SW17LS

Went out today and drove the refreshed Q70 L (M37), as well as the Q70 5.7L Sport.

Was out with a friend who is currently in the market, and while my experience with the Q70L was overshadowed by my very positive Hyundai Genesis experience (posted a thread on that too) I nonetheless wanted to share.

First of all, the refreshed styling on this car is a HUGE improvement over the pre-refresh model. The new front end which obviously shares cues with the Q50 really looks great on the bigger bodied car. Lots of intracate trim work, the grille is very elaborate and high quality. The long wheelbase really suits this car IMHO, it has a long coupe-like, almost Porsche Panamara look from the rear quarter. The view out the windshield of the powerful hood and big fender flares really is something special. It might be the best looking car in the segment.

Inside the interior is more or less unchanged, other than the additional rear legroom in the L model. That rear legroom is HUGE, at 6' with the drivers seat adjusted for me (I lean back) I was able to slouch and cross my legs in the rear without touching the seatback. To me, its a great setup. The rest of the interior was somewhat of a letdown being that it really is the same. That extends to the displays. The Q70 does not get the updated GPS screen from the Q70, and graphics and the overall UI really looked and felt tired next to more modern cars including my 4GS. The gauges are plain, and between the speedo and tach is a very low rent, non color LCD as compared to TFT readouts from everyone else, including Infiniti in every other model. They could have very easily made some upgrades here, but chose not to.

Interior materials are generally good, but base leather felt quite cheap, and the upgrade leather was nowhere near the quality found in the Semi-Aniline luxury GS interior. The rear seat, while big, lacked any sort of controls or readouts, or even rear door sunshades.

The drive is what really surprised me. When I drove the M37 in 2012 before buying my GS I recalled it being a smooth and quiet car, but not as refined as the Lexus or other cars in the segment. That hasn't changed. The engine is powerful, but coarse and unrefined compared to the GS or other vehicles in its class. I would have figured the LWB would have improved the ride. In fact we found that was not the case, the ride was generally pretty smooth but choppy in places, and the cabin was not especially quiet, despite wearing the same Primacy MXM4 tires on my GS with a much taller sidewall. We drove a Q70 SWB with the V8 to compare, and even in the sport package with 20" wheels we felt it rode better and more quietly than the Q70L.

In short, it was a car I really wanted to like because the size and price point of the GS with more rear space appeals to me greatly...but in the end I was unimpressed.

mmarshall

Infiniti has needed a true flagship for some time. The Q70 (formerly the M37/M56), like the Buick Lacrosse, Cadillac XTS, Lincoln MKS, and, to an extent, the Acura RLX, is essentially a mid-sized car trying to masquerade as a true flagship. At least, though, the Q70 has a real flagship engine.

SW17LS

The other thing I failed to touch on was price. The V6 Q70 is pretty well priced...the unit we drove was $54k, one optioned the way I would want with the upgraded interior packages, etc is a hair over $60k. The V8 is where it gets silly. A V8 Q70L loaded up is a staggering $75,000. Thats LS money. We all agreed we would never even consider the V8 car at $75k.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

uh, no, try $10k more. a loaded up LS460L (comparable in size, drivetrain to the Q70L you tested) is over $85K on lexus.com.

TangoRed

Excellent review! Concise and clearly written. This review also confirmed everything I was afraid of...I guess Infiniti is just letting this one run its course.

SW17LS

I mean you could get an LS for $75k, obviously its going to be a model missing some options. The LS460L is bigger than the Q70L, the LS460 SWB is a better comparison, even it is a little bigger.

Q70L:
L: 196.1

LS460:
L: 200"

LS460L:
L: 205"

I'd rather have a base LS460 than a loaded Q70L V8. The basic car itself is just a much better car for that size point, the Q70L isn't sporty, but also doesn't ride as smoothly or as quietly as the LS. LS is much more refined.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

You hit the nail on the head saying the 3.7 is coarse and unrefined. Miss that sweet VQ35

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

well in the g37 it's a fun engine! i actually don't find it coarse and unrefined at all. and the 7 speed auto is a gem. the g37 does have more road noise than it should though.

TangoRed

Meh, once you get past 5k it starts making some very unrefined noise. I still love the G37 though.

FastTags

SW13, what did you think about electronic steering? I test drove the Q50 Hybrid, and could not stand the steering, as it was either too loose in standard mode, and too hard in the sport mode.

I agree about the price of the Q70L, I would rather get LS460 for the same $, just because its lexus

spwolf

obviously LS is class higher vehicle, it cant be priced the same as GS. But I bet you get more in base LS, than you get in Q70L anyway.

SW17LS

Absolutely, we all noted it (3 of us alternating driving).

No electronic steer by wire in the Q70 like in the Q50 Sport/Hybrid. I have driven the Q70 with that steering though and also really disliked it. Very artificial feel.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

The 7 speed is a gem