By Jim Prueter
MotorwayAmerica.com

(August 10, 2020) With just five percent of the automotive market share, two-door coupes are considered objects of desire rather than vehicles that fill a mainstream transportation need. People buy them because they want one, not because they are necessarily a practical choice. The Infiniti Q60 is a stunningly gorgeous sports coupe that’s slugging it out with some of the best that Germany has to offer.

Once called the G35, and later the G37, three years ago Infiniti renamed its sport coupe and is now known as the Q60. For 2020, Infiniti offers a total of six different models: four 300-horsepower, 3.0t twin-turbo V6 models: 3.0t Pure, Pure all-wheel drive, Luxe, and Luxe all-wheel drive, and two 400-horsepower Red Sport, the 400 and Red Sport 400 all-wheel drive.

“Red Sport” is the performance level moniker for Infiniti. Think of it as you would the “M” line from BMW or the “AMG” vehicles from Mercedes-Benz. Like these performance vehicles, the Red Sport gets you more horsepower, larger brakes with red calipers, sport-tuned Digital Dynamic Suspension, 19-inch sport wheels, and aluminum-accented pedals and paddle shifters.



We recently drove and tested the Red Sport all-wheel drive variant powered by a 400-horsepower, 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6, and paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission that’s standard on all trim levels.

Unlike some sports coupes from the German automakers, the Red Sport doesn’t do exterior body changes like flared wheel wells and body panel carbon fiber applications. But we thought the optional $2,289 carbon fiber package that came with our test Red Sport that included a rear decklid spoiler, exterior mirror covers, fog lamp finishers and fender vents looked awesome especially with the optional 20-inch 5-spoke dual-finish wheels ($1,790).

Little has changed since the Q60 Red Sport debuted for the 2017 model year. There’s been a few modest upgrades and equipment modifications during the past three years like the addition of new exterior colors, new 19 and 20-inch wheel designs, and for 2019 the previously optional Sensory package was made standard equipment on the Red Sport along with pedestrian detection and predictive forward collision warning.

Meanwhile, the Red Sport looks terrific, its curvaceous body an expression of visual velocity: low, wide and rakish. With its stretched and taunt sheet metal, this is one of the most gorgeous production vehicles in the world. Gloriously artistic.

Inside, Red Sport features door-to-door, front-to-back fine-grain semi aniline leather seats with contrast stitching. Some Q60 models are available with white leather and glass-fiber accents. Darker interior colors are matched with black wood, aluminum, or violet carbon-fiber. Red Sport models are available with red leather and glass-fiber accent.

We especially liked the curvaceous dash that individually circled the two front seat occupants in a true cockpit manner. It’s nicely done with rich materials and excellent fit and finish. We liked the genuine carbon fiber interior trim with matte black chrome interior accent and the $510 optional ambient interior lighting. It also came equipped with illuminated kick plates that cost an extra $420 but it’s something we could easily do without. Still however we felt some competitors like Mercedes does interiors much better.

The Red Sport is loaded with a wide assortment of tech features and amenities including a 13-speaker Bose sound system, SiriusXM satellite radio and two illuminated USB connection ports. Bluetooth phone, Wi-Fi Hotspots, streaming audio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay all standard. Also standard is the stacked dual touchscreen infotainment system (8.0-inch screen up top and a 7.0-inch one below). Overall, we found the dual screen setup complicated and nearly impossible to use while driving.

The Q60 is a four-seater with two bucket seats in back. The rear legroom is better than expected, but the low roof compromises headroom for taller passengers. Rear seat passenger space is very tight and best for occasional use only.

Coupes are known for being light on cargo space but the Red Sport was especially small with just 9.0 cubic feet of trunk space, smaller than most competitors in its class. Still, we were able to fit two sets of golf clubs and a small beverage cooler and close the rear deck lid.

The twin-turbocharged V6 engine is the star of the Red Sport and our all-wheel drive smoothly and strongly dashed from zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds making it quicker than competitors such as the Lexus RC350 (5.7 seconds). One of our major disappointments however was the seven-speed automatic transmission that for whatever reason was constantly looking for a different gear, upshifting and downshift incessantly. We more than wished for a different automatic transmission with much quicker shift points and precision like we’ve come to love in competitors like Audi and Mercedes.

Handling is sharp and responsive with minimal body roll on cornering; it does have a firmer ride than other models. But if you’re looking for a sports coupe with truly engaging handling the Red Sport is not the vehicle.

Standard safety features on our Red Sport included forward emergency braking with pedestrian detection, predictive forward collision warning, Around View Monitor with moving object detection, blind spot warning, backup collision intervention, automatic collision notification and emergency calling. Adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, a surround-view parking camera system, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, automatic high-beam headlights, and adaptive headlights are also available.

Overall, the Q60 Red Sport is an OK small luxury coupe that has a few standout features like the potent 400-hp V6, extremely comfortable front bucket seats and sharp styling. We think owners will be mostly pleased with the Q60 but we think competitors do it better with more advanced and easier to use technology, sharper handling, a luxury rather than a premium interior and a much larger trunk with better cargo space and definitely a better transmission. It just failed to really excite or captivate us like the Audi S5 or AMG C Coupe.

Vital Stats
Price: $59,150
Price as Tested: $65,950
Seating: 4
Engine/Transmission 400-hp 3.0-liter Twin-Turbocharged V6 paired with a 7-speed automatic transmission
Fuel Economy:  19/26/21 mpg City/Highway/Combined
Seating: 4

Where Built: Kaminokawa, Tochigi, Japan

Crash Test Results: The 2020 Infiniti Q60 has not been crash test rated by either the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This is not unusual for luxury vehicles.

Competes With:
Audi S5 Coupe
BMW M4 Coupe
Lexus RC F
Mercedes AMG C 43 Coupe

Fab Features:
Very cool underbody radiant welcome lighting
Quick and powerful V6 engine
Standout styling that turns heads