2006 Infiniti Qx56 Base Sport Utility 4-door 5.6l on 2040-cars

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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.

2020 Infiniti Edition 30 models priced

The 2020 model year marks the 30th anniversary of Infiniti, and as announced back in August, the brand is rolling out specially tweaked Edition 30 models across the bulk of its lineup. We now have more details and pricing for the commemorative editions, which are available on the Q50 sedan, Q60 coupe, QX50 compact crossover, QX60 mid-size crossover, and QX80 full-size SUV. The Q50 Edition 30 sedan's starting price is $43,700 with rear-wheel drive and $45,700 is all-wheel drive. The Q50 Edition 30 is priced between the Luxe and Sport trim levels, but its equipment is closer to that of the Sport. Although it's $4,800 cheaper than the Sport, the Edition 30 adds full-speed adaptive cruise control, but it uses the smaller brake rotors of the Luxe trim and it skips the Sport's adaptive damping. Unique Edition 30 elements include dark-chrome 19-inch wheels and exterior trim, black mirror caps, and a black mesh grille. The Q60 Edition 30 coupe is offered as a $4,200 package for the Luxe trim level. Added to the $45,500 base price of the rear-wheel-drive Luxe coupe, and you get a starting price of $49,700 for the Edition 30. All-wheel drive is another $2,000. Exterior enhancements mirror those of the Q50 Edition 30. The Q60 Edition 30 package also adds navigation, an around-view monitor, power-adjustable steering column, memory settings, rear auto-braking, adaptive cruise control, heated seats and steering wheel, and a few lesser items. The QX50 Edition 30 compact crossover builds on the mid-level Essential trim level. It's sold as a package for $1,200 and includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot intervention, lane-depature prevention, and adaptive front lighting, plus 20-inch dark-finish wheels, dark-chrome exterior accents, a body-color rear diffuser, and a black headliner. For the range-topping QX80, the Edition 30 is a package that adds $3,500 to the Luxe (base) trim level. Besides the dark-chrome exterior trim and dark-finish 22-inch wheels, it includes a rear camera mirror, lane-departure prevention, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot intervention, and a black headliner. On Infiniti's most popular vehicle, the QX60, full details of the Edition 30 are not yet available, but we're told the model will start at $50,850. That represents a $4,700 premium over the Luxe trim level, and includes the content of the ProAssist package as well as the Edition 30 design enhancements.

MotorWeek revisits 1990 Infiniti Q45

With the one-two punch of the Lexus LS 400 and Infiniti Q45 in the early '90s, Japanese automakers started taking the fight directly to the established V8-powered German flagships on American roads. Here, we get MotorWeek's take on the latter and probably lesser known of those luxury sedans. While not so impressive today, the Q45's 4.5-liter V8 with 278 horsepower and 292 pound-feet of torque was pretty good by the contemporary standards. The big sedan was also offered with an optional all-wheel steering system that made the model quite a capable handler. The rear end even stepped out a just little during MotorWeek's slalom. Unfortunately, styling is very polarizing with these early sedans. Where the early LS looks planted with its big, chunky lines on the outside, the Infiniti is a bit more delicate. The design just doesn't scream about being a flagship sedan. The interior doesn't help sell the car as the top of luxury, either. While MotorWeek likes some of the amenities inside, there are complains about the reused switches from the Nissan Maxima and the extensive use of plastic, rather than wood. With Infiniti now having its sights on the global premium market and soon entering the compact segment, it's fascinating to see the very roots of the brand.