2003 Infiniti Q45 Review

The opulent, feature-laden Infiniti Q45 is for those looking for a distinctive sedan in the growing luxury market. With annual sales of about 12,000 units, owners won't see a lot of other Q45s on roads.

The rear-drive Q45 from Nissan's luxury vehicle division has been with us since the Lexus LS sedan from Toyota's upscale division was introduced in 1990. But the Q45 never caught on as a fairly high-volume luxury model because it always was out of the mainstream in the luxury market.

The 1990 Q45 was a fast, solid, posh sedan. But the car had an offbeat initial advertising campaign that, oddly, didn't show it for a long time. And then it arrived as too much of a hot rod model with avant garde styling and a tight rear seat. Many luxury car buyers didn't quite know what to make of the car, although auto buff magazines loved it.

The immediately successful Lexus was a fast, roomy conventional luxury car--with a conventional advertising campaign--that offered what nearly everyone in the luxury market expected.

Efforts to give the Q45 more of a luxury nature throughout the 1990s didn't help this Infiniti flagship model, although the automaker finally gave it approximately the right balance of luxury and high performance for the 2002 model year. The Q45 no longer seemed like a "Japanese Buick.''

That third-generation Q45 got such things as a redesigned suspension and race-bred 340-horsepower V-8, which is one of the smoothest in the industry. It's more powerful than engines offered by rivals from Lexus, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The 2002 Q45 also was made wider and taller, with a longer wheelbase for more interior room. And its many high-tech features included the automaker's Intelligent Cruise Control system, which keeps the car a constant distance from vehicles ahead.

With all those changes, the 2003 model is just sharpened a bit. It has a revised grille, standard heated seats and a different final drive gear ratio for slightly faster acceleration. It also gets a full-size spare tire, available integrated satellite radio and puddle lights under outside mirrors to prevent missteps in the dark. New 17- or 18-inch wheel designs provide a racier look.

The 6-disc, slot-type CD changer has been moved from the glove box to the center dash area cluster. And the power trunk-lid closer brings back memories of when that feature was a big deal on Cadillacs.

Optional 17-inch run-flat tires are in the $4,000 Journey package for the base $52,000 Luxury model. While costly, that package also contains an advanced navigation system (entire U.S. on one disc) and the Intelligent Cruise Control.

The $61,600 Premium model costs considerably more than the well-equipped Luxury model, but has lots of extra equipment.

Such items include seats that provide both heating and cooling, an adjustable suspension with different shock absorber settings for sportier driving, wider tires on 18-inch (instead of 17-inch) wheels, navigation system, Intelligent Cruise Control, heated power-reclining rear seats and rear audio and climate controls.

The Premium model also has a standard Rearview Monitor camera, which projects a video image of what's behind on an in-dash information screen when the car is in reverse gear.

That screen incorporates navigation, audio and climate system controls. But the screen can be distracting and tedious to use. There also are voice-activated audio, climate and navigation functions, which call for patience to master.

The 4.5-liter V-8 has dual overhead camshafts, 32 titanium valves and continuous variable valve timing control for instant response. Quiet and silky smooth, it's one of the world's top engines and works with a responsive five-speed automatic transmission, which has a manual shift feature but rather notchy shifter action.

This is one of those big, fast cars in which acceleration seems effortless, although it's heavy at nearly 4,000 pounds.

Fuel economy is an estimated 17 mpg in the city and 23-25 on highways. However, despite hard driving, my test Q45 Premium model seemed to get a few more miles per gallon both in the city and on the highway than the estimated figures.

The rear-drive layout of the Q45 calls for a center driveline tunnel, and thus comfortably allows seating for only four tall adults in its sumptuous wood-and-leather interior, which has easily read gauges and Infiniti's classy analog dashboard clock. Front cupholders don't threaten to cause spills and nifty items such as fold-out front door pockets show good attention to detail.

The large trunk is nicely shaped and has a low opening for easy loading. But it should be a bit longer, and the manual trunklid hinges don't belong in a luxury car.

The steering is quick, although it has the rather artificial feel typical of speed-sensitive units. Handling is sharp and enhanced by stability and traction control systems. But the Q45 is more of a fast luxury cruiser than a sports sedan.

The ride with the Premium model's ultra-wide tires and 18-inch wheels might be too firm for some luxury car buyers, who can opt for the smaller wheels and more comfortable tires on the Luxury model. Action of the brake pedal is soft, but progressive. And the anti-lock brakes, which have Brake Assist and Electronic Brake Force Distribution features, have impressive stopping power.

Safety items include front side air bags and front/rear side-impact curtain air bags. And there is one of the world's most powerful headlight systems, with no separate fog lights needed.

The Q45 is a good alternative to an Audi, BMW, Mercedes or Lexus. It's one of the top foreign luxury sedans, and its engine gives it the heart of a race car.


INFINITI Q45
Prices:
$52,000-$61,600

Likes:
Luxurious. Powerful. Good handling. Superb braking.

Dislikes:
Distracting controls with dashboard screen. Ride for top model might be too firm for some. Marginal fuel economy.