The Address Magazine Nov-Dec 2013 #92: The Winter Issue

The sheetmetal body is
aerodynamically sculpted to register
a minute 0.26 coefficient of drag,
which means it’ll cut through
turbulent air quicker, while using
significantly less fuel
When it comes time to purchase a luxury sedan, the first options
that come to mind are usually German – and with good
reason. They are fast, well built and in typical German fashion,
engineered to perfection. However, despite their fearsome
reputation, there is also a tendency for these same cars
to falter after a few years in our sweltering tropical climates.
Unlike their European counterparts, the Japanese have
been actively chasing this coveted segment of the market
from across the Pacific, and in this area, Infiniti quite literally
has the best of both worlds. As the luxury segment of Nissan,
Infiniti has made a mission of combining the plushness and
aesthetic appeal of its European competitors with good ol’
fashioned Japanese practicality and efficiency – and nothing
embodies that better than the all-new Infiniti Q50 Hybrid.
As the follow-up to the well-received Infiniti G, the Q50
knows it has a tough act to follow, and comes out guns blazing
with a new sweeping sheetmetal body that seems to
taper at the front, giving the car a rear-biased, sporty appearance.
Its new continental front mesh grill and angular
front-end afford a muscular yet modern stance, making the
Q50 a worthy addition to the luxury sedan range, with an
unmistakably Japanese touch.
Of course, the Japanese also understand that the car needs
to be able to handle difficult continental terrain and to see its
occupants safely through the long winter months. Thus, this
impressive metalwork sits on Nissan’s familiar front-midship
platform that gives the car a good weight distribution,
which is incidentally 50 pounds lighter than its predecessor.
On top of this sturdy mechanical platform, there is also
your typically Japanese technical wizardry. The car is the
first in the world to feature Infiniti’s Direct Adaptive Steering,
which actually makes small adjustments to the steering
based on what it feels the driver wants – for instance increasing
the centre deadzone at higher speeds to avoid floating
across lanes, and decreasing it in tight corners, allowing the
driver to still feel in control with minute adjustments. It also
changes its sensitivity across different terrain making the car
handle similarly, regardless of the environment or season.
Perhaps even more futuristically, the car also has a
small camera just under the rear-view mirror that detects
lane-markers and makes small adjustments to the steering to
keep it within the lines when it drifts off, and accommodates
cross winds. It also handles the car’s cruise-control, adapting
the speed to the car in front and also based on current road
conditions, going so far as to engage the brake if it detects an
oncoming collision.➢
From top — Infiniti Q50’s striking sheetmetal body; LED headlights;
17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels with 225/55R17 all-season run-flat tires
nov/dec 2013 | TA 75