2016 Infiniti Q50
The refreshed 2016 Infiniti Q50 sport
sedan is the first product from the Nissan luxury brand to bear an entirely
new-generation V-6.
Meanwhile, this 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6
makes 400 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque in its top high-output form,
or 300 hp and 295 lb-ft in standard form. In either version, the engine makes
its peak torque at a very low 1,600 rpm all the way up to 5,200 rpm. And peak
power is made at a high-revving 6,400 rpm.
The new engine was developed in Japan
and is the product not of the alliance with Mercedes-Benz parent company
Daimler, but of Nissan and Infiniti.
The VR replaces the 3.7-liter VQ V-6 on
the Q50 for the 2016 model year, an engine that's won many awards yet isn't as
smooth in some of its recent applications, and within a couple of model years we
expect the VR to replace the VQ in all of Nissan’s rear-wheel-drive-based
applications.
In the Q50 sport-sedan lineup, it’s the
end of an era of naturally aspirated engines, as it’s part of a new set of
engines. The other, in base 2.0t models, is the Mercedes-Benz-sourced 2.0-liter
turbocharged four-cylinder engine, making the Q50 either turbocharged or hybrid.
Yes, the 3.5-liter V-6 and electric motor Q50 Hybrid is still in the lineup.
Infiniti says that this is the most
advanced V-6 it’s ever offered. It weighs 486 pounds and features an
aluminum-alloy block and heads, direct injection, an electronic wastegate
actuator, water-cooled engine charging, and valve timing control that’s
actuated by an e-motor for quick responsiveness.
The engine has a square, 86-mm bore and stroke, with a more compact block than the engine it
replaces, so there are some packaging advantages, too.
One of the key differences between the
300-hp version and the 400-hp one is that the higher-power, higher-boost engine
uses two water pumps. And in either form, it uses 0W-20 low-viscosity oil,
moved with an electronically controlled, variable-displacement oil pump. Expect
fuel-efficiency ratings to be up somewhat, especially for the standard-output
version, compared to the previous V-6, and engine stop-start is likely.
