2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Review

This week we take a look at the 2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400, a very fast and luxurious sports sedan from Nissan’s luxury division.

As the name suggests, the Red Sport 400 has 400-horses packed into a 3-liter V6 with twin turbochargers that puts out 350-pound feet of torque. It is mated with a 7-speed automatic transmission that you can shift from paddles on the steering wheel. My review vehicle has the optional all-wheel drive system.

Exterior

The Q50 is long and wide and sits low to the ground. It has chiseled lines and subtle curves, front and rear spoilers, 19” wheels, and LED headlights and daytime running lights. I find the Q50 to be a very attractive car, especially in this Slate Gray color, which is a $695 option.

Interior

As you would expect, the interior of this car is very luxurious with a nice blend of leather and carbon fiber. There is stitching throughout the dash and door panels, and the steering wheel. The front seats are comfortable and have bolsters to keep you in your seat when you go into a hard cornering maneuver. The seats are quilted on the outside edges.

The large tachometer and speedometer are easy to read and colorful, and there is a programmable driver info screen between them.

The center console is nice-sized and carbon fiber surrounds the gearshift and flows into the center stack, it looks terrific. Infiniti uses a dual screen setup. The upper screen operates the navigation system and 360-degree camera and operates from a round knob just below the gearshift. Also there is the drive mode selector that allows you to choose from Personal, Sport Plus, Sport, Standard, Eco, and snow. As usual, the Sport Plus mode is where I spent most of my time.

The lower screen is touchscreen and operates the Bose stereo, Bluetooth, the car’s settings, and a host of apps with real-time traffic info and performance data.

Below the bottom screen, you’ll only find one knob for the stereo volume, and to the sides of the screens are your climate controls. Everything is simple to operate and understand, and I like being able to display the navigation map and traffic without having to make it disappear to change radio stations.

Utility

As with most mid-sized sedans, the back seat room is a little tight unless the front seats are pretty far forward. Back seat headroom is limited due to the swooping roofline of the Q50. Trunk space is good and the rear seats do fold down.

Standard Equipment and Options

The Red Sport 400 package comes with a nice list of standard features including the 19” wheels, rearview camera, power seats, power moon roof, pushbutton start, remote start, keyless entry, power tilt wheel, Bluetooth, voice activation, a 16-speaker Bose stereo, and two USB ports in the center console.

My tester has $3,115 in options. Most notable, for $1,520 you get the Carbon Fiber decklid spoiler and outside mirrors, the special paint color I mentioned, and $485 for the illuminated kick plates as you open the doors. A rear cargo package runs $270.

Ride and Drive

Make no mistake, this is a true sports car with superb handling and amazing acceleration, it even sounds good in Sport Plus mode. It will take you from 0-to-60 in just 4.5 seconds and the white interior looks fantastic. Fuel economy is good for a 400-horse car, coming in at 19 in town and 26 on the highway.

What You’ll Pay

MSRP is $61,890 which I frankly find high in a segment that is struggling, but Nissan keeps the incentives aggressive to make that price much lower.

Verdict

I do enjoy these cars when I have them, but they are starting to look tired, especially on the inside. It is quite dated.