anyone have any experience with the q50 Awd?

background: im in a sonata loaner right now due to the airbag recall and I have to say that it is a very nice car, and I'm only in a base model. It does not handle as well as the rl and it's not as fast, but my street racing days are over and I'm more after comfort and convenience along with some decent gas mileage and, of course, some luxury. The sonata gets 35 mpg in suburban driving, and over 40 hwy on regular gas, cost me $25 to fill from empty and I went almost 600 miles on a tank. My wife gets in and drives it yesterday and says, I hate to say this, but I like the sonata better than your RL, wtf?

anyway, it's got me thinking of moving my RL, though I didn't/don't intend to sell it until 2018 as I would look to buy a 2015/16 car coming off lease. The infinity q50 seems like it may be comparable and the hybrid awd premium does well on gas, though that's not my main criteria. Anyone have any experience with it? Comparisons I've seen are with the TL, but the infinity seems more refined like the rl.

any experience with a decked out sonata? Or accord v6 hybrid? Sonatas drawback is it doesn't have awd. I looked at the Cadillac ATS specs and it's too small of a car.

so many choices, comps are difficult.

thx

 

I think the biggest gripe with Nissan engines from Honda owners is the engines are less refined. I'm not a big fan of Nissan interiors, and they don't seem to last as long as the Japanese counterparts. Not sure how either apply to the Q50.

The he one big credit I do give Nissan is their racing attitude. They tend to put more focus into sport than others.

 

We had a 2000 maxima, it was a good car, only sold it because we needed an SUV.

im going to need to test drive all these cars. The Infiniti off lease would be like 27k, same price as new accord or sonata., roughly

 

Test drive for sure. And don't forget the Sonata u got is a brand new car vs an 11 yr old RL.

Before buying my RL there was a black shiny infinity parked right next to it, almost identical in size, AWD, i think it was a q50, fully loaded as well, and 2010. I was drawn. Looked around, nicely shaped car, then, I went inside. I spent less than 30 seconds and left it off the list. the inside felt quite plastic. it felt i'm in an old Nissan not an infinity. the inside material is poor and not comparable at all with the RL. Maybe newer models are better? I don't know.

If ur gonna go korean, and want an AWD, and to please the lady even more than a sonata, then Genesis. Its mileage beats the RL by just a bit though. its 3.8. A lot of gizmos. And 20 thousand less in price.

Quality and durability (my favorites) with Honda is just only paralleled by a Toyota and then a Subaru below among the Japanese.

I'm hooked though. My first Japanese car and it will be hard to find a car that's comparable to an RL (the gazillion little features included). No doubt there. And if I was you, i'd get a 2012 RL. The best of the MMC. I will bet you anything the lady will like it better than the Sonata.

 

I looked at the Q50 when I was looking to replace my RL. I agree, that I have not found Nissan interiors pleasing in the past - but they have come a long way the last few years in both the Nissan and Infinity brands. The Q50 was attractive in features and styling. But it is much smaller than the RL, even if it does not appear so. Though the interior proportionally looks good, the driver's seat was tight and narrow. In fact the cabin felt narrower than need be. The RL is much wider (inside and out) and the RL cabin is much more airy. Anyone over 5'10'' would have to fold up like origami to get into the back seat simply by the door opening size, roof overhang, step up / in height was very tight. It felt tighter back there than my former 2005 TL, which the RL is slightly more roomy in the rear seating. And similar to the TL, the seating position is very low. For those reasons, I did not drive it and cannot offer that comparison. I would find the coupe model acceptable for a snug fit, but not a sedan at this pricepoint.

You may experience what I typically experience comparing cars. On paper they look great - styling, features and maybe the reviews. But then I get in them (and perhaps even drive them) and they fail the 'Butt Test' where the tactile aspects of the car betray the research I have done. I have learned that marketing and even reviews project what we want the car to be and the 'Butt Test' validates what the car actually is. And the converse where cars unpopular for whatever reasons feel organic to my needs and tastes.

If we could only suppress our auto enthusiasm and passion when making this decision....

 

Thanks guys, this is all very helpful. If I could find a nice 2012 rl, I'd probably consider it. I've got some test driving to do over the next year. No rush to get rid of my RL, been a great car, just need the damn airbags fixed, going on a month with the sonata.

 

as others have stated, q50 is replacement for g35/g37 which is in same tier as TL/TLX, Lexus IS, 3-series, C-class
Q70 or former M37 would be direct competitor to RL but I believe current body has been around for quite a long time and is due for full model change soon.

Genesis is great car for money but I'd have hard time replacing my car with genesis.

My RL just passed 170k mark but it's still driving very solid and is still pleasing to look at it even after all these years.
I've been looking at '13+ XFR and new XF-S but just can't pull the trigger.
After owning F-Type, Jag has put new image in my head and it's so joyful to listen & drive.

I think my RL will stick with me until it reaches end of it's life as i can't let it go on my will.

 

That's what i've been afraid of.

 

I think your wife likes the sonata because it is new. Not because it is a better car. I had a 2016 sonata sport rental and while it is honestly built pretty damn well, quiet, and handles well. It can't hold a candle to the RL.

IMHO and IME nissan interiors are shit. They look and feel really nice for like 2-3 years. Then they look like shit. They just don't hold up. The parts they use are also incredibly inferior. We had a 2006 Murano. The sun visors were falling, the hood was falling, the rear hatch was falling, the gas level sensor was failing...etc. Like the parts were just not holding up.

Now infiniti builds a SOLID interior, like very nice quality, but given my experience with nissan. I don't know if I could trust them. In terms of tech, the q50 has the RL beat (and fairly so) but not by far. Besides shawd shits all day any day on the infiniti attessa system.

 

How about a used RLX hybrid ? Would love to get behind the wheel of one of those..

 

How so

 

A low mileage CPO 2014 RLX SH can be found in the $30Ks. It is an amazing value. Unfortunately the RLX has suffered from early 2014 PAWS (released fall of 2013) models getting dinged with quality issues, suspension tuning and poor pricing (and many complaints deserving). But the late arriving SH (Fall 2014) had addressed the early TSBs and early build issues except some clunkiness in the infotainment system. To date has it not been corrected for the 2014-2015 models (and may not be) but the 2016s are up to speed. If that is a low priority for you, the sophistication of the SH drivetrain is a marvel and a STEAL at the used prices. Frankly, I think a new 2016 SH Advance @ $65K is under priced for this system's capability and refinement. The car has a Jekyll & Hyde persona. You can drive it for higher efficiency with great power or you can release the beast in Sport mode and all systems fired up simultaneously. SH makes better use of SHAWD as it is instantaneous and does not rely on throttle to light up as does the RL. Further being a 3 electric motor hybrid, you also get negative torque with regen braking. Add in brake assist torque application and you get a much more lively SHAWD experience. The SH is light on its feet and rotates without the heavy weight transfer the RL experiences in the turns.The result is a very fast, very agile, large executive sedan that can be tossed around like an Integra sedan with improved mileage of the hybrid system. I like the RLX styling due to it being buttoned up, more timeless and not too edgy styling that would not wear long into the future. And the PAWS model is also a bargain ($10K off sticker new - Accord Touring price if used). But the SH is like getting 2 different cars to use as your mood fits or the road coaxes.

If you can test drive one (hard to find) - I assure you it will impress. The consensus of SH owners on the RLX forum is it takes only two blocks to test drive and your mind is made up.

 

I currently own a V6 FWD Acura and a V6 RWD Nissan, and I must admit, yes, the engine in the Nissan is much "harsher". However... I wonder how much of that harshness is due to the car having a driveshaft going to the rear, as opposed to an axle at the front. I have a hard time believing the driveshaft is super balanced, but who knows, I can be completely wrong.

There are many good aspects to the Nissan V6 though:
Nissan's engine is DOHC. Honda's is SOHC.
Nissan's engine has two intakes/throttle bodies. Honda's has one. Not all Nissan V6s have this, but the more premium ones seem to.
Nissan's V6 seems to always put out more horsepower vs Honda's equally sized V6

One point I will give Honda is that their V6 is a bit more fuel efficient. Barely, though. The difference between the 3.7L Nissan and the 3.2L Honda is 1 mpg. This is based on my real world driving, after several tanks of fuel in each.

I'd be interested to see how harsh Honda's DOHC V6 would be, but, the only place you can see that is in an NSX, and it too doesn't come with a front-to-rear driveshaft (not talking about the new NSX).

Nissan/Infiniti does this on purpose. They're known for their much more sporty seats that offer more side bolstering than Honda. It keeps you snug and planted, where as my TL is like a lazyboy recliner in comparison. I can understand that isn't for everyone.

 

Good point. And I agree the Infinity seats felt sportier with pronounced bolsters. But the RL front seats are approx 2 inches wider in shoulder room and 2 inches wider in hip room. (If you have flown on a domestic airliner these days, I would sell my soul to Satan for 2 more inches hip & shoulder room!) The RL's center console / armrest is wider as well. Not big numbers, but it did feel much narrower to me. Of course different sized people and tastes rule over simple metric comparisons.

 

My Girlfriend has a 2016 Maxima Platinum and it is one sweet car with good power and lots of gadgets. I like it better than any Infinit sedan on the market including the Q50 and Q70. The Infinitis seem to be too cramped in the rear quarters for my liking and just don't look balanced to me.

 

Taco, regarding your first points, I was given an Altima 2.5 S rental when Legend #2 got side swiped (actually my third Altima rental). Now, I understand it's not a Maxima 3.5 SE or a G37, but getting on the highway one day I pushed the car to 5K RPM, and the sound was just ... loud. It didn't have the roar or tuned scream of a Honda opening its intake vales at 3500 and VTEC at 5500 RPM. It just got loud. That's kind of what I was getting at.

My mom had a 2003 350Z Touring, the first MY. She only recently sold it, and I drove that car a lot considering it wasn't mine. It's a race car through and through, and I give Nissan props for that. Felt the same going 40 or 90. I could t really tell if the engine was harsh there because it was a harsh car. However, the seat tore, the auto window broke, the CD player broke, the hatch latch broke, the hatch spring wouldn't release hatch from the latch, and the hydrolics on the hatch blew. All of that was before 120k. I know the RL has major upholstery issues as do many Honda leather interiors, but the interior just seemed to fall apart at 100k.

Again, I am not intimate with Infinity at all. I respect Nissan's push for sportiness, especially the GT-R (). I have just had too many let downs with Nissans to really consider owning one long term. That said, I don't have enough money for a GT-R. I would buy one of those in a heartbeat if I could.

 

This is exactly what I was getting at. Everything just seems to fail and fall apart!