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A beautiful conundrum | 2017 Infiniti Q60 First Drive

"OK, this should be fun." Hands are rubbed together excitedly. It's a rear-wheel-drive sport coupe painted candy apple red. It's sleek, slinky, and uniquely styled. It's from the same folks who, in the 2000s, finally showed that BMW could be matched in the whole sport sedan/coupe game. Oh, and it has 400 horsepower. Four-hundred! With a four. And yet the 2017 Infiniti Q60 underwhelms. What looks so good on paper instead is rather conflicted, stuck somewhere in no-man's land between the traditional expectations of a performance sport coupe and those of comfier, more luxurious cruisers that isolate and pamper their occupants. It's a serious effort with serious engineering and a clear desire to be innovative, but at least in the range-topping Red Sport model we tested, it fails to come together in a way that truly excites or indulges. A great coupe should do one or the other, and ideally both. To explain, let's start under the hood, where Infiniti's all-new "VR" series 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 makes its second appearance after debuting in the Q60's four-door sibling, the Q50. In the Q60 Silver Sport model, it produces 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque courtesy a pair of turbochargers that create 8.7 psi of boost. In the Red Sport, the knob is turned up to 14.7 psi, resulting in the oh-so-salivatory magic number of 400 hp along with 350 lb-ft of torque. A device known as an optical turbo speed sensor, special to the Red Sport, manages and maintains that extra boost, while an electric motor fitted to the valve timing system serves to quell any loss in throttle response due to forced induction. The Red also gets a second water-cooled intercooler, which, in both models, is distinctive for its more compact size, shorter airflow path, and, according to Infiniti, a resulting reduction in turbo lag and more immediate engine response. It's certainly a clear improvement on the somewhat rough 3.7-liter "VQ" V6 it replaces, which increasingly felt and sounded a little out of place in a luxury car. The new VR30DDTT, as it's so eloquently named, is buttery smooth and indeed responsive, likely capable of convincing luxury-car owners used to naturally aspirated V6s that everything's business as usual. Honestly, its character is reminiscent of a silky Honda V6. In some respects, that's a great thing. In others, it's where the Q60 starts to fall flat.

Infiniti puts EV plans on hold again

Think of it as the green-automotive industry's version of Groundhog Day. Nissan's Infiniti division is putting plans for its first mass-production electric vehicle on hold. Again. The Infiniti LE, whose concept version was unveiled 2012's New York Auto Show, is again being put up on the proverbial blocks, USA Today says, citing a presentation by Infiniti executive Michael Bartsch at a recent company event in Detroit. Essentially, the Nissan division has bigger fish to fry, in the form of boosting overall Infiniti sales, and doesn't yet want to put the effort into introducing the Infiniti LE. The Infiniti EV plans were first postponed by then-Infiniti President Johan de Nysschen during the summer of 2013, as de Nysschen wasn't quite buying into Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn's ambitious electric vehicle sales projections. De Nysschen resigned last summer to join General Motors' Cadillac division. One issue may be the fact that the Infiniti wouldn't be all that different from the Nissan Leaf. Despite the fact that US sales of that EV surged 34 percent last year compared to 2013, to 30,200 vehicles, an Infiniti version was apparently not enough of a selling point within the company. While the Infiniti is sportier looking than the Leaf and would boast inductive, wireless charging, it would have a similar power output and single-charge range as the Leaf.

Infiniti Q30 goes full monty before Frankfurt

Infiniti is finally tearing off the camouflage and showing the world what the Q30 luxury hatchback actually looks like. Set to make a full debut Frankfurt Motor Show on September 15, the five-door marks the entry of the Japanese premium brand into the compact hatch ranks. The company's designers did a fantastic job of bringing the major elements from 2013's concept to the street, though. Like the earlier design, the production Q30 wears Infiniti's rounded rectangle grille and a chrome strip along the edge of the hood. The headlights are also left squinting from the concept. The only major change to the front end is an adjustment to the lower air dam to make it a little more realistic for production. Sadly, Infiniti is only providing this single front three-quarters perspective on the upcoming five-door for now, but check out the C-pillar in the background to spot the similarly pointed design there, as well. The changes are actually more noticeable when comparing the Q30 with its platform-mate, the QX30 compact crossover concept. The hatchback noticeably softens many of the CUVs swoopy lines to be a bit more mainstream. This is especially true along the front where the big air intakes from the QX are made significantly smaller. Production of the Q30 is slated to start in Sunderland, England, by the end of the year. They should actually arrive in showrooms there before the calendar runs out. Still, we're looking forward to Frankfurt for a more complete view of Infiniti's little luxury hatchback. Related Video: INFINITI Q30 PREMIUM ACTIVE COMPACT SET FOR FRANKFURT IAA 2015 PREMIERE Daring, expressive design meets advanced ride and handling performance Category-breaking Q30 faithful to 2013 concept car World premiere for global media September 15th at Frankfurt Motor Show Hong Kong – The first ever Infiniti Q30 Premium Active Compact is ready for its world premiere at the International Frankfurt Motor Show in September this year. Featuring Infiniti's iconic design language, the all-new Q30 represents a category-breaking vehicle concept developed for customers seeking urban individuality. Its dynamic drive characteristics provide for Infiniti-typical confident and responsive performance as well as excellent ride and handling. Crafted trims and expressive interiors extend the striking design approach from the exterior into the passenger cabin.