The Japanese brand walks the tightrope of being different but
not too different
The BMW 3-Series casts its long shadow just as darkly over
this Infiniti saloon as it does any other of the new pretenders. The Lexus IS,
the Cadillac ATS, the upcoming new small Jaguar and the Alfa Romeo Giulia,
they’ve all got to define themselves on the Bavarian’s terms. They can copy the
3-Series all they like, but it’d be very obvious if they fail to better it. Or
they could sidestep the BMW and do something a bit different. But if they go
too far off-piste they risk missing the market’s centre of gravity.
Infiniti has gone
down the latter route, aiming at people who just don’t much like the flavour of
BMW
Well, Infiniti has gone down the latter route, aiming at
people who just don’t much like the flavour of BMW, or who maybe just fancy
being a bit different for once. The company itself accepts that the Q50 is
going to sell fewer copies than the 3-Series. Well, in Europe, it’s bound to,
as it doesn’t offer the choice of bodies or engines or options.
But, instead, it offers some things that BMW doesn’t. In
fact, that no one offers.
Exhibit A: the optional Direct Adaptive Steering, or DAS.
This actually severs the age-old mechanical link between the steering wheel and
the rack. It is, literally, steer-by-wire. You turn the wheel, and it decides
how much turn to apply by a motor on the rack. Another motor at the steering
wheel supplies the feedback it calculates you need. Actually, there are three
processors deciding these things, and there is a conventional steering column
but it’s normally disengaged. If one of the brains has a disagreement with the
other two, a clutch engages, and it’s back to steer-by-column.
Can change steering
ratio and weight via menus
How your hand movements are mapped onto front-wheel angle
depends on speed: the virtual steering ratio gets lower as you drive faster, so
the car is agile at slow speed and sweeps round mini-roundabouts with minimal
twirling but isn’t twitchy through fast sweepers. In fact, you can dive into
the menus and alter that map, opting for a generally quicker one or a generally
slower one. You can adjust weight too. But the heaviest, fastest settings seem
false. This speed-dependent ratio is just one posited advantage of the system,
and it seems slightly better resolved and more natural than others’ mechanical
attempts. But there are further advantages to the entirely by-wire approach. It
works smoothly and effectively with the lane-keeping system. Also, there’s no
tramlining or kickback over one-sided bumps (which the 3-Series suffers from),
because there’s no mechanical link. It follows that as there’s no need to
isolate kickback mechanically, the rack doesn’t require rubber bushes, so
actually the steering is more precise in its initial take-up.
Engine is an
adapted 2.1-litre Merc unit (despite 2.2d badge).
But, of course, it can’t deliver ‘true’ road feel. Various
sensors can work out when the grip limit is approaching, and at that point
reduce the weight you feel through the steering wheel. It works, up to a point.
But, to be honest, it’s not needed in the diesel. The standard steering feels
fine – better at the limit, though it’s muzzier to wake up as you turn in. The
suspension’s intrinsic softness still gives you slightly soggy steering. Sure
enough, the DAS was better in the sport-chassis V6 hybrid I tried – but was the
improvement down to the DAS or the all-round tauter set-up? Still, the diesel
does have a nice cushy ride, which is worth more for most daily driving.
