Review: 2021 INFINITI Q50 RED SPORT 400 AWD

The INFINITI Q50 is a luxury sport sedan that debuted at the 2013 North American Auto Show. Consumers could purchase it as either a 3.5L V-6 hybrid or 3.7L V-6. The Q50 was not just designed for the North America buying public, but one that could be purchased around the world.

For 2021, the Q50 will be available in four different trim levels for the first time.

• PURE
• LUXE
• RED SPORT
• and the newest SENSORY

The starting MSRP for a Q50 will be $36,000 for the RWD and a spectacular $38,000 for the AWD model. The Q50 I was lucky enough to have for the week was the Red Sport 400 AWD that comes from the INFINITI Performance Line (IPL) which is the high-performance division at INFINITI. This division was introduced as a way for INFINITI to compete internationally with German automakers as a luxury sport, while maintaining its sophisticated elegance for the more conservative buying demographic.

The Red Sport luxury sedan comes with a 400-Hp (Hence the name RED SPORT 400) 3.0L V-6 twin-turbo that will produce 350 lb-ft of torque for those times when you need to blow the cobwebs out of the exhaust because of all the grocery getter and school pickup duties.

Couple things I noticed about this sport sedan. First is the exhaust note that is produced when you need to add a little bit of giddy up to your on-ramp experience. The V-6 twin-turbo engine produces a finely tuned throaty growl that not only says it means business, but smooth enough to complement the luxury sedan styling and lines of the car.

RED SPORT Styling

When you order the RED SPORT 400 you get a number of upgrades to the exterior like 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels, sport brakes with red calipers, black accent trims to the front grille fascia, and matte black carbon fiber on the mirrors, rear spoiler and interior.

The vehicle color I have is called premium slate gray with a hint of metallic flake when you get closer. I'll have to admit I wasn't a fan when I first saw it, but after a couple of days of walking up to it in a number of parking lots full of white, black and the occasional gray vehicle, it kind of grew on me.

Interior Luxury

How do I describe the interior styling of this INFINITI that has not already been used. Typical INFINITI styling came to mind, but this is a sports car too. So I came up with the INFINITI Q50's interior is luxury car first, sports car er uh 1a. This model had a leather wrapped steering wheel and shifter along with white bucket seats that had bolsters for that sports car hugging feel. The dash, center console and doors were also trimmed out in leather, but added chrome and carbon fiber again for the sports car feel.

The Q50 also comes with a Bose® Performance Series 16-speaker stereo system with Bose® Centerpoint® that will connect with either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.

Even Safer for 2021

Added for 2021 is a suite of standard driver assist technologies from the LUXE grade including Blind Spot Warning, Lane Departure Warning (now with haptic steering), Intelligent Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection, Intelligent Cruise Control, Backup Collision Intervention, Distance Control Assist and High Beam Assist.

All in all I feel this vehicle has a solid place in the shrinking world of not only family sedans but affordable luxury sedans. So if you are tired of driving up and down the mall or grocery store parking lots looking for the one perfect parking spot for your large utilitarian vehicle to fit into or want something that makes you feel a bit more pampered or fun on your long daily commutes, I would highly suggest stopping in and taking this one for a spin.

2021 INFINITI Q50 Red Sport 400 AWD
Exterior: Slate Gray
Interior: White, Chrome, Carbon Fiber
Engine: 400-HP 3.0L Twin-turbo
MPG: 19 City, 26 Highway
MSRP Pictured: $61,890

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INFINITI | Q50