2018 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400

By Mauricio Lezcano / carsntravel.com / Photos Infiniti USA

For 2018 the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 delivers a daring exterior design, tailored interior and advances in technology that empowers the drive.

Exterior
The Q60 brings Infiniti’s powerful design language into the sports coupe segment with remarkable success, with its daring curves, deep creases, and flowing lines intensifying its low, wide, powerful stance. The look is progressive and modern, yet dynamic and moving.

Infiniti employs the signature design cues to communicate dynamism and a sense of fluid movement, representing a bold visual expression of the car’s performance potential. Signature design cues ensure that the Q60 Red Sport 400 remains instantly recognizable as an Infiniti, such as the double-arch grille and the crescent-shaped C-pillars that arc forward and emphasize the car’s in-motion appearance.

Lower and wider than its predecessors, the Q60 Red Sport 400 expresses a powerful elegance through its daring proportions and taut, muscular lines and striking silhouette, which emphasize the position as a powerful sports coupe. The aggressive stance gives an impression of stability and in-control driving potential, while its low center of gravity has a positive overall effect on driving dynamics.

The signature LED headlights, employing Light Guide Technology to spread light evenly on the road ahead, are designed to emulate the shape of the human eyelid, providing an alluring face to the car. The deep grille is inset from the body, communicating a strong connection to the turbo engine offerings.

The Q60 Red Sport 400 models feature new 20-inch aluminum–alloy designs for 2018. Rear-wheel drive models feature wider wheels and tires at the rear, contributing to a more aggressive stance, while also improving handling with a higher capacity for lateral G-forces. The tight wheel gaps, the spaces between tires and wheel arches further lower the visual volume of the car and giving it a low, powerful stance.

Relatively narrow door-mounted side mirrors accentuate the low stance and sleek coupe looks and are designed to improve the flow of air down the flanks of the vehicle, while maintaining a wide angle of rear visibility for the driver. In addition, the flexible stop position doors are designed to hold the door open in nearly any position, and it prevents the door from springing back on the occupants.

Interior
A sense of artistry was as important in the creating the interior as it was with the seductive exterior. The interior was modeled around the concept of a driver’s glove, fitted, personal and tailored for the person behind the wheel.

High-back, highly bolstered seats accentuate the in-control driving experience. The highly ergonomic seats are designed to offer greater thigh, lumbar and lateral support, keeping occupants in place during more enthusiastic driving. Infiniti’s hallmark spinal support seats have been carefully engineered to match the curvature of the spine, providing consistent level of support and minimizing pressure on lower and upper back muscles. The supportive seats reduce the spinal curvature that many traditional seats force occupants to adopt, with a more even alignment between chest and pelvis, while extensive upper body support spreads the occupants’ weight more evenly all the way up the seat.

The interior design also features high-end trim accents and bold, modern looking materials. SPORT and RED SPORT 400 models are available with genuine carbon-fiber highlights, while 3.0t SPORT and RED SPORT 400 versions with white or red leather seating receive Silver Optic Fiber accents. High contrast stitching throughout the cabin increases the premium ambience and feeling of quality in the interior.

The standard INFINITI InTouch communications system includes large dual touch-screen displays and puts communication with the outside world within easy reach, with integration of hands-free phone, moving map navigation, and entertainment systems; the Q60 also comes standard with INFINITI’s InTuition central control system, the latest generation of the company’s advanced infotainment setup. Upgraded with a faster processor than earlier editions of the technology, InTuition allows occupants to personalize the interior environment according to their preferences, with fully adjustable temperature, seating positions, audio-visual settings and navigation.

Performance
More than just its expressive design, the 2018 Q60 Red Sport 400 delivers performance credentials to match, thanks to next-generation ride and handling technologies and up to 400 horsepower. Dynamic advancements include an available lightweight, sophisticated 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine, along with adaptive steering and suspension systems. The result in a premium sports coupe designed and engineered to perform.

The 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engines has been developed to deliver optimal power and torque for engines of their size, alongside greater fuel efficiency. The Q60 Red Sport 400 model’s high-output version delivers 400 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 350 lb-ft maximum torque at 1,600-5,200 rpm.

All 2018 Q60 powertrains are matched to an advanced seven-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission with manual shift mode and available steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters on SPORT and RED SPORT 400 models. The gearbox features improved logic and hardware to handle the power output of the new VR-series engines.

In addition, the Adaptive Shift Control enhances gear selection by using a lateral acceleration sensor to detect changes in the road, such as hills and turns. Sport Mode allows the driver to select a more aggressive shift pattern with automatic up and down shifting at higher rpm. Manual Mode is also standard, with paddle shifters added with Q60 3.0t SPORT and RED SPORT 400 grades.

Summary
The ultimate Q60, the RED SPORT 400, comes complete with staggered 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and summer performance tires. The RED SPORT 400 AWD features 20×9.0 wheels at all corners, mounted with 255/35R20 all-season performance tires. RED SPORT 400 models also feature red-painted brake calipers, custom exhaust tips, red “S” exterior badging and, of course, 400 horsepower.

After test driving the car for a week, the 2018 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 strong first impression is created by its combination of stylish, purposeful proportions and aggressive stance which provides a powerful statement of the sports performance awaiting the driver; The cabin has been created with human artistry in mind, enabling occupants to travel in style and comfort.

The manufacturer’s suggested retail price starts at $52,000.00, the one I drove included the Pro-Active Package $2,850.00, Pro-Assist Package $2,250.00, Illuminated Kick Plates $400.00, Exclusive Paint $800.00, Carbon Fiber Rear Decklid $850.00, Carbon Fiber Exterior Appearance Pkg $2,250.00, and it came in at $60,600.00.
mlezcano@carsntravel.com

 

Posted in CAR REVIEWS, Infiniti.

Emilio Lezcano

Journalist - Editor - Photographer
Professional Race Car Driver

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