2020 INFINITI Q60 RED SPORT

The only coupe from Infiniti, the 2020 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport is more than just a two-door sportster. Suitable as an around-town runabout, a DINK-mobile (Double Income No Kids), or as our tester proved, a road-worthy sports coupe that cut corners with the best of them. Just pick your poison and have at it.

WHAT IS IT?

The Infiniti Q60 Red Sport is a sleek two-door, four-passenger sports coupe that is available in two-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive models. While ours is the 400 horsepower twin-turbo V6, buyers can opt for a more restrained 300 horsepower version, too. Napleton.news tested that model a couple of years ago.

Long, low and wide are three buzzwords that describe the new Q60 Red Sport. In fact, it looks like what the youngsters refer to as being slammed or lowered like a Fast and Furious show car. Instead, it features a ton of detail that helps it stand out from its competition. A familiar 3D Infiniti grille starts things off and races past LED headlamps, over a bulging hood (with clearance for the twin-turbo V6) and a low-slung cockpit that offers a look that still looks as fresh as the day when it was initially introduced.

IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT MATTERS

A new and logically placed cabin features all controls within easy reach of each other. Comfortably-bolstered seats keep front-row occupants firmly in place. A two-tiered display screen controls the infotainment and navigation systems, but buyers can opt to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead. Rear seat legroom is adequate, but beware if you are a potential NBA Star. The trunk space in back is suitable for a pair of rollaboard suitcases.

On the dashboard is a push-button starter, a rearview and a bird’s eye view camera that shows what is located around the car before backing. A tilt and telescoping steering wheel with paddle-shift levers allow enthusiast drivers to channel their inner Formula 1 pilot, Daniel Riccardo.

From a safety standpoint, Infiniti’s suite is comprehensive. It includes lane-keeping assist, blind-spot intervention, adaptive cruise control and predictive-forward collision control that hits the brakes when it senses a car two cars in front of you.

HOW DOES IT GET UP AND GO?

Power for our Q60 Red Sport Coupe is supplied by a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 engine. A strong performer, it packs 400 horsepower @ 6,400 rpm and 350 lb-ft of torque between 1,600-5,200 rpm. That power is sent to a seven-speed automatic transmission that features rev-matching and an exuberant pop as it downshifts through the gears. Exclusively available in the Red Sport 400, it can complete a 0-60 mph jaunt in approximately 4.9 seconds. The only thing better than the kickback in the seats is the high-pitch, Formula 1-style whine that becomes part of the audio track of this hot rod.

BEHIND THE WHEEL

A stout performer, the Q60 Red Sport gives the impression of being in the center of your universe. A personal sports car, it offers a great fit, with excellent seating comfort and a command of the road, regardless of where it takes you. Starting up is as easy as pushing the start button on the upper bout of the dashboard. Kick back on the shift lever to key the Drive setting and you’ll have the option of grabbing hold of the steering wheel-mounted paddle shift levers or by sliding the shift lever to the right for manumatic functionality.

Once underway, the Red Sport offers a high-pitched stutter that quickly increases to a throaty rasp. Sounding totally like a Renault/Infiniti Formula 1 racecar, it makes a surreal presentation for those around the car as well as those within.

Acceleration from the turbocharged V6 engine is quick and capable at the same time. Do you want to merge onto a fast-moving Interstate? Done. Run late into a turn before tapping the brakes? Just think it. The point is that the Infiniti Q60 Red Sport becomes one with its driver, and that’s the way it should be.

With the 2020 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport, you are one with the sportscar. Contact the Napleton Infiniti Q60 experts who will be happy to pair you up with yours soon.