Used 2022 INFINITI Q60

The 2022 Infiniti Q60 is an unchanging premium compact coupe in a changing world. These days, some coupes have four doors and might even be based on an SUV/crossover. A few car companies are also discontinuing anything that isn’t an SUV/crossover, and maybe they’re going electric as well, or at least installing some kind of hybrid drivetrain.

Which puts the 2022 Q60 far away from the cutting edge. Not that a turbocharged V6-powered 2-door coupe with luxury appointments and a dash of sportiness is a bad thing. But it sure isn’t offering anything new. Or deeply compelling.

Last year, we were wondering whether the Q60 would make it to 2022. It has, but 2023 is still looking doubtful. Lovers of traditional coupes should check out the Q60, but there might be a better choice among the newer rivals.

On the face of it, a rear-drive coupe with at least 300 horsepower sounds like something most driving enthusiasts would sign up for. Factor in the comfortable-yet-supportive front seats and owners would be planning road trips every weekend. And that’s somewhat the case with the 2022 Q60.

The 300-horsepower V6 is easily energetic enough, a pleasure to rev and able to propel this premium compact coupe with an engaging briskness. The regular suspension isn’t particularly athletic, however, and the steering feels numb.

The Red Sport 400 is wonderfully quick and has an adaptive suspension as standard, plus larger brakes to rein in those greater accelerative forces. Even here, though, it doesn’t seem as much fun as 400 horsepower should. Infiniti has pulled off the weird trick of making the Q60 feel like less than the sum of its parts.

The automatic transmission has a rev-matching feature that blips the throttle to create a smooth action on the downshifts. It’s a cool thing, but not a deal-maker or breaker.

The ProActive package has a few nice extras for the Red Sport 400, but one of them isn’t the drive-by-wire system, also known as Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS). The steering could use some extra tactility, a feel coming up to the hands for what the front wheels are doing.

That doesn’t really happen in the Q60, and DAS makes things worse. Admittedly, Infiniti has worked to improve this situation, but the company has stopped offering it in the closely related Q50 sedan, as if to admit that this feature is not hitting the spot.

The instrument cluster and dashboard are Exhibits A and B when making the case for a dated interior. The plastics aren’t that great, either.

It’s unfortunate, because life inside the 2022 Q60 is an otherwise agreeable experience. It’s a 4-seater, with not a lot of space in the back for grown-ups. But that’s just a coupe being a coupe.

The dual-screen infotainment system (an 8-inch unit up top, a 7-incher below) isn’t the most elegant setup, but anyone trying to plug in a USB cable will be happy that the two ports are illuminated.

Although the rear seats split and fold in a 60/40 manner, tiny trunk volume of 8.7 cubic feet doesn’t add much practicality to the Infiniti Q60.

No oversized grilles or strange angular lines. The 2022 Q60 wears its coupe suit well, with the classic silhouette of a long nose, sloping roof and short tail, plus short overhangs at each end.

The Red Sport 400 comes with trim-specific 20-inch alloy wheels. The rear-drive version’s rims have staggered widths: 9.0 inches up front, 9.5 inches at the rear. This model also has black side mirror housings, red brake calipers, and a brushed satin finish to the exhaust tips.

The Luxe and Red Sport 400 trims are eligible for premium paint finishes costing $695 as well as the striking Exclusive finish of Dynamic Sunstone Red at $900.

V IS FOR VERVE
Actually, it’s the shape the engine’s six cylinders make. But add a couple of turbochargers and the verve is accentuated. Both engines in the 2022 Q60 range are wonderful. Naturally, the more powerful example in the Red Sport 400 wins the most praise, even with its sounds. However, it’s great to have 300 horsepower in the base model, putting 4-cylinder-powered rivals in the shade.

DIGITAL DYNAMIC SUSPENSION
Otherwise known as an adaptive suspension. It’s standard in the Red Sport 400, providing a greater range of comfort and sportiness than its Pure and Luxe stablemates. It changes its settings within milliseconds in reaction to the conditions.

In Pure trim, the 2022 Q60 comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, LED exterior lighting (including fog lights), power-adjustable front seats, simulated leather upholstery, leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, and active noise cancellation.

The infotainment system includes smartphone integration (wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto), Wi-Fi, satellite radio, one USB-A port, one USB-C port, and six speakers.

This entry model has fewer driver assistance features than the higher trims, but still has forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking.

The Pure model doesn’t qualify for many extras, not even premium paint. So it’s hardly surprisingly that the mid-level Luxe trim is far more popular.

Luxe adds semi-aniline leather seating surfaces, heated front seats, power-adjustable bolsters on the driver’s seat, heated steering wheel, 13-speaker Bose audio system, remote start, pedestrian detection, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and a 360-degree camera system.

An Essential Package for this trim ($2,050) adds a power-adjustable steering column, intelligent keys with stored settings for the steering wheel, driver’s seat and side mirror positions, an upgraded climate system with better filtering, voice-controlled navigation, plus SiriusXM traffic and travel updates.

As well as the more powerful engine, the Red Sport 400 brings 20-inch alloy wheels, adaptive suspension, paddle shifters, and the contents of the Essential Package. This model is also eligible for the ProActive package ($1,700) with adaptive front lighting, blind-spot intervention, seat belt pre-tensioning, and the steer-by-wire feature: Direct Adaptive Steering.

Two of the best things about the 2022 Q60 are the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engines. There’s a 300-horsepower version in the Pure and Luxe trims, and a glorious 400-horsepower unit in the Red Sport 400. They both run on premium gasoline.

All three models deploy a 7-speed automatic transmission, with rear-wheel drive (RWD) as the standard setup, or all-wheel drive (AWD) as an option.

3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 (Pure, Luxe)
300 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
295 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600-5,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/28 mpg (RWD), 19/27 mpg (AWD)

3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 (Red Sport 400)
400 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm
350 lb-ft of torque @ 1,600-5,200 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 20/27 mpg (RWD), 19/26 mpg (AWD)