The 2014 Infiniti Q60 was just another pretty face along the congested downtown streets of San Francisco.
When we drove it out north into the wine country of the Napa Valley on an 80-degree afternoon, though, it was a better showpiece for the coupe’s smoothness and handling qualities.
The Infiniti was waiting for us after flying in to San Francisco International Airport on a Tuesday, the week of the BART (light rail) strike, which added 100,000 more cars to the streets.
The new Q60 is formerly the G37 coupe, only one of a list of name changes for the Japanese luxury carbuilder. Here is a Q card to identify all the new nomenclature:
The G37 sedan becomes the Q50, the G37 coupe and convertible are Q60s and the M37 becomes the Q70. All SUVs and crossovers will carry QX designations. The EX37 is now QX50, the JX35 is the QX60, the FX37 and FX50 are QX70s and the already established full-size SUV, the QX56, will be the QX80. Infiniti said its lineup, with the Q and QX designations, will be more easily identified by the public.
The Q60′s leather interior was highlighted with silk obi aluminum trim, comfortably carrying us as we inched through Fisherman’s Wharf, down the steep twisting descent of Lombard Street and over the foggy Golden Gate Bridge. The navigation system failed to deliver the level of assistance normally available in luxury automobiles, perhaps confused by several closed streets downtown. Little advance notice of turns and directions was provided.
The rear-drive Infiniti was opened up a bit on the Napa Valley drive; in its ruby red finish, it was a standout in the parking area of the Beringer Brothers winery.
Good performance, supported by sport-tuned suspension, was at hand from the 330-horsepower, 3.7-liter V-6 engine and 7-speed automatic transmission, operated manually by long magnesium paddle shifters.
Overall fuel-mileage average of 22.4 on the lower end of the car’s 19/27 mpg estimate was determined by the stop-and-go pace in the city. The 50-to-70 miles-per-hour speedup through the wine country averaged much higher.
Trunk space is very limited in the coupe; two average-size pieces of luggage and a small bag filled it.
The high-end Journey edition of the Q60 carries a base price of $40,400. Adding such options as intelligent cruise, rain-sensing wipers, power moonroof, Bose audio, 19-inch aluminum wheels and aluminum pedals and footrest raised the sticker to $50,405. Enhancing safety are sport brakes with four-piston calipers in front.
Bud Wells can be reached via e-mail at bwells@denverpost.com.
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