2016 Infiniti Q50 3.0t Sport on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Listen to the 2020 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400's screaming exhaust

The best thing about the 2020 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400 is its engine. That 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 makes one of the better noises in the automotive landscape on its way to the 6,800 rpm redline. It makes 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, and the engine feels every bit that strong. Peak power is made at a high 6,400 rpm, so it feels linear all the way up to that point. There’s no mistaking this for a naturally aspirated engine with the lag off the line, but once itÂ’s up and running, thereÂ’s no obvious fading of power in the higher rpms. As for the sound Â… itÂ’s also pretty spectacular. We took the Q60 out to some of our favorite deserted backroads and let it rip with a GoPro attached to the bumper. This particular Q60 Red Sport 400 is fitted with a more aggressive exhaust from Infiniti. ItÂ’s an axle-back exhaust, aptly named the “Axle-Back Sport Exhaust Kit.” Infiniti sells the exhaust on its official online parts store — thereÂ’s one available for the Q60 and another for the Q50. ItÂ’s currently listed for $707 and is backed by the original factory warranty. Buy it from the store, and then have the dealer fit it to your new (or old) car. WeÂ’ve driven Infinitis with this engine that donÂ’t have the sport exhaust installed, and theyÂ’re nowhere near as loud. And after driving one with the exhaust, itÂ’s safe to say the factory exhaust is a bit too quiet for our tastes. Starting the cold engine up in the morning is much more satisfying. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. And under load this exhaust sounds fantastic, too. In the cabin we hear loud intake whooshes, and on the outside we get to hear its screaming yowl. ThereÂ’s enough sound deadening in the cabin to make it refined and luxurious on light throttle applications, but the exhaustÂ’s sound doesnÂ’t ever disappear. A bit of drone sneaks in on the highway, but if you turn up the decent-sounding Bose audio system, it fades away. More cars could use legitimately aggressive exhausts like this one. Manufacturers continue to pump fake audio into the cabin over the speakers, but itÂ’s not as authentic as something like this. All thatÂ’s missing are bangs and pops on shifts, but we can live without them. Each downshift is delightful, and the overrun is music to our ears. Related video:

IIHS: High numbers of drivers treat partially automated cars as fully self-driving

WASHINGTON — Drivers using advanced driver assistance systems like Tesla Autopilot or General Motors Super Cruise often treat their vehicles as fully self-driving despite warnings, a new study has found. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an industry funded group that prods automakers to make safer vehicles, said on Tuesday a survey found regular users of Super Cruise, Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist and Tesla Autopilot "said they were more likely to perform non-driving-related activities like eating or texting while using their partial automation systems than while driving unassisted." The IIHS study of 600 active users found 53% of Super Cruise, 42% of Autopilot and 12% of ProPILOT Assist owners "said that they were comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving." About 40% of users of Autopilot and Super Cruise — two systems with lockout features for failing to pay attention — reported systems had at some point switched off while they were driving and would not reactivate. "The big-picture message here is that the early adopters of these systems still have a poor understanding of the technologyÂ’s limits," said IIHS President David Harkey. The study comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is scrutinizing Autopilot crashes. Since 2016, the NHTSA has opened 37 special investigations involving 18 deaths in crashes involving Tesla vehicles and where systems like Autopilot were suspected of use. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla says Autopilot does not make vehicles autonomous and is intended for use with a fully attentive driver who is prepared to take over. GM, which in August said owners could use Super Cruise on 400,000 miles (643,740 km) of North American roads and plans to offer Super Cruise on 22 models by the end of 2023, did not immediately comment. IIHS said advertisements for Super Cruise focus on hands-free capabilities while Autopilot evokes the name used in passenger airplanes and "implies TeslaÂ’s system is more capable than it really is." IIHS in contrast noted ProPILOT Assist "suggests that itÂ’s an assistance feature, rather than a replacement for the driver." NHTSA and automakers say none of the systems make vehicles autonomous. Nissan said its name "is clearly communicating ProPILOT Assist as a system to aid the driver, and it requires hands-on operation.

2025 Infiniti QX80 confirmed with 450-hp twin-turbo V6, 50 hp more than now

Infiniti's back to tease the 2025 QX80 that debuts in 15 days. Automaker executive Ivan Espinoza starts by telling us what we already knew, the ancient 5.6-liter V8 gets sent packing by a 3.5-liter V6. Espinoza calls it "all-new," but this is in reference to the application. Parent company Nissan loves itself a TTV6, the GT-R given the codename VR38DETT, the new Nissan Z's version codenamed VR30DDTT, the same mill formerly serving the Infiniti Q50 and Q60. The 3.5-liter displacement in the QX80 means its engine can be expected to be called the VR35DDTT. We've got output numbers at last, those being 450 horsepower and 515 pound-feet of torque, improvements of 50 hp and guaranteed-to-feel-it 102 lb-ft. That outdoes the closest Japanese competition, the Lexus LX that gets 409 hp and 479 lb-ft from its TTV6. The 2025 QX80 is going to shift through a nine-speed automatic gearbox, the two additional cogs over today's seven-speed providing a 40% wider range of ratios. Owners are going to get more performance down low and efficiency up high. Doubling up on the efficiency, engineers added active grille shutters to reduce drag when massive cooling isn't needed. Espinoza also cites "a new chassis and larger frame," however, the QX80 is expected to ride on an updated version of the current SUV's body-on-frame platform, Nissan's F-Alpha that once served the Pathfinder and Titan, plus the erstwhile QX56, and still serves the Nissan Frontier. The evolution yields 57% more lateral stiffness and 25% more torsional rigidity. A new electronic air suspension with active damping keeps the hardened cage from becoming a punishment. We get our best, albeit very brief, looks at the interior as well. The four-spoke wheel is now a two-spoke wheel, a la Genesis. The digital gauge cluster and separate infotainment binnacle morphed into what looks like a single, uncovered widescreen (composed of two or more screens), akin to what we've seen in several electric vehicles like the Kia EV9 and Honda e. The restraint and subtlety in these snippets matches what's been done to the exterior, so far as we can see. The livestreamed reveal happens March 20, expect a Monograph Concept plus some flourishes. A week later, we'll get up close and personal for the 2025 QX80's public debut at the New York Auto Show.