Allow me to introduce the two latest contenders to the BMW 3 Series' throne. They are the all-new Infiniti Q50 and Lexus IS350. In terms of this particular comparison test, we're actually talking about the Q50S and the IS350 F Sport, both heavily optioned and aimed squarely at the iconic 335i. Why the Bimmer? These two vehicles wouldn't exist if not for the success of the BMW 3 Series. Remember, for half of their history, both upstart Japanese luxury makes were perfectly content to sell tarted-up versions of lesser FWD sedans (ES350 in the case of Lexus, G20 and I30 in the case of Infiniti) instead of proper sporty four-doors. Very few enthusiasts were fooled. To combat that, Lexus rolled out the RWD IS300 in 2000, and Infiniti followed suit two years later with the G35. Both the IS and the G have been successful not only as volume sellers, but as occasional victors against the mighty Bavarian competition. But the BMW always seems to fight its way back to the top of any chart. Are either of these two brand-spanking-new Japanese sports sedans good enough to dethrone a king? One of them just might be.
The really big Infiniti news is under under the hood of the Q50S. Nope, not the engine, because that is a carryover piece of kit from the previous-generation G37 Sedan that still makes 328 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque, but has been nicely refined in terms of NVH. So no, you must go deeper to discover the crazy part: There's no steering column! Well, OK, technically there is a steering column, but not when the Q50S is turned on. There's a clutch in the middle of a vestigial steering column that "energizes," or opens up, when the ignition is on. In the event of a dead battery (or whatever) the clutch is closed and the car can still be turned. But yes, friends, available as an option, the Q50S can be steer-by-wire. The first question is, why bother with a steer-by-wire system in the first place? Infiniti claims two things. One is that less NVH engineering (and weight) is required to damp down vibrations emanating from the steering column. The other is that steer-by-wire offers up an infinite number of ways to steer a car. Some of which, Infiniti claims, are better than anything you've ever experienced. Keep reading. There isn't nearly as much big news for the Lexus. If I had to choose something to trend on Google, if would be that the new IS rides on a cut-down version of the GS platform, a car we here at
Motor Trend like very much indeed. The GS F Sport managed to easily beat out the comparable Audi, BMW, and Infiniti (see "Mid-Life Medicine," June 2012) in our comparison test. The winning GS was not only the lightest car in that group (535i, A6, and M37) but it was without question the most fun to drive. As you might expect, an even smaller version of the GS F Sport feels quite nimble and tossable. In terms of the new IS350, the F Sport package consists of adaptive and variable suspension via electric dampers, variable rate steering, larger and higher performance brake pads and calipers, and larger 18-inch wheels with wider summer tires (225/40/18 front, 255/35/18 rear). Also of note is a new eight-speed automatic transmission for RWD IS350s -- the IS250s retain the six-speed auto, as do the IS350 AWD cars -- both regular strength and F Sport. The engine however (3.5-liter V-6, 306 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque) is totally carryover, and I think that's a mistake. The same is true for the Q50S, and I think it's an equally large mistake for Infiniti. Remember, this a massively competitive segment. Why launch an "all-new car" with a warmed-over engine? Especially since the German competition seems to add 10 horsepower every time white asparagus is in season.
This comparison test is a tale of two locations. The first is the test track, and the Infiniti beat the Lexus up and down said track. In terms of straight-line fury, the Q50S was the faster car, hitting 60 mph in 5.2 seconds compared to the IS350's 5.5-second sprint. It's about the same story in the quarter mile, with the quicker Infiniti taking 13.8 seconds to do the deed with a trap speed of 102.1 mph, while the Lexus is 0.2 second behind at 14 seconds flat but with a curiously slow trap of 98.5 mph. The Q50S also stops better, taking 110 feet from 60 mph compared with 114 feet for the IS350. Now that we've established that the Q50S is better at starting and stopping, here's the interesting part. There's a 31-pound difference in weight between the two (at 3766, the Infiniti is the slimmer car -- the Lexus weighs 3797), yet they posted identical figure-eight times of 26.3 seconds. So if the Q50S accelerates and brakes better, one can infer that the Lexus can carry more speed through a corner. But you would never know it from the driver's seat. In the admittedly go-hard-or-go-home crucible that is our figure-eight test -- in other words, nothing but limit, 10/10ths handling -- the Infiniti was at twice as much fun to toss around as the comparably buttoned-down Lexus. The IS350 felt sluggish, as if it hadn't had its coffee yet. The Q50S, on the other hand, seemed like it had just paid a visit and some cheddar to Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
One reason for that wilder ride is Infiniti's one-touch-and-off traction and stability control system. Most modern cars -- including the Lexus IS350 -- feature a two-stage control for disabling everything. Typically you push the button once to disable traction, and then hold it for an additional 10 seconds to turn off stability. With the Q50S, you just push the button once and you are free to slide around the parking lot. Oh yeah, the Q50S is a seriously tail-happy car. There's still some understeer if you enter a corner hot. Though if you provoke the Infiniti by, say, rolling on the throttle hard midway through a turn, the car is quite happy to show its backside. We were also pretty impressed at how well a car without a (functioning) steering column took to limit testing. As our testing director Kim Reynolds said after he ran the Infiniti, "I wish you hadn't told me it was steer-by-wire -- I never would have known." You drifters out there will be happy to know that you can countersteer-by-wire. Strange but true. Everyone that touched either car declared the Infiniti to be much more fun on the track.
The next day, I headed up to an excellent canyon road with our road test editor, Scott Mortara, to sort these two out in something that approximates the real world. After running up and down a stretch we know quite well in each car, we both came to the same, simultaneous conclusion: Lexus. From Mortara concerning the Infinti: "A great engine with plenty of power, but I found the throttle a little lazy during spirited driving. The biggest drawback is the steering; this electric steering has a very unnatural feel when hustling the car around." His two points are valid. The carryover seven-speed automatic feels lazy and laggy when compared to the new eight-speed in the IS350. Yes, there is more power, but it's not always readily available. More important, however, is how odd the steer-by-wire behaved on a curving, undulating road.
Read more:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedans/1308_2014_infiniti_q50s_vs_lexus_is350_f_sport_comparison/viewall.html#ixzz2e16xBXxg
