Q50 R400 Red Sport...drool
 

OMG my mother was given an R400 as a loaner while her JX was being worked on. Brand new Red Sport as a loaner! Anywho, I was able to dog the daylights out of it for an hour with 457 miles on the odometer.

Car has, as I later learned, many driving modes...which really affect throttle response and trans shifting. I felt no difference in suspension however. In regular mode the car sort of lurches forward and continues to lurch even after you have let off the throttle...maybe due to boost lag.

Sport and Sport+ mode = beast. Straight up IMO the car has too much power for the road. I guess that is a good complaint. Drag racing is this car's forte. You do not feel the 3800lb curb weight. It will pull, and pull, and pull, and pull. And that's the problem...for a normal 45 mph road you are blowing past that speed in like 2-3 seconds. Easy.

And the tires...oddly, were a Dunlop A/S. They would screech some as I turned (without throttle). I was surprised that in NC it wasn't equipped with either the best A/S tire or a summer tire.

Interior was nice, but honestly I was shocked that the bolstering in the sport seat wasn't as much as it is in my Sport Sedan. Nonetheless the seats were comfortable.

Overall I'd say I liked the car a lot, but I don't think I could pay $50-60k for one. I think the regular 300hp model will be a better option for most as it's usable power. I can't believe I just wrote that.

I had the 3.0T as a loaner and it was sufficiently fast. I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get a redsport as a loaner though.

I know it sounds crazy saying "too much power", but I typically feel the same way in my BMW 435 when thinking about an M4. The 300hp/300tq (Well technically 320hp/332tq with M Performance Power Kit) pumped out by the 3L twin scroll turbo is honestly a lot of power. And then there are tunes for when that gets old... the joy of turbo cars.

I just test drove the 3.0 twin turbo and the car has too much power. I floored it and the car started sliding sideways till I was off the road LOL.

Definitely fun

The 3.0T loaner I got had AWD, so there was no slipping around for me.

I almost bought a IS350 and the one I drove felt pretty good. Spun the tires a few times. I thought about getting the ISF, but I wanted a 2011 and those are still over 35k. A co-workers mom has a Jag XF with the 550 hp, def fun.

i had to opportunity to drive the redsport on a track here sponsored by infiniti. its fast but it certainly does not feel fast. The handling is also nothing great, this was the version without the drive by wire steering and it was still pretty disconnected. Also no manual, overall not a fun car and quite bland and boring. there are lot of other options in the same price range which are a lot more fun and chuckable around corners than the redsport.

Il be sticking with my coupe for now.

I remember back in 2004 I drove an S4 at the dealer. I figure that due to the stiff chassis, it didn't feel as quick as it should. My G has std 328 hp. I would like to have more, but in California there aren't too many legal options. I doubt I will have it supercharged, but that seems like the best option, it is smog legal and 550 hp. I am considering an electric car next time. It would be nice to have all the hp and torque at any rpm range.

Other than the hp, I wonder what do you get with the redsport? With a tune you can get at least 100 hp. I would rather get that and a tune.

I will agree with this statement. Handling...wasn't as good. I was surprised given the overhaul package. This model was the balls to the walls model. So it had every conceivable package, including the drive by wire (which was "ok"). Handling wasn't as crisp. Honestly though I'm confident the car, with coils and sways, would handle way better. That and better tires.

And the car for me FELT very fast. It's not like our cars where you have to dog the crap out of the motor to get some real oomph. This motor pulled from 2k...and hard. It has an excellent power band for being turbocharged.

Overall I was very impressed with the engine, sort hum hoe about the suspension, enamored by the better tech packaged, thoroughly disappointing in sound stage quality, and I though exterior wise it was very nice. Seats again still need more bolstering however.

Ugh... now I wish I would have demanded the dealer to give me a RS400 while they fix the scratch and dent they put on my car last time it was in for service.

i tested both the 3.0T and the RS400, both AWD. i came away thinking the best overall package and value was the 3.0T w/Sport and no Tech (or driver's assistance package, or whatever it's called). the RS400 was a lot more money and didn't seem to offer a commensurate 'gain' in noticeable performance. of course, the lack of 6MT is a deal killer for now.

around town and even when pushed at 8-9/10 the 3.0T w/Sport felt every bit as stout as the RS400. i'm sure between 9/10 and 10/10 the differences may show themselves, but the payback in perceived value is hard to justify. and as others suggest, a mild tune to the 3.0T will close any real or perceived performance gap further.

I would bet there is little difference off the track and if the 3.0T gets boring, im sure there will be an aftermarket tune that gets you within spitting distance

that's funny. the Tacoma infiniti dealership didn't even have a redsport to sell, especially give as a loaner.


but they gave me a 2.0T coupe. I absolutely HATE with a burning passion everything about the interior of the new cars. and the drive by wire garbage made me unsure if it was actually me deciding where the car was pointing.


I'll never buy a newer than '13 infiniti again. but I love my car very much.

Why the heck do you think I told my mother to get her butt down to the office. She's had it for 2 days now! Ridiculous. Brand new too...I just have to wonder who authorized that car as a loaner. I am still flabbergasted that that was the car. Funniest thing was she didn't even as for that car. She has a JX35!

The 2.0T is not even available with DAS...

As both models have the exact same engine and related parts, as far as my research indicated, wouldn't it be better and cheaper to just buy the 300 HP version and find someone who could tune it and/or change the software to get the 400HP ..?

A tune and a software upgrade to add 100hp? LOL

Z1motorsports or was it speciality z who got the 300hp version and already hit 380whp?

I mean, with the same engine there can't be that much else other than maybe supporting components like exhaust, intake, tune, and maybe different gear ratios. Possibly a different turbo that can be swapped in?

Just found it after some googling:

"Regular 3.0t versions of the Q50 run 8.7 pounds of peak boost. However, the wick really gets turned up in Red Sport 400 models. They’re puffed up with 14.7 PSI, roughly 40 percent more.

Aside from the inclusion of turbine-speed sensors, there’s only one other difference between these engines. The 400-horsepower model features a second water pump in its cooling circuit to help keep induction temperatures in check. Other than this, these powerplants are identical, sharing the same block ... "

Honest question to the OP and anyone who's driven a red sport: Had you ever driven a moderately powerful car (+400whp) prior to driving a red sport? I ask because sometimes a car can seem quick if you haven't regularly driven a vehicle like that before. I'm wondering how people who are used to that kind of power view this car. Thanks!

^ interesting question. i'd say the RS400 felt on par with, say, a 335IS or lightly modded 335 from an acceleration point of view, both of which i drove. it was quicker than an S4 i've driven. a buddy's M4 was noticeably quicker even though it only has 25hp more. gearing and weight may be factors there.

as for cars with 400+ hp, it didn't seem as quick but that may because most of the 400+ hp cars i've driven were louder/brasher/rougher or lighter. R8, C7 vette, Viper, GTR were in a different league even though they were 4xx hp. but those are totally different segments compared to the entry-level luxury market. and anything with a 400+ hp NA V8 is a different drive for sure, even if the acceleration numbers are close.

i'd be curious to drive an MB C450 or some other entry luxury sedan with ~400 turbocharged hp.

I've driven 1200hp dragsters that run 4.5 in the 8th. I've driven over 180mph in a race car (the only reason I didn't go faster was the instructor). Yeah...it still felt fast to me for 3800 pounds and 400hp. Low end grunt...it was...truly impressive for me. Still too expensive...will wait for a lease dump.

the red sport has a different turbo

The redsport does not have a different turbo it has optical sensors that reads compressor wheel speed and increased boost pressure. A rough rule of thumb is about 10whp per 1lb increase in psi. Standard 3.0tt puts down about 310whp at 9psi. Redsport puts down about 360whp at roughly 14-15psi. The optical sensors are probably to help prevent boost spikes while they run the turbos at such a high speed. I also bet that on the redsport the psi tapers off toward redline and probably doesn't on the standard 3.0tt

:icon30: that is a funny comment, especially since the RS falls flat on it's face after 5500 rpm.

Turbos are too small in the rs. They are perfect for the standard 3.0tt though due to not attempting to get 15psi at 7krpm out of a baby turbo

I also test drove the RS, it's quick, but that's about it.
Overall it's meh...especially with the lack of third pedal.
You can easily get used to 400HP+. When I got my M5, I thought it was very fast, it took a month to reduce this feeling to just enough HP.