In 2019, you don’t tend to think “compact” when you hear the word “luxury”. In this day and age, luxury seems to be synonymous with big SUVs, or, at the smallest, maybe a sporty crossover.
Infiniti’s 2019 Q50 has a lot of interesting things going on. Is it worth the price tag, though? Let’s look into it.
2019 Infinity Q50
What’s New
The 2019 model of the Q50 has a few new tricks up its sleeve. For one, forward collision warning and emergency braking have both been made standard. This is in addition to some general quality-of-life improvements, though the 2019 Q50 is largely similar to last year’s model.
Notably, this time around there is no hybrid model of the Q50. Instead, the gas-only version is the only configuration on the market.
What’s Good
There’s a lot to love in the Q50. The ride is comfortable and quiet, and the cab is luxurious. The seats are quite cozy, and taking the Q50 around the block is wonderful. For those driving around town often, this is a wonderful vehicle.
The handling is quite tight and zippy, allowing for quick turns and lots of responsive motion. This goes hand-in-hand with the fast response from the V6 engines. While the V6 isn’t standard on the Q50, we recommend the upgrade: it really makes the ride wonderful.
What’s Bad
It’s not all good news, though. There are plenty of other luxury cars that sport more muscle and oomph than the Q50. It’s not quite as strong as you might expect for its price point and size. To add to that, the fuel economy doesn’t make up for this relative lack of power: it’s got a below-average MPG. The lack of a hybrid option stings more due to this.
The infotainment interface is interesting, with its dual-screen design. However, it can be distracting and difficult to learn. Those who haven’t used infotainments systems like this before might be lost by this complex set up.
Bottom Line
The 2019 Infiniti Q50 starts at #35,550 and options can bring it up to $53,250, making it a firmly luxury car. For that price, you could opt for a Tesla Model 3 or even a BMW with fewer options. As such, it becomes a bit harder to recommend this vehicle for those looking for performance or gas mileage.
That said, this is still a great luxury vehicle for the ride. If you don’t mind the slightly low MPG and the price tag, you can have a great ride with the Infiniti Q50.