By David Finkelstein

It certainly appears  that Nissan's premium vehicle division, Infiniti Motors, is redefining the luxury four door sedan market with the introduction of the long wheelbase 2015 Q70L. And worth noting, this model year  represents  the 25th anniversary of Infiniti  Motors selling vehicles stateside.

The extended  wheelbase  Q70L  flagship is a  great addition  to the standard wheelbase Q70 sedan.  As a matter  of fact, Q70 in general  accounts for about  40 percent of total  Infiniti sales. The “L”  version  is new for '15 and it  brings  the vehicle to  the market place  with just over 5-inches of additional  rear seat leg and knee  room. This translates to having the equivalent of first class seating space for four occupants. 



Along with  its  added room, the car  is designed to provide smooth, luxurious  ride comfort  for all  seating  positions.  To further help define this automobile, it's showcased with  invigorating performance,  innovative on-board  technology and superior craftsmanship.  With the  underlining  foundation being the Infiniti Q70, (which by the way,  received  an extensive exterior  refresh for 2015)  the extended-wheelbase version seamlessly integrates the additional length behind the  side B-pillar body upright supports.     

The  car's attractive flowing and  emotional  lines sets the stage  for refined  elegance. The larger  body style appears to suggest  yet an  even more  upscale presence. And for taller  passengers, the  re-engineered  larger rear  doors  help with ingress and egress.  Additionally,  with it's  new  bright LED  headlights,  you get an immediate  and  striking  first impression. 

Recommended is  the seamless   adaptive   front lighting system. This  degree of technology  automatically  levels   the   headlights  and is available as part  of the  Technology  Package.

The  car   itself has muscular body lines starting  with  the front   grille area. From  there,  it has a  flowing silhouette to rear  LED combination  lights.  This forms a compelling   profile   that  highlights  the  Q70L’s sporty stance. At the rear, the design of  the taillights  creates a horizontal appearance as if the vehicle was in  motion further emphasizing  the sedan’s  sporty and powerful styling. 

Other  standard  exterior features  include   a power sliding tinted glass  moonroof  with  one-touch  open/close  and tilt  feature plus a sliding sunshade,  power-folding   heated  outside door  mirrors, which include integrated LED turn  lamps plus rain-sensing  variable intermittent front  windshield   wipers. Also  standard   are courtesy lamps built into the   outside  door handles plus the addition of a rear window defroster as well as  dual exhausts  with polished  outlet tips. The vehicle is  available in eight exterior colors.

Reflecting Q70L's well  appointed  interior,   the instrument panel features high tech gauges   within  the instrument cluster  housing unit itself.  The dash   also includes a 7-inch  color  vehicle   information display  and signature  Infiniti  analog clock. 

Included  are comfortable  leatherette heated 10-way power driver  and front  passenger   seats that have 2-way power lumbar support  as well  as  a dual occupant memory  system for the driver’s   seat. The memory feature also sets the steering   wheel position and outside mirrors to your pre-set liking. All  of these  marvels can  be  electronically linked  to   the individual driver with the use   of  Infiniti's  Intelligent  "wireless"  key fob. 

Other interior highlights  include power windows with one-touch  up/down and   auto-reverse  feature,  power door  locks with automatic locking, retained  accessory  power for windows and   moonroof   and a 6-speaker audio system with  AM/FM/CD radio with data tagging, USB  connection  port for  iPod  interface and other  compatible  devices, steering wheel audio controls   and speed-sensitive  volume   control.  Rear  heated seats  are available with the Premium option package. 

Under the  hood is  a choice  of a 3.7-liter  V6 engine or a 5.6-liter  V8. Rear-wheel or all-wheel  drive chassis setups are also in the product   mix. The refined  3.7-liter  aluminum-alloy  DOHC 24-valve V6  engine is rated  at  330 hp @ 7,000 rpm's. The available  5.6-liter V8, direct fuel injection   aluminum-alloy  DOHC engine has a  32-valve set up and is rated  at a commanding 416 hp.  Both engines  are matched to  Infiniti’s highly advanced 7-speed  automatic transmission. 

Fuel  economy is rated  at 18 mpg city/ 26 mpg  highway  for the  Q70L with the V-6  engine and rear wheel drive. The Q70L  5.6 V8 is  rated at  16 mpg city/  24 mpg highway, again with rear wheel drive. With AWD, fuel mileage will likely be somewhat less.  Premium fuel is recommend, but not required with either engine.

Precise handling is  provided  by  an independent double-wishbone design multi-link  independent  suspension. The end result is that uncomfortable  “shaking  and bobbing” is clearly minimized, in part due to the ultra stiff body design.

What appears to be  a countless list of safety enhancements are also included. The 2015  Infiniti  Q70L  lineup includes  four well-equipped models plus six different equipment  packages  to choose from. This includes their;  Premium Package, the Deluxe Touring Package, Technology Package, the  Performance Tire & Wheel Package,  the Deluxe  Technology  Package and their  Pearl Paint Package.  

The base bumper to bumper  warranty is for 4-years/60,000  miles.   At road test, the 2015 Q70L I drove had  the 3.7-liter V-6 engine and a  number of extra options. The  factory posted  MSRP was $60,605. Shipping and destination charges were included as it came out to be  $905. Currently, Infiniti Motors has 208 retail US dealerships.