Infiniti Q50 is the sport-luxury sedan you deserve

Published 12:01 pm Monday, December 19, 2022

Among premium automakers, Infiniti holds a unique position. Their products maintain a high level of luxury while also delivering a consistently excellent enthusiast driver’s experience. For those who know, Infiniti ranks with such European automakers as BMW and Mercedes-AMG for sport-luxury refinement.

When it comes to smaller sedans – bigger than compact, but not quite mid-size – the four-door Infiniti Q50 is the answer to the popular BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. These cars are designed to deliver performance, comfort, and sophistication in a right-sized vehicle that’s easy to live with. The Q50 is also easy on the eyes, with an understated elegance that doesn’t have to be showy to look good.

Infiniti gives the Q50 a well-developed 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. This plant is not at all stressed to offer 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, which is why Infiniti’s upgrade version, the Red Sport 400 can squeeze 400 horsepower of the same engine with just a tuning change. The Q50 is also thoroughly modern, offering all-wheel or rear-wheel drive and a seven-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission.

One critical observation about the Q50 is that the doors a bit too small compared to the two-door Infiniti Q60 coupe. Getting in and out of the Q60 is easy, but it takes a little more effort in the Q50. Apart from that, the interior of the car is delightfully comfortable, simple to use, and well-made.

On the road, the Q50 does everything well, within the bounds of a street-legal sport-luxury sedan. It’s fast, predictable, and offers a full complement of advanced safety and driver assistance tech. The Q50 is simply a pleasant, wonderful, balanced car to drive. That’s what you want in a premium sport sedan, instead of quirky design features that you “just have to get used to.”

The Q50 is available in three trim levels corresponding to good, better, and fast. Our test vehicle was fitted out in the mid-grade “Sensory” trim. The base Luxe trim is very good, with leather, heated front seats and steering wheel, and you get the nice engine with rear-drive for $42,650 MSRP. Adding AWD is $2,000 extra in any trim level.

Moving up to the Sensory trim, the price is $48,350, and that buys you the navigation system, 19-inch wheels, black wood trim, and a few other things. The top Red Sport 400 trim starts at $56,500, and that gets you the extra hundred horsepower, active suspension, big brakes, and a distinctive visual presence.

If you’re considering a premium sport sedan to reward yourself in 2023, make sure the Infiniti dealer is on your list for a visit. Both the four-door Q50 or the two-door Q60 should be on anyone’s short list.

2022 Infiniti Q50 Sensory AWD

Base price: $43,725

Price as tested: $51,425

Type: Compact sedan

Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 (300 hp, 295 lbs-ft)

Transmission: 6-speed automatic; Continuously Variable Transmission

EPA estimated mileage: 19/27

Overall length: 189.6 inches

Curb weight: 3,855 pounds

Final assembly: Tochigi, Japan