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Sunday Drive: A great week in the new Infiniti Q0 Red Sport

By Craig and Deanne Conover - | Oct 23, 2021

DREW PHILLIPS

Exterior of the Infiniti Q0 Red Sport. (Courtesy Drew Phillips)

It is never a bad week when a small coupe-like vehicle arrives in our driveway. The Infiniti Q60 was no exception, and we would expect nothing less from the luxury brand in its version of a 400-horsepower, two-door coupe.

We have been extremely blessed over the past year or so to drive some very impressive two-door coupes including the Lexus LC500, the new Chevrolet Corvette and the Nissan GTR. They have all been very fine vehicles in their own right, ranging from $80,000 to well over $110,000.

These have all been exciting and powerful coupes that are fun to drive and have great technology embedded in them that enhances the driving experience.

After only a couple of days in the Q60 coupe, we were totally in love as it did not sit quite as low as some of the competition, making it much easier to get in and out of the car. This is a big deal for those of us who are advancing in age, and, more importantly, we didn’t look as if we had just purchased the new car and were still trying to figure out how to get in and out!

That can be a problem with the short-term loans of cars we receive every week; being graceful on entry and exit helps sell the illusion that we are the owners and have been for quite some time.

DREW PHILLIPS

Interior of the Infiniti Q0 Red Sport. (Courtesy Drew Phillips)

The exterior design was also a plus as the bends and curves that were pure Infiniti set the coupe apart, but not in an obnoxious, “I am special” kind of way. Heads would turn and take note of us driving around, which we love, but it was more of an adoring kind of look, like taking in a piece of art at the museum.

Infiniti has always had that subtle way of standing out and being just different enough to draw attention while not yelling to the crowd. We have noticed it in their vehicles ranging from their large SUVs all the way down to the Q60 coupe; they have always been designed well.

We were able to go on a real “Sunday Drive” through the southwest part of Utah County in the Q60 and really give the impressive 3.0-liter V6 engine a workout. Thrilling? Yes. Coming in at 400 horsepower, it was more than capable of getting up to speed whenever we needed an extra little push.

The zero-to-60 time is 4.5 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph. This puts it right in line with the competition — excepting its brother, the Nissan GTR, which gets there in only 2.9 seconds. This is a great number, especially when one knows it comes with a starting price of just $60,000.

All that power, along with 350 ft. lbs. of torque, is driven through an awesome 7-speed automatic transmission that included Downshift Rev Matching, helping keep the performance and efficiency up. Manual paddles were also included and were a blast to use when switched to sport mode in the Q60.

DREW PHILLIPS

Exterior of the Infiniti Q0 Red Sport. (Courtesy Drew Phillips)

As the twin turbo chargers would spin up, so would the excitement as the Q60 would rocket into the drive, pushing us back into our seats as the g-forces headed skyward. We loved having that extra power during our week in the Infiniti.

The Q60 can now also be configured with an all-wheel drive system that would make it drivable during a larger portion of the year here in the Intermountain West. We felt that it would handle a few inches of snow with no problem, but with its lower stance it would likely struggle as that depth increased. All other weather conditions that Mother Nature comes up with would not be a problem for the Infiniti.

The interior of the Q60 continued to impress us as it was equipped with the dual-screen setup that has become common in the Infiniti lineup. We like this system, and it worked well in the smaller coupe as we could keep the entertainment information visible along with navigation during a longer drive.

It may have been easier to go with a single large screen, but we felt it worked better with the two screens. This allowed for more curve in the dashboard as it wound down to the center console.

The seats, of course, were very comfortable, as we have come to expect from the company that came up with the NASA-inspired seating surfaces. The were clad in a beautiful Graphite leatherette with white contrast stitching all around and had carbon fiber insets that gave the coupe an even more museum-quality touch and feel.

DREW PHILLIPS

Interior of the Infiniti Q0 Red Sport. (Courtesy Drew Phillips)

On the safety side, the Q60 comes with many of the Nissan ProPILOT assist options that are now making their way into the new Nissan and Infiniti lines. The adaptive cruise control is essential with any new vehicle. The Infiniti also came with lane departure prevention, blind spot warning and intervention, forward collision warning and intervention with pedestrian detection.

Combine all of that with the all-around view monitor when backing the Q60 and it adds up to a great safety combination. We really enjoy a chance to get into a product from Nissan, which continues to add more and more features to keep their vehicles as safe as possible.

A sports coupe for the week is always welcome, and the new Infiniti Q60 proved to be an awesome ride with a cost that will not break the bank.

Base Price: $60,200

Destination Cost: $1,025

DREW PHILLIPS

Interior of the Infiniti Q0 Red Sport. (Courtesy Drew Phillips)

Price as Driven: $68,931

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