2014 Infiniti Q50 AWD Premium: Swooning Over Sport Mode [First Impression]

2014 Infiniti Q50 3.7

The 2014 Infiniti Q50 3.7 AWD Premium comes with a 328 horsepower, 3.7-liter V6 with 269 lb-ft of torque paired to a 7-speed automatic transmission. This is the same engine that was in the G37 but the engineers have fiddled with it a bit and it’s smoother and more refined than in the past. The end result is a vehicle that is a joy to drive in any mode, but toggle the Drive Mode button to Sport and you may fall in love.

It’s not uncommon for vehicles to have some sort of drive select button, but all too often that button doesn’t do a heck of a lot. Sometimes you only notice the change by how high the engine will rev before it shifts. Sometimes you only notice by the color coding on the dash that often turns red in sport mode as if warning you that you better know what you’re doing, even if the car doesn’t seem to change in any perceptible way.

Not so with the 2014 Infiniti Q50 AWD Premium.

It drives beautifully in Standard mode, but take a deep breath and toggle it to Sport and you will immediately be rewarded with an entirely new driving experience. You can actually feel the whole car tighten up, hunker down, and get ready to show you just what it’s got under the hood.

The shift patterns and throttle sensitivity change noticeably as does the steering as the Direct Adaptive Steering, a world-first technology, adjusts how much feedback you get from the road. There are five different modes, Standard, Sport, Eco, Snow, and Personal, depending on what kind of driving experience fits your style.

Flip it to Sport mode, watch the red light glow, and just try not to fall in love with the 2014 Infiniti Q50 AWD Premium.

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.