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2016 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 First Drive

When the original Infiniti Q50 arrived to replace the long-lived G Sedan, our reaction was lukewarm. It lacked poise, refinement, and efficiency, and we hated the Direct Adaptive Steer system. We originally thought of this steer-by-wire system as, "technology for the sake thereof." Infiniti is hoping to address these shortcomings with the 2016 Q50. It gets a new and far improved version of DAS, and a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V6 sits atop a diversified powertrain family. And at the top of the ladder sits this: the Q50 Red Sport 400. The Red Sport's all-aluminum 3.0-liter V6 pumps out 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, the latter of which can be called upon between 1,600 and 5,200 rpm. That low-end thrust is what's most evident out on the road – everything from standing starts to freeway passes are effortless. It's actually kind of ferocious – the tachometer needle climbs relentlessly, and the engine feels strong and purposeful all the way up to its 7,000-rpm redline. It's a refined and smooth powerplant, too, which is a tremendous improvement over the old 3.7-liter V6. The sensations the revised Direct Adaptive Steer system delivers are comparable to the average, modern, electric power-assisted setup. The bigger accomplishment is Infiniti's second-generation Direct Adaptive Steering system. Owners can choose from three steering weights and three levels of responsiveness, but steering adjustments feel more incremental rather than dramatic, so you won't be jarred if you suddenly switch from an aggressive mode to a more comfortable setup. Computer wizardry still can't match natural feedback, but the sensations the revised Direct Adaptive Steer system delivers are comparable to the average, modern, electric power-assisted setup. Make no mistake, that's a huge improvement and it means DAS performs far better dynamically, especially when you ask for its most aggressive behavior. See the differences between the different modes in the video below. Even half-throttle situations in the standard drive mode required counter-steering. Direct Adaptive Steer feels perfectly fine during everyday driving. We spent about 75 percent of our time testing a DAS-equipped car, but hopped into a non-DAS model a the short, 20-mile drive back to our hotel. DAS felt more stable and easy to track down the road – it didn't require the constant, tiny steering inputs of the traditional system.

Final Recap: Days 2 and 3 notes, quotes, and takeaways from the US Grand Prix

The Texas grass no longer rustles with 2.4-liter V8 exhaust blown at 18,000 revs, the Texas dust is no longer raised by hard-compound Pirellis. We saw a lot and learned a lot while we were there as guests of Infiniti, and after our Day 1 and race recaps, here are the bits left over from our time spent with the carmaker and Red Bull Racing, including thoughts on a "wicked" race, Christian Horner's quest for a more level playing field, Infiniti "going longer and deeper," and why Mario Andretti should get a police escort at the beginning of a race but not a microphone at the end...

Genesis G70 vs sport sedan rivals: How it compares on paper

We got our first look at the Genesis G70 sport sedan today. We think it looks good, with enough ties to its fellow Genesises (Geneses?) to further establish the brand and just enough distinction to help it stand out from the crowd. But ah yes, the crowd. Although Genesis didn't release the G70's full spec sheet, it revealed just enough for us to start sizing it up to its future competition. There are certainly others with which to compare (Lexus IS, Cadillac ATS, Alfa Romeo Giulia, Jaguar XE just to name a few), but we decided to take a look at the best sellers and most competitive luxury sport sedans. (And hey, if you like this, we can always do a follow up) So, here we have the Genesis G70 vs BMW 3 Series vs Audi A4 / S4 vs Mercedes-Benz C-Class vs Infiniti Q50. Nothing like a good chart to dig your teeth into on a Friday. Note that we only compared those models that line up with the G70. So, we left out the BMW 320i and Audi A4 Ultra entry level models as well as the Q50 3.0t mid-grade model that's considerably cheaper than the German performance upgrade models we listed. All 0-60 figures are rough estimates based on several sources, models/drivetrains and OEM figures. Related Video: Featured Gallery Genesis G70 vs other sport sedans View 15 Photos Audi BMW Genesis Infiniti Mercedes-Benz Luxury Sedan consumer infiniti q50 audi s4 genesis g70 mercedes-benz c-class bmw 330i bmw 340i