1997 Infiniti Q45

Ever since Acura introduced the first Legend sedan for 1986, Japanese high-line automobiles have been a powerful force in the luxury car market. Some, however, have been more powerful than others. Infiniti's Q45, with its potent performance and daring styling, never really caught on like its parent company, Nissan, thought it would. So for 1997, it's back to the old drawing board.

To produce an all new Q45. But one with a very traditional attitude. The new platform, shared with the Japanese home-market Cima model, is wrapped in much more conservative sheet metal. Panels that, especially in the rear roofline, are more Bentley than banzai. And should appeal to luxury car customers, put off by the original Q's aggressive styling.

The superbly equipped interior has been redone in the same vein. Especially on the dash, where generous splashes of wood replace the old car's rather spartan trim. The leather clad bucket seats are also new, retaining a European firmness, but offering improved support. While the standard 10-way power adjustments place you in easy reach of the dashboard's straightforward automatic climate controls, and standard Bose CD/cassette stereo.

The rear seat has received a similar makeover. Head and shoulder room have decreased slightly, but leg room has grown by nearly four inches. Trunk room however, has dropped significantly. From 14.8 cubic feet last year, to 12.6 cubic feet for '97.

Things have shrunk at the other end of the car as well. Last year's 4.5-liter V-8 has been replaced by a shorter stroke 4.1-liter unit. This drops horsepower by 12, and torque by 14 pound/feet, for totals of 266 and 278 respectively. But thanks to 160 pounds less weight, our '97 test car was actually quicker than its predecessor. 0 to 60 took 8.1 seconds. While the quarter mile ended in 16.2 seconds, at 90 miles per hour.

Handling, however, has turned away from the sporty, towards the luxurious. That means more front end push, and more obvious lateral weight transfer. But grip is still strong, and steering feedback better than that of some competitors.

Braking was about average for the luxury class, an average of 124 feet from 60, to be exact. The anti-lock-equipped discs provided plenty of feel through the pedal. While soft front springs provided a fair amount of nose dive. After one braking run, the otherwise flawless 4-speed automatic transmission locked itself out of first and second gears. Shutting off the ignition allowed the system to reset, and the problem did not reoccur.

Out on public roads, the new Q proved to be comfortable and quiet. Interior noise measured a low 67 decibels at 60 miles per hour. And while noise was low, fuel mileage was up. EPA estimates now stand at 18 city/23 highway. We averaged an improved 22 miles per gallon.

While we're tossing numbers around, let's look at the big ones. Base price is down $5600; still the loaded-from-the-showroom Q45 goes for $48,395. Opt for the sportier Q45t, and the price rises to $50,395.

That puts it, by performance and character, in direct competition with the Lexus LS400. But for $3,000 to $5,000 less! And a worthy competitor it finally is, having shed its earlier sporting pretensions in favor of the features and character that luxury car buyers demand.

Whether the Infiniti Q45's newfound elegance will translate into increased sales remains to be seen. But it's clear that this return to the drawing board was well worth the trip.

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