This is a first-person video review of the 2019 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport (Red Sport 400) by Michael Chuang. The reviewer praises the car’s styling and red interior but criticizes its driving dynamics: sluggish seven-speed automatic transmission, weak steering and understeer, stiff suspension in Sport+ mode, and muted exhaust note. Measured performance is respectable on paper (the twin-turbo 3.0L V6 is rated at 400 bhp and 350 ft·lb) but real-world acceleration and chassis confidence lag behind competitors (Mercedes C43 AMG, BMW M340i xDrive, Audi S5). The reviewer concludes the Q60 is more of a luxury car than a true sports car and recommends German alternatives for driving enthusiasts.
Questions this video answers
400 brake horsepower and 350 foot-pounds of torque.
Seven-speed automatic with manual mode.
2,000 ft above sea level.
About 4,000 pounds (referred to when discussing braking).
A 40–100 mph run in 8.38 seconds; another measured run cited as 15.61 seconds (context: longer high-speed run).
Chapters
Many, many years ago, at the dawn of the 21st century, Infiniti introduced the G35, a car that was essentially the Nissan 350Z with softer shocks and a fancy badge. And for its time, it was brilliant. Naturally aspirated rear drive, 300 brake horsepower, 3400 pounds, and an exhaust note that could be mistaken for something much more expensive. But Fast forward about two decades and now we have this, the 2019 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport. You can tell it's a red sport with that big fancy red S on the back, red brake calipers and vented exhaust tips. And though it may not look like it, its 3 liter twin turbo V6 makes 400 brake horsepower and 350 foot pounds of torque. Plus, I won't deny that I have a soft spot for the way this car looks. We could lose some of the chrome, but it's got sleek lines, slender curves and just an all around proportional build that makes it a classic looking sports coupe. Even those headlights are elegant. Unfortunately, this one is all wheel drive. But let's find out what it's like on the street and if it could pay homage to its ancestors. I'll say it again. I think this car looks good, especially that front end. A lot of presence. It's muscular yet elegant, curvy yet classy. But you should never judge a book by its cover, because underneath all that is a car that's lost its way among the sea of sports sedans and coupes. There's nothing about it that stands out. I have a hard time being impressed with the way it feels. The rear drive version would probably be slightly better, but I'm comparing it to the other cars in the segment that I've tested. The Mercedes C43AMG, the BMW M340 ixDrive, the Audi S5 coupe, all of which are all wheel drive and somehow all of them invoke more character than the Q60. But let's start with the cockpit. I'm a big fan of the red interior. Most of the materials feel good. The seats themselves are plush and have great adjustment as well as good lateral support. The silver carbonesque trim around the cabin is a love hate. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I think it cheapens the car. But this dual screen situation is really handy. I appreciate the extra real estate, but I wish they updated the dash cluster with something more digital. It reminds me a lot of the Lexus GS F. It's nice, but it doesn't compete with the digital dash offerings from the Germans. Good news is that the back seats are totally usable, much like the C43 coupe. Unfortunately, like most cars today, the Q60 is only available the seven speed automatic with manual mode. And let's get this out of the way. Like the Audi paddles, the ones here are also garbage. I can't decide which one is worse, but it doesn't stop there. The transmission is sluggish. Upshifts and downshifts are both lazy. The response time from the paddle is decent for a planetary automatic, but nowhere near a BMW zf. Throttle response is also lackluster. There is some turbo lag, but not as bad as the 4C I drove. It's decent for what the car is, and if you're anywhere above 3500rpm, you shouldn't have a problem. The biggest disappointment for me is the suspension. The ride and comfort in Sport plus is rather stiff and unenjoyable in the streets of Montreal, which would be fine if the car handled well. But in the mountain roads we drove on, the handling was subpar. I didn't get the opportunity to push the limits, but the general consensus was understeer. The steering is weak and disconnected, there's very little feedback to the driver, and that in turn, no pun intended, decreases confidence and engagement. And if all else fails, we at least want the car to sound good, right? Well, I hate to say it, but the car sounds like utter crap. It's quiet, you barely hear the turbo spool, no burbles or backfires, and overall it's just rather muted. It's almost as if they didn't want you to have fun. Nowhere near as enjoyable to listen to as the original G35. But let's move on to that acceleration test. It's important to me that we record the actual density altitude at the time of the run, so we can correct them for the fastest later. 2,000ft above sea level. Not ideal, but I can live with that. So with a power to weight ratio of roughly 10 to 1, I'm expecting a similar time to the Alpha 4C. So let's see how it does. I have a feeling that Sport plus and Full Auto will give us the fit fastest times. The brakes displayed decent bite, good enough for most street situations. But when I was braking from above 100 miles per hour, the 4,000 pound curb weight really took its toll. And you can feel the four piston calipers having a hard time. This is definitely not a car I would take on the track. Anyway, without further ado, let's see where the car stacks up. On our fast list, but to be perfectly honest it felt slow. I was kind of surprised I was even able to get a 6 out of 130 time and at those kind of speeds the the chassis didn't feel as confident as I would like it to be. So much so that I didn't even bother to do a run in manual mode. So here are the results. 40100 miles per hour happened in 8.38 seconds, which is impressive because at least it beat the Audi S5. However, it was still bested by the M340i and the C43 despite having more power. Then again, the Germans have a tendency to underrate their engines. Nonetheless, a low 8 second car here is pretty respectable. The 6130 on the other hand is a different story and I suspect the seven speed gearbox to be the culprit. But the Red Sport did it in 15.61 seconds, which is unfortunately the slowest car on this list. Not a big deal though, because the power plant is pretty robust. You can easily make 500 brake horsepower with just bolt ons alone. Good to know. Though. Foreign, I'm always grateful to have the opportunity to drive different cars, and many of them leave me with a neutral, positive impression. But this is one of the few cars that I won't miss at all. It's not that it's a bad car, but it's just not the car that I needed it to be. For the average driver, it somewhat makes sense. It's a pretty complete package. Good looking, luxurious, relatively quick, and probably reliable because it's Japanese. But for the car enthusiast, a person who drives their cars for fun, this is not the one to get. The Infiniti Q60 Red Sport is more of a luxury car than a sports car, especially when you consider its competition. It's more expensive than the C43AMG, the S5 and the M340i, but it's nowhere near as good. And this is where Infiniti failed. It's a luxury brand and this is their flagship sports car, but for less money I wouldn't hesitate to go with the Germans. The whole experience left me feeling numb, disconnected and with nothing to write home about. First time on the channel? Don't forget to check out some of my other stuff. I produce all sorts of cool content with performance cars and acceleration tests. So if that's your jam, be sure to hit that subscribe button and ring that bell icon for new episodes every Thursday. Thanks for watching.
