Trying to work out what’s what with Infiniti over the past few years has been a little bit like doing algebra – FX50 now equals QX70 and the new sum total of G37 is Q60, or in other words the models we had become used to are now called something else.
All pretty pointless if you ask me but it must make sense to Infiniti and the important thing is that no matter what they are called their cars tick most of the boxes when it comes luxury, distinctive styling and innovation.
I owned an FX50S (now called a QX70S) for a couple of years and loved it – particularly the magnificent five-litre V8 engine, and have been impressed with every Infiniti I have driven since.
But the one model that really grabbed my attention was the G37, or under its new name, the Q60. For me, this was always the one Infiniti that really rocked. It oozes refined aggression and looks like it needs to be driven quickly.
I mentioned this to the head of Infiniti Middle East Juergen Schmitz just before the Dubai Motor Show and he smiled knowlingly because there is a new, thoroughly reworked version of the Q60 which looks more than a bit special and will be launched in Europe at next month’s Geneva Motorshow.
Sadly, that car will not be available until next year and so rather than wait I accepted a kind invitation from Arabian Automobiles in Dubai to test drive the current Q60 Convertible – okay, not the coupe but a tasty piece of kit nevertheless.
As mentioned earlier, you sort of know what you are going to get with Infiniti (the luxury arm of Nissan, in case you didn’t know) – a good-looking car with personality offering high end luxury and more than half decent performance. The Q60 Convertible is no exception.
Make no mistake, this is a quality machine which is a pleasure to drive and although this generation of the coupe is being updated this is still very much a car worth having.
To start with this convertible has a three-piece hard retractable top which makes the car look like a coupe with it up and it folds away extremely neatly, in about 25 seconds at the touch of a button, to open up a whole new world of luxurious motoring.
The front does look like it needs a bit of a facelift but otherwise everything about this car is in perfect proportion, oozing head-turning prestige.
From the back it looks good with its LED lights, subtle chrome spoiler and double exhaust pipes, although the black radio antenna is a bit of an intrusion on the aesthetics.
The side profile is sleek and, sitting on 19-inch alloy wheels, this is one of those cars you will enjoy being seen in. The interior is typical Infiniti with high-grade leather seats with climate control, real maple wood trim which surrounds the gearbox and covers the centre console which rises to the infotainment touch-screen and controls which dominate the dash.
Brushed aluminum trim completes the look and there are plenty of bespoke options to give the car your personal touch.
This layout is essentially the same in all current Infiniti models. The instrument cluster is nicely designed and the power-adjustable steering wheel is, thankfully, not cluttered with buttons. The cockpit is a very nice place to be.
The car gets its grunt from a 3.7-litre V6 with 328bhp and 363nm of torque which delivers its power to the rear wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox with magnesium paddle-shifts if you want more involvement.
It is a pleasure to drive, particularly with the top down, when you can hear more of the engine note which is hardly going to wake the neighbours but is nevertheless extremely pleasing.
This car is not light, thanks to that hard-top folding roof, weighing in at 1,907kg, and so is not going to blow you away with its acceleration but it has a more than respectable 0-100kmh time of around 5.7 seconds.
And, to be honest, the Q60 Convertible is more about comfort than insane speed and it delivers on that front by the bucketload. The chassis and suspension are well designed which makes the car agile and provides a very pleasing driving experience.
This is a four seater but it is a little cramped in the back and with the roof down there is hardly any room in the boot but that is a given with a drop-top. This car certainly stands out from the crowd and more than holds its own up against German rivals like BMW, Mercedes and Audi, particularly on the design front.
At the moment the new model to be unveiled next month appears to be limited to the coupe so there is a possibility that this could be the last Q60 Convertible Infiniti build which, in a way, makes it even more desirable. With a starting price of Dh179,000 and special deals which you can take advantage of at the moment you are getting a lot of car for not a lot of money.
