I'm seriously considering trading in my 08G35X sedan for a Q50 sedan. Now about Q50's... Pros? Cons? different levels and engines? How different are they from G37 sedans? Lots of the same parts? suspension? I know that the 2014 q50 had the VQ37VHR engine as an option on one of the models. Let's just chat about these cars and fill me in on em all. Pretend I know nothing. haha.

 

Early model ones had the VQ37VHR but then they switched to a twin turbo V6 in 2016 I think?? The Q50 all have the newer revision galley gaskets that came on the 2012+ VQ37VHR / VQ35HR so there's much less of a concern that it will blow out.

Personally I'd get a 2016+ with the TT. I went on a short ride in one about a year and a half ago and my buddy said that other than the typical "no feedback electric power steering" it felt great. That was a normal 3.0t not the red sport 400 one, I think it was the premium package but not totally sure.

Don't know ANYTHING about the little 4 cyl Mercedes engine that was an option, other than I think it was called the 2.0t package.

The 7 speed automatic is very uninspiring though, I would at least look into getting it chipped to change the shifting because it felt SUPER slushy.

I know they made a really popular hybrid that still used the VQ35HR but I've never been in one with that powertrain so I have no comment but apparently it gets like 35mpg highway which is amazing for a car that big. Same with the various interior packages, not sure what the options even are for them.

I do know that the overall feel of the vehicle was they went completely to the LUXURY feel of the vehicle and it definitely didn't feel SPORTS CAR at all. But it drove like a dream and had an amazing powerband and LOOKED really good, it was evening time and just opening the door and seeing the illuminated INFINITI kickplate really set the stage for how beautiful that car was inside and out.

The red sport 400 is probably a lot more fun if you can find one of them.

 

great information! thanks for all your input!

 

Here's my biggest problem with that whole car segment is there's a LOT of competition and the Q50 is sort of mediocre at everything whereas the other options like Mercedes C or Audi S both specialize in either a higher quality interior/ride or a higher performance/ride. Heck you can get into a Lincoln MKS like BlueDream did and have a full luxury interior with a motor that absolutely screams with only minor mods. All those other vehicles shift better than the Q50 too, I really suggest test driving everything in that segment before pulling the trigger on the Q50, it's a solid vehicle but imo it is outshined by it's competition.

However if you were looking at the hybrid for maximum fuel economy I don't think there's any competition for it.

 

yeah. I understand that. but having owned some german cars in my past, there is no friggin way I will own another one. They are amazing while they are running and running good, but working on them sucks soooo much. plus parts are more expensive and they degrade in value faster than any other cars ever. As for the lincoln, I'm sure it's nice, but it's ugly as hell and just a luxurious Ford.

I've been eyeing some Lexus IS350s lately and am going to test drive some of those. I am just kind brand loyal. I've owned 5 nissans over the years and I know quite a bit about them, so I would prefer to stay there. But i do need to drive some other cars too. Thanks for your advice though. I appreciate it.

 

I'll throw my hat in the ring.

I have a 2018 Q50 Red Sport AWD. Bought in June 2018 with 7,000 miles on it. It was part of the Infiniti Brass Hat fleet...supposedly handed to an executive for a 6 month stretch. I picked it up for $45 when the same car when a brand new one with similar options went for $60.

The car doesn't need any more power...it just needs to be lightened a bit.

It is quicker than my G35 that puts down 408whp/330wtq. On the same dyno, my Q50 put down ~356whp/362wtq when it was stock...add exhaust for another 14whp.

I like it a LOT, but I like my G35 more.

I have added quite a bit to it and dropped at least 70 pounds of rotating mass and 25 pounds from the battery (now Lithium). It is quick and handles decently.

Whatever you do, make sure your car does not have DAS (Direct Adaptive Steering). Some love it. I hate it. I prefer a real rack over a fake one.

 

Thank you for your input!

 

I've had two loaner Q50 while getting my first-gen G35 sedan serviced and hated the steering. I was really glad to get back into my G35, partly because of the weight but mostly couldn't stand the steering.

I've been looking at G37/Q40's as a replacement since. I like the looks of the Q50, but not how the one's I've driven handled.

I remember reading they were going to put the G's hydraulic steering back into the Q50. What Q50 models have hydraulic steering?

 

I've driven 3 used Q50's in the past few months. one was a basic with no Nav, one was a premium w/ Nav, and the last one was an S loaded. All were the 3.7. I really like the cars, but the infortainment touch screen system is wonky. Very distracting for me personally. The steering on the S felt the best, I think it was hydraulic, not the steer-by-wire crap. If I was going for one, I'd get push for an S. My biggest reason was the brakes. The stopping power was phenomenal, felt like I could stop the car with my pinky toe if I wanted. Ride quality was tolerable considering it was on 19s and the latter 17s. V36 G35/G37's are closer to my current budget, but I try to avoid the 2011 and older because of the oil galley issues, which leaves out a lot of them on market. I'm not willing to spend thousands to change a $20 set of gaskets. I am yet to drive a G37, but its on my to-do list, and having driven a Q50S, I know if I went that route the G37S is what I want. Big brakes ftw.
I'm nowhere near ready to commit to a car with payments, but I'm hoping to drive a 3.0T in the coming months.

 

I had a Q50 loaner while mine was at the shop (installing LoJack). I also hated the Q50 they gave me. It was a basic Q50 with either 17" or 18" wheels with the claimed 300hp motor (we all know it is underrated), but it wasn't a Red Sport.

The difference between my Q50 and a basic one is almost night and day.

The infotainment is fine. Zero issues with the Bose...oh yeah forgot, the one they gave me didn't have Bose either.

So, I got a car that was down on power, no manual mode for the transmission, no bose, and not setup for handling. Yeah, I didn't like it either.

You can either get it with DAS or with electrically assisted steering. I'd opt for electrically assisted. I can tell if it has DAS when I go into the steering setup menu. If there is only one row of options, it does NOT have DAS. If you see two rows, you have DAS.

 

so i test drove a ton of cars this weekend. Including a lot of different Q50 cars. I drove a 15 premium with the 3.7 that i really like. Then i drove a 16 3.0t with the new 3.0tt motor. I like it but it didnt feel as powerful as the 3.7. It was quick but seemed like a much more mid range rpm power motor. It fell off the closer to redline, where the 3.7 just keeps pulling like a ****. The new 3.0tt engine just makes me a bit nervous about long term reliability. I also drove a 16 red sport, which i friggin love!!! but a little to far out of budget. I then drove a 16 sport that was basically the same thing as the red sport just 100 hp less. I also loved that one to. It also had all the cool ****, like the akebono brakes, kickass seats, paddle shifters etc,. But for some reason I think i just really like the 3.7 engine cars. I drive a lot and put a minimum of 60 miles a day, just to and from work. so i need something that will be super reliable. for a long time. I just dont trust the new turbo motors as much to do that, especially 5-6 years down the road.

I also drove a 17 Lexus ES350. Or something like that, cant remember the exact model number. It was a very nice car, with a very plush interior, it was just very grandma and not very sporty. I also drove a 17 maxima. That was also very super plush with a cool interior with a ton of bells and whistles, but felt very "pedestrian" and almost cheap. I could hear the rear tires and suspension working, in the backseat area, if that makes sense. Like it had no sound proofing. haha. Plus it had a CVT transmission that also makes me nervous.

 

Buy a vanilla Q50 3.0 TT and get the redline reflash. The 3.0 TT is a VR30 engine basically a baby GTR engine, it's actually better than the VQ. I have seen a few rebuilt / salvage 3.0tt cars for 15k or so, with a reflash it's the cheapest way to get a 400 whp Q50.

 

Yeah. I did some research on the 3.0t engine. I know they are little versions of the GTR engine. Which is cool. But ive seen them with a ton of problems already. They seem to have figured it out a bit more sometime in 2018. so the new 2019 and 2020's have a lot of the early generation problems fixed. But those are too far out of budget.

 

puddin: The 3.0 TT is reliable for the most part. Though rare, there are 2 things I have noticed on the forum...one of which happened to me.

1. Belt alignment. If the sepentine belt is not lined up properly, it will eventually break or shred. Mine shredded with a pop while my car was on the dyno at 17,000 miles. Dealer replaced belt and tensioner.

2. The turbos may gave out. 2 or 3 guys on the forum have had turbo failure. I believe it has more to do with tune and aftermarket parts than factory issue.

The silver sport has 300hp and yes it can be tuned to 400 or more. The red sport has 400hp and it has a turbo speed sensor. It also has IIRC an additional water pump and a larger heat exchanger.

Many are running JB1/JB4. Many have added downpipes and ooened up the exhaust.

I ran a JB4 for a short while because it doesnt add much HP at the top end...the turbos run out of breath.

The only thing I have on there is an exhaust. My 2018 has a 100,000 mile extended warranty. I intend to use every bit of it as turbo replacement is well over 10k and a new motor from what I have read is around 20k. That sounds awfully high, but I dont have any numbers of my own.

If you cant afford a potential downtime and want reliability, and if you cant afford a Red Sport, then stick with the 3.7. A silver sport with tune is not something I'd play with...and I had a stage 3 WRX with built motor and big turbo.

I am leaving my red sport at factory power and under warranty.

 

I'm looking at a 2018 certified pre-owned Q50 from an Infiniti dealership. It's a 3.0t LUXE AWD model with the 3.0TT engine.
I saw in ONE YouTube video that they might have oil consumption issues? The one in the video was an earlier year and I'm wondering if that might have been resolved...
I'm not looking for anything incredibly fast or anything, just something ideally AWD and turbocharged if possible.
My turbo G RevUp gave out recently and I'm looking into a new car which so far has included a Tesla Model 3 (out of my budget), a WRX, or a Q.
I wouldn't want to get the Q if I had to worry about oil again because I already had a RevUp that consumed a little oil N/A and even more after boost.
Any input is appreciated! Thanks!