MashinA

iTrader: (20)

Hey guys ive been out of the car game for a while and haven't really been on the forums either. I sold my 07 IS a few years ago and have been driving my trusty prius in the meantime. Im looking to get back in the game and my 2 contenders right now are the Lexus RC and the Infiniti Q60. I know this is a Lexus forum but ive always gotten good unbiased advice and opinions on here so i would like to hear what you guys think. Pros and cons for both cars, reliability, handling, overall value. I would appreciate any info you guys provide. Thanks in advance!

MashinA

iTrader: (20)

Also if you guys have suggestions for other cars in this class i would be interested in hearing those as well.

jordanhigg

It is hard to compare lexus and infiniti Why?

Lexus has superior reliability and Infi does not (they are have a lot of issue with their nav screens etc)

it is better to drive both of them and see what you like and dont like. One being a tt with have a different pull and power band

which seats is more comfortable to YOU?
which feels better when driving sport?
Which cabin is quieter when your just cruising?
Which look better to you? (infi has a hideous rear end)

S2000toIS350

As some one with 4.5 years and over 62k miles on my Q50S Hybrid AWD I call BS

Yes, they had software issue with the infotainment system that took a long time to resolve but once taken care of it is fine

plus no stupid mouse

the car has been bullet proof and provides comfy family transport/errand doer

i drove a coupe once as a loaner, cool looking and fun car

getting in and out is not as easy in the coupe but that is kind of a given

yardie876

A couple factors would be at play for me. If I were to lease, the Q60 would be the way to go. I've seen some decent leases by me lately. If it was between the RC300 and the Q60 3.0, I'd go with the Q60. I'm not a fan of the 2L turbo in the RC. If reliability is of concern, the RC still eeks out in front, but Infiniti is not an unreliable brand. The new 2 and 3 liter turbos must prove themselves reliable but functionally they're solid cars. I much prefer the interior of the RC to the Q60 though, as I do the rear end also.

pbm317

I would choose the Q60 overall in terms of overall design, dynamics and power from the 3.0t (even the non Red Sport 3.0t is great). As others noted, there are generally very attractive lease programs on the Infinitis as well. Infiniti has the less terrible of the two poor infotainment systems in my opinion and experience in using them. If you're getting a coupe then generally you're big on design. Subjectively, the RC design just doesn't really appeal to me, inside or out. Yes the Q60 interior is a bit dated with its two screen set up, but I think it's still pretty clean overall.

Mercedes C-Class coupe is pretty sexy inside and out and the Audi A5/S5 would also be a strong contender for me. If 2-door coupe body style isn't a necessity, something like the new Kia Stinger GT could fit the bill as well.

plex

iTrader: (11)

I would go with the Q60 3.0T it will outperform the F Sport and if you want more power you can go Ecutek with bolt ons.

oldcajun

As others have said, the Q60 will outperform the RC300. The difference in acceleration will be huge. The new KIA Stinger GT is a bit cheaper and will easily outperform either the Q60 or RC300. It does have 4 doors, but a sleek fastback roofline mimics coupe styling.

signdetres

My previous car was a 2015 Q50S that I leased for 3 years and racked up close to 40k miles in. Before getting my '18 GS350 F-Sport, I actually intended on getting the Q60 Red Sport but was swayed by the dealer towards the Q50 Red Sport instead as it would have leased for a couple hundred cheaper/mo (this was in early November). For similarly priced and equipped vehicles, I cannot say I felt the Q60 justified the cost difference, though it does feel comparatively a bit more high-end/lux than the 4-door, IMO. If you're okay with the extra doors, I'd definitely explore both options in case you're able to also find increased savings/mo.

It's been a while since I've driven an RC, if I remember correctly it was a 2015 RC350 non F-Sport that I had as a rental for a few days but I have driven both the standard 3.0 Q60 as well as RS version. Power-wise, the regular 3.0 variant is very quick and very smooth. Power from the turbos is refined and has no trouble getting the vehicle up to speed but if you lean-in too aggressively with the throttle, it will have no problem kicking out the rear-end. The Red Sport only dramatizes this sensation even further. While this is a great sensation of power, the lack of refinement is notable (stability control is jerky & more of an on/off switch feeling vs Lexus stability control which is effective without jarring the ride, but it's also not needing to reign in as much power).

If safety technology is important to you, this is a huge area of discussion, IMO. The version of Lexus Safety System+ that comes in the RC, while standard, is not the same system other Lexus models receive (i.e. High-Speed Radar Cruise Control vs All-Speed Radar Cruise with Steering Assist). While Infiniti makes you pay extra for their suite of features, it's worth noting that the Infiniti system is more comparable to the Safety System+ found in other Lexus vehicles. Furthermore, I've found Infiniti's marketing efforts to be terrible in this regard. You'd almost never know it but the safety systems found on their vehicles are so unique in implementation vs other automakers and are very impressive. I've found that with Infiniti vehicles, driving with these systems active (single on/off switch on the steering wheel) gives the car a bit of personality... It's always communicating with you via numerous sounds and beeps and touches (i.e. throttle pedal that will push back up on your foot if you get to close to the vehicle in front of you, it's kind of like a "hey, nice try but I don't think so" sensation). It's seemingly always prepared to take over for you in numerous areas. While backing up, if you get too close to an object or if a pedestrian starts to walk out behind the car, it'll stop itself, same with rear cross traffic alert. With Lexus' approach, it's a bit more as though they don't want you to know those features are there until their assistance is needed. If you're a tech geek, you'll love the Infiniti system. It's extremely active and chatty whereas the Lexus takes a step back which IMO, their approach adds to the more overall refined feeling you get with the Lexus. The constant beeping and fighting in the Infiniti can easily get annoying, especially in high-traffic scenarios.

If overall ownership experience is important to you, day-in & day-out the RC will deliver with that typical Lexus heft & smoothness you come to expect that Infiniti can't really match. Another area that can't quite be matched is the dealership experience but this will depend on a number of factors. For reference, I'm in Los Angeles and I've tried nearly every Infiniti service center in SoCal and the experience ranges from a scale of "horror story, never coming back, thinking about writing a letter" to "slightly less frustrating & I guess I'd come back" - can't say I've had a normal & pleasant experience. I've taken our '15 GS350 F-Sport in for service a few times and I don't ever mind going to the Lexus dealer for this, even if no loaner was given.

My Q50S during its last 18 or so months with me developed a pretty terrible issue with the brakes where the pedal would sink to the floor without notice (read: normal & gentle daily driving to and from the office). It felt like extreme brake fade, the vehicle would lose a significant amount of braking power & in worst case scenarios the brakes needed to be pumped to build pressure back up and stop appropriately. Of course, not once was Infiniti able to duplicate this issue (I tried getting multiple dealers to fix this, hence why I've visited so many different Infiniti service centers). I've even resorted to having the car towed in because it felt extremely unsafe to drive but of course, upon arrival, the brakes acted completely normal and they were unable to find anything wrong. Go figure.

The sporadic safety issues I experienced with my Q50S as well as an unsupportive dealership network & corporate office were enough to get me out of the brand - read: I loved my Q50S and was fully intending to get another Infiniti but, as they say, all things happen for a reason and in hindsight, I'm glad it did because I would've never opened my eyes a bit more to Lexus. Having just gotten out of an Infiniti, I truly can't imagine going back (ignoring the brakes in my case and just based on overall vehicle evaluation and dealership evaluation).

MashinA

iTrader: (20)

Wow some great info and options already. Thank you so much guys. I will check out the Mercedes as well. How about as far as options such as parking assist, lane assist, blind spot monitor, 360° camera view etc, which car comes standard with more of these?

EZZ

I would check out the Audi A/S 5 too. Such a good car.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

just saw an mb c coupe several days in a row and that's a really sharp looking car imo.

BLexodus

iTrader: (1)

I would take the Q60 3.0T over an RC300... but, I would take an RC350 over a Q60 3.0T. I prefer a powerful na (non-turbo) car.

ST430

I'm part of the Q50/Q60 forums and there's a lot of mysterious engine failures on the 3.0T. However, that VR V6TT can put out a lot of horespower when modded. If you're going to lease it, then go with what you like better (looks, power, etc.). If you were to buy, I'd suggest looking at used IS-Fs instead and wait it out until Infiniti sorts out the issues.

pbm317

Maybe surprisingly, not a lot of luxury cars come with these types of features as "standard." And as signdetres alluded to, there are lots of differences in execution of said features model to model and manufacturer to manufacturer. So you'll likely need to spend some time seeing what is readily available in typical configurations stocked in inventory in your area and the differences of the features such as the all-speed dynamic cruise vs high speed, lane keep assist vs lane departure warning, etc.