New last year, the Infiniti Q50 was the least reliable Japanese luxury car, with a much worse than average predicted-reliability score. Since the Q50 replaced the ultra-reliable G37 sports sedan, it helped diminish what used to be one of the most reliable brands to one of the least reliable among Japanese makes.

Posted on Yahoo 11-5-14

 

I'm really not sure why this would be a suprise with all of the well advertised problems of the Q50. It's a shame, more isn't always better, maybe infiniti will apply some of this to future models.

 

Yeah - i saw that too the other night when i looked at that issue. On the good side... did you see where the G37 ranked in the luxury mid-size category? Well, well ahead of the Q50.

I wouldn't say it replaced it completely since they'll be selling the G37 through 2015 as the Q40.

 

I think I will talk for most when I say this,
I'm a proud owner of a G37

 

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The new Infiniti Q50 is intended to replace the G37 in the brand's lineup. But, unfortunately, it has taken a step back from its excellent predecessor.

The Q50 is quick and relatively roomy, but its underwhelming driving experience strips the car of much of its sporty legacy. The Q is fairly nimble, with good turn-in response and well-contained body lean. But it's let down by vague steering. Overall, the Q50 has lost the fun-to-drive agility that was a G37 hallmark. We also tried the much hyped direct active steering option, but we found that it feels artificial and non-linear.

The potent 328-hp, 3.7-liter V6 engine delivers very quick acceleration, but it lacks the refinement of the V6s in some competitive models. Like our test car, most Q50s sold in snow country come with all-wheel drive, which provides added traction over the standard rear-wheel drive. Thus equipped, we recorded 21 mpg overall. That's nothing special for this class; the larger Audi A6 gets 22 mpg. A more fuel-efficient hybrid version of the Q50 is also available.

With the redesign, Infiniti intended to steer the Q50 more toward the luxury end of the sports-sedan equation. But that result isn't very convincing, either. The ride is a bit unsettled and stiff, due partly to the car's run-flat tires, with their rigid sidewalls. The front seats aren't particularly supportive or as comfortable as we expect in a luxury sedan. In addition, cabin quietness and interior fit and finish fall short for this category. The rear seat is relatively hospitable in this typically-cramped class, but the trunk is too shallow and has a small opening.

Infiniti's new dual-screen InTouch control system misses the mark as well. The touch screen responds agonizingly slowly and can be unintuitive to use. After starting the car, for example, you can't change radio stations until the system slowly loads. Early buyers should expect frequent software updates as Infiniti works to debug this system.

We'll hold off on recommending the Q50 until we get reliability data from owners. Luckily, the better-handling, better-riding G37 will remain on sale for the near future. It's been very reliable and is offered at a lower price than the Q50, but in limited numbers and with limited available option configurations.


From the CR 2015 Car Reliability Survey

 

It's good for the value of our cars that Infiniti decided to pawn off all these problems on the Q50 name. Nothing crazy of course, but good nonetheless.

 

Maybe their engineers were too distracted with how to avoid fixing all the oil gallery gaskets on the previous generation (V36) vehicles to put their best efforts into the new Q line.


/sarcasm

 

The author of this article was writing with the intent of expecting a luxury sedan over a sport luxury sedan. Two very different cars indeed.

The drive train is the same as it was under the G37 nomenclature. Nothing about that has changed. Electronics-wise, yes the double stack touch screen could leave a bit more to be desired. The steer-by-wire system, in normal mode emulates tradition power assisted steering very well. The Sport mode makes the steering unnecessarily heavy.

I wouldn't take one person's word as the law of the land. Take a Q50 for a test drive and I would bet you would find it hard to not recommend it to those in the market.

 

Consumer reports should stick to reviewing vacum cleaners and cooking pots, that's what they are good at, they know very little about automotive industry. Car and Driver and Motortrend did their own reviews and they weren't nearly as bashful as consumer reports. That's is not to say that Q50 is without fault, it's got the same amount of issues as any brand new model without a predecessor.

 

The first-gen offered rock solid reliability because they were simple and essentially a re-branded Skyline V35, which had many of the bugs already ironed out. The only hits this model took were related to the Bose System and what was perceived as a harsh ride with the Sport Suspension (borrowed from the Z). Then the mid-cycle refresh came and the rev-up had some oil consumption issues, but everything else was solid. By 2009, there was little to complain about, and they just ironed out more bugs until 2013 where there are few to none.

The Q50 is a new model with lots of tech, so I think the bugs are expected right? They will have most of this ironed out in the 2015 next model.

 

New stuff comes out there will be always tweak or things that aren't supposed be. Overdone things .

something called "Classic" means it is always a good stuff that bought. G37 is just classic

 

The Q50 has a predecessor. Its the G37. Same engine, same transmission, same front engine rear drive architecture based on the 370 platform. It just has some new technology and interfaces that were not well executed.

 

Correct. The power-train isn't what's drawing the criticism from analysts.

I think DAS did the Q50 in....the HUD/GPS had some issues as well.

 

Some reviews have criticized the power-trains in that they are carry over and there is no small displacement, direct injected turbo motor that improves mpg, nor is there a fancy dual-clutch style transmission.

 

Only if it includes a new look too
(IMO)