2013 Infiniti Fx50 Awd Only 2k Miles! Loaded! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Infiniti showcases Vision Gran Turismo concept in the metal

Automakers have been clamoring to convey their ethos to a new generation and cast their brand in a positive light through the Vision Gran Turismo series. But while these concepts are designed for the virtual reality of Gran Turismo 6, some automakers have gone a step further by pulling their creations out of cyberspace and rendering them in the metal. And that's just what Infiniti has done with its design. Infiniti revealed its Concept Vision Gran Turismo back in December, striking a a sleek, low-slung form that looks more polished than a racing car but more track-focused than most concepts. It's powered (at least hypothetically) by a 4.5-liter V8 hybrid powertrain, with center-lock carbon-fiber wheels and rearward-biased 45/55 weight distribution. It's the kind of beast we'd love to drive, but while that may only be possible on Playstation, at least we know it does exist in physical reality – even if only as a full-scale model. Infiniti showcased it alongside the Q80 Inspiration and Q60 Concept at an exclusive event during the Shanghai Motor Show last week, but just revealed the photos now, so you can scope them out in the slideshow above. Related Video: Show full PR text INFINITI VISION GT DISPLAYED OUTSIDE ITS ONLINE WORLD FOR THE FIRST TIME SHANGHAI, China – Last week at the 2015 Shanghai auto show, Infiniti held its inaugural Infiniti Design Night ahead of Auto Shanghai 2015. The evening occasion took place at the Shanghai Himalayas Art Museum. Under the theme of "Aesthetics of Contrast," Infiniti Design Night showcased three design concepts showing an exciting path to Infiniti's future: the Q80 Inspiration (first shown in Paris, October 2014), Q60 Concept (Detroit, January 2015), and the Vision Gran Turismo designed especially for the latest Gran Turismo® 6™ video game. This was the first time the Vision GT was displayed as a real "flesh and bones" concept car, having only been seen and experienced digitally in GT6 prior to this event. The dramatic Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo The Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo is a vision of what a high performance Infiniti could look like in the future. Available for download in GT6 exclusively on the PlayStation®3 system, it was created through close collaboration with the creators of Gran Turismo®, the racing game franchise developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. that has sold more than 72 million copies worldwide.

The yin and yang of the 2017 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400

When we first drove the Q50 Red Sport 400, Infiniti had the car out at a prepared slalom-and-cone course in a large, open parking lot. The car was stacked up against another Q50 without the Direct Adaptive Steer steer-by-wire system, and the course was designed to show that the DAS-equipped Red Sport 400 (it's a $1,000 option) required less steering input to master the same course. With all due respect to Infiniti, which is invested in this unfortunate system and has been working hard to revise it, the comparison doesn't make a lot of sense. The non-DAS Red Sport 400 has a steering ratio of 15:1 in RWD and 16.7:1 in AWD forms. The DAS system can vary between 12:1 and 32.9:1 in RWD and 11.8:1 to 32.3:1 in AWD flavors. At its extremes, the DAS system's ratio is vastly different than the fixed-ratio cars. So sure, with a super-quick steering ratio available, the DAS driver's going to do less work. It's all in the gearing. Does this mean it's better, that the steering feel is more natural, that it's easier to hustle quickly? The amount the driver saws at the wheel isn't an indication of that, necessarily. After a few days in a rear-drive Red Sport 400, I'm saying that the spooky disconnection between the driver and the front wheels would be a severe deficit to a driver on a real autocross course. It's not like the DAS system is choosing bad ratios within its range, it's just not supplying the feedback to make it enjoyable. Knowing what your front tires are up to is critical. I can hear you saying right now, "But what Q50 Red Sport 400 owners are going to autocross their cars?" Sure, but it was just a means to an end: showing off the DAS in a good light. And in that case, it probably did. The thing is, in isolation, not back-to-back with a non-DAS car with a slow steering ratio, the DAS system has the same issues it's always had: It simply doesn't feel natural. It doesn't feel intuitive. There doesn't seem to be any real advantage over a slightly quicker rack. I don't hear about people making buying decisions based on how much work they have to do sawing at the wheel, do you? So, that's one side of the Q50 coin – one that's hard to ignore if you're an enthusiast and steering feel is an important connection between you and the vehicle you just dropped a large hunk of change on, and will be spending a lot of your time in. The other is that there's a really compelling reason to drive a Red Sport 400: The 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 is a monster.

Infiniti went out of its way to make the QX30 not a Mercedes

You can complain all you want about perceived badge engineering when a company (like Mercedes-Benz) sells a platform to another brand (such as Infiniti). The reality is that most buyers won't know the difference, and they won't even realize their Infiniti is really a Mercedes underneath or that their neighbor's GLA has the same basic parts as the QX30 they just bought. What's weird to me isn't that sameness, but the places where the two cute little utes differ. These two vehicles, which are more like tall hatchbacks, use the same Mercedes 2.0-liter turbo four and seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Infiniti adds its own throttle and transmission calibrations. The suspension design is the same, although there are tuning differences. Both come standard with front-wheel drive, with all-wheel drive an option. Fuel economy matches for the FWD models, while the AWD Infiniti lags behind the Mercedes for some reason. So they're very similar despite their different looks. And design makes sense as a point of differentiation. Frankly, they go further than a lot of vehicles on shared platforms do – further, in fact, than the upcoming Nissan Navara-based Mercedes X-Class pickup does. The QX30 has its own sheetmetal and glass to separate it from the GLA-class. You probably think one looks better than the other. If you know where to look, the signs of sameness are obvious. Most major systems and pieces are shared, like the steering wheels (with different center covers), most switchgear, and things like interior and exterior door handles. Shared parts are fine as long as the parts are good ones. On that note, how many Tesla buyers realize their steering column and stalks, plus the window switches, come from Mercedes? And does that actually matter? We'd argue no. About those differences. Many are functional, like the fact the Infiniti does not carry over the Benz's Brake Hold feature – when you roll to a stop in the GLA (or any other Benz), pressing the brake pedal firmly applies the electric parking brake until you hit the gas to move again. The QX30 has an electric parking brake, but no Brake Hold feature. Someone used to driving Mercedes models will look a bit silly standing on the brake pedal to no effect. Ask us how we know. The Mercedes gauge package is carried over, but with the Infiniti font. Makes sense, although it's off-putting at first if you've seen the original, prompting a weird deja vu. Circular dash vents are replaced by rhomboid ones.