The yin and yang of the 2017 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400

When we first drove the Q50 Red Sport 400, Infiniti had the car out at a prepared slalom-and-cone course in a large, open parking lot. The car was stacked up against another Q50 without the Direct Adaptive Steer steer-by-wire system, and the course was designed to show that the DAS-equipped Red Sport 400 (its a $1,000 option) required less steering input to master the same course.

With all due respect to Infiniti, which is invested in this unfortunate system and has been working hard to revise it, the comparison doesnt make a lot of sense.

The non-DAS Red Sport 400 has a steering ratio of 15:1 in RWD and 16.7:1 in AWD forms. The DAS system can vary between 12:1 and 32.9:1 in RWD and 11.8:1 to 32.3:1 in AWD flavors. At its extremes, the DAS systems ratio is vastly different than the f ixed-ratio cars. So sure, with a ratio of up to 32.9:1, the DAS drivers going to do less work. Its all in the gearing.

Does this mean its better, that the steering feel is more natural, that its easier to hustle quickly? The amount the driver saws at the wheel isnt an indication of that, necessarily. After a few days in a rear-drive Red Sport 400, Im saying that the spooky disconnection between the driver and the front wheels would be a severe deficit to a driver on a real autocross course. Its not like the DAS system is choosing bad ratios within its range, its just not supplying the fee dback to make it enjoyable. Knowing what your front tires are up to is critical.

I can hear you saying right now, "But what Q50 Red Sport 400 owners are going to autocross their cars?" Sure, but it was just a means to an end: showing off the DAS in a good light. And in that case, it probably did. The thing is, in isolation, not back-to-back with a non-DAS car with a slow steering ratio, the DAS system has the same issues its always had: It simply doesnt feel natural. It doesnt feel intuitive. There doesnt seem to be any real advantage over a slightly quicker rack. I dont hear about people making buying decisions based on how much work they have to do sawing at the wheel, do you?

So, thats one side of the Q50 coin â€" one thats hard to ignore if youre an enthusiast and steering feel is an important connection between you and the vehicle you just dropped a large hunk of change on, and will be spending a lot of your time in. The other is that theres a really compelling reason to drive a Red Sport 400: The 3.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 is a monster.

Infiniti Q50 models equipped with the 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo 400 hp engine are designated as the Q50 Red Sport 400 and feature unique staggered 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and 245/40R19 front/265/35R19 rear summer performance run-flat tires, as well as unique exhaust tips. These changes help to assert the car’s performance credentials and add to its aggressive, confident aura.

Its uncouth, to be sure. In Sport+, a swift boot of the accelerator on a dry onramp will cause the rear tires to skitter and the Q50s svelte rear to weave a bit. Unlike the steering, the untidiness of it all is actually pretty enjoyable. Its not surgical precision management of rear traction, but thats a bit sterile, isnt it? Punting the thing forward is a dramatic, analog experience.

It feels much swifter than it actually is, although a 4.5-second 0-60 time isnt anything to be ashamed of. Its just the way in which this thing scoots â€" some cars are quick, but some aspect leads to a disassociation with what the speedometer says and how fast the car feels. Thats not happening here.

The engine is great, but the most important factor in a car-buying decision is how it looks. On that count, the Q50 is in good shape. Outside, its a sexy car. Inside, its somehow dated ... even the esoteric Lexus IS interior looks better than this. Compared to an Audi or BMW, no contest. The "winged" trim rings around the instruments are the perfect illustration of this: They look silly, theyre quite obviously painted plastic, and they dont seem to belong in a car that starts a hair under $50,000.

Infiniti Q50 models equipped with the 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo 400 hp engine are designated as the Q50 Red Sport 400 and feature unique staggered 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels and 245/40R19 front/265/35R19 rear summer performance run-flat tires, as well as unique exhaust tips. These changes help to assert the car’s performance credentials and add to its aggressive, confident aura.

Ultimately, this cars a mixed bag for me. I want to drive a non-DAS Red Sport 400 and see if a more conventional steering rack moves the needle back into an overall positive impression. After all, the engines a gem, and the interior is comfortable. Nothing out there has the sort of rawness (thats a positive attribute) this has, short of a BMW M3 â€" a quicker much more expensive car at $65,945 to start.

So Ill shrug and move on. Steering preferences are subjective, after all. Ours are also influenced by the hundreds of cars we drive each year, including real enthusiast stuff that sets our bar really hig h. Our bar should be really high, for that matter. DAS isnt objectively problematic, but its subjectively unappealing. I wont begrudge anyone who drives it and loves it â€" to each their own. But if you hold out a car to the enthusiast camp, my recommendation is that you knock em dead. While the Red Sport 400s engine gets my pulse rate up, ultimately DAS leaves me cold.