Considering Malbec Black Q50

23879 Views 17 Replies 6 Participants Last post by afrosheen, Sep 7, 2013

truubluu

Discussion Starter · Sep 5, 2013 (Edited)

Hi everyone. I’ve been driving a BMW E90 3-series for the past 8 years. My BMW is pretty basic, with few added options. Perhaps because it’s rather basic, it’s been very reliable. I’ve never had any problems.

However, I’m in the market for a new car and I want to try something different. I also want more tech options and good reliability. So I’m seriously considering the Infiniti Q50.

With BMW and German brands, I can choose *individual* options and configure a car to my exact needs. However, with Infiniti and Japanese brands, I'm disappointed that I can only choose *packaged* options and some accessories.

My ideal Q50 would include these options …

MODEL
-2014 Infiniti Q50S 3.7 ($43,200)

EXTERIOR COLOR
-Malbec Black (INCLUDED)

INTERIOR COLOR
-Stone Leather Interior / Kacchu Aluminum (INCLUDED)

PACKAGE
-Spare Tire Package
-Navigation Package

PLUS …

a) 60/40 split-folding rear seats with center armrest pass-thru
b) Rain-sensing front windshield wipers

c) Backup Collision Intervention (BCI)
d) Blind Spot Warning (BSW)

Unfortunately, Infiniti doesn’t allow me to individually choose options A and B. It forces me to get the “Deluxe Touring Package” with the unwanted “Direct Adaptive Steering”. As well, it doesn’t allow me to choose options C and D. It forces me to get the “Deluxe Touring Package” and the “Technology Package”. In other words, Infiniti wants me to pay over $6,000 for two packages with options that I don’t want or care for.

Does anyone have similar problems? I just feel that, if Infiniti is aiming for luxury, it should take a cue from the German brands and grant customers greater flexibility in choosing individual options.

See less See more

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

afrosheen

· #2 · Sep 5, 2013

I guess it's just a difference in philosophy. Germans nickel and dime you for every single feature, so you can take a 28k car all the way to 55k with the right choices.

Japanese brands have package sets. Sure, there are a few addons like splash guards and trunk cargo nets, but by and large the options are limited. It removes choice for picky buyers but it simplifies production. Keep in mind that Infiniti's and GTR's roll down the same assembly line in Tochigi as Altimas and other cars. They don't have their own specific line and 256 configurations. They also don't usually make you wait 3-6 months for the fully customized car you want, so there are different positives and negatives to their manufacturing concept.

If you want to talk options, I have a Maserati Ghibli pamphlet sitting here with 12 colors of leather to choose from, and that's just the beginning.

Also, please do not assume Malbec Black looks like that photo. They didn't get any of the colors right on the website. You have to see it in person on a sunny day. At night it's pitch black, in the daytime, when the sun hits it hard, brighter curves have a deep purple metallic to them.

See less See more

truubluu

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 5, 2013

afrosheen, thanks for putting things into perspective.

Yes, I've seen the Malbec Black color in person. It's pretty much metallic black, but when the sun hits certain angles, the dark purple shines through. Exactly what I want!

I'm still leaning towards the Q50 as I want some tech features, and the Japanese brands make simpler, more reliable tech stuff.

If so, I'll definitely buy it this model year to get a mostly-made-in-Japan Q50. I don't like Nissan's future plans to build Mercedes-licensed inline-4 engines in the US and Mercedes-licensed transmissions in Mexico. In this price range, I wouldn't want a transmission that's made in Mexico.

JR69

· #4 · Sep 5, 2013

I think out of all the Infiniti cars, the Q50 wears Malbac black the best.

Reactions: 4

SimpsonTide985

· #5 · Sep 5, 2013

Yeah, as far as options/features go, it definitely comes down to business philosophy and to a lot of buyers, it works for them. There's a lot that I do like about how BMW breaks everything up---sure, I think it would be nice if Infiniti broke down their packages a little bit more--hopefully in the future they might?

SimpsonTide985

· #6 · Sep 5, 2013 (Edited)

JR69 said:
I think out of all the Infiniti cars, the Q50 wears Malbec black the best.

Oh definitely. The Q50 has a lot more lines and surfaces to where the sun can bounce off it.

I think if I go with the Q50, I think I'll skip on the Malbec Black this time. I have the color now and it's great, but I think I'll look for something a little bit lighter...

See less See more

lcevan

· #7 · Sep 5, 2013

truubluu said:
Hi everyone. I’ve been driving a BMW E90 3-series for the past 8 years. My BMW is pretty basic, with few added options. Perhaps because it’s rather basic, it’s been very reliable. I’ve never had any problems.

However, I’m in the market for a new car and I want to try something different. I also want more tech options and good reliability. So I’m seriously considering the Infiniti Q50.

With BMW and German brands, I can choose *individual* options and configure a car to my exact needs. However, with Infiniti and Japanese brands, I'm disappointed that I can only choose *packaged* options and some accessories.

My ideal Q50 would include these options …

MODEL
-2014 Infiniti Q50 3.7 Premium ($39,550)

EXTERIOR COLOR
-Malbec Black (INCLUDED)

INTERIOR COLOR
-Wheat Leather Interior / Kacchu Aluminum (INCLUDED)

PACKAGE
-Spare Tire Package
-Leather Seating Package
-Navigation Package
-19-inch Sport Tire and Wheel Package (RWD)

PLUS …

a) 60/40 split-folding rear seats with center armrest pass-thru
b) Rain-sensing front windshield wipers

c) Backup Collision Intervention (BCI)
d) Blind Spot Warning (BSW)

Unfortunately, Infiniti doesn’t allow me to individually choose options A and B. It forces me to get the “Deluxe Touring Package” with the unwanted “Direct Adaptive Steering”. As well, it doesn’t allow me to choose options C and D. It forces me to get the “Deluxe Touring Package” and the “Technology Package”. In other words, Infiniti wants me to pay over $6,000 for two packages with options that I don’t want or care for.

Does anyone have similar problems? I just feel that, if Infiniti is aiming for luxury, it should take a cue from the German brands and grant customers greater flexibility in choosing individual options.

Totally feeling the same issue. I dont want the wood or DAS, and dont really need rain sensing wipers or power tilt steering column.. But I'd love the 60/40 split seat and memory seats.
And also the blind spot warning.. why is that a feature that requires everything else

Reactions: 1

truubluu

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 6, 2013

lcevan said:
Totally feeling the same issue. I dont want the wood or DAS, and dont really need rain sensing wipers or power tilt steering column.. But I'd love the 60/40 split seat and memory seats.
And also the blind spot warning.. why is that a feature that requires everything else

I wish the split-folding rear seats were standard in the Q50, or at least as a stand-alone option for those of us that do NOT want D.A.S. I've used the folding rear seats in my BMW to carry so many bulky things - suitcases, snowboards, and even a tree! They give a sedan the practicality of a hatchback.

SimpsonTide985

· #9 · Sep 6, 2013

As much as I initially criticized BMW for how they "nickel and dime" you for certain accessories and packages, I'm now realizing how inconvenient it can be to have something very opposite like what Infiniti is doing by bundling too many thing together like they have. I really don't like it. I'm not saying they need to break down every little thing, but I would've liked to have seen a larger division of packages in the upper trim levels (Premium and Sport) and I'm still hoping they'll still do something about it in future model years.

NissLover

· #10 · Sep 6, 2013

Simply put, this is one of the ways they keep the overall price of the car down. Less variations means lower production cost, which means lower MSRP over all.

Individually, it seems like they are forcing you to get features you don't want, but because they package them together, that means more people buy the individual features, which is why they can offer them at a lower, bundled price in the packages. If all the features were offered individually they would be considerably more expensive and you would probably end up spending the same amount for a car with less features... even though some of them you don't want.

truubluu

Discussion Starter · #11 · Sep 6, 2013

NissLover said:
Simply put, this is one of the ways they keep the overall price of the car down. Less variations means lower production cost, which means lower MSRP over all.

Individually, it seems like they are forcing you to get features you don't want, but because they package them together, that means more people buy the individual features, which is why they can offer them at a lower, bundled price in the packages. If all the features were offered individually they would be considerably more expensive and you would probably end up spending the same amount for a car with less features... even though some of them you don't want.

I remember watching a documentary about BMW and its German production plant. A BMW manager stated that their plants are designed and optimized to enable any selection of options - with minimal extra production costs. So, in this regard, I believe BMW is more efficient at production and options than Infiniti. Japanese brands don't do everything with great efficiency or transparency. There is room for improvement.

I just wish Infiniti would learn from BMW by offering stand-alone options *AND* packages. So if I just want folding rear seats, I can choose that option and pay $700 (random made-up number). OR, I can choose to get that option bundled in the Deluxe Touring Package and pay over $3,000.

Yes, if you like most of the options in an Infiniti package, you're getting a good deal. But if you don't, then you are over-paying, possibly for unwanted options. For me, I don't want the D.A.S. But if I want the folding seats within the Deluxe Touring Package and pay for that, I'm stuck with the dreadful D.A.S.

Who knows, maybe Infiniti will adjust options and packages for the next model year?

See less See more

NissLover

· #12 · Sep 6, 2013

Not to sound like a debby-downer, but I doubt they will change it any time soon. But they are in a transition period and like you said, customization = luxury. So it may be on the books at some point.

SimpsonTide985

· #13 · Sep 6, 2013

truubluu said:
I remember watching a documentary about BMW and its German production plant. A BMW manager stated that their plants are designed and optimized to enable any selection of options - with minimal extra production costs. So, in this regard, I believe BMW is more efficient at production and options than Infiniti. Japanese brands don't do everything with great efficiency or transparency. There is room for improvement.

Don't let Toyota hear you say that!

truubluu said:
Yes, if you like most of the options in an Infiniti package, you're getting a good deal. But if you don't, then you are over-paying, possibly for unwanted options. For me, I don't want the D.A.S. But if I want the folding seats within the Deluxe Touring Package and pay for that, I'm stuck with the dreadful D.A.S.

Oh, so now DAS is "dreadful" now? Sounds like hyperbole to me...?

Reactions: 1

truubluu

Discussion Starter · #14 · Sep 6, 2013

SimpsonTide985 said:
Don't let Toyota hear you say that!

Oh, so now DAS is "dreadful" now? Sounds like hyperbole to me...?

Sorry, I should've written "dreadful-for-me" DAS.

SimpsonTide985

· #15 · Sep 6, 2013

truubluu said:
Sorry, I should've written "dreadful-for-me" DAS.

I'm curious--have you test driven the car yet?

truubluu

Discussion Starter · #16 · Sep 6, 2013

SimpsonTide985 said:
I'm curious--have you test driven the car yet?

Yes, I've driven the Q50 S with regular power steering and with DAS. For me, the regular power steering was great - it felt direct and connected (and probably simpler design = greater reliability).

It would be nice if Infiniti gave customers the freedom to easily choose regular power steering or DAS. Everyone has different interests, and we should be able to choose the steering option that best suits our needs.

SimpsonTide985

· #17 · Sep 6, 2013

truubluu said:
Yes, I've driven the Q50 S with regular power steering and with DAS. For me, the regular power steering was great - it felt direct and connected (and probably simpler design = greater reliability).

It would be nice if Infiniti gave customers the freedom to easily choose regular power steering or DAS. Everyone has different interests, and we should be able to choose the steering option that best suits our needs.

And you messed around thoroughly with the DAS settings too? I would think there would be a massive acclimation period for such technology and a a good amount of time necessary to determine the setting that's right for you...

afrosheen

· #18 · Sep 7, 2013

Ironically, DAS was designed for picky drivers to have choice in weight, feedback, and turns lock-to-lock. But enthusiast drivers are dismissing it outright without giving it a chance. Personally, I think some steering isolation is good, particularly in a sport-sprung car that will tell you if the quarter you ran over is heads or tails.

Still, to this day, most car forums are full of people moaning about the death of the manual transmission, while sales for most brands are less than 1% for this option. Even Porsche has basically said "SMG or nothing" at this point. I bet when ABS first came out, "car guys" complained about that too. Eventually, these things will be standard across the board and nobody will miss them after a generation.

That doesn't address your point, of course, just wanted to opine a little. I think one reviewer said the steering was great until someone told him it was DAS, then he had a problem with it.

See less See more

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.