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Infiniti Q45

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#469 of 957 Test drove a Q45 yesterday -- Nice by markhampton Aug 19, 2001 (12:28 am)
I got a chance to drive an Infiniti Q45 yesterday with the sports package. I was a little hesitant -- I'm used to the soft ride on my 2000 Deville, and thought the Q45 would ride harshly on our poorly maintained highways. I was pleasantly surprised -- the Q's ride was as good as my Caddy's, and its handling was far better. It's what I would call the best of both worlds.   The Q was impressive. Quieter than my Caddy, with more gadgets, and much better build quality. The voice activated radio/climate control worked well enough, but I don't think it was particularly practical.   The rear seat leg room was a little tighter than my Caddy's, and the trunk was really quite small compared to the Deville. I doubt you could get more than one body in there, where the Deville will hold two. It's definitely not a gangster car .   After reading the brewhaha concerning the Q's acceleration, I had to try it out for myself. Sure enough, this car is definitely slow off the line. At highway speeds, passing is effortless, but that is also true of my Caddy and an LS430 I test drove awhile back. It certainly doesn't "feel" like a car with 340 horses under the hood.   Infiniti could learn something from Cadillac's DTS engineers -- gear ratios make all the difference in the world. There's a big difference in acceleration between a standard Deville and a DTS, and it's all in the gear ratios (the engines put out the same horsepower in both models). Is Infiniti afraid people will twist the rear half-shafts?   The Infiniti dealer I went to here in Denver would not budge from the MSRP. They also added ~2000 worth of dealer junk. $900 for a clear hood protector? Give me a break.   I didn't think the lease numbers were particularly good for this car either. The residual was 52% for a 39 month lease -- a fair bit lower than the competition -- with a money factor of .00208.   It was a nice car -- I certainly preferred it over my Deville -- but I think if I were going to buy a new car in this price range, I would get a 7-Series BMW or an LS430. Right now, a 7-Series lease is actually cheaper than an Infiniti lease. Looking at the lease numbers, it seems that Infiniti has little confidence that the Q will retain its value over the years.   It's a real shame Infiniti didn't get everything right the first time with this car. Right now, I'd say the Q is a very nice car in a market loaded with very nice cars. The Q has a lot of potential, but right now there isn't much that makes it stand out.
#470 of 957 mark by mmcbride1 Aug 20, 2001 (8:33 am)
That's the problem with Infiniti of Denver. There aren't any other Infiniti dealers within 100 miles or more and they know it. They are great for service, though.
#471 of 957 Q lease by mvargo1 Aug 21, 2001 (6:13 am)
You should be able to lease a new Q for 12K per year for around $760 per month plus tax with about $4,500 due at signing. The review does not suprise me Edmunds has never met an Infiniti that it liked, never mind that newer acceleration tests have produced acceleration times much closer to what Infiniti originally claimed, they would rather complain about an old problem.
#472 of 957 Comparative Confusion by peteri1 Aug 21, 2001 (5:39 pm)
Am researching replacement for my 99GS400. I'm looking at the Q45 Premium Pckg, the LS430 Custom and a similarly equipped A6 4.2. I love my GS, although with 6 mos left on the lease they're lowballing my 38000 mile car with NAV for $29-30K, while they advertise used 99 GS400's for almost $40K (payoff is $36100).   I owned a 95Q45T and it was a real sled (dangerously so) in Chicago winters. I have Blizzaks on the GS and have had NO issues through two winters.   All three prospective new cars sticker around $60K, with the LS at $62K+, Q at $59.3K and the A6 at $58.8K. LeaseWizard is throwing low residuals out for the LS and Q, but over 50% for the A6 (all at 36mo and 15000 mi/year).   All three are excellent. I haven't driven the Q yet. There are enough dealers in the Chicago suburbs to be competitive.   I think the Q is most distinctive, the LS is the sure bet and the A6 offers the most all-weather choice in Chicago. If I go with the Q or LS, it's steel rims and snows in the winter.   If I can get away in the low $900's by paying Ill state taxes up front, I'm OK. I think all three can be had for this figure, but residuals are sliding.   For those financial gurus out there, do residuals go into the tank in mid summer of a model year?
#473 of 957 peteri by mmcbride1 Aug 22, 2001 (7:25 am)
Yes, they do. The best time to lease would be to lease a 2002 model this fall. That way, it is a new model and has depreciated less than a 2001 has by now.
#474 of 957 New Q by hiiq1 Aug 22, 2001 (6:52 pm)
I too have driven the new Q and have mixed feelings about the car.I own and drive a 93Q every day and didin't feel overly impressed with the acceleration of the new car. I'm still scratching my head over smallness of the trunk for a car this size! Infiniti needs to to come all the way back to the 89-93 interior and trunk dimensions and start from there. The 94-96 model just added weight and the 97-00 models shrank in both horsepower and interior! The new car is nice but Infiniti can and needs to do better.
#475 of 957 New Q by hiiq1 Aug 22, 2001 (6:59 pm)
I forgot sorry. Yes drove a LS430 at the Cadillac challenge a few weeks ago and have to say that it has one of the best seats I've ever sat in. After that the the car is nice however I still think that all it's success is owed to the fact that it's still and always will be a Japanese replica of a Mercedes Benz E class! Not original so if inmatation is the sincerest form of flaterly the Lexeus wins another award hands down!
#476 of 957 markhampton by robh3 Aug 22, 2001 (9:22 pm)
For what it's worth, the base Deville and the DTS do have different horsepower ratings: base Deville - 275 DTS - 300   Out of curiosity I went to my local Infinity dealer this last Saturday to get a close look at the Q. I was hoping to get a test drive. Ever notice how when you are NOT interested in talking to a salesman, you are swarmed by them...and when you actually DO want help from a salesman, you are ignored?! Well, I figured if I pulled onto the lot in my STS it would help show that I am a legitimate prospect. Even after doing that, and going into the showroom and helping myself to sitting in the Q inside for a while, NOT ONE PERSON APPROACHED ME!   I was surprised to see a sticker price of $59k+ on the two Q's they had. I though these things were only around $51k. Anyway, I left without driving the car. Also, I could not intuitively figure out how to open the trunk to check out the size. No lever/button on the lower dash or next to the driver's seat that I could find. Where is it?
#477 of 957 robh3 by tgif888 Aug 23, 2001 (7:41 am)
I believe is on the driver's side handle.
#478 of 957 by robh3 Aug 23, 2001 (4:05 pm)
Ahh, I didn't look there. I presume it is not such that one would be prone to hitting it by accident when getting out of the car.

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