Infiniti Q50 3.0t Sport AWD (2017)

Pros
Visibility. We could actually see out of the back of this car. That’s unusual these days. You know what that tells us? This car is getting old and is due for a redesign! If it had been designed more recently, like most of its competitors, we’d look back over our shoulders and see nothing but headliner. If the poor rear-ward visibility of modern sports sedans bothers you, though, the Q50 is worth a test drive. Front visibility is good, too.
Power. The 300-horsepower, 3.0L turbocharged V6 is a powerful engine. And at the $52K price point at which our test car arrived, it offers a V6 close to the price at which Audi and BMW are still giving you four-cylinders. Of course, those are pretty good, modern four-cylinder engines. But if you want the extra pop of a V6, and 50 or 60 more horsepower, the Q50 provides some value. You can also get a four-cylinder engine in the Q50, but it’s quite a bit less powerful than BMW’s and Audi’s base engines.
Handling. It’s a sporty handling car. It feels low to the ground, and rides and handles firmly. AWD is there for those who live in places with "weather.” It’s fun to drive.
Available safety. While we like to see this stuff standard, at least you can get the good stuff on the Q50, even on the models with four-cylinder engines. There’s pre-collision warning and automatic emergency braking available as part of the $2,250 Driver Assistance Package. Our $52,000 test car did not have it.

Cons
Harshness. It’s a tad noisy. The engine has a not-unpleasant growl, which some may consider a plus. But there’s more road noise at highway speed than we’d expect in a high-end sports sedan.
Back-seat room. Like most of the cars in this category, back-seat room is not commodious. With the front seat pushed back for a tall driver or front passenger, it feels tight. That said, the same is true for its direct competitors. And the Q50 might even be a bit better than they are.
Lack of technology. While Audi’s got its virtual dashboard, and a very modern looking interior, the Infiniti looks and feels a little old —and not quite as luxurious — by comparison. It’s got two touch screens — one that lets you select the menu you want, and then the main touchscreen above it for the navigation map. The smaller, harder-to-use lower screen made the system less easy to use than others we’ve tested in the last year. It feels slower, too.
Interior. Likewise, the interior feels plenty comfortable, but doesn’t quite cross the bar into “Wow!”
Fuel economy. Our mostly city testing delivered just under 16 mpg overall. EPA suggests you can get 22 mpg overall, which is less than those four-cylinder competitors.