2019 Infiniti Q50 - Stinger Rival ?

[DCBStingerGT]

Today Friday the 21st June 2019, I saw this full page advertisement in the Herald - Sun's Car Guide, for the 2019 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport with 298kw / 400hp, with a 3.0ltr twin turbo V6, and a price of $63,888 Australian dollars, what's your opinion of it ?

 

[Schpok]

the car was on my list, pretty high too. I got the exact same brochure page in german last summer. In the end the car was easy 20K more than the stinger, so it was no option for me.

 

[Manaz]

Looks interesting. You can get a Stinger GT for around $60k these days, so it's on-par price-wise, I'm not sure how else it compares.

I might go take a look at one, it will be interesting to see how it compares.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

They might be 2018 built leftovers, only purchases between April 1 to June 30.

 

[YEH]

Good engine, but sloppy transmission and the steering feel isn't that great either.

Also, the interior is outdated (not that the Stinger couldn't use improvement in that area).

 

[ElChanclo]

Go sit in one, bring a barf bag. Or not, the damage's already been done at the factory.
To each their own I guess.

Can't get over that center console...

 

[turboAWD]

The Q50 has better tuning support, and you can get an LSD (aftermarket) for RWD and AWD, which you can't for the Stinger (in AWD), at least not yet. The transmission isn't great, but stout, the AWD is proven, the brakes are generally good. And, you can EASILY get $8-10k off MSRP. Plus, they have almost ZERO MF for leases, so you can often get a fully loaded lease for $500-600 - less than I'm paying for 24-months of the GT1 (but I'm planning on doing buyout after a month or two, once I'm "sure").

I was all set to buy a low miles 18 Q50 sport AWD for $27K, but then I found they have very narrow / uncomfortable sport seats (they made my left leg/hip shoot with pain for several days after sitting in it for 10 minutes), which was a deal breaker for me, obviously. Stinger so far has been great. YMMV.

Q50s are a similar "bang-for-buck" as a Stinger, IMHO, and the dealers are generally considered MUCH better than Kia - Infiniti is Nissan's "Lexus" line, so they are (near) luxury dealers, not mostly-sub-prime like Kia. The infotainment is very outdated, but according to most people does work ok, and you CAN get Tesla-like replacement units with varying levels of performance / user satisfaction. If GO instead of SHOW is your thing, the Q50's not a bad bet - search youtube for a non-sport version that dropped $4-5k in fuel pump + injector upgrades and with E85 embarrassed Lambos, Porsches, etc in the 1/2 mile. If you like the fancy infotainment, android auto / carplay, coupe look, newer chassis, etc, the Stinger probably wins out. For example, you can't get cooled seats on the Q50, which seem really nice so far on the Stinger. However, I *WISH* we had Ecutek or similar available for tuning.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Practicality is missing. Two inches shorter wheelbase. 13.5 ft3 cargo space? Don't make me laugh.

 

[turboAWD]

Practicality for what? 2 kids in car seats during the week, and running 11s on the weekend? Easier than with a Stinger. IIRC, the Q50 JB4 is getting CARB certified before the Stinger.. (matters to me, anyway).

It's all about priorities - it has more cargo capacity than a Golf, for example. AMS built up a Q50 to 800+ hp and ran 10s in the 1/4 - it will be a long, LONG time and pretty cold day in Heck before a Stinger runs 10s, IMHO.

 

[Theemfinger]

I had an 08 G35 before my Stinger, so I was interested in the red sport. So disappointing. Steering feel is trash. Transmission is outdated and sluggish. Interior is outdated. Engine is solid though. It also just feels a lot smaller than the stinger.

 

[Jimmer]

Looks interesting. You can get a Stinger GT for around $60k these days, so it's on-par price-wise, I'm not sure how else it compares.

I might go take a look at one, it will be interesting to see how it compares.

Disregard.

 

[Manaz]

Disregard.

That certainly seems to be the consensus.

 

[Jimmer]

That certainly seems to be the consensus.

No, I didnt do the price conversion before I made my post is all. After the conversion, my post wasnt valid.

 

[Manaz]

Ah, OK. I thought you meant "disregard the Q50". Which seems to be the consensus.

 

[Jimmer]

Ah, OK. I thought you meant "disregard the Q50". Which seems to be the consensus.

Well, that too ;-)

 

[soulvengeace]

I looked at these (not a Red Sport) when I was shopping, and they were pretty nice. Infotainment was definitely dated, and it felt a bit smaller inside then the Stinger. Like Merlin said, it's just not as practical for me as the Stinger is. I do like the way it looks though.

 

[Doel]

Practicality for what? 2 kids in car seats during the week, and running 11s on the weekend? Easier than with a Stinger. IIRC, the Q50 JB4 is getting CARB certified before the Stinger.. (matters to me, anyway).

It's all about priorities - it has more cargo capacity than a Golf, for example. AMS built up a Q50 to 800+ hp and ran 10s in the 1/4 - it will be a long, LONG time and pretty cold day in Heck before a Stinger runs 10s, IMHO.

There's a 700 hp Stinger in Korea, if he could get traction that would be easy 10s. But yes, I would say the only way the Q50 has the Stinger beat is the tuning support. It's a platform that's been around for awhile, it'll take a long time before the Stinger (and Kia/Hyundai) get there. It originally came out in 2013 and the dated styling shows, even with the minor mid cycle tweaks. The next gen Q50 or whatever they're going to call it should be really interesting!

 

[Peeso33]

Q50 JB4 is getting CARB certified before the Stinger.

How long does the average CARB certification process take anyway? Years?

 

[turboAWD]

Doel - true. I think for SOME people, the dealership experience matters - I've rarely heard anything good about a Kia dealer. Infiniti is Nissan's "upscale" brand, so, on average, I would expect a better service experience with a random Infiniti dealer than with a random Kia dealer.

Peeso33 - I think 2-3 years+. Hopefully it will be done before the Stinger is 6 years old. OTOH, it's a lot easier to remove than the downpipe on my Legacy

 

[SteveCo]

Doel - true. I think for SOME people, the dealership experience matters - I've rarely heard anything good about a Kia dealer.

I suspect a lot of people don't post about their good experiences as that's what they expect and hopefully receive. I found the Stinger a very positive car purchasing experience. Once I'd made it clear where I needed to be on price after keeping a couple other dealers in the running, they met my price target (all-in, no flim-flam with extra fees, etc.) and we had an agreement within a few days. I made it clear, once, that I didn't want any dealer add-on warranties, protection packages, wheel and tire insurance, etc. and they respected that - no additional pressure.

Car was well prepped and detailed on pickup, filled with fuel, and the salesman was about two hours into his detailed explanation/demo of every conceivable car feature and menu option when I called it off due to my ride/accomplice nodding off in the parking lot waiting for me to emerge.

I was too late to have them save the window sticker when doing the PDI/detailing, so they contacted KIA for me and had a brand new window sticker generated for that VIN and shipped to the dealer to pick up. Although a couple of early service concerns were initially rebuffed by KIA Canada, the dealer kept after them and made sure they were addressed to my satisfaction. Communication has been excellent, and service visits have been prompt, courteous, with quality work performed and the car protected and returned in as-new condition.

It helps that the dealership is new, with a clean, large modern service shop, a separate enclosed drive-through service check-in bay, a spacious waiting lounge, etc. But the people are a huge part of it, and everyone from the salesman through to the service manager have been personable and professional to deal with - and of course treated in kind.

A very good dealership experience overall.