2014 Infiniti Q60

By New Car Test Drive

Updated: December 2, 2014

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Walkaround and Interior

The Infiniti Q60 coupe and convertible have similar exterior dimensions and an identical wheelbase. They share the same chassis, and their basic structure is shared with the Nissan 370Z and other Nissan and Infiniti models. From the side or three-quarter view the coupe and convertible share a mild family resemblance to the shorter, chunkier Nissan Z-car.

The Infiniti Q60 models have a striking look not often mistaken for anything else. The front wheel cutouts are larger than those on earlier models, leaving less metal for the fenders and making them appear to rise even more. The headlight clusters are loaded with separate lenses, yet they’re smaller and sexier. Infiniti calls the aluminum hood a wave hood, although the sea looks pretty flat between the bulging shorelines of the fenders.

The Q60 convertible has a power folding-mirror function that pulls the side mirrors up against the glass at the driver’s request. The convertible has a unique design from the windshield pillars rearward. It’s slightly wider than the coupe, with a modified rear suspension that allows for the top’s power mechanism and stowage space behind the rear seat. The convertible has more heavily reinforced windshield pillars, side members and body sills, which help reduce body flex and vibration when motoring with the top down.

When its three-piece steel top is closed, the convertible looks much like the coupe. Its heavily insulated headliner works almost as well as the coupe’s fixed roof at keeping ambient noise outside the car. The top takes approximately 30 seconds from start to finish to open or close, initiated with the touch of a button on the center console.

The IPL versions look sharper than the other models at the lower extremities. The front spoiler is deeper and squarer at the edges. At the rear, a pair of tailpipe barrels almost five inches in diameter.

Interior Features

The overall quality of Infiniti interiors continues to increase. They’re much better suited to the luxury class than they once were and lean more toward contemporary design than traditional wood and warmth.

Generally, the Q60 cabin is lively and friendly without being fussy or overly busy. There are features aplenty, tempered by a focus on function and connecting the driver to the car. The materials, fit and finish are good, though we are still not enamored with the graining on some of the harder plastics.

Getting in and out of a Q60 coupe or convertible is a bit more difficult than with a sedan, particularly if your driveway has a significant slant. The doors on the two-door models are long and heavy. The slightest incline can make it difficult to lock them in the open position, and they want to fall closed.

The perforated leather seats are comfortable, and the standard eight-way driver’s seat has adjustable lumbar support. The sport seats in the IPL models have more adjustment and bigger bolsters on the back and bottom cushions and are fully capable of containing the driver while exploiting the car’s winding road capabilities.

The three-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in hand-stitched perforated leather, with audio and cruise control buttons on its spokes. Paddle shifters for the automatic transmission are magnesium, and they are attached to the column and not the wheel so their position never changes. That isn’t the case with many cars, where shifting during busy maneuvers can be difficult. We like the shift sequence: Pull back on the right paddle for upshifts, pull back on the left for downshifts.

The dashboard and center console design is the same for both body styles, with slight variation in the front door-panel designs. The dash applies Infiniti’s double wave theme, and the company’s signature analog clock sits front and center in the center stack of controls. The aluminum trim is called Shodo, inspired by the traditional art of Japanese calligraphy, and it’s elegant. Yet the subtly etched Silk Obi aluminum in the convertible is very beautiful. A high-gloss maple trim is optional, while special editions may have red-tone maple.

Gauges feature electroluminescent lighting: white needles and numbers on a black background with violet highlights. An easy-to-read information display shows useful trip functions such as fuel mileage, average speed, elapsed time, running distance and distance to empty, as well as outside air temperature, odometer, and warning displays; the switches for this display are on the sides of the instrument hood.

The center stack falls from a high-resolution LED screen that displays climate and audio data or navigation information. The stereo and climate controls are located out in the open below the information screen, with our preferred layout of audio on top and climate below. The design is attractive and very good from the functional perspective, though some would prefer the knobs for volume and temperature were larger or not identical.

The navigation system is controlled by a mouse-like knob below the screen, by touching the screen itself for some functions, or by voice commands. Infiniti’s point-and-click device is one of the more effective, least cumbersome interfaces in the luxury class, but it’s still more difficult to use than the best touch screens.

The nav screen itself is quite sharp. The map offers a bird’s-eye view, which gives a perception of distance by incorporating a horizon and, depending on the available mapping data, three-dimensional building footprints for the local surroundings. It’s neat to look at, though many testers prefer the regular overhead view. The XM satellite radio system provides real-time traffic updates on the screen, where available, and the Zagat restaurant guide to the navigation software.

The standard sound system is competitive. The upgrade Bose audio delivers a sound that’s richer, fuller, more intricate and crisper than many systems in cars costing thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars more. The Bose Open Air audio in the convertible includes an extra pair of speakers in the front headrests, right behind the ears. It adjusts volume and re-mixes the audio in real time according to ambient noise. The 9.3 gigabyte hard drive will compress and copy about 90 CDs in short order. The audio directory can access music by artist or type.

The Q60 Convertible comes with an adaptive climate control system that automatically adjusts airflow and fan speed based on top position and road speed. Lots of rear glass makes for good rearward visibility. The coupe has quite good outward visibility.

The front door pockets are small, half-taken by armrests, although each includes a hollow for a water bottle. There are also two cupholders behind the shift lever. The center console has been redesigned, and cubby storage includes a respectably sized glove box. The back side of each front seatback has a magazine pouch (unless you order the cooled seats). Two cup holders pop out of the fold-down, rear seat center armrest, which also has a unique compartment masked by a Velcro-type flap on the right side.

Rear-seat headroom and legroom are compromised in these cars, and is suitable only for kids or smaller adults. The driveshaft hump runs high between the two rear seats, and there’s a wide crack between the seatback and seat cushion that might get uncomfortable over the miles. Access to the back seats in both coupe and convertible is eased by a power walk-in device with position memory. In both, the front seatbacks tilt forward with a lever and then move forward automatically at the touch of a button to ease entry/exit.

Trunk space in the Q60 Coupe is limited, with 7.4 cubic feet and no hatchback versatility. A folding rear seatback improves things by allowing larger items to flow from the trunk into the passenger space, and it explains that notable crack between the back and bottom cushion when the rear seatback is upright.

The Q60 Convertible offers competitive trunk space when compared with other cars in the class, with 10.3 cubic feet, but only with the roof up. With the top down there is two cubic feet of space so the open-top trunk becomes the back seat. So on longer trips, you may be forced to keep the top up. The convertible’s top works easily and without a hitch, but we wish it would operate when the car is rolling at moderate speeds (up to 15-25 mph), as the tops do in many convertibles.