Long-Term Road Test Update
WHAT WE LIKE: After spending the summer in the wilds of Montana, our long-term Infiniti Q50S returned to Ann Arbor just as the leaves began to turn. With 30,390 miles on the odo, the car has reached the three-quarter mark of its stay, and little has happened to change our initial perceptions of Infiniti’s high-tech hybrid. Fuel economy remains unchanged at a combined 27 mpg, although online editor Alex Stoklosa recorded an impressive 32 mpg during a 2600-mile trip. The seamless shuffling among gas, EV, and hybrid modes at highway speeds has garnered a few compliments, and the heated, multiadjustable front seats continue to win rave reviews from drivers knocking out megamile days.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE: There’s no way around it—the brake pedal in the Q50S is a schizophrenic beast, alternately soft and lazy or hard and reactionary. This logbook comment says it all: “I’ve driven the Q50S for a week and a half now and the brake response is impossible to predict. It’s more than annoying; it’s scary sometimes.” There’s no love lost for the electric drive-by-wire steering, either, even after its software was reflashed around the 15,000-mile mark. Although these issues are endemic to the Q50S hybrid and have been noted since its arrival, they continue to dominate the logbook. Newer demerits revolve around a high level of tire noise, harsh impacts over expansion joints, and the fact that the navigation system won’t accept inputs while underway. This is no fault of the car, but when we swapped the summer rubber for the winter set in October, the amount of tire noise increased and made the steering feel even more nervous.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Although we weren’t aware of any pressing needs at the time, Infiniti treated our Q50S to a few software flashes free of charge at the 25,000-mile service. This included a power-inverter update, an unspecified ECM reprogram, and an infotainment update that added Facebook and Google search capability. Later, somewhere short of the 30,000-mile mark, drivers started reporting erratic behavior from the infotainment system, and it ultimately became stuck on the startup/home screen. The dealer determined that the DCU (Dashboard Control Unit) was at fault and ordered a new one to be installed at a later date. And at some point just before the car’s 30K service, a mysterious silver-dollar-sized scratch/dent appeared on the left-rear quarter-panel. No one has fessed up to or discovered when, where, and how the damage occurred, but the repair set us back a cool $977.
WHERE WE WENT: In addition to the marathon run John Phillips made from Montana to Ann Arbor, several other staffers racked up thousand-mile-plus journeys in our Q50S. It hit Charleston, South Carolina; Chicago; Nashville; and many points in between, and it also made a trip to Boston over Thanksgiving. Despite the dynamic complaints, driver after driver commented on how splendid and comfortable the car was on the highway and when pointed in a straight line. We haven’t experienced winter’s foul temper yet this season, but the AWD Q50S proved to be a capable foul-weather performer last year, and we expect to finish off this test in short order no matter what the clouds start dropping on us.
Months in Fleet: 11 months
Current Mileage: 30,390 miles Average Fuel Economy: 27 mpg
Fuel Tank Size: 17.8 gal Fuel Range: 480 miles
Service: $1507.25 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $977.04
