Infinitis decision to name
all of their products Q-something befuddled the industry and launched a thousand online
forum flame wars. Their next decision was even stranger — when the Q50 replacement for the existing G37 sedan bowed, the current car was kept on as an entry-level option for buyers who couldnt quite stretch to the more sophisticated and feature-laden Q50. (As an aside, this is the kind of thing that just
murders resale value directly in the face… but if you want resale value, you need to keep rolling past your Infiniti dealer all the way to the Lexus shop. )
For 2015, Nissans luxury division has either simplified the Q-issue or complicated it, depending on your perspective.
The G37 is no more. Enter the
Q40, which is basically last years stripper-model G37 with a different badge. Supposedly an entry-level compact-lux car is coming, which would be named Q30. Think of the Q30 as being the old G20, the Q40 as being the old G37, and the Q50 as being the new G37.
TTACers who are interested in an opinion on the Q50, as opposed to the G37, are encouraged to check out Road&Tracks recent review, penned by your humble author. I found the Q50 to be an amazingly satisfying and pleasant way to get down the road, right until the point where the computers gave up during an extremely optimistic corner entry and I had to shoulder a locked-up, un-power-assisted two-ton vehicle through the rest of it. For anyone who would not be given to trying that kind of back-road stupidity, its recommended without reservation. The old G37/new Q40 isnt a bad car, but its rough stuff compared to the polished-up new model.