2005 Q45 thoughts.....

[Jason B]

Well, I thought I was going to be blown away from the teaser pics on the website, but it's more of a let down. The first thing that came to mind on the rear was AVALON. Something about this just doesn't look right. To me, it just doesn't look as luxurious from the outside. I don't know what is missing, but something is. It looks less "sleeper" than it ever did and looks more "amercianized".

I do not like the rear lower apron. From the high res pics on the news site, it looks like it may be black, the lower portion. It just doesn't flow or look as muscley as before.



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I do not like the new style 18's. They look plasticy/cheaper, appear smaller, and look too chunky.



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I see a resemblance to an Amercian car:



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The orange seats look comfy, but I like the all black personally. I also like the pre '05 orange colored BIRDSEYE wood better on a dark interior. I just love my wood color!



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The only thing I'd take are the new tails, minus the trunk pieces. Some LED's would be neat.

[Q451990]

I couldn't believe that they didn't go with LED back on the 2002 - it's about time!

Heath

[AZhitman]

New grille looks like a Kia. I was hoping they'd retain the inset grille and maybe do the mesh tuner thing like we discussed a year ago...

Very disappointing. Hate the rear fascia, if I wanted a G, I'd buy a G.

Where's the attitude?

[BIONICQ45]

Looks like they are snatching parts from the FX bins. The wheels and seats are FX all the way.

[elwesso]

This is bad.... Oh well, hopefully the 2005 Q makes the F50 depreciate more!!!!

Or is it still considered an F50???

[M45]

The 05 Q has the dashboard, center console, shifter, center armrest from my current 03 M45; tach and speedometer layout is different. Kinda weird; looks like they had too many M45 interior components laying around that they had to use for the new Q. The back looks like morphed G35 with Toyota Avalon Sedan... Don't like it. Bland styling is not going to sell more cars... Buyers want character... I really hope this is going to work in the market; Infiniti makes great cars, and with the lower lines (FX, G Sedan and Coupe) they have winners, but they still struggle in the general market with the upper level models, M and Q...

[Jason B]

All those pieces are the same for 2002-2005 Q45. Gauges haven't changed. Everything inside is pretty much carried over from previous years, except for seats. The Q's gauges have always had that electro-luminescent lighting. I don't know why those never made it over to the M45.

[90Q45blue]

Boo. Give me an 2003-2004 M45 instead. They'll only sell 500 of the 05 Q's and they wonder why. :rolleyes

Nick

[maxnix]

Well, I like the rear diffuser and the new headlights, but prefer the old inset grille. Two themes I do not like on the new cars is the heavy chrome eyebrows and underlining on the grilles and the rear license plates/trunklids. Seems so Buicky. The taillights don't bother me, but other than the LED, I am not sure they are an improvement.

Will all present Q45 owners migrate to the M45? Or wait fro a totally new Qxx? Sounds like a poll.

I can see the relief in the rear diffuser not trapping as much air and allowing more flow and higher rear downforce (or less lift).

Brick interior will have to grow on me.

[qship96]

my 2 cents,as a current owner of an old q,someone should be shot at infiniti,no visible improvement to the 2005 q over the 02-04!no one will notice the difference except q enthusiasts,wont sell any better. if i was in charge,i would lose the hideous dashboard,looks like it protroods as in a minivan,move the power seat controls back to the doorpanels,and reshape the side greenhouse,it looks to similar to a pregnant altima.oh and what happened to the worlds most powerful headlights that are so great they didnt need aux. foglamps? looks like they changed their minds on that one!as much as i want to like the new q and 300z,i find both are cheaper,inferior examples to their previous versions-i hope my car lasts long enough to find something i truely want to replace it with,unfortunatly,if forced to today,sadly it would not be with nissan/infiniti.

[AZ94Q]

Relax

A New Q is coming... Don't get so mad at Infiniti, until the new one rolls out.. This is just an update to an aging model (sort of like the 94 Q)

[qship96]

Relax

A New Q is coming... Don't get so mad at Infiniti, until the new one rolls out.. This is just an update to an aging model (sort of like the 94 Q)

agreed to the update idea,problem is that the last 2 q models{97 and 02} have both been inferior,decontented models from the original 1990 model,and i see the new one following this pattern unfortunatly! what happened to the state of the art suspensions,etc everything has been cheapened,and tried to be overcome by horsepower.start producing a world class platform once again,from the ground up,not just the icing.

[AZ94Q]

100% agreed

Unfortunately the original G50 Q45, is a hardthing to replicate..

Just about everything out in 1990 sucked. The Q45 was a total departure..

Infiniti Engineers benchmarked every car out..

They then pummeled those benchmarks

Chasis StiffnessTranny shifting timehorsepowerblah blah

Infiniti doesn't put the same amount of importance on the Q45, as they did in 1990.. This was the car to launch a brand, not it's just the big luxury car..

I have faith in Mr.Ghoshen, that he will embody the original G50 thoughts, upon the new Q45...

I think they need to take a look at the current offerings, and do what they originally did, pummel them..

They have engines down 100%

Let's go back and work on the suspenion design, and the overall car design.

I don't want a big floaty lexus.. I want a nice tight 7 series killer.

That's why I liked the current M45, it bucked the styling trend, and reminded me of the original Q45... Of course this was because, it was an older vehicle in Japan..

New cars are major styling depatures, from the 90s...

I must say kudos to Jaguar, for trying to keep as much as the old sexy XJ design, into the newer model XJ... I think they did a good job..

Infiniti should look to the original G50 as it's skeleton for designing the new Q45..

The problem is though, modern cars are way better then they used to be..

What I mean was, it will be difficult to reinvent the performance sedan, like they did with the original Q45...

Infiniti basically created the modern v8 RWD sports sedan..

Everyone learned, and now has 1000000 similar models out..

While I would like to put all my faith in the new Q45, I somehow don't think we will ever have a car as special, and imaginative as the original G50 Q45.

I am putting my faith into the Infiniti GTR.. It will be Infinitis flagship, and they are introducing new technologies, and basically benchmarking the field, like they did with the Q...

Hopefully they will suprise all of us..

[elwesso]

Wonderful post, and I agree...

IF anything, the M45 is the closest to the G50... I do agree, that there probbaly wont be "another G50".....

[qship96]

well said!

i guess i just bought into the whole infiniti concept way back in the beginning,the lofty goals,dreams,and idea of infiniti-you know,"its all that is possible"mantra.kind of like the "engineered like no other car in the world" of the brand used to be known as mercedes-benz.both of these were passions and visions that seem misplaced in todays "built to a pricepoint" world.sad.

[AZ94Q]

You and me both my friend, you and me both...

I'm always holding out for the true successor to the G50..

I was just a kid when the first Q45 came out.. I don't know what it was, but I was hooked by the adds..

Everything everyone hated about the car, I loved..

I think they look at the G50 as a "don't do again"

I just love reading the old engineers statements..

There reasoning for no grill, no wood.. etc etc.. Even the opening paragraph of the owners manual.. It was all about balance..

No grillno woodspartan interior

It was all for a goal. A goal they reached brilliantly, and may never reach again..

I miss the thought process behind the car..

[AZ94Q]

It's interesting you mention Mercedes Benz

I know quite a few MB owners, who ABSOLUTELY hate the new Mercedes.. They will not buy one, and they have been brand loyal for decades.. It seems to make sense, as they have fallen way off, in terms of initial ownership quality surveys, and other such findings..

They complain about quality of interiors, and stuff like that..

I think they are nuts, but I don't own a new MB, or an old one..

Then I think to myself, I think the same thing about the new Infinitis.. Yet if you just looked at them, you would think I was crazy (had you not ever owned an infiniti)

Sure they look great in pictures, just like mercedes...

They probably look and feel great in person..

There is just something missing.. Only the owners of the older models, really feel that way..

[AZ94Q]

There are very few vehicles, that dared to be as different then the G50. It really paved it's own way. That's why the marketing campaign was the way it was. It represented the car as a whole.

It had bad results in terms of sales, but I don't care

WE NEED THE ORIGINAL Q45 MENTALITY BACK

I want an engineer to say.. Grills are bland, and less aerodynamic.. let's do something different..

I want engineers to say... hey wood is boring and default.. let's do something else..

I still here them say it.. I read an interview on the 2002+ q45, and they said something like "When it came down to having power rear seats or titanium valves, we at infiniti choose the titanium valves" or something to that effect..

I'm not saying the wood and grill reference still hold up.. I am saying I want that sort of mentality back.

I want them to take a look at every modern car that competes with them, and I want them to do something different. I love the new Q, and I will buy one used.. but it doesn't buck the trend.. it sells right out to it...

We need a team of engineers who will put the performance and design first.. Let's take some risks... The Q will never be the big seller of Infiniti's lineup...

Obviously selling the Q out to a lexus mobile, didn't help anything anyway.. It has sold less models, then the G50..

So let's go down that road again.. Please Infiniti, DARE TO BE DIFFERENT..

I'm still ranting, but...

They tried to pass off the new Q45 as the "different car" in it's class. Remember that ad they had, where everyone was passing by in sped up motion, and the guy walked to the new Q..

Well sorry Infiniti.. I love the new Q.. it isn't nearly as radical in thinking as the old Q.. Don't try to ride that bandwagon.. Only the G50 gets that title.

[qship96]

i guess i can sum up my feelings like this

i loved the original q for what it was,and it just happened to be produced by infiniti, i want to love the new q,BECAUSE it is an infiniti.honestly,if the new one was not an infiniti,i would not be interested in it much at all---i want to,but cant.the brand is now better than the product.

[AZ94Q]

Hah. That about sums up my thoughts....

[Jesda]

Don't like it. Bland styling is not going to sell more cars... Buyers want character...

Most $65k+ buyers want to blend in while saying "I've made it." Thats about it. Maybe "I'm fast" sometimes. The 05 Q says too many other things (Im special, Im advanced, Im high tech, Im different, Im cool) and has way too MUCH character.

[Jesda]

And in my opinion, I still own one of the ten best cars in the world.

[AZ94Q]

There is a reason they debuted their most technologically advanced suspension on the Q...

15 years later, they still can't make a Q handle like an A.. or a normal one for that matter..

[AZhitman]

As far as I'm concerned, the current M is the closest successor to the 1st-gen Q45. I really see no need for the Q and the M in the model line, as the M should have been the flagship.

BTW, It's Carlos Ghosn. Just in case he drops by (and he will), I want to make sure we're spelling his name right.

[AZ94Q]

Once again the Q has been pushed

The new M45 has the best interior/features/stuff..

the 2k5 q45 is just a carry over.

makes no sense..

[maxnix]

if i was in charge,i would lose the hideous dashboard

Personally, I think the current Q45/M45 and G35 dashboard designs are the best in the business. They all succeed in placing the LCD screen at eye level so it is visually accessible to the driver while driving with minimal eye deflection from the road, but retains the center vents high on the dash board for circulation effectiveness.

Of people who have driven the other designs with buried viewing screens or lowered vents, I think most appreciate the brilliance of the Infiniti dash design.__________________Brian1995 Q45 & Q45t & 2000 Q45

Discover the power of the button!

[Jesda]

Thank god, Qship! I thought I was alone in praising the old way.

I absolutely hate how all the controls are crammed into one space in the M45. Im sure it would grow on me functionwise, but as far as looks, it reminds me of my Mazda MPV but with wood and leather.Also, its Ford and Chevy who have been placing all controls at upper dash-level for all these decades. Its convenient (you can have bench seats that way) but doesnt look classy at all. Volkswagen and Audi have ideal interior configurations.

And I prefer the look and layout of the G35 and RX-8. They look more balanced and look like they surround the driver.

-Jesda