My week commuting in a loaded Q50
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Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 29
Likes: 1
I drove a Q50 base trim loaner for a few days, here are some of my impressions:
Likes:
- Same engine and transmission as my G37.
- A2DP Bluetooth audio streaming in the base trim.
- Audio and video (!) aux ports are back. (I was able to get video to display from my phone with a HDMI to NTSC converter. The parking brake interlock would have to be defeated to be able to display Google navigation, etc., while driving.)
- HD radio. (Poorly executed interface - see dislikes - but it's still a good feature to have.)
- Awesome comfortable seats!
- Totally buttoned down, no rattles at all.
Dislikes:
- Weak AC barely keeps up with the Florida heat. No such issue in my G37, ice cold.
- Strange binnacle shape, weird escutcheons around the gauges. It definitely makes me appreciate the clean minimalist design in my G37.
- Infotainment system takes way too long to boot up. ("Intel Inside" but based on Android 2.2 - go figure...)
- Disjointed dual screen man-machine-interface, the top screen doesn't add value. I doubt that I would ever use any of the apps - that's what my phone is for.
- The main utility of the top screen in the base trim is for the backup camera but backup video is fuzzy and out of focus. The screen isn't recessed like the one in my G37 so it gets washed out in bright sunlight.
- Shallow trunk is a major deal breaker. I still don't understand how Infiniti managed to make the trunk even smaller than the one in my G37. (This car came with a spare tire, which is a must-have item for me.)
- Handling / steering and run-flat tires. I realized how much sharper the steering is in my G37 is and how much better Michelin MXM's are when I got the car back.
I was pretty excited to get a Q50 loaner and it was fun to get to try it out but my take-away from the experience is that the Q50 isn't a car that I would want to own.
Likes:
- Same engine and transmission as my G37.
- A2DP Bluetooth audio streaming in the base trim.
- Audio and video (!) aux ports are back. (I was able to get video to display from my phone with a HDMI to NTSC converter. The parking brake interlock would have to be defeated to be able to display Google navigation, etc., while driving.)
- HD radio. (Poorly executed interface - see dislikes - but it's still a good feature to have.)
- Awesome comfortable seats!
- Totally buttoned down, no rattles at all.
Dislikes:
- Weak AC barely keeps up with the Florida heat. No such issue in my G37, ice cold.
- Strange binnacle shape, weird escutcheons around the gauges. It definitely makes me appreciate the clean minimalist design in my G37.
- Infotainment system takes way too long to boot up. ("Intel Inside" but based on Android 2.2 - go figure...)
- Disjointed dual screen man-machine-interface, the top screen doesn't add value. I doubt that I would ever use any of the apps - that's what my phone is for.
- The main utility of the top screen in the base trim is for the backup camera but backup video is fuzzy and out of focus. The screen isn't recessed like the one in my G37 so it gets washed out in bright sunlight.
- Shallow trunk is a major deal breaker. I still don't understand how Infiniti managed to make the trunk even smaller than the one in my G37. (This car came with a spare tire, which is a must-have item for me.)
- Handling / steering and run-flat tires. I realized how much sharper the steering is in my G37 is and how much better Michelin MXM's are when I got the car back.
I was pretty excited to get a Q50 loaner and it was fun to get to try it out but my take-away from the experience is that the Q50 isn't a car that I would want to own.
Last edited by acesk8er; Oct 1, 2014 at 10:36 PM. Reason: Added weak AC to dislikes; added comment about steering.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 93
Likes: 7
Q50 in terms of quality is a different level compared to the G. It's a very solid ride and the imperfections of the road are beautifully muffled and dampened. I am very picky and sensitive when it comes to noise and the Q has NO rattles at all. I mean literally zero groan, squeak, thump, etc even when I go through the biggest and nastiest potholes I can find (on purpose). Ride quality is very good and handles nicely with not too much body roll. The stereo is SOOOO much better than the G. It is a day and night difference with the Bose system. The bass is very strong and clarity is so much better.
While it does have far more gadgets and apps but they are poorly interfaced. I found A LOT of info redundancy and button controls are confusing. Glossy touchscreen shows all the greasy fingerprints. I would NEVER purchase the Q50 without the navigation because otherwise it would just show a stupid Microsoft desktop cheap clock in the ENTIRE upper screen. That is very USELESS and CHEAP!!! Also MPG is very poor compared to its competitors.
Bottomline the Q is definitely a more refined when compared to the G and it's definitely a car I would consider stepping up to.
While it does have far more gadgets and apps but they are poorly interfaced. I found A LOT of info redundancy and button controls are confusing. Glossy touchscreen shows all the greasy fingerprints. I would NEVER purchase the Q50 without the navigation because otherwise it would just show a stupid Microsoft desktop cheap clock in the ENTIRE upper screen. That is very USELESS and CHEAP!!! Also MPG is very poor compared to its competitors.
Bottomline the Q is definitely a more refined when compared to the G and it's definitely a car I would consider stepping up to.
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 331
Likes: 77
fobgina is a pretty clever term, LOL.
Registered User
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 29
Likes: 1
Ha ha... The fobgina doesn't charge the key fob's battery. It uses a RFID-like method to communicate with the key fob when the fob's battery is depleted. Nissan's key fobs are powered by a non-rechargeable CR2032 3V lithium coin cell. Newer Nissan's accomplish the same thing by touching the key fob against the ring around the start / stop button.
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