2002 Infiniti Q45

Infiniti Q45 Premium Luxury Car Doubles For Racy Performance

By Bob Plunkett
Photography By Brian Leshon

Price Range: $50,500 to $58,680
Pricing and Options

Engine: DOHC 4.5-liter V8

Configuration: Front Engine, Rear drive; Power 4-disc Brakes,/ ABS/EBD/TCS/VDC; Power Rack and Pinion Steering

Dimensions: Wheelbase: 113.0 inches; Overall Length: 199.6 inches

Fuel Efficiency: 17/23 MPG

Safety Features: Driver, passenger, side and side curtain airbags; ABS, standard

ROME, Italy -- There's no question that the fastest route to Rome, heading south down the peninsular boot of Italy, happens to be the A1 freeway -- the autostrada primo, as Italians call it -- which follows the Tiber River into the ancient capital. It's a smooth road of multiple lanes with attentive drivers and relaxed speed limits that combine to move the traffic at an excessive clip.

Still, intense muscle stemming from a prototype issue of the Q45, a stunning new treatment of the prime luxury sedan from Infiniti of Japan, propels this powerful car to the lead in the A1 fast lane.

The needle of this Q's speedometer in a crisp electroluminescent display easily surpasses the mark of 220 kilometers per hour (about 136 mph) for extended periods, yet even more juice remains in the accelerator.

In fact, there's so much latent power in that pedal that at a lesser speed -- a mere 150 kph (93 mph) -- only a gentle tap to the throttle snaps shoulders back into a padded bucket seat and hurls more than two tons of metal, leather and chrome forward in a shocking display of accelerative force.

Such strength, drawn from a sophisticated new V8 engine that produces as much as 340 horsepower, clearly casts this new rendition of the luxury flagship in Infiniti's fleet in a different light.

It's feisty now and so enthused in spirit that the Q45 behaves like a superior sports machine. However, the classy new exterior styling -- hard cut lines and sensuous curves carved from painted metal and glittery chrome, plastic and glass -- along with cushy interior appointments -- supple leather hides and high-gloss hardwoods plus a host of high-tech electronic gear -- portray a different image, one of premium refinement for an ultimate luxury sedan.

This contradiction of personality is integral to the fundamental plan for a new Q45, as Infiniti stakes a bold position for its flagship as a muscular and aggressive performance car draped in a dramatic package and fitted with consummate features for comfort and convenience.