Test Drive Too

Hi to all perspective Q buyers.

I had a wonderful opportunity to share a test drive of a new Q50 with a friend who owns a G37. We both had a chance at the wheel and were thoroughly impressed.

The Escondido, CA dealership now has (8) Q50s. They, like many other dealers were not expecting them. 3 arrived mid-week with another 5 in the last day or two.

My salesman gave me the “keys” and said have fun. He stayed at the dealership while Ron (my friend) and I took a white exterior with black interior, hybrid out for a drive. The Q had everything except the sport package. The car was set to “standard” drive mode. And I later found out that the steering was as tight as one could set it.

Ron took the wheel first. Ron’s daily driver is a 07 G37 (I might have the year wrong but I know it is a 5 speed automatic.) I sat in the front passenger seat.

I own a 2003 G35.

Starting the vehicle was our first feeling this car was different. Neither of us had driven a hybrid before so when Ron pushed the start button and the instrument panel lit up, there was no engine noise or vibration. Nothing. Both of us looked at one another wondering if the car was ready to go. It took us a few seconds to realize that everything was as it should be. Ron put the Q into gear and gently pulled out of the dealer parking lot. That’s when we noticed the gas engine started. I say “noticed” because we were intentionally wondering when it would start. Otherwise, we would not have noticed.

The dealership is right off the 15 freeway so we headed north. Accelerating on the on-ramp was no problem even though the grade was up hill. After merging onto the freeway, both of us noticed that the car was different than both of our daily drivers. The level of road and wind noise was definitely lower. It almost felt like I was in an M. And smooth – very smooth. Again, I felt like I was in an M.

Before we knew it, Ron was up to 70+ (we will need to keep the actual speed off the record). It felt like we were in a heavier car but still had the control of sport sedan. Did I mention the ride was very smooth?

Ron noticed that there was no road vibration coming through the steering wheel. I felt the wheel too – none. I explained the steer-by-wire feature. More on this when I take the wheel.

Now, we turned our attention to the tech package. We first experimented with the lane departure control. This was Ron’s first exposure to this technology so I explained the fundamentals. It was easy enough to toggle the lane departure control on and off with the steering wheel controls. With the control on, we let the car drive itself for at least 3-5 miles. Every time the car drifted to one side of the lane, it gently moved itself back toward the lane center. If I didn’t know the car was doing it, I would have guessed Ron was making normal steering corrections. The car followed road turns perfectly. Large trucks passed us and the Q just maintained its heading. It was truly amazing to see the car steer itself.

There was a time that the lines on the road were faded and the car could not correct. As it started to drift out of the lane, a gentle bell signaled something was wrong. We had the dashboard set to show driver assistant information and I think the lane departure graphic blinked orange (not sure on this last point).

Ron was egger to try the intelligent cruise control. I had explained its capabilities to him earlier and we both agreed that road trips to Vegas would be a lot easier with this feature. He fooled with the controls a little but not having had a chance to play with the controls earlier; it was too much to handle on this part of the test drive.

Now, it was my turn. Ron exited the freeway and we parked as a small lot. It took all of 5 seconds to look at the steering wheel controls to figure out how the cruise control worked. Although the images on the controls are self-explanatory, we just didn’t look closely enough before starting the test drive.

I started slowly and we listened when the gas engine would start. We heard it but in terms of drivability, it was a non-existent event. I stayed on a surface road that parallel the freeway and decided to test acceleration. I was probably going about 35 MPH and then floored it. The transmission downshifted and the car took off. Within a second, it felt like another burst of power kicked in. But it was a smooth kick. Infiniti did a great job of transitioning between the gas and electric motor power plants. I assume this was the electric motor. The acceleration was definitely more than my G35 could muster. I was up to 60 in no time.

We were about 10 miles north so it was time to head back toward the dealer. So I made a hard left turn onto the freeway entrance ramp. The Q just followed my instruction without a fuss. Body roll was minimal and it felt like all wheels had a firm grip on the roadway. I didn’t feel any anti-sway bar bounce.

Once up to speed, I too notice the lack of vibration through the steering wheel. Yes, I can say that I lost some of the intimacy with the road. But I can’t say this was a negative thing. The feel of the Q’s suspension and steering gave me a positive feeling. It did, however, give me the impression we were going slower than really were.

It was time to try both intelligent cruise control with lane departure control. Amazing. Truly amazing. I let the car drive itself for several miles. We pulled up behind a slower car and the Q gently found the right speed. When I put on the blinker and merged into the faster lane to pass the slower car, the Q accelerated to the cruise control speed.

As good as these systems may be they are not perfect. As we approached a slower flat-bed truck that was in the middle of changing to a slower lane, and the road curving gently to the driver’s side, the intelligent cruize control kicked in hard. For a fraction of a second, it seemed like the Q applied its breaks and then decided that the truck had moved into the other lane. This maneuver was a little unnerving.

Enough with the tech gadgets. How did the Q handle in the curves?
I exited the freeway and drove a short distance to a stretch of road through a canyon. I pushed the car doing 50-55 MPH. The Q just gripped the road. No under or over steering. Even though I had no road vibration through the steering wheel, I felt I was one with the road. Again, it reminded me of the M only better.

Upon returning to the dealership, I met up with the salesmen. You can guess the question he asked: “Well, what did you thing”. We talked and joked a bit but the bottom line to me was this. The Q feels much more like an M than my G35. Ron’s G37 is closer to the Q but still, there is a big distance between the 2. Let me say it this way. If an M is a 10 and my G35 is a 1, then the Q is a 7 or 8. I like the M, but the Q is better in many ways. It felt more agile without compromising creature comforts. In many respects, I see the Q as the M-junior: quicker, sharper, smother, and more technically savvy.