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I drove down to LA to visit my sister for the holidays, + she had been asking me to help her get a new car and I was also in the market to get one too for a few months but was terribly confused as to what to get. I own 3 cars, one weekend driver, an SUV work truck and a family sedan. I test drove many cars which include beemers, mercs, lexus, nissan, honda, ford just to educate myself. My sister ended up getting an IS250 which she is happy with, and I traded in my 2011 Merc C300 sport for the Q50. Here are my thoughts after driving the car from Los Angeles to Chico, CA and doing its first 800 miles.
The first couple of days it took me some time to get used to the different drive quality of the Q50 in comparison to the merc. The merc felt more planted, and had a better fit an finish, the lexus too had a excellent fit and finish, very quite cabin and controlled steering. The q50 felt lighter and nimbler to me. After a few days I was regretting that I should have gotten the IS350!
Anyhow, as I got to know the car better, I started enjoying its electronic features, and found that it is a lot more comfortable to be in than the merc. The lexus was different, designed very ergonomically but very tight. I likes the room the Q50 had, did not make me feel too enclosed. It did not take me too much time to get to know the systems features such as radio, heating/air conditioning, power windows, locks, mirrors, etc... IMO I like the usability to be far easier than the bmw system and the lexus mouse which tends to move around too much.
It is during the drive back to chico (7 hours) is when I discovered the thrill and joy of driving this car. After breaking in my first 700 miles, I started having some fun... On the drive up I drove the car in a variety of conditions on the highway, and back roads. Acceleration was excellent throughout the power band and braking was tight. This car really made me feel very confidant during lane changes, overtaking, etc...I gotta say It kinda felt as fast as my 996...
Upon reaching Nor Cal, I took some country roads driving between miles and miles of orchard, great scenery too...oh, btw, its a lot more fun to drive with all the electronic stability management off, this car sometimes feels like a V8, and with the electronics off, tires screeching and tail swinging makes this car a Hella fun to drive!!! Its like in a disguise, no one could ever tell by the elegant looks of it!!
I used to drive a 996 a daily driver, since my son was born, its become a weekend car. I have had a hard time finding an alternative sedan at a reasonable price, I never fell in love with drive quality of my previous C300 sport but loved its looks, and although I like the drive quality of bmw, I am not much of a beemer fan due to reliability issues and costly options.
I have been looking for something both my wife and I would be happy with as she likes luxury and I like performance....I find that this car is an excellent fit for us and the rear seats have better room than the others compared. My only complaint is I hope that INFINITI resolves the software issues and updates....oh and I also don't like the run flats. Otherwise, if you like a car which is elegant, refined and yet has the balls when needed, this would be a great car for you!!
The first couple of days it took me some time to get used to the different drive quality of the Q50 in comparison to the merc. The merc felt more planted, and had a better fit an finish, the lexus too had a excellent fit and finish, very quite cabin and controlled steering. The q50 felt lighter and nimbler to me. After a few days I was regretting that I should have gotten the IS350!
Anyhow, as I got to know the car better, I started enjoying its electronic features, and found that it is a lot more comfortable to be in than the merc. The lexus was different, designed very ergonomically but very tight. I likes the room the Q50 had, did not make me feel too enclosed. It did not take me too much time to get to know the systems features such as radio, heating/air conditioning, power windows, locks, mirrors, etc... IMO I like the usability to be far easier than the bmw system and the lexus mouse which tends to move around too much.
It is during the drive back to chico (7 hours) is when I discovered the thrill and joy of driving this car. After breaking in my first 700 miles, I started having some fun... On the drive up I drove the car in a variety of conditions on the highway, and back roads. Acceleration was excellent throughout the power band and braking was tight. This car really made me feel very confidant during lane changes, overtaking, etc...I gotta say It kinda felt as fast as my 996...
Upon reaching Nor Cal, I took some country roads driving between miles and miles of orchard, great scenery too...oh, btw, its a lot more fun to drive with all the electronic stability management off, this car sometimes feels like a V8, and with the electronics off, tires screeching and tail swinging makes this car a Hella fun to drive!!!
Its like in a disguise, no one could ever tell by the elegant looks of it!!I used to drive a 996 a daily driver, since my son was born, its become a weekend car. I have had a hard time finding an alternative sedan at a reasonable price, I never fell in love with drive quality of my previous C300 sport but loved its looks, and although I like the drive quality of bmw, I am not much of a beemer fan due to reliability issues and costly options.
I have been looking for something both my wife and I would be happy with as she likes luxury and I like performance....I find that this car is an excellent fit for us and the rear seats have better room than the others compared. My only complaint is I hope that INFINITI resolves the software issues and updates....oh and I also don't like the run flats. Otherwise, if you like a car which is elegant, refined and yet has the balls when needed, this would be a great car for you!!
