2016 Infiniti Q50 With 400 HP Is An Eau Rouge Lite
By Paulo Acoba
Infiniti revealed its all-new 2016 Q50 sedan with a 400 HP Twin Turbo V6 making short work of any competitor in its way.
When Infiniti first brought out its Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept earlier last year, we all pretty much stood up in our respective chairs and cheered. Simply put, Infiniti stripped the running gear and engine from the Q50 and replaced it with the 3.8 liter V6 twin turbo engine from a Nissan GT-R along with all its running gear. Then earlier this year, Nissan decided to shift its priorities and axed the Eau Rouge concept altogether…or so we thought. Earlier Tuesday Infiniti went ahead and unveiled its 2016 Infiniti Q50 sedan and satisfied a few of those auto journalists who lamented the untimely passing of the Eau Rouge as it was.
First, there will be three different engines offered, two VR twin turbos, a turbocharged four-cylinder and a hybrid V6. We’re not entirely sure if by VR they mean they’ll be sharing similar engine components from the mighty VR38DETT (a.k.a. the Nissan GT-R engine) but we’re assuming that’s what VR means.
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There’s the stock Biturbo V6 good for 300 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque and then there’s the much hotter twin turbo with 400 HP and 350 lb-ft of torque.
Infiniti has sourced a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder from Mercedes with 208 HP and 258 lb-ft.
And finally, the hybrid from 2015 carries on with its 360 HP hybrid powertrain.
Infiniti has significantly improved upon the widely criticized Direct Adaptive Steer system after 625,000 miles of real-world testing that’s supposed to offer more advanced levels of steering feel and feedback, closer to a conventional steering system.
And if you opt for the Q50 Red Sport 400, you get staggered 19-inch aluminum -alloy wheels with run-flat tires as well as a pair of unique exhaust tips.
Next: Officially Unveiled: 2017 Infiniti QX30 Premium Active Crossover
So this new Infiniti isn’t as powerful as a Nissan GT-R but that doesn’t mean that Infiniti hasn’t learned anything from the Eau Rouge concept as it was tested. Car and Driver described it as a “sort of an engineering nightmare” and we can see what they mean when you really pause to think about it.