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The subsidiary of a major automobile manufacturer is putting a sedan on its wheels that is more progressive in design than the current C-Class. Can be driven more dynamically than a three-series BMW and packs more progress through technology under the sheet metal than an Audi - what? Hardly anyone knows this limousine. And when it comes to sales, the numbers fall short of all expectations. Why is that? It's not the car, is it?
Do not spare the fun
In the test and driving report:
Infiniti Q50's Hybrid AWD
Performance, efficiency and driving pleasure. These three key points span the entire testing period. Already at the Premiere of the Q50 I was done. A quote from the first article shows that the Q50 convinced from the beginning:
The signs in the class of company cars are on storm, the Q50 calls the revolt! I am looking forward to his success!
So far the “revolt” has not materialized. And the successes remain, as the sales figures of the Infiniti brand, "manageable". Kindly circumscribed. It is not the Q50 itself. Because after that Q50 2.2d (review) and the Q50 2.0t (Presentation) could now also the Q50 Hybrid convince in the test.
As a premium offshoot of the Renault-Nissan alliance, Infiniti is to the conglomerate from France and Japan what Lexus is to Toyota. And here, too, the German premium limousine buyer has so far been known as a “coward”. No experiments is the motto of the fleet customers and company car owners. Totally wrong.
This is how the 364 hp hybrid drives
Infiniti combines its own drive train in the Q50s AWD Hybrid. No Mercedes switch box and no engine with Mercedes genes as in the 2.2d and 2.0t models. A classic 3.5 liter V6 naturally aspirated engine from the Nissan Group, a 7-speed automatic transmission from the Japanese transmission specialist JATCO and a 50 kW electric motor, which was placed directly in the “clutch bell”. Where the converter of the automatic transmission is actually located. Instead of the converter, the Q50 Hybrid has two clutches. One between the 302 hp naturally aspirated engine and the electric motor and one between the electric motor and gear box. The Q50 Hybrid does without a power-consuming converter. And you can feel that.
Rarely has saving so much fun
The Q50 Hybrid uses purely the power of the electric motor when starting off gently. You roll silently out of the parking space, without local emissions you thread yourself into the traffic. If more power is required, the V6 petrol engine switches on smoothly. The gasoline engine and electric motor complement each other in the Q50 Hybrid in an eerily perfect way. The electric motor gives the gasoline engine an additional torque of up to 290 Nm, the gasoline engine packs high revving and classic virtues such as “engine sound” on top and together they pamper the Q50 driver with a seductive mixture of power, power, sound and thrust. You often catch yourself blowing out of a village at a good speed, while a short while before you rolled silently through the village at 50 km / h. Kick-down at the town sign, the V6 revs up, the electric motor pours out its torque expertise through the drive train and the result delights the driver's heart and ears.
No hybrid - again - no other hybrid in the market is so active, so full of fun, so ingenious! None!
Driving pleasure requires performance. But driving pleasure also needs control. And the Q50 is the first car on the market in which the classic handlebar, the connection between the driver's hands on the steering wheel and the front wheels, has had its day. The keyword: “Drive-by-wire” suggests a dream of the future, but is already part of everyday life in the Q50 and is standard equipment from the Q50 Sport onwards. DAS (Direct Adaptive Steering) is what Infiniti calls the system and packs it together with active lane monitoring in a so-called “Steering Comfort Package”.
And if you don't touch the “driving dynamics switch” in the center console or switch through the menu of the on-board computer, you will feel one thing above all from this revolution in the steering system: Nothing. No ruts, no bumps, no rumbling. The electrical controls recognize the difference between “tire feedback” when cornering and annoying vibrations caused by ruts or bumps. Anything that would reduce comfort is filtered out. The effect is eerie indeed. One believes in magic. The effect of the entire steering system is so ingenious.
And one inevitably asks the question: Why has not yet implemented another manufacturer, including the competitors of the so-called premium brands?
Efficiency:
[tabgroup] [tab title=”Everyday driver”]In everyday life, consumption values around 7.6 liters are feasible uses, which reduces consumption to 364 liters.[/tab] [tab title=”Without consideration”]Use all the power? Then 6.4 liters is normal. With over 11.5 hp, a completely justifiable value![/tab] [/tabgroup]Everyday life in the Infiniti Q50's Hybrid AWD
In 5.4 seconds to 100 km / h? He does. But you don't have to. Everyday life in the Q50 Hybrid is characterized by the extensive range of assistance systems, the imperceptible interaction of the two engines, the unbeatable steering comfort and the driving comfort that is completely on a premium level. Once you have made friends with the two large displays in the interior, you will also find the operation, which is primarily via “touch”, to be advantageous. With the different design of the two monitors, Infiniti has created a clear separation between the primarily display screen and the touchscreen, which is primarily intended for interaction. The multimedia system impresses with its instant response.
The all-wheel drive version of the Q50 Hybrid brings additional safety and traction in winter. The coordination of the different driving programs clearly interferes with the feeling for the road. Sport mode is too aggressive for slippery roads. The steering is noticeably sluggish and more direct, because in contrast to the competitor's system, the “steer-by-wire” system allows not only the adaptation of the steering forces, but also the transmission ratio. In “normal mode” the system distributes comfort asterisks to the occupants and whoever switches to “snow” is wrapped in cotton wool by the electronic brains of the Q5o. In addition to the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal is of course also electronically translated. In the Q50, it can provide the driver with additional driving tips by applying counter pressure. Fast on the highway? The vehicle in front comes closer - the gas pedal increases the pressure, you automatically go down a little and slow down. This effect is part of the “Safety Shield”, which monitors the distance to the vehicle in front even when the cruise control is deactivated and, if necessary, indicates dangers and tries to avert them.
The fact that the seats of the Q50 were also developed together with NASA and offer great seating comfort and that you can of course groove your way into the day with BOSE sound is just the icing on the cake: “Q50 Hybrid”.
Acquisition and resale
No experiments. So the reasons for the Q50's lack of success are not due to the vehicle itself. Not with the technology package or the cool mix of hybrid savings and driving fun, but only with one reason: no experiments. This is how fleet customers think. And this is how the responsible people think when configuring company and company cars. The Q50 offers more space than a three BMW. The length and wheelbase of the Q50 are almost at the level of the five. The Q50 is available with the same engines as the C-Class, but this is significantly cheaper. And the Q50 offers significantly more progress through technology than an Audi A4 or A5. LED headlights, cornering lights, NASA seats and a huge package of safety and comfort assistants pump the Q50 to a high-tech level.
And then the price - from € 35.300 for the 2.2 diesel, € 60.350 for the driven hybrid sports car with all-wheel drive. 3 years or 100.000 kilometers guarantee included. It will be very difficult to find a German premium competitor. Nevertheless - no experiments, is the slogan among the fleet managers and so the revolution does not happen. Yet.
And finally ...
No. No. And no again. It's just not on the car. The Q50 is currently being bumped. Equipment and ride comfort are in the Q50 sedans on the level of the German premium manufacturer. And you will not find a funnier hybrid in this segment in the program.
The Q50s Hybrid AWD is an impressive combination of how driving pleasure and efficiency fit under a sheet of metal. The Q50 Hybrid saves on fuel, not on driving pleasure - that's the good news! The bad one? There are simply too few dealers, too little commitment in sales. If that doesn't change, one day the Q50 will be remembered as: "It could have been if ..."
Click here for the Infiniti-Q50 price list
Further link tips: griin.de to the Q50 Hybrid, High-tech sports sedan, autophorie.de, Precious attack, autorevue.at to 2.2 Q50
click: Infiniti Q50s AWD Hybrid - Test Car Gallery
Photos in the article: Bjoern Habegger Cover photo: Bjoern Habegger