Assessing the highs and lows of a 50, 60, or God forbid, 70 thousand-dollar luxury sedan is a bit trivial. After all, any car that commands a sticker price similar to many Americans' annual family income ought to be good, wouldn't you think? So it should come as no surprise that Infiniti's all-new 2002 Q45 is an excellent car, offering all the comfort and performance a typical driver will ever want or need.
Unfortunately for Infiniti, the Q45 is not alone in offering excellence for a price. Lexus debuted an all-new flagship sedan just last year, and of course, the folks at Audi, BMW and Mercedes offer a full range of precisely engineered luxury four-doors of their own. In such illustrious company, mere excellence isn't always enough. The difference between a front-runner and a back-marker oftentimes comes down to the details. It may be fast, but is it the fastest? It looks good, but do the others look better?
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the 2002 Q45 certainly packs more of a punch than its predecessor, although last year's model was so forgettable that few will likely even be able to make the comparison. Nothing about the Q's design is particularly dynamic, but considering that its perennial rival, the utterly featureless Lexus LS 430, has found its fair share of customers, eye-catching style apparently isn't a prerequisite for success.
Stretching 3 inches longer than the LS 430 and barely half a foot shy of even Cadillac's biggest sedan, the Q45 conveys much of its sense of luxury through an imposing size. Parked next to a Civic, the Q looks like a lineman sitting next to the water boy, but its substantial girth can be misleading, as the Q packs plenty of motivation for its 3,800 pounds of heft.
Since its debut just over a decade ago, the Q45 has always leaned toward the sportier side of the luxury sedan equation, so when Infiniti's engineers went to work on this latest version, they made sure to load it with hardware that would maintain that athletic image. Under the hood rests an all-new 4.5-liter V8 engine tuned to produce 340 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque.
Comparing that horsepower output to its closest rivals (Lexus LS 430 at 290 hp, BMW 540i at 282 hp, Mercedes E430 at 275hp), the Q45 has them all beat handily -- at least on paper. Subsequent track-testing revealed a Q with noticeably less gusto than its lofty horsepower figure suggests. Although Infiniti estimates a 0-to-60 time of 5.9 seconds, our best run yielded a somewhat less impressive 6.7 seconds. Even in the more horsepower-friendly quarter-mile category, the Q45 only managed a 15.1-second pass. Considering that we were able to wring faster times (6.4 and 14.8) in both categories from a slightly heavier LS 430, we can't help but wonder: Where did all the horsepower go?
Granted, few, if any, Q45 owners will ever notice the difference, but if you're going to claim to have the biggest gun in this high-powered corral, you better be able to back it up. To its credit, the Q45 performs admirably in typical day-to-day driving situations. Merging and passing on the freeway are exhilarating, with the powerful V8 spinning toward its redline with a smooth, pleasing hum that only eight cylinders of its caliber can deliver.
Transmission shifts from the five-speed automatic are buttery-smooth, with only minor confusion when it attempts to anticipate your needs rather than react to them. A sequential shift feature allows drivers to select gears manually by moving the shifter forward or back in a separate gate, but as with most transmissions of this type, gear changes come after a slight delay, making them too vague to depend on for spirited driving.
Several critical comments were cast toward the somewhat hard-to-modulate throttle and its slow response. Despite a sophisticated electronic powertrain control system intended to manage engine power, throttle position and gear selection for optimum smoothness and performance, more than one editor complained of difficulty maintaining a constant speed and an annoying hesitation upon initial throttle application. Sure, it's not a sports car, and there's always cruise control, but this is the big leagues. We want it all to work perfectly.
And that perfection should extend to the car's driving dynamics, as well. With a completely redesigned suspension underneath, we were expecting a little more from this self-described sport sedan. There's no doubt that it exudes a more playful character than its listless predecessor, but whether or not that qualifies the Q as a desirable backroads dance partner is another story.
Our test model was without the optional Sport package that would have added larger 18-inch wheels and tires and driver-adjustable suspension settings. Whether a larger footprint would have helped is hard to say, but since much of the Q45's problem lay in controlling its sizable proportions, a stiffer suspension would have surely helped settle it down a bit in the corners.
Jump from turn to turn, and the Q rises up and floats from one side to the other causing a momentary, yet unnerving lapse of composure. This would be unremarkable behavior for a large luxury sedan, if it weren't for the nearly unflappable demeanor of a BMW 7 Series in similar situations.
The speed-sensitive steering is noticeably light around town, making the big car seem that much easier to maneuver in tight spaces. During more spirited driving, however, the system fails to trim down on the boost enough to provide a strong connection with the road. If there's a bright spot in the Q's high-performance repertoire, it would surely be the brakes. The four-wheel vented discs stopped the Q in a remarkably short 118 feet from 60 mph, with little, if any, fade.
Like its less than expected acceleration performance, the Q's lack of supreme athleticism is hardly reason to cast it aside as deficient. Lounging around town, the Infiniti's soft, isolated ride will surely endear itself to anyone looking for a car to separate them from the road below rather than feel every twist and turn of it. And of course, the Q45's interior provides all the trappings you would expect in a high-dollar luxury car, making slow, calm cruising seem all the more appropriate.
Step inside, and you're greeted with an exquisite cabin draped in soft leather and bird's-eye maple wood trim. The electro-illuminescent gauges are both beautiful to look at and easy to read. The signature Infiniti analog clock resides front and center, while the stereo and climate controls are housed in a single panel just below a 5.8-inch LCD screen that displays their various settings.
Passenger room is ample throughout. The 10-way power adjustable driver seat never ceased to provide perfect comfort and support, and the power adjustable tilt/telescoping wheel accommodated various driver postures with ease. Rear seat room has been improved substantially over previous models, and judging by the soundness of some of our editor's naps, it's safe to say that comfort is in abundance there, too.
A spectacular Bose sound system fills the cabin with near perfect sound reproduction via eight separate speakers. Noise compensation technology attempts to mitigate the interference from traffic outside, but with minimal road, wind or engine noise coming from the Infiniti itself, it was hard to discern where to assign credit for the quiet cabin.
Overall, the Q45's interior is as comfortable and inviting as any other luxury sedan in its price range, but it's not perfect. The lovely chromed cassette deck is surely one of the most elegant around, but why has Infiniti placed this outmoded piece of equipment front and center and buried the CD changer in the glovebox? The flimsy center console seemed ready to break free at any time, and the transmission shifter was less than cooperative when asked to slide through the shift gates repeatedly.
Although visually appealing and technologically innovative, the Q's climate and radio controls are an ergonomic disaster. With no fewer than 3 dials, 20 buttons, 1 joystick and a computer screen, just dialing up a little cool air or some talk radio requires quality time with the owner's manual. In all fairness, the system is hardly any more arcane than some of its European rivals', such as Mercedes' COMAND system, but that doesn't make it any less of a blemish.
It's too bad, really. Take out the bulging control panel, throw in a few classic dial controls, and the Q would have an interior that would trump even Europe's most elegant luxury sedans in terms of style and design.
Then there's the highly touted voice-activated control system that allows a driver to keep his hands on the wheel and adjust the various systems through spoken commands. Because we've seen this trick before on other makes and models, we're confident when we say that the Infiniti's system is one of the better ones available. However, no matter how well they can make a car listen, we still find little use for this extravagance. Why go through the trouble of pressing a button, voicing a command, waiting for the system to recognize the command, have it repeat the command back, and then execute the command, when instead you could just simply reach out and do it yourself with one push of a button? Then again, the Q's Byzantine radio controls almost drove us to use the voice system, but that doesn't make it any more practical.
So is the new Q45 an excellent car? Absolutely. Is it better than the competition? Not quite.
The new design, while not stunning, is at least elegant enough to put it in the same league as its competition. The engine promised superior power, but failed to back it up when it counted. Despite its sporting intentions, our base model's underpinnings couldn't deliver the kind of rock-solid stability that we've experienced in other sedans of this caliber. The interior, while beautiful, is overly complex and annoying to operate.
If it were the only luxury sedan you ever drove, you would never miss a thing. But if owning the best of what's around matters, don't settle on the new Q without driving the competition first.
Unfortunately for Infiniti, the Q45 is not alone in offering excellence for a price. Lexus debuted an all-new flagship sedan just last year, and of course, the folks at Audi, BMW and Mercedes offer a full range of precisely engineered luxury four-doors of their own. In such illustrious company, mere excellence isn't always enough. The difference between a front-runner and a back-marker oftentimes comes down to the details. It may be fast, but is it the fastest? It looks good, but do the others look better?
From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the 2002 Q45 certainly packs more of a punch than its predecessor, although last year's model was so forgettable that few will likely even be able to make the comparison. Nothing about the Q's design is particularly dynamic, but considering that its perennial rival, the utterly featureless Lexus LS 430, has found its fair share of customers, eye-catching style apparently isn't a prerequisite for success.
Stretching 3 inches longer than the LS 430 and barely half a foot shy of even Cadillac's biggest sedan, the Q45 conveys much of its sense of luxury through an imposing size. Parked next to a Civic, the Q looks like a lineman sitting next to the water boy, but its substantial girth can be misleading, as the Q packs plenty of motivation for its 3,800 pounds of heft.
Since its debut just over a decade ago, the Q45 has always leaned toward the sportier side of the luxury sedan equation, so when Infiniti's engineers went to work on this latest version, they made sure to load it with hardware that would maintain that athletic image. Under the hood rests an all-new 4.5-liter V8 engine tuned to produce 340 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque.
Comparing that horsepower output to its closest rivals (Lexus LS 430 at 290 hp, BMW 540i at 282 hp, Mercedes E430 at 275hp), the Q45 has them all beat handily -- at least on paper. Subsequent track-testing revealed a Q with noticeably less gusto than its lofty horsepower figure suggests. Although Infiniti estimates a 0-to-60 time of 5.9 seconds, our best run yielded a somewhat less impressive 6.7 seconds. Even in the more horsepower-friendly quarter-mile category, the Q45 only managed a 15.1-second pass. Considering that we were able to wring faster times (6.4 and 14.8) in both categories from a slightly heavier LS 430, we can't help but wonder: Where did all the horsepower go?
Granted, few, if any, Q45 owners will ever notice the difference, but if you're going to claim to have the biggest gun in this high-powered corral, you better be able to back it up. To its credit, the Q45 performs admirably in typical day-to-day driving situations. Merging and passing on the freeway are exhilarating, with the powerful V8 spinning toward its redline with a smooth, pleasing hum that only eight cylinders of its caliber can deliver.
Transmission shifts from the five-speed automatic are buttery-smooth, with only minor confusion when it attempts to anticipate your needs rather than react to them. A sequential shift feature allows drivers to select gears manually by moving the shifter forward or back in a separate gate, but as with most transmissions of this type, gear changes come after a slight delay, making them too vague to depend on for spirited driving.
Several critical comments were cast toward the somewhat hard-to-modulate throttle and its slow response. Despite a sophisticated electronic powertrain control system intended to manage engine power, throttle position and gear selection for optimum smoothness and performance, more than one editor complained of difficulty maintaining a constant speed and an annoying hesitation upon initial throttle application. Sure, it's not a sports car, and there's always cruise control, but this is the big leagues. We want it all to work perfectly.
And that perfection should extend to the car's driving dynamics, as well. With a completely redesigned suspension underneath, we were expecting a little more from this self-described sport sedan. There's no doubt that it exudes a more playful character than its listless predecessor, but whether or not that qualifies the Q as a desirable backroads dance partner is another story.
Our test model was without the optional Sport package that would have added larger 18-inch wheels and tires and driver-adjustable suspension settings. Whether a larger footprint would have helped is hard to say, but since much of the Q45's problem lay in controlling its sizable proportions, a stiffer suspension would have surely helped settle it down a bit in the corners.
Jump from turn to turn, and the Q rises up and floats from one side to the other causing a momentary, yet unnerving lapse of composure. This would be unremarkable behavior for a large luxury sedan, if it weren't for the nearly unflappable demeanor of a BMW 7 Series in similar situations.
The speed-sensitive steering is noticeably light around town, making the big car seem that much easier to maneuver in tight spaces. During more spirited driving, however, the system fails to trim down on the boost enough to provide a strong connection with the road. If there's a bright spot in the Q's high-performance repertoire, it would surely be the brakes. The four-wheel vented discs stopped the Q in a remarkably short 118 feet from 60 mph, with little, if any, fade.
Like its less than expected acceleration performance, the Q's lack of supreme athleticism is hardly reason to cast it aside as deficient. Lounging around town, the Infiniti's soft, isolated ride will surely endear itself to anyone looking for a car to separate them from the road below rather than feel every twist and turn of it. And of course, the Q45's interior provides all the trappings you would expect in a high-dollar luxury car, making slow, calm cruising seem all the more appropriate.
Step inside, and you're greeted with an exquisite cabin draped in soft leather and bird's-eye maple wood trim. The electro-illuminescent gauges are both beautiful to look at and easy to read. The signature Infiniti analog clock resides front and center, while the stereo and climate controls are housed in a single panel just below a 5.8-inch LCD screen that displays their various settings.
Passenger room is ample throughout. The 10-way power adjustable driver seat never ceased to provide perfect comfort and support, and the power adjustable tilt/telescoping wheel accommodated various driver postures with ease. Rear seat room has been improved substantially over previous models, and judging by the soundness of some of our editor's naps, it's safe to say that comfort is in abundance there, too.
A spectacular Bose sound system fills the cabin with near perfect sound reproduction via eight separate speakers. Noise compensation technology attempts to mitigate the interference from traffic outside, but with minimal road, wind or engine noise coming from the Infiniti itself, it was hard to discern where to assign credit for the quiet cabin.
Overall, the Q45's interior is as comfortable and inviting as any other luxury sedan in its price range, but it's not perfect. The lovely chromed cassette deck is surely one of the most elegant around, but why has Infiniti placed this outmoded piece of equipment front and center and buried the CD changer in the glovebox? The flimsy center console seemed ready to break free at any time, and the transmission shifter was less than cooperative when asked to slide through the shift gates repeatedly.
Although visually appealing and technologically innovative, the Q's climate and radio controls are an ergonomic disaster. With no fewer than 3 dials, 20 buttons, 1 joystick and a computer screen, just dialing up a little cool air or some talk radio requires quality time with the owner's manual. In all fairness, the system is hardly any more arcane than some of its European rivals', such as Mercedes' COMAND system, but that doesn't make it any less of a blemish.
It's too bad, really. Take out the bulging control panel, throw in a few classic dial controls, and the Q would have an interior that would trump even Europe's most elegant luxury sedans in terms of style and design.
Then there's the highly touted voice-activated control system that allows a driver to keep his hands on the wheel and adjust the various systems through spoken commands. Because we've seen this trick before on other makes and models, we're confident when we say that the Infiniti's system is one of the better ones available. However, no matter how well they can make a car listen, we still find little use for this extravagance. Why go through the trouble of pressing a button, voicing a command, waiting for the system to recognize the command, have it repeat the command back, and then execute the command, when instead you could just simply reach out and do it yourself with one push of a button? Then again, the Q's Byzantine radio controls almost drove us to use the voice system, but that doesn't make it any more practical.
So is the new Q45 an excellent car? Absolutely. Is it better than the competition? Not quite.
The new design, while not stunning, is at least elegant enough to put it in the same league as its competition. The engine promised superior power, but failed to back it up when it counted. Despite its sporting intentions, our base model's underpinnings couldn't deliver the kind of rock-solid stability that we've experienced in other sedans of this caliber. The interior, while beautiful, is overly complex and annoying to operate.
If it were the only luxury sedan you ever drove, you would never miss a thing. But if owning the best of what's around matters, don't settle on the new Q without driving the competition first.
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