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One thing you can be sure of: when a Japanese auto maker releases a “concept” you can bet that the production version will be pretty close to it.
The Infiniti Q60 Concept is said to preview the next Q60 Coupe aka the car formerly known as the G37 Coupe. Further details will be revealed at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. A word to those who want a stick shift Infiniti coupe – you may want to act now. If the Q60 Coupe follows the lead of its sedan sibling, you won’t be able to row your own.
I saw a new Q50 this morning, still had the dealer temp tags on it. From my initial glance out of the corner of my eye, I thought it was an IS. Dislike. Though it was a very nice pearl white color, which I always fancy.
I can’t say I care for their new styling direction at all. But, you DO get a lot for your money relative to other luxury brands.
I think the Q50 looks too much like a Nissan Altima. Way too many curves. The IS is a brick compared to Nissan/Infiniti’s offerings.
Not a current IS, the last one.
http://m.leasetrader.com/images/photo/590×446/2012_Lexus-IS-250-Rear-view_6823.jpeg
Looks like this:
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2906/14623563986_fe151b8266.jpg
That coupe sure is pretty. As attractive to me as the original G35 Coupe was when I saw it the first time (sadly, the G37 Coupe was a design regression in my opinion). Are they still using platforms derived from the now venerable FM?
+1 Agree 100% I’m not a big fan of the VQ, mostly because I dislike repairing it. It is a great performer however, and that cannot be denied.
I am curious what exactly you have in mind when you say “repairing it”. This is probably the most reliable and least costly to maintain car in the segment.
Exactly what CoreyDL said below. I did not say the VQ was not reliable, sorry if I misspoke. I simply mentioned that I don’t like working on them, personal preference, particularly if transverse. Timing chain, chain guides,and tensioners. Also had very few with excessive oil consumption but that was not the norm.
The J35 is as reliable and generally less expensive to maintain. None in RWD format though. :(
I tend to look beyond numbers and specs and moreso to how things are layed out in an engine bay, it is a flaw I have, but I cannot help it.
I had two VQ30 Maximas and a VQ35 Altima SE (a manual!) that were rock-solid, but I concede that’s only limited anecdotal evidence. I’m sure there are plenty of folks out there who could offer the opposing viewpoint. I will note two things that are somewhat orthogonal to the discussion: There was a definite difference in NVH between the 3.0s and the 3.5. The 3.0 were what I would call “Honda V6 smooth”, the 3.5 that I owned didn’t seem nearly as refined. They may have remedied this later on with the VQ35HR and VQ37VHR; I never drove those. The other thing that I’d note is that there were some rumblings at the time on the message boards about the VQ on the Altima ingesting debris from destroyed catalytic converters. Again I have no firsthand knowledge of this. I traded my Altima in on an Acura TL and have been entry-level luxury ever since.
I’m not sure you’d find many with VQ issues, other than the timing chain guides (early 3.5VQ only) issue.
I do agree on the VQ30 (as in my I30) being smooth like butter, versus the VQ35HR (unfortunately) being pretty raspy and growly. It’s not as refined even though it’s 12 years newer.
The MPG with AWD and 5-speed auto is nothing to write home about. On a tank of 90% in town driving, I just got 16.75MPG.
What years specifically have (had) you seen these problems in? Should I prepare myself for my 2007 Altima to grenade?
Seems like it is spread throughout the 3.5 and 4.0 VQ-DE engines. Telltale sign is a ticking noise from the valve cover area. It sounds like the US made engines have these issues, and the JPN made ones (like the 350Z, Murano) don’t.
The SR20’s and QR25’s were known for ingesting catalyst which ultimately lead to heavy oil consumption.
I’ve replaced many cats on VQ powered Nissans, plugged up to the point where the engine would only idle and not rev, none displayed symptoms of oil consumption however.
It’s a great looking car but I hope they will offer something other than the VQ37 under the hood. It simply cannot compete in power, economy and refinement with offerings from other players in this segment (in particular the BMW N55).
Like what? The options are a 4-cylinder, a VQ37 (opt. turbo), or a NA 5.6, which they wouldn’t put in something this size.
But in all fairness, which would you rather have if you’re out of factory warranty?
Ha, easy, the Infiniti ..
VR38DETT?
The VQ37 makes more power than the N55… at their peaks. Granted, the BMW peaks in hp and torque almost immediately off of the line. Coupled with balance, it is great fun to drive.
I’ve recently had a couple of N54 powered vehicles on the lift and they don’t seem to be holding up too well. I’ve replaced a couple of electric water pumps and thermostats, no big deal, but I’ve noticed oil leaks on all of them. Sub 60k miles on each.
I remember on my M50 and M52 BMW’s, the valve cover and oil filter gaskets were the culprits of oil leaks 95% of the time. PS lines were prone to sweat as well.
Despite BMW fun and refinement, in this segment, I think for my hard earned money I would opt for the IS350 despite the grill.
This is sadly so true… living in a country/city where automobiles are a commodity. Only under the circumstances of living in an urban city or a geographically small state like Hawaii has owning/leasing a BMW become an option. Funny thing is ex 5 Series owners complain so much about mpg when going to Infinitis.
Hard to get too excited about concept cars. I’m suspect that this car will maintain it’s sports edge. The G35/7 was arguably one of the best BMW 3 series competitors, but it seems Infinity is moving away from that as is most cars in this class. Such a shame.
Infiniti’s take on “make our cars aggressive looking” is turning out so much better than Toyota/Lexus’.
It’s subjective, but I agree. I will give some credit to the original “Something Wicked This Way Comes” GS400 though, that one looked good and I thought was marketed well.
Not a bad looker. But the interior will probably be Tokyo-by-night, it will have the bag-of-nails-in-a-blender V6, and no stick means no interest at all from me.
I can’t wait for the current fad of gigantic gaping maws to run its course. Maybe we can have actual windows you can see out of too while they are at it.
I always understood that the coupe had a decent manual take rate, which is why it survived even after the 6MT sedan got nixed. I guess it’s no longer decent enough. :(
I’m curious what this would look like under less designed lighting conditions. This pic is so artfully shadowed and highlighted that I’ve no real feel for how the car looks.