Gallery: 2014 Infiniti Q70 3.7 review notes
DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: The conversation went like this, as I stared at my assignment on the car board:
Me: “Uh, Jon, which one’s the Q70? Is that the one that was the G?”
Road test editor Jon Wong: “No, that’s the Q50. The 70 was the M.”
Motorsports editor Mac Morrision: “Wait, I thought the G was now the Q60.”
JW: “The Q60 is the G coupe. The Q50 is the G sedan.”
Me: “So what does it look like so I can find it in the parking garage?”
JW: “A big Q50.”
Me: “Which one is the Q50 again?”
Eventually I just took the key fob, went downstairs and pushed “lock” until I found the car honking. Wong was right -- it does look like a big G37…er, Q50.
My initial impressions settling into the Q70 were a blend: The exterior looks oddly bulbous with the cabin set too far back. The interior, however, is one of Infiniti’s best, wrapping around the driver and passenger with beautiful detail stitching, elegant brushed-metal accents and a solid, premium feel to every touchpoint.
Nissan’s VQ V6 engine is as good as ever, snarling when it needs to and delivering instantaneous throttle response. The transmission to which it’s attached doesn’t even begin to do it justice, unfortunately. The seven-speed automatic seemed to be doing its best bad dual-clutch impression, appearing confused and unhappy in low-speed situations and just generally sluggish in others. Figuring maybe I just needed to find my favorite drive mode setting using the rotary knob on the center console, I switched between eco, normal and sport to no avail. Eventually I just left it in normal -- eco deadens throttle response to the point where the car is almost undriveable, while sport is too aggressive for most city driving.
That sort of sums up my whole Q70 experience -- the car tends to be hot or cold but never “just right.” Whatever its merits, there are just too many more engaging drivers in this price class, and the Infiniti is without any compelling feature or attribute to help it stand out, not unlike the M sedan that came before it.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: I think the bodywork is the most exciting part on the 2014 Infiniti Q70 3.7, and that isn’t saying much. In the parking lot at the golf course, a friend with a Nissan Maxima -- take that as you will -- said he liked the look. I just don’t love it.
Speaking of golf, the trunk fit my one club bag, but with no folding seats it might have a problem fitting two. And any sort of full-size sedan should have to fit two golf bags. On the bright side, the air conditioning and ventilated seats made quick work of my soaking clothes after we got caught in a rain storm. I may have developed a cold.
Visibility was good from the comfortable driver’s seat and I like that Infinitis always have the electronic steering adjustment, nice and quick. The radio setup also works flawlessly with my phone, which is a nice bonus.
Power from the V6, which is good in the Q50 and Q60, seems a little weak in the bigger car. It has paddle shifters, but if the gears don’t bang off like a race car, what’s the point? In non-paddle mode, shifts were smooth from the seven-speed automatic. With the traction control off, you can make some noise with the tires, but it takes a full stomp on the pedal along with a crank of the wheel. I like my burnouts often and instantaneous. The old M56 could do it, and I’m sure the Q70 5.6 will, too.
The Q70 is fine. I couldn’t really pick out something I hated or anything I particularly liked. The seats and interior are above average, and the body isn’t terrible looking either. I bet when we test the V8 version it’ll get much better marks.
The BMW 535i starts at $55K and the Mercedes-Benz E350 starts at about $51,000. This Q70 falls right near the target. Could I pick this over either one of those? Sorry, but no.
SENIOR ROAD TEST EDITOR NATALIE NEFF: As if Infiniti’s lineup of cars wasn’t already anonymous enough, what with the totally descriptive G and M alphanumerics designating the mid- and full-size cars, the luxury automaker decides to pin even more indecipherable monikers on all models. Now, EVERY vehicle in the Infiniti stable is called Q something, all eight of them. Or seven. I’m not even sure anymore.
Mr. Stoy did a pretty complete job of delineating all these models, but I still have to pause and mentally sift through the names, aligning each with the old, counting the cars on my fingers just to figure out which is which. And if I have to do that, with my near-20 years in the biz, then how much hope is there that the average luxury-car buyer is going to have a feel for what’s what?
I suppose that’s a problem for Infiniti’s marketing team, not me. Nevertheless, the confusion doesn’t reflect well on the company, and as objective as I try to stay, I can’t help but think some of that trickles down to the car itself.
This is a shame, really, because much of the experience of this Q70 3.7 is so good. It certainly has a fantastic interior. The materials are as rich and high-quality as you’ll find in any luxury car. And the interior design is superb. I’m not totally keen on the layout of the buttons across the upper center stack -- the order of some seems illogical, awkward -- but otherwise all the touch surfaces, the seats, navigating the central interface, soaking in the quiet of the cabin at speed, all are unimpeachable
Style-wise, too, the Q70 is good. It wears its classic long-front, short-rear decks well, the coupe-like silhouette flowing and sensuous. But the grille is fairly bland, and because Infiniti insists on using it almost unadulterated across the line, it doesn’t make it any easier distinguishing one model from another.
I, too, found myself simply leaving the Infiniti Drive Mode Selector in normal, for the same reasons Andy cited. I can’t believe anyone buying this car would find wringing a couple extra mpg worth putting up with the power-sucking eco mode.
Everything you touch is round and soft; like neck pillows at a nursing home, like putting your elbows into a bag of marshmallows. A huge and fitting step up from the Q60 (the aging G37 coupe) I drove a few months ago. Fans for the cooled seats operate in near silence. The sound system is excellent. The two cute little speakers on each side of the headrest stealthily enhance audio clarity. Infiniti proudly keeps with the tradition of real buttons for the radio presets, these days a lost relic.
And the Q70 has three real ashtrays, with little indented rests for dribbling out cigarette ash -- one in front and two in the rear doors, which is the true signifier of automotive opulence. That, and the analog clock.
Eco mode, the different modes controlled via a rotary dial between the seat heaters, tightens up the throttle to rock-crushing levels, firm and slow to prevent lavish gasoline consumption. Around town you could stick the Q70 in normal, but in stop-and-go traffic one might be tempted to think: how wasteful to stay off eco! Sport transforms the throttle into behaving more touchily than a couple in the lull of a shouting match -- but at speed, the car settles down and the throttle response is excellent. Every control feels reassuring, smooth. Steers nicely, too, and the ride is cushy without much body roll.
Adaptive cruise control, while excellent, is slow on the uptake. Change into a clear lane and it's a whole before the car can accelerate to your set speed. Meanwhile, if you’re in the left lane you become That Guy, the guy who squanders a beautiful couple of car lengths in an inexplicable midday traffic jam because you're not paying attention. If a car slips into that beautiful space, prepare to bounce your head back and forth on the thickly padded headrest.
I would say the Q70 is a pretty interesting alternative to the Germans of the world, one that doesn’t try to copy them too closely (unlike Lexus). There’s still a bit of JDM fuddy-duddiness to the Infiniti’s shape and comfort. Hyundai’s and Kia’s luxury cars are kind of like that, too. It says, Hey. Relax. Listen to some smooth jazz. Maybe your car was designed by a single brushstroke. Isn't that more interesting than the BMW 5-series you could buy for the same price? And it is, even if just by a little.
Vehicle Model Information
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $50,405
AS TESTED PRICE: $64,060
POWERTRAIN: 3.7-liter V6; RWD, seven-speed automatic
OUTPUT: 330 hp @ 7,000 rpm, 270 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 3,832 lb
FUEL ECONOMY: 18/26/21 mpg
FUEL ECONOMY: 18.2 mpg
OPTIONS: : Premium package including Infiniti hard drive navigation system, 8-inch WVGA color touchscreen display, voice recognition, NavTraffic, NavWeather, Zagat Survey restaurant guide, Infiniti connection, rear sonar system, Bose two-channel, 10-speaker premiu
