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2019 Infiniti QX50 First Drive Review | A high-tech engine flies under the radar

Update: An Infiniti representative reached out after this review was published and noted that the "Park with Easy Steering" function of the Direct Adaptive Steering system was erroneously left engaged. Infiniti says this feature "reduces feel considerably at low speeds to aid in parking", and that the Easy Steering function will be disabled by default in customer cars unless the customer chooses to engage it. This seems to explain the issues our reviewer had with low-speed steering feel, although we've had other problematic experiences with Direct Adaptive Steering in a broader sense – not to mention the fact that the drive-by-wire system has been recalled several times to fix various issues, and also recalibrated in response to criticism. We hope to get another QX50 soon, and if so we'll compare the low-speed steering response with Easy Steering on and off. Even as manufacturers rush headlong into electrification and autonomous driving, revolutionary internal-combustion engine technologies are still being developed. Consider the Mazda Skyactiv-X Spark Controlled Combustion Ignition process, for example. But Infiniti's VC-Turbo four-cylinder engine, which makes its debut in the 2019 QX50, is truly a work of engineering fortitude. The engine realizes the long-held ambition among engine manufacturers to create a way to alter the compression ratio on the fly, a boon to both power and fuel efficiency. It's a brilliant bit of science that's, unfortunately, still in search of the right car. Don't get us wrong, the QX50 is perfectly competent — it's an exceedingly quiet and comfortable cruiser. However, it's no longer the driver-pleasing machine its predecessor was. That car, originally known as the EX35, was built atop Nissan's sporty FM platform, a front-midship, rear-wheel-drive layout putting the engine aft of the front axle line and giving the vehicle the athletic driving dynamics of a sport sedan. In fact, it was basically a G37 hatchback, and it was sold as the Skyline Crossover in Japan. A shortened FM chassis underpinned the 370Z, to put a finer point on it. For those more concerned with comfort than corners, the 2019 QX50 might actually be a more useful. It rides atop an all-new front-wheel-drive chassis, which means it's able to add more space for both passengers and cargo. It trades a heap of the old QX50's sportiness for comfort and packaging efficiency. If that sounds good to you, perhaps the new QX50 is the right crossover.

Watch Sebastian Vettel become first driver to lap Sochi GP circuit

In April of last year, Sebastian Vettel and David Coulthard drove the unpaved Sochi Formula One circuit in a pair of Infiniti M sedans, getting both muddy and airborne in the process. Now with tarmac laid down and fences put up, Vettel and Coulthard have gone back to the Black Sea vacation spot for another hot lap, this time in a Q50 Hybrid and without the need for mud flaps.
Sochi has earned the blessing of F1's race director, so now the next test will be the fans. With a healthy amount of wall-and-fencing along the straights, it has shades of Valencia for the viewer. We hope it will be much more exciting than its Spanish counterpart when racing happens on October 12. You'll find more videos below covering Infiniti's visits to the Sochi Autodrom, and a press release on the latest lap.

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge Concept bows again, now with more GT-R [w/video]

Think back to the 2014 Detroit Auto Show and you'll remember the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept - a sedan that showed the potential design direction for a seriously high-performance take on the Japanese automaker's new entry-level luxury sedan. And while the show car we saw in Detroit was all well and good, it lacked something. Specifically, an engine. Kind of an important thing for a performance concept, right?
Here in Geneva, Infiniti rolled out that same Q50 Eau Rouge, but with one major modification: the sedan now boasts a twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 under its hood - the same engine that's found in the Nissan GT-R supercar. In the Eau Rouge, this V6 is tuned to produce 560 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque, sent to the ground via the GT-R's all-wheel-drive system. Of course, this super-hot Q50 is still purely a concept, but Infiniti says that the potent engine underhood will allow the sedan to sprint to 60 miles per hour in less than four seconds, on its way to a top speed of over 180 mph.
The oft-fabled "four-door GT-R" still isn't confirmed for production, so for now, all we can do is cross our fingers (and toes). Check out the Q50 and its new beating heart in the gallery, above, and scroll below to hear what that potent Eau Rouge sounds like.