We already knew about pricing for the low end of the revised 2016 Infiniti Q50 lineup, and now we’ve learned about the top end. The new range-topping Q50 Red Sport 400 model starts at $48,855 for the rear-wheel-drive model and $50,855 when equipped with all-wheel drive. Both come standard with Infiniti’s new 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine that makes 400 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque in this application.
Though the name sounds like something you’d find in the accessories aisle at Auto Zone, the Red Sport 400 comes with other performance tweaks including upgraded brakes, an adaptive suspension, and 19-inch wheels with staggered tire sizes on rear-wheel-drive versions. We were impressed by the V-6’s power delivery on our first drive of this upgraded Q50, though we found the seven-speed automatic transmission to be slow-shifting even in its sportier modes and weren’t thrilled with the rear-drive model’s tendency to sudden oversteer.
These shortcomings are a bit more forgivable when you look at how the Red Sport 400’s pricing compares with its closest rivals. Without stepping up to full-blown M or AMG versions, no German sedan this size offers as much power, and yet the 320-hp, RWD BMW 340i with the M Sport package, at $49,395, commands a base price higher than the RWD Q50 Red Sport’s, while the 362-hp, AWD Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG, at $51,725, is a bit more dear than the AWD Q50 Red Sport. We’ll see how the Infiniti stacks up to these cars when we run it through our full testing regimen.
Still to come is pricing for the Q50 3.0t model, which uses a detuned version of the same twin-turbo V-6 to make 300 horsepower. The Red Sport 400, meanwhile, is now on sale along with the four-cylinder 2.0t and gas-electric Q50 Hybrid models.
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