mosefus

Is it just me or did anyone else notice q50 looks better in pictures than in flesh? The 3rd generation IS is the exact opposite. The IS looks so much better in person than in any photos I've seen Except for some modded few. To me the q50 looks to close the altima especially from the side and rear view.

OFFICIALis

Yes very true , I was going to purchase a q50 but after comparing them in person I decided on the lexus , more of a sporty look and feel to it , little things annoy me but satisfied on my purchase

EZZ

The IS is sportier for sure. The Q50 feels like a luxury muscle car though. If it handled better, I may have chosen it.

FPerform

I came behind a Q50 and at first I thought it was a Hyundai Sonata.

JDR76

I like the Q50, though I don't feel that it stands out as much or has as much presence as the IS. I like the drivetrain, though.

jkonquer

yeah the tail lights looks horrible on q50, it look bigger, and definitely made for comfort. I do like the high reving engine though.

dojoman

iTrader: (5)

Q50 is quite boring looking in person same as new MB C-class. IS is quite ugly in picture but stunning in person.

LexusFirst

To me, q50 look good in person. I don't really like it in photo. I think IS looks good in photo, and looks even better in person.
I was cross-shopping between the q50 and IS. The design of the interior and the steering wheel issue in cold weather has drawn me away from it.
Even though it is slightly better performance, the look just doesn't work for me.

Infiniti has very good concept design now. However, it seems to happen on the next generation design. I like the round and curve shape on the new maxima and murano.

Machine13

Hah, I totally agree mosefus. These were the two cars I narrowed my choices down too.

I first went to test drive the Q50 feeling certain it was my favorite of the two. I thought it looked better, it was definitely faster, better audio system. But it was a bit dull inside the cabin except for the two cool touch screens, which I liked the design of. During my test drive, the infotainment system exhibited the same issues I've seen many people complaining about on the Infinity forums. The thing froze during the test drive and we had to restart the car. Also, the backup lines took around 90 seconds to show up after the car started. That's just ridiculous. Made me begin to realize that if they cheaped out that badly on a cruddy underpowered processor then what else did they end up cheaping out on? I also noticed some other quirks like how hard it is to access and change the battery under the hood and how small the trunk is. Also didn't have split fold rear seats at the time. I began to realize the Q50 is less refined than it appears to be and that could end up being a nightmare down the road. Fortunately, I couldn't strike a deal with the dealership even though I really tried. But the final straw that caused me to walk out was something really weird the Infinity sales manager told me. He said that they can only sell me the Q50 that was the next in sequence by VIN number. He said their insurance requires this so no one car sits on the lot for too long for some sort of liability reasons. For example, if there were two Q50's with the exact same features and MSRP, one naturally had a lower VIN (build) number but had more miles due to test drives, then they could only sell me the one with the lower VIN number and not the other one due to insurance restrictions. I told them I thought that was ridiculous that I wouldn’t be able to walk out with the exact car I wanted if it was different than the one in the next VIN sequence. Also, right before I left, they offered for me to take the car for the night and bring it back in the morning. No deposit or anything. I told them I’m going to Lexus to try them out. They finally asked is there anything I can do to keep you from going over to Lexus? At that point I realized they were scared and I should definitely go check out Lexus.

So over to Lexus I went, and, Wow! Everything started off right. The entire dealership experience was light years ahead of Infinity's. They had a much more complete operation going on. So many more people buying cars at Lexus (even late on a Sunday). More sales reps ready to help (again, on a Sunday). The IS's looks definitely struck me better in person than in the pictures on Lexus' website. During my test drive, IS 350 did feel somewhat more anemic in its power delivery than did the Q50, but I knew I was driving something built with reliability in mind. The IS's cabin was comfortable and not as dull like the Q50. Lexus really seemed to pay attention to the little things, like making serviceability easier. The overall quality seemed way better. There was a usable trunk, split folding seats, just the right amount of accessories. The Lexus dealership was willing to strike a deal at a considerably higher discount than Infinity. I got about 13.1% off Lexus MSRP and Infinity would barely budge on the price. Less than 3% off MSRP if I recall correctly.

In hindsight, I think the car gods were looking over me that Sunday. Somehow things fell into place just right to cause me to leave the dealership I initially preferred and go to the dealership I didn’t. I ended up seeing a night and day difference between the two cars that I did not expect. I have not had a single moment of regret since buying my Lexus. I hope I own this car for 20 years.

alpha12

I cross shopped both, the q50 ended up second on my list. My dealership experience in terms of negotiating was better at Infiniti to be honest but this will vary on location. Infiniti straight out the gate offered invoice pricing on the q50 with zero negotiating but I didn't pursue it further. Lexus in my area are a bit more sparse in terms of dealerships and would only offer 2-3000 off msrp with a lot of effort.

A lot of infotainment issues as others mentioned above and reliability was one of my highest priorities in a car.

evident

dealership experience at infiniti was so sleazy when i was just going in for a test drive, every single trick in the book used. just let me drive the damn thing already.

Q50S is a fast car, handles real well. interior leaves much to be desired IMO. the touch screen set up was abysmal, and takes 5 minutes to load when you start the car.

nslac

Exactly! I was so looking forward to the new Q50. Love the front end but the rear end just killed it for me.

3 things main things that made me switch over to 3IS:
1. Rear tail lights (what were they thinking ?)
2. Dual LCD center console
3. Selection of factory rims

nslac

I think the new C Class looks quite stunning (AMG Line only). Old man owns one and I love the look of it. AMG front bumper looks really aggressive including the AMG rims with AMG brakes.

His one is fully optioned so comes with some crazy tech, car literally drives itself.

theory816

I don't think you can go wrong with either car. Infiniti or Nissan in general do not do anything for me but the more I look at the q50 the more it grows on me. The front end is very agressive like an octopus while the backend looks more subdued and quiet. The taillights are absolutely gorgeous at night if you guys haven't it.

So really you cant go wrong with either car as they are both good representations of what Japanese cars are all about.