The first thing you notice about this car is the general aura it gives you. When you get in, you feel like you’re in something that is sportier and more aggressive compared to the Q50 sedan, with strong two door sports coupe vibes. The windshield is narrow, you feel low to the ground, and that wavy Infiniti hood is always within your sight lines. The Q60 3.0T has an MSRP of $48K, and I think the interior does a decent job at encapsulating what a $48K luxury sport coupe should look like. It looks and feels more premium than the Q50 sedan with the sport seats, quilted leather, and the carbon fiber accents, and overall I think this interior looks better in person than it does in pictures.
The engine, as you would expect, is powerful. The power has that effortless feel, with gobs of torque and horsepower no matter what gear you’re in. The engine has 300 horsepower and 295 lb. ft. of torque, and the torque kicks in at a low 1,600 rpm and continues all the way through 5,200 rpm. On the highway, I only had to put about a millimeter of effort into the accelerator to effortlessly pass slower moving traffic. There is some turbo lag upon initial acceleration, but around 2,000 rpm the power comes on full force and takes you by surprise. The power can feel a little bit lumpy at first, but once you hit that surge in torque, the power band smooths out and it all feels linear. It’s an exciting engine that puts shock factor over refinement and smoothness. The engine is definitely rough around the edges in how it responds and accelerates, but it has the feel of a performance car. The engine sounds really good as well, and I appreciate being able to hear the turbochargers spooling up.
While I love the engine, the steering in this car is not my favorite. It’s the direct adaptive steering system that you also get in the Q50 sedan. I don’t think it feels weird or unusual compared to your normal electric power steering system, but it is definitely lighter and less engaging compared to some of the competing vehicles. I like the quick response, and I like the fact that you do get at least some feeling of solidity when the steering is on center. I don’t think it feels horrible, but it doesn’t match the looks and the performance of the Q60. Other cars in this segment have chunky, hefty, communicative steering, but the Q60’s steering just feels a little too loose (even in its sport setting), and there’s just nothing really noteworthy about it. The steering does a decent job at matching where the front tires are pointing, but there is a lack of communication around corners, and it doesn’t quite return back to center like a normal car would. The steering also feels a little weird around uneven pavement, almost like it develops a mind of its own. I was driving through a construction zone and the steering felt like it wanted to track with the uneven pavement lines a little too aggressively. Overall, the steering feel just doesn’t really match the nearly $50K price tag. When you drive a Q60, you just don’t really notice much about the steering feel. It comes secondary to everything else in the driving experience. The steering wheel itself has really smooth leather with thick bolsters, so it feels premium and nice to the touch when you’re driving. However, I would much prefer a heavier, more engaging feel in the steering. It’s just way too light for a car that competes with the BMW 4 series and Audi A5, and it can feel a little disconnected at times.
The 7-speed automatic works just fine. It feels a little more aggressive compared to other automatics, and I think it tries to mimic the feel of a dual clutch transmission. It shifts pretty fast, and the gear changes are smooth for the most part. You can feel when the car is shifting, but I didn’t get a sense that it was jerky or unrefined. The only real issue I had with the transmission was that it didn’t really feel tuned in with my throttle inputs or the engine’s power band all the time. The gear ratios and shift logic just feel a little mismatched, and it seems to upshift earlier than I would like. The Q60 has a good amount of torque in any gear, so the transmission shifting a little bit early isn’t much of a problem, but there is room for improvement. The transmission is pretty quick to downshift, but it still might feel dated compared to some of the other transmissions used in competing vehicles.
The handling is about what you would expect. The Q60 drives like a lowered Q50 in coupe form. If you’ve ever driven a Q50 or the previous G37 coupe, the Q60 feels very similar. It has that excited, rough around the edges feel, and it always feels ready to tackle a corner or take on a winding backroad. The cornering feels very capable, and the chassis remains flat and controlled. The Q60 feels like a heavier car, but the weight makes it feel more composed and hunkered down around turns. The handling is about what you would expect from a vehicle in this class, but I think a heavier and more engaging steering feel would make a world of difference. The light steering just doesn’t match the feel of the chassis or the driving dynamics very well, the chassis is always telling one story and the steering is telling another. The steering wants to keep you comfortable and isolated, and the chassis wants to be engaging and fun. This makes it difficult to really get a feel for the Q60’s limitations and experience what it is really capable of. I don’t think the Q60’s handling is quite up to par with the German competitors, but it has a sprightly, exciting, feel to it nonetheless. The car does a good job at encouraging you to drive a little faster around corners.
Braking feel is pretty much exactly like the Q50 sedan, just with some slightly more aggressive tuning in the Sport model. The brakes don’t respond quite as immediately as I would like, and the pedal doesn’t feel very firm for a sport coupe. The bite is also on the vague side, but once you get some braking action, the brakes feel smooth and powerful. The car slows itself down with authority and it’s pretty easy to modulate the amount of braking that you need.
The accelerator has a small dead-zone right at the beginning of the pedal travel, and the pedal itself is quite stiff. The response takes some getting used to, as the engine power doesn’t always feel connected to to amount of throttle input you’re giving. You have to use some finesse to get a good balance of smoothness and power from the engine. The transmission will also upshift a little early if you’re too light with the accelerator.
Ride quality does a good job at combining the feel of a luxury car with a sports coupe. The Q60 rides very smooth in most driving situations, much like the Q50. When you’re on unsettled pavement, the harshness does come out, but not as much as you would expect. It all feels pretty smooth and buttoned down.
The visibility in this car is fine. You get a great view from the side mirrors and visibility out the back is open and unobstructed. The pillars are pretty thin and I didn’t see any obvious blindspots. The Q60 shrinks when you get it out on the road, and overall its a pretty easy car to see out of.
Road/wind noise is also fairly quiet. You can still hear some wind and the oncoming cars passing by, but it’s subdued enough to be competitive. It’s not library silent, but it’s not loud and overly intruding either.
Much like the Q50, the Q60 isn’t quite up to par with its competitors in certain areas. The Q60 competes in a highly competitive segment, and buyers in this class want perfection for the amount of money they’re spending. I think the Q60 just falls a little short in some areas. The transmission is a little dated, the steering is light without much road feel, the interior is getting old, and the refinement is lacking a little. That said, I think the engine in this car is fantastic, the styling turns heads, and the Q60 represents a good value in the segment. It’s perfect for those who want similar performance to the likes of BMW and Audi with better projected reliability and good resale value. Infiniti has been building this chassis and drivetrain for years, and its a solid platform. If you put more of a priority on reliability and engine performance over the smaller details like the steering feel and road noise, the Q60 makes a good car. If you want something that blends in refinement, sportiness, engagement, and speed, the Germans simply do it a little better. It really comes down to your own personal tastes. Personally, if I was going to spend $50K+ on a coupe, I would rather try my luck with an A5, a 440i, or a Lexus RC. The Q60 isn’t a bad car, but its lacking on some of those key areas that buyers in this segment really care about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWOuCl7k_kY