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Infiniti Q50 S Hybrid car review – attention all Audi A4 and 3 Series drivers

Here’s a refreshing change in the executive car market. A different look from the more familiar execs, and in this hybrid form, rip-roaring performance combined with impressive economy.
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14 October 2013

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The Infiniti Q50 has the German prestige marques firmly in its sights. And if it looks bigger than a 3 Series, that’s because it is. Rear seat passengers will like that

Infiniti Q50 S Hybrid

What is it?

This is Infiniti’s attempt to attract business car buyers to the brand with a not-so-compact executive car to rival BMW’s 3 Series and Audi’s A4.

The design is suitably different from its German competitors, with complex curves and lines adorning a 4.8 metre long body. That translates to class leading space inside, especially in the rear.

Up front there’s a sweeping dashboard angled towards the driver with two touch screens. Apparently there are 90 different settings you can access through these panels, sure to appeal to the iPod generation.

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There are also two USB ports hidden away, allowing that iPod to be plugged in while leaving a spare to charge a smartphone.

Infiniti_Q50_Car_review
The hybrid is quicker in the 0-62mph sprint than a BMW 335d – but the diesel is the better bet for beating company car tax

Under the bonnet there’s now the option of a Mercedes-sourced 2.1 litre turbo diesel engine that, from the inside at least, is quiet and refined.

With CO2 emissions as low as 114g/km, that brings the company car tax rate down to just 17% for the 2013/14 tax year. With a starting price of £27,950, that could make a tempting proposition.

However, our Infiniti Q50 review car is the powerful S Hybrid, with its 3.5 litre petrol engine and linked electric motor, just a few tax bands above at 20%.

This offers an unrivalled combination of performance and economy; the 364PS output thrusts the car from zero to sixty in just 5.1 seconds, while returning a combined mpg figure of 45.6. Driving round the steep mountain roads near Barcelona, we averaged an impressive 36.2mpg, so would expect a cruise along the M1 to improve on that.

 

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Matt Morton

Matt Morton

Matt Morton is an automotive content writer for Business Car Manager

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