. A bird’s eye camera system, blind spot monitoring and backup collision intervention are standard on the Red Sport.

If you want high-performance and luxury in a compact sedan, the Infiniti Q50 is a great choice. If you can get by with two doors, you might prefer the Q60. Both are great choices.

2020 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 AWD

Base price: $56,250

Price as tested: $57,645

Type: Luxury sport compact sedan

Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 (400 hp, 350 lbs-ft)

Transmission: 7-speed automatic

EPA estimated mileage: 19/26

Overall length: 189.6 inches

Curb weight: 3,998 pounds

Final assembly: Los Angeles, California