What are your TWO favorite Q45s? (POLL)

[Q45Owner]

Curious to see what you guys think are the 2 nicest Q45s on the road.
So based on interior and exterior styling only, which (2) Q45s are your favorite?

The options are:

1st Generation (1990-1993)
1st Generation Refresh (1994-1996)
2nd Generation (1997-1998)
2nd Generation Refresh (1999-2001)
3rd Generation (2002-2004)
3rd Generation Refresh (2005-2006)

I'm going to run this poll for two weeks and then post the results.

[BCC93QT]

#1 1st gen. #2 1st gen refresh. I have driven all versions. Could be that I have never owned one but the 2nd generation is pathetic at best. The 3rd generation just yells Buick. I just think the 1990-1993 is THE infiniti and none other.

[SurfinGator]

the lines of the 90 ... even today look so clean. interiors are gorgeous, especially considering they are 30+ year old cars.
The refresh of the 3rd generation, especially the premium versions. The 18" wheels with the limo rear seats ...

[SurfinGator]

The 3rd generation just yells Buick. .

but yet no one has come up to me and asked if i was driving a Buick? Amazing after reading it actually looked like one ... lol

interior and exterior, would have to go with the 1st generation. if power was included in this poll, 3rd generation refresh. I have owned a 91, which had gobs of power, but can't touch the 3rds in terms of go.

[BCC93QT]

The 3rd generation just yells Buick. .

but yet no one has come up to me and asked if i was driving a Buick? Amazing after reading it actually looked like one ... lol

interior and exterior, would have to go with the 1st generation. if power was included in this poll, 3rd generation refresh. I have owned a 91, which had gobs of power, but can't touch the 3rds in terms of go.

I disagree. A 1990-1993 Q45 with the ECU @ stage 3 and punched cats felt much more powerful than the F50

[BCC93QT]

* I had noticed the F50 had a touch more low end pull to about 40 but tapers off around where the G50 starts to pull

[SurfinGator]

interior and exterior, would have to go with the 1st generation. if power was included in this poll, 3rd generation refresh. I have owned a 91, which had gobs of power, but can't touch the 3rds in terms of go.

I disagree. A 1990-1993 Q45 with the ECU @ stage 3 and punched cats felt much more powerful than the F50

Have to disagree again ... 3rd Gen with supercharger eats the 1st gen with the ECU @ stage 3 and punched cats ...



LOL

[BCC93QT]

Wasn't aware we were talking super mods... I am sure there are some G50 setups that would eat that up.

[BCC93QT]

All comes down to how much money you want to throw at it. Both the VK and VH45 have been proven to handle well with forced induction. The G50 was much more of a soulful and fun to drive car in my opinion.

[qship96]

Lets face it,Infiniti flat out gave up on the q after the original g50 platform,and just slapped the badge on a cheaper model cima.Shame to see how poorly they executed compared to Lexus with their LS series.

[BCC93QT]

Lets face it,Infiniti flat out gave up on the q after the original g50 platform,and just slapped the badge on a cheaper model cima.Shame to see how poorly they executed compared to Lexus with their LS series.

Was trying not to down talk either later models but you hit it right on the head...

[OwnerCS]

I like the first gen G50 that I currently own. It has a crisp/snappy feel that makes it fun to drive. Though most of the crispness I enjoy comes from the suspension upgrades/tuning I did during my first year of ownership.

Also, I've driven a 2nd gen 2000 model that had a completely different feel. To me the 2000 model felt like a larger, heavier, and quieter luxury sedan on the order of a W126 series Mercedes 380 SE from the mid-1980s. While I thought it had a completely different feel, I liked it.

I am starting to see some Q50s around my burb driven by soccer moms.

It will be interesting to see how the new "Q50 Eau Rogue" turns out. How much Red Bull Racing can be injected into a sports sedan?

[BCC93QT]

Would just like to say a few things regarding a Q45. First off, Infiniti was developed to make money off of America. As was Lexus, Acura and many other JDM and non brands. The only "Infiniti" ever sold in Japan started in 1989. Which was THE infiniti Q45. No longer available after 1995.. The only other comparable vehicle was the Nissan president (1990-2002 G50 platform) which sold for at least double (depending on options) what the Q sold for in the US. The Nissan cima was well alive in 1990 as the Y32 cima which to most would call a type of "unique" K car. The 1990-1996 Q45 was its own vehicle PERIOD. Not rebadged as a fake this or a glorified that. The 1997-02 was labeled a Cima and only a Q45 in america. Auech developed its own upscale waste of money version of many of these vehicles as well as every other nissan vehicle. The F50 was labeled a Cima, a president, and a Q45. Sit here today, Nissan has developed a vast amount of pointless waste. The new nissan cima is the same as a Q70/80 whish lost their Mitsubishi Proudia to their Mitsubishi dignity.

[350tpi]

#1 1st gen. #2 1st gen refresh. I have driven all versions. Could be that I have never owned one but the 2nd generation is pathetic at best. The 3rd generation just yells Buick. I just think the 1990-1993 is THE infiniti and none other.

Ive always respected your posts until i saw the pathetic comment.

[Infinitiguy19]

Does the 1997-2001 Q45 have cutouts of where buttons should go? The 1990-1996 Q45 never had cutouts. If the vehicle 'didn't have the option they made a new part so it looked like it should have never had it. For instance TCS and Active cars had spaces for those switches in the center console next to the heated seats. But if the car never had those options they they made a new trim piece just to house heated seats with a small pocket in the center. Or if the car was bare bones they would make a little pocket in the center console.

I have seen the 2002-2006 Q45 interiors and it seems like the bare bones models enough cutouts that would make a Toyota Camry proud!

Cutouts are not for luxury vehicles!

I don't have any experience with a 1990-1995 Q45 with a Stage 3 NICO ECU. But I was in a 2002 Q45 (Passenger). I would not be surprised if a 1990 Q45 with a NICO ECU (Stage 3) would keep up or blow the F50 out of the water.

[SurfinGator]

#1 1st gen. #2 1st gen refresh. I have driven all versions. Could be that I have never owned one but the 2nd generation is pathetic at best. The 3rd generation just yells Buick. I just think the 1990-1993 is THE infiniti and none other.

Ive always respected your posts until i saw the pathetic comment.

I don't know this guy from the moon ... but he has been very negative to our members choice of cars if they are not what he believes is what they should own. I would hope this poll was an attempt to have members give positive reviews for why their Q was a outstanding vehicle ... not slam what each was driving because it wasn't a ________ .

For those of us who have been here for a long time, you can vouch NICO has been one of the best forums for car enthusiasts on the internet. I have gotten free detailed technical help keeping my car running, heavily discounted or free parts, and made a few friends here. In fact it has been such a great place to be a member, when my 91 Q over heated, I gave my car to another NICO member so he could put a engine in it and keep it on the road. FREE. He just drove the 350 miles and picked it up. My 91Q wasn't junk, the body and interior was in pristine condition. I just felt i needed to give something back to this website and its members for keeping her running for so long.

So everyone please help to keep this a fun place for Q45 owners to share their love of their cars.... lend a hand to the other people who love the Q ... and leave the negative posts for the BMW'er sites please

[BCC93QT]

There is no negativity involved. My opinion is MY opinion. I have the right to say it anyway I want and can. Just like you through out that your 3rd generation is faster than the 1st, of course, with your supercharger... If you cannot handle it then you do not have to read it.

[SurfinGator]

My 3rd generation is 100% OEM. I posted the pic of the Super showing 93QTanyone can modify their Q to be faster than another generation Q.
Because every 1st generation Q did not come factory with ECU @ stage 3 and punched cats making them faster than 3rd generation Qs.

I look at my Q45 as an investment, short term in having a premium car to drive and long term in getting the maximum dollar ten years or so from now when I sell it. 100% OEM will return the most dollars, so she will stay factory.

Hey, anyone looking to make the Q go faster??? Rock IT!!!
I do track days on a amped up ZX6. Talladega, Barber, Road Atlanta ... i have a MONSTER FIX SPEED need! So i understand. Just not this cage.

[Wiggler]

Me? I was really digging the 1st generation Q earlier design sans ridiculous chrome Buick grille after 1994. the grilleless design just rocked!! Especially with those factory fittipaldi rims on it... I had a brief chance to drive one in a parking lot when I was eighteen, Those rear tires squealed even when I lightly tapped on the gas....
But, I have to say that the second gen touring edition design in terms of looks was the apex of the big, boxy badass V-8 powered sedan. Yeah, weak on power.... yada yada yada... but it definitely looks the most gangsta out of all model years.... especially if you put the JDM Cima grille on it like I did.
In terms of looks, I think the third generation is very aggressive from the front, but looks too retarded from the back... the taillights look like they came from a 7th generation Honda Accord coupe parts bin, and the rear wheel wells look ridiculously small when you also account for the surface area of the rear fender. That just screams econobox styling...
As far as the interior goes, I think EVERY generation of Q45 SUCKS! NO room in the back for a car so big!! This is probably the most overlooked reason for the demise of the Q. Nissan engineers carried over the design of JDM Presidents and Cimas in the hope that big fat Americans had the same physical dimensions as skinny, little Japanese people. Maybe the Third generation had a little more room to accommodate the reclining rear seat feature, but still not enough, and it was too late. The new Nissan Versa sedan probably has more interior room than any generation of Q. EPA classifies the car as MIDSIZE because of this. The average American always considers interior room when shopping for a car.

[elwesso]

There is something to be said about the beautiful simplicity of the 1st gen Q. For it's time it was complex, but nothing compared to todays cars. The good news is that the electronic bits by and large have held up great over the years.

That said, I think the 94-95 generation adds a lot of nice touches without really taking away much of the essence. I've driven many 90-93's, and there's stuff I like better about them than the 94-95's, however I think on the whole the 94-95 is the better car, with actually the 94 being the peak. In the 95 and 96 MY they used different materials in the door panels and seats that didn't last as long.

The Y33 would be a MUCH better car if they hadn't used the 4.1. It's a bit lighter, and has some really nice styling updates. I really like the side profile of the Y33 the best. 0-60 a stock Y33 and stock G50 are almost identical, but above 60 the G50 is a screamer where the Y33 falls on it's face (comparatively). I will say that the interior materials of the Y33 seem to be a little cheaper than the G50, but it's a lot more comfortable and the style is a lot better IMO.

I really don't think that the 2nd or 3rd generation Q are a proper successor to the 1st gen Q. The 1st gen Q was intended to be a "sport luxury car", erring more on the line of "sport" than "luxury". The 2nd and 3rd gen were definitely intended on being more "luxury" than "sport, so IMO they're not really too comparable.

I think the first true successor to the G50 was the Y34 (03-04) M45. Very similar lines, and really the same concept more/less as the G50. I think after that, the next closest thing is the '11+ M56. While the styling is a lot different on the exterior (definitely love/hate), the performance is there.

[Wiggler]

Oh, I almost forgot.. WTF is up with putting a spacesaver spare tire in a car that weighs two tons?? I mean Seriously? Up to 340 bhp in the front and a rinky dink little circle of rubber in the rear?? "Never exceed 55mph when operating the emergency spare" Yeah, right...who doesn't have a lead foot in this forum???

[elwesso]

I think in the 1st and 2nd gen came with the "donut" spare tire, but in the 3rd gen you could get a full size spare.

[qship96]

Who whines about the type of spare tire???? In over 302,000 miles of driving my Q- the spare has been used,um,exactly once...and that was for less than 5 miles. A NON ISSUE.

[Wiggler]

Who whines about the type of spare tire???? In over 302,000 miles of driving my Q- the spare has been used,um,exactly once...and that was for less than 5 miles. A NON ISSUE.

Uh, yeah, about that... Actually a VERY SERIOUS ISSUE if you get a flat and happen to be driving on Interstate 10 in west Texas where towns can be 50 miles apart or more... Been there, done that... Urban metropolis driving won't put you in those kinds of predicaments. In Rising Sun country they don't have vast swaths of desert and uninhabited farmland like we do here.... My 99 Avalon has a full size spare and it's a smaller car than the Q, perhaps because it was designed from the ground up as a USDM full size car. Again, not the case with the Q.
Despite being a major gripe, it was not enough to keep me from the Q's looks and character.

[qship96]

a quick look at 2014 model year cars will show the "spare" tire is disappearing all together from many cars,including very expensive ones!

[BCC93QT]

Most cars now come with at least 36k mile roadside assistance. Plus AAA is so inexpensive. Soon Americans will forget what a spare tire is (other than their waist) and even how to change one.

[Wiggler]

No spare tire in the back on new cars??? To HELL WITH THAT!! I'm going to start hoarding all kinds of spare parts for all of my rides.... I hate that the automotive industry is starting to get rid of common sense features in their product.... Cars that brake for you, cars that park themselves... anything to make the average American fatter and dumber when it comes to operate a motor vehicle... I can't wait for the first class action civil suit against Benz and the like, when their intelligent braking system has a brain fart, and wraps the car around an oak tree or a light pole.

[BCC93QT]

We won't have to drive. Just fly the drone to get the beer. The drone will deliver your pizza and anything you need. Probably drugs off the silk road as well. Cannot arrest a drone for drug dealing...

When I went to "eyesight" training for the 2013 Subaru Outback it was hilarious. Adaptive cruise control lost contact with the vehicle rounding a corner. Started speeding up and BAM! Right into the back bumper.

[Infinitiguy19]

Some new cars have run flat tires, Thus no need for a spare tire. Then again there are idiots out there that think they can drive on the run flat/Temporary spare tire for prolonged periods of time.

You should see where the spare tires are located on some mini vans, VW Routan/Grand Caravan....

Why would their be a class action law suit for motor vehicle operator incompetence? Never depend on the car to drive you!

[pancakes562]

Mine has to be the refreshed models