HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
A Brief Interlude.
Editor-in-Chief's Note: I had the opportunity to try out a 2018 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 AWD over the last week, but since I was very ill I must admit I didn't drive it enough to form any deep impressions. I did like the "exclusive" paint, which doesn't show up in the pictures; it's like an electric cranberry and it actually came off well. The design of the Q60 is decent. I don't like it as much as recent sport-oriented efforts from other manufacturers, but I do like it better in the flesh and out in the real world than I thought I would. The interior was light in color, which is never my favorite, but everything was placed well and worked well, so it would seem to live up to its "enthusiast car" credentials, especially given the overall excellent feel of the car (although it had more "nanny" items on board than I even care to contemplate). But no doubt the main attraction is the 3.0-liter, Twin Turbo, 400HP V6 with 350 lb.ft of torque. It's almost worth the fairly steep price of admission for this car alone because it is an outstanding engine, but I must admit there would be several choices at this price range that I would consider first. I look forward to spending more time in one of these in the future, but for now my initial impressions are somewhat favorable, despite the gimmickry. -PMD
2018 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 AWD: $65,705 ($54,000 Base price; 3.0-liter, Twin Turbo, 400HP V6 with 350 lb.ft of torque; Infiniti Intelligent All-Wheel-Drive; 7-speed automatic gearbox; Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters; Dynamic Digital Suspension; Independent front and rear suspension; 20-inch aluminum wheels; P255/35R20 all season performance tires, front and rear; Sport brakes with red painted calipers; Zero-lift aerodynamic concept; Infiniti Drive Mode Selector; Vehicle-speed-sensitive power steering; Exclusive Red Sport 400 exhaust tips, Active Trace Control, Hill start assist; Automatic on/off LED headlights with LED DRLs; LED fog lights, front turn signals and rear brake lights; NOTE, this car has pretty much everything you can think of, moving on; Sensory Package (Sport) - Infiniti InTouch Navigation, with Voice Recognition, Infiniti InTouch Services, Sirius/XM Traffic, Heated front seats, Heated Steering wheel, Remote engine start - $2,250; PROASSIST Package - Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Backup Collision Intervention; Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection, Front and rear sonar system, Predictive Forward Collision Warning, Forward Emergency braking with pedestrian detection, Rain-sensing wipers - $2,250; PROACTIVE Package - Intelligent Cruise Control, Direct Adaptive Steering, Lane Departure Prevention with Active Lane Control, Distance Control Assist, Blind Spot Intervention, Adaptive Front Lighting System with auto-leveling headlights, High Beam Assist, Front Pre-Crash Seat belts, Advanced Climate Control System, Eco pedal - $2,850; Exclusive Paint and Silver Optic Fiber Interior Trim, $800; Illuminated Infiniti kick-plates, $400; Carbon Fiber Package - Carbon fiber rear decklid spoiler, Carbon fiber exterior mirror covers, Carbon fiber fog lamp finishers, Carbon fiber fender vents - $2,250; Destination charges, $905.)