{"id":2041,"date":"2015-05-21T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ukcarline.co.uk\/news\/?p=2041"},"modified":"2015-08-14T15:26:30","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T15:26:30","slug":"driven-infiniti-q50-2-2cdi-sport-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ukcarline.co.uk\/news\/driven-infiniti-q50-2-2cdi-sport-tech\/","title":{"rendered":"Driven: Infiniti Q50 2.2CDi Sport Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"


The Infiniti Q50 is well specced for someone wanting to stand out.<\/i><\/font><\/p>\n

Driven: Infiniti Q50 2.2CDi Sport Tech<\/h1>\n

\u201cWhat’s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been asked this a lot whilst test-driving the new Infiniti Q50<\/a><\/strong> recently. \u201cAn Infiniti,\u201d I reply. This is normally followed by a confused look, a bad Buzz Lightyear joke, and a conversation of how this is one of the best saloon cars you haven’t heard of yet.<\/p>\n

Infiniti is the premium brand from Nissan, and they\u2019re hoping to see the same success that Toyota had when they introduced Lexus as their premium brand into the UK back in the early 1990s. Infiniti are confident that they\u2019ll steal sales from other premium brands such as the Lexus<\/a>, BMW<\/a> and Mercedes<\/a>, especially in the company car marketplace: in the U.S. Infiniti is already as popular as Lexus.<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s it like to drive? After 1,300 miles last week including two trips to London I can certainly say that it\u2019s a great motorway cruiser. It\u2019s not bad on diesel either. I\u2019ve been driving the 2.2d automatic which has returned almost 50mpg including some stop-start driving in rush hour traffic. The seats are fabulously comfortable and adjust in all directions, the cabin is spacious and it has so a lot of equipment. With voice activated sat-nav, electric seats with memory, electric steering column, 19\u201d alloy wheels and BOSE surround sound, the Q50 is very well equipped. Every Q50 is well specced but the \u00a339,870 (circa \u00a3300 a month, leasing fans) Sport Tech version I\u2019ve been driving has every piece of equipment you could wish for. So all in all, this is a good looking, well equipped car that will stand out from the usual suspects in the company carpark.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s not to like? Although it\u2019s a great motorway cruiser, the 2.2d engine is a little harsh during acceleration compared to its other rivals. The seventh gear on the automatic transmission is great for economy but unfortunately it does mean that it does change down to sixth rather a lot even under partial-throttle when cruising. This wouldn\u2019t be an issue but the gear changes aren\u2019t as silky smooth as the Q50\u2019s competitors. Combined with a slightly ponderous chassis and unexciting (but dependable) steering, it\u2019s just not as fun to drive as a 3-Series or C-Class.<\/p>\n

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Driving back from @TheBusinessShow<\/a> in our Luxurious Infiniti Q50, massive thanks to @InfinitiEurope<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/RQS3QcjGqP<\/a><\/p>\n

— UK Carline (@ukcarline) May 14, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n