Infiniti Fast-Tracks Q50 Updates Due to Complaints, We Drive Revised Car

Introducing technologies into the automotive landscape always carries inherent risk. But Infiniti took an extra-long leap when it launched its new 2014 Q50 sedan with optional Direct Adaptive Steering (DAS), a fully electric by-wire steering system and the first of its kind in a production vehicle. Our initial tests of both conventional and hybrid Q50S models with the tech revealed them to be accomplished luxury cars, but lacking the playfulness and “Porsche-like steering feel” of the old G sedan they replace. We weren’t alone in those observations and Infiniti took note, quickly tweaking the just-released car in hopes of delivering a more satisfying driving experience. We were invited by the company to Nashville Superspeedway to sample the revisions.

Those expecting a few new lines of computer code to enact a dramatic transformation will be disappointed. Sensors and actuators on both the column and rack control the DAS setup, with a mechanical link to the front wheels coming into play only as an emergency failsafe. (Read more about how the system works in our deep dive.) Besides actually steering the car, it’s the computer’s job to filter out kickback from the front wheels to the helm—which it does almost entirely, for better or worse—while simulating the forces acting on the tires that lend a driver a greater sense of control. The company was vague on specifics, but said fine-tuning this mix of simulations was a primary focus.

Our time behind the wheel was limited, and structured into exercises that showcased the Q50’s strengths and the electric steering’s adjustability. Getting a solid read on the DAS updates was therefore difficult, made even more so given that there are three settings each for steering weight (Light, Standard, and Heavy) and quickness (Casual, Standard, and Quick) to contend with. But we did make some observations. The steering is slightly more tactile and progressive than before yet remains unmistakably synthetic, the near-absence of subtle nudges from road imperfections still a sensation that takes time to get used to.

In pre-update cars, it was this feeling, combined with the setup’s lightning-quick reactions, that led to another reported issue: drivers turning into corners too abruptly and unsettling the car, which responded with excessive oversteer. To counter this and to dial in some understeer, Infiniti will offer a new Sport package for rear-wheel-drive models that encompasses lighter forged aluminum wheels and wider 265/35R19 rear performance tires. (The front rubber will remain 245/40R19s.)


Sebastian Vettel in the 2014 Infiniti Q50S


With the stability control deactivated and rolling on the new rubber, the Q50 was less prone to push than the changes might indicate, though, displaying mid-corner neutrality and a willingness to be steered by the throttle. Hitting home the Q50’s eagerness to drift was Sebastian Vettel, four-time Formula 1 world champ and Infiniti’s Director of Performance, who showcased his and the car’s abilities with sideways thrill rides around the speedway’s infield road course. Unusually cold fall temperatures limited overall grip and exaggerated the car’s tail-happiness, though, so we’ll have to wait for better conditions—and more time in the driver’s seat—for a more accurate assessment.

We’ll also have to get back to you with a detailed report on the standard Q50’s fully hydraulic steering system. From the very brief drives we had for comparison to the updated DAS system, the normal setup is much slower and still somewhat stingy on feel, but it does have a more linear and natural response to cornering loads.

Direct Adaptive Steering is currently standard on hybrid Q50 models and part of the $3100 Deluxe Touring Package on other trims. Infiniti initially expects only about a 30 percent take rate for DAS, and it says that the revised software has already been added to production vehicles. Owners of earlier cars can have their dealers perform the software update for an undisclosed amount—why it’s not free, we don’t know—while pricing for the aforementioned Sport package will be set closer to its release in early 2014.

• Instrumented Test: 2014 Infiniti Q50S
• Instrumented Test: 2014 Infiniti Q50S Hybrid
• So, This Happened: F1 Champ Sebastian Vettel Stopped By Our Office!

But perhaps even more than criticism, Infiniti is battling familiarity. Steering feel is something drivers have grown to understand and trust over decades of refinement, and the DAS setup is akin to synthesizing a heartbeat. Even if the average person can’t describe feel, they certainly can tell when something seems amiss. Infiniti likes to make the point that ABS and electronic stability control were viewed with similar confusion and contempt as DAS when they were introduced, and that they went on to wider acceptance (and are now mandated). We’ll counter by saying that no driver experiences either of those systems anywhere close to as often as they do their steering wheel. By-wire steering will surely improve, just as electrically boosted steering has, but how quickly it does so is likely crucial to its short-term viability.

On the topic of quickness, we commend Infiniti for rapidly responding to initial criticism of the Q50. While it still falls far short of the G in terms of character and satisfaction, the gap is at least a skosh narrower then before. We’ll keep the Q50 marked as a work in progress.




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