Until now, I have never been able to fall in love with any Infiniti model. I have admired some, loathed some, felt entirely ambivalent about others. But I’ve never grown fond of one to the point where I can recommend that a reader buys an Infiniti instead of any other luxury car.
The company has positioned itself, however, so that my opinions about whether or not its cars pass muster in the face of increasingly stiff European competition are largely irrelevant. Because Infiniti is all about the “ownership experience”. The Q70 has also just been named best in class at the Middle East Car Of The Year Awards.
However, when it comes to the cars themselves, there’s something intangible missing, and the new Q70 is no exception. In the S configuration of my test car, there is – as has been the case with most Infinitis I’ve driven – much to like, but as a cohesive package there’s still this nagging feeling that I’d feel a bit better about myself if I was in something else.
This model (formerly known as “M”) – Infiniti’s alternative to a Jaguar XF, BMW 5 Series or Mercedes E-Class – has a lot going for it, not least a creamy 3.7L V6 lifted straight from Nissan’s 370Z, although it has lost most of its voice in the process. It’s quite good-looking, from some angles at least, with a well-resolved front end that leads into some misplaced curvature and an overly fussy tail, particularly in relation to the lamp units. All the right curves in all the wrong places? At least from the B-pillars back, I’d say there was some truth in that, and it’s not quite the looker that its smaller Q50 brother is.
Inside the Q70, the curve theme continues, albeit more successfully, with a sculpted dash and instrument cluster that’s distinctive and attractive. Main controls are suitably premium in look and feel, although the satnav graphics and some other interior appointments betray its Nissan origins. Overall, though, it’s a pleasing environment with lashings of leather and real wood trim, although the finish in my test car does make the timber look like some (expensive) early 1970s furniture.
There’s less room inside than you might imagine, with the driver feeling rather snug once the steering wheel and seats have been adjusted. The seat controls are particularly fiddly and difficult to operate with my mildly arthritic left-hand fingers, situated on seat bases, practically jammed against the door trim. The rear quarters are more generous, and the 500 litres of boot space is about right for the sector it competes within.
With that lusty engine up front powering the rear wheels only, I’m expecting a pretty dynamic driving experience, but it never actually materialises, thanks to ponderous handling and an overly soft suspension set-up. And while straight-line performance can be described as “brisk”, it never feels properly quick – in other markets, if you want the best performing Q70, you’d need to go for the smaller-engined hybrid version, which hits 100kph from rest in 5.3 seconds.
Like the Volvo XC90 tested last week, there’s a plethora of electronic safety systems to keep you in check, but they’re definitely more intrusive here, and after the umpteenth beep telling me off for going too near the white lines (difficult to avoid when negotiating the roadworks around Dubai), I give in and turn off everything I can.
Infiniti is quite proud of the fact that the Q70 is available with a 360-degree camera system, which gives a surround bird’s-eye view of the car and its surroundings when reversing, and it’s extremely convenient in tighter parking spots. But the rest of the gadgetry leaves me feeling rather cold, as though more thought has gone into the electronic toy supply than into the driving experience, which is where this car loses points compared to the likes of BMW and Jaguar – and even the four-wheel-drive obsessives Audi.
But there’s a problem with these and other European marques these days, isn’t there? A problem that this Infiniti does address rather succinctly – that of individuality; which is something I prize highly when it comes to selecting any car. After all, why would you want to be the same as anyone else? Infiniti’s design language is, mercifully, not as extreme as that of Lexus. Neither is it as sleep-inducing as Honda’s. It’s more left field than the Euro crowd, and isn’t as commonplace as the likes of Cadillac, either. So it’s free to operate in its own little niche, and that may well appeal to your sensibilities.
If it does, then you’ll no doubt love the Q70S. I, however, am happy to simply admire it from afar, and until it’s made more engaging to drive, I doubt I’ll be drifting off to sleep while thinking of it anytime soon.
motoring@thenational.ae
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