Fizzboy7

Looks classier and prettier than the new IS, I like it. Infiniti is sticking to what it's core buyers are used to, which I appreciate. Lexus is giving in too much to the enthusiast crowd, which I suspect will alienate some people (including myself).

stlgrym3

iTrader: (4)

biggest question here would be what about the powertrain? that VQ 3.7 V6 is getting up there in age and is always lagging in refinement and fuel economy comparing to Lexus' and BMW's.

EZZ

They need to put in the engine from that turbo charged Nissan. 3.8L of goodness.

plex

iTrader: (11)

I feel the same way. The 3G IS exterior isn't doing it for me I rather the Q50.

RNM GS3

Overall nice, clean, evolutionary design. I think its much more cohesive than the 3IS.

I especially like the rear and side profile.

I don't like the front and the fact the exterior looks so much like other Nissans (altima, maxima etc)

I also HATE the interior styling.
I much more prefer the driver centric style used by BMW and the newest Lexus GS/IS.

RNM GS3

Looks like the Buick Lacrosse interior.

MikeSC4

Agreed. Some may consider boring but I much prefer the clean designs of the Q50 to go along with BMW, Audi and Mercedes designs. Lexus on the other hand is going down the Acura avenue with the exaggerated look. Hopefully it works out for them otherwise we'll see a toned down mid model refresh.

Initial B

iTrader: (2)

I would hope so, but it doesn't sound like they work properly:
http://www.edmunds.com/lexus/is-350/2014/road-test.html

"The New Eight-Speed Transmission
More gears are nice, but the new eight-speed in the Lexus IS 350 isn't as obedient as it should be in many situations. Upshifts, for example, are still automatic when the shifter is moved to the manual gate and aggressive downshifts are often denied. These are early prototypes, so calibration changes are still possible."

I hope Lexus makes the corrections for the production cars. If not, maybe they'll finally get the "manual" mode right 7 years from now when the 4IS is released.


Exactly. And Infiniti knows this, and they know the direction Lexus is trying to take with the 3IS.

RXSF

If there is anything we have learned from Mercedes and Lexus, its that a car that looks sporty but isnt sporty to drive is the winning formula. The new C class is a prime example. It was underpowered until last year, it didnt have a particularly upscale interior, but the exterior drew looks especially with the standard amg body kit on the sport models.

two decades of non enthusiastic driving cars (compared to bmw) has consistently led to losing comparisons, yet Lexus continued to be number 1 in sales numbers. Somehow, they wanted to reinvent this formula.

KevinGS

Me too.

Yep, the front looks good from the profile (BMW's profile shot is horrible up front, oh that hood )
....but the front end from the front? I just don't like that grille. Not a huge fan of Lexus' grille either though. And now Audi's grille is starting to grow on me, go figure.

And that Q50 interior is an "almost". Almost too busy. I do prefer the new Lexus and even BMW interiors too.

And the name, Q50? That's a loser.

Overall, this is not a bad effort for a revamped G. I wonder how the package comes together on the road, with the revised suspension and engine.

spwolf

they are trying to out-camry the competition basically, make it look good enough for a lot of people. It is not a bad idea, Camry sells a ton.

This is exactly what Lexus is not doing with their F-Sport's especially. They are trying to stun people. I am still not personally sure if I like those front lights but we are all talking about it, right?

When it comes to Infiniti, they are such a small brand that I cant beg to wonder if this is wrong approach for them. They will not 5x their sales in few years, as they are planning, by doing me-too cars. BMW can do a Camry because 3 series is the best selling car in the class... But you cant be upcoming and outdo a Camry by selling another Camry, if you understand what I mean. We have a lot of cars that tried to do that and it didnt happen.

macaximx

+1 the Q50 is much cleaner.

More like the LE coccept their previous generation model.

We will find out tomorrow just how good a job they did.

LexFather

Yeah seems to be a nice car, awful name...

"Hey what kind of car is that"
-oh its the new Q
"Its an Audi?"
-uh, no its an Infiniti
"oh the Audi guy runs it now"
-yeah-
"Doesn't Audi have Q7 and Q5"?
-yeah, but this is the new Q50
"Q50, so it replaced the Q45, I remember that car"
-well no, it doesn't replace the Q45
"but its a Q50...it has a 5.0 liter engine, must be crazy
-well no, it has a V-6
"a 5.0 V-6!!! wow"
-uh, no, this is actually the new G
"G-wagon, Mercedes? I'm confused"
-no, no, the new Infiniit
"wait wtf, the speakers make cars now"
-no, no no no, the New Q is the new G
"wtf, so the Q50 doesn't have a 5.0 and doesn't replace the Q45 but is the old G"?
-yeah
"why don't you just call it a Nissan Skyline and save the confusion
-yeah
"you sure you know what the hell you drive"
-yeah an Infiniti Q50
"what is that"
(and circles again)

speedflex

I guess the whole name change is a weird strategy for such an established product. On the other hand, I couldn't care less what it's called. Really, most of the luxury designations are pretty stupid anyway. I mean, what makes a 325 or ES350 relevant to anything other than the quality of the car these alphabets are attached to?

If the car makes a name for itself by being an excellent product what does the numerical designation matter in the grand scheme?

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

- weird name
- great exterior
- so-so interior

laughing there's no signature infiniti round clock when lexus is now adding them...