I'm looking for a car and the Q50 Hybrid seems to have it all, the looks, the acceleration, the gas mileage.
Except for the handling. It seems everyone (e.g., C&D, CR, Edmunds) is vomiting over the drive by wire setup. Does anyone have a clue whether Infiniti will allow Q50 Hybrid buyers to pick a different drivetrain as is now offered to Q50 non hybrid buyers?
Thanks in advance for any help or insight.
Direct Adaptive Steering On The Q50 Hybrid
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1BlinkGone
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Mon Jul 21, 2014 1:56 pm
Re: Direct Adaptive Steering On The Q50 Hybrid
Instead making a decision based on negative press, why don't you drive the Q50 Hybrid for yourself to see if you like it or not? Try it with an open mind. Yes, DAS got off to a rocky start, but that was then.
I drove the Q50 Hybrid without all the negative hype pounded in my brain. Ya know what? I was pretty impressed. Blown away, actually, with DAS and I would prefer it. It felt nothing like a disconnected "video game"...YMMV.
I drove the Q50 Hybrid without all the negative hype pounded in my brain. Ya know what? I was pretty impressed. Blown away, actually, with DAS and I would prefer it. It felt nothing like a disconnected "video game"...YMMV.
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szh
- Posts: 15932
- Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2002 12:54 pm
- Car: 2018 Tesla Model 3.
Unfortunately, no longer a Nissan or Infiniti, but continuing here at NICO! - Location: San Jose, CA
Re: Direct Adaptive Steering On The Q50 Hybrid
The drive by wire was actually not too bad - I drove a Q50S loaner for a bit last week. It has various modes that you can select ... this tightens up (requiring more muscle) the steering feel if you want, for example. Of course, this probably also changes transmission shift points, coasting behavior, etc., too, I would assume.
The steering did not feel sloppy, but there was some lane wandering and dartiness. Took extra effort to keep going straight than my car. I attributed this more to the tires than anything else, because it has occurred on older M's in almost exactly the same way with those tires.
The mileage for the little I drove that day was pretty darn good, of course. I didn't drive enough to measure it at length, but I think I would have gotten well over 30 mpg on the highway.
The gas engine cut-out when stopped, or coasting a few seconds, was a bit disconcerting at first, but I got used to it fairly quickly, since it was so imperceptible. The fact that an electric motor starts the initial motion from a stop means that there is no lurching when the gas motor kicks in.
This lurch happened on a non-hybrid Mercedes 350 that I rented in London back in March. I really hated the feel of that Merc starting up and engaging the transmission from a stop - got quite annoying after the first few stops at lights ... if I hadn't been in a hurry to get to where I needed to be, I would have gone back and changed the car!
Z
The steering did not feel sloppy, but there was some lane wandering and dartiness. Took extra effort to keep going straight than my car. I attributed this more to the tires than anything else, because it has occurred on older M's in almost exactly the same way with those tires.
The mileage for the little I drove that day was pretty darn good, of course. I didn't drive enough to measure it at length, but I think I would have gotten well over 30 mpg on the highway.
The gas engine cut-out when stopped, or coasting a few seconds, was a bit disconcerting at first, but I got used to it fairly quickly, since it was so imperceptible. The fact that an electric motor starts the initial motion from a stop means that there is no lurching when the gas motor kicks in.
This lurch happened on a non-hybrid Mercedes 350 that I rented in London back in March. I really hated the feel of that Merc starting up and engaging the transmission from a stop - got quite annoying after the first few stops at lights ... if I hadn't been in a hurry to get to where I needed to be, I would have gone back and changed the car!
Z
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lrod2344
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:24 pm
- Car: 2008 Infiniti M35x Lakeshore Slate with Tech Package.
Re: Direct Adaptive Steering On The Q50 Hybrid
szh what you experienced was not the tires but a common problem with the Hybrid Steering System in that in cold weather (don't know exactly how low temp has to be) or if the car sits too long the voltage can drop causing the steering system can "forget" its center position. I have a 2014 Q50S Hybrid with ALL the bells and whistles and this happened to me recently. I also attributed it to a tire problem as I just had my car serviced by the dealer which included rotating the tires. when I took the car home on the highway it started to pull hard to the right as if it wanted to make a complete right turn (this was the extreme as other problems are more subtle) I turned right around and took the car back to the dealer. The fix is documented by Infiniti and requires the driver or tech to actually perform some steering wheel maneuvers and driving a straight line at a certain speed. I was in the car with the tech as he did this and you can actually SEE the steering wheel performing its adjustments automatically,,,it's kinda freaking cool...I too do not find the steering sloppy or unresponsive..I actually like it and find it quite acurate and responsive.. the engine starting and stopping also scared me at first but I got used to it...sometimes its more pronounced than others... but the thing I LOVE is how everyone with a regular Q50s ALWAYS wants to race me... seems they have something to prove... but with these 360 horses under my hood they soon find that their decision was a mistake cause off the LINE they regretted it... this little b**** is a f*** monster under the hood.. oh and a BMW X6 also fell to my wayside. I love my Q50!!!