Infiniti has surged onto the luxury market with its sedans and convertibles. Now, with the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid, this luxury division is ready to take on the green motoring segment of the market.

To help it in its quest to take on the green motoring world, the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid has developed an engine that helps it claim that it is the hybrid engine with the most acceleration. If you thought green motoring was slow and boring, think again… unless 5.5 seconds for the 0–100 km dash sounds slow to you (by way of comparison, one of the Q70 Hybrid’s stablemates from Infiniti, the QX70 5.0 does it in 5.8 seconds with a V8 engine).  However, unlike its V8 cousin, the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid can go 100 km on only 6.8 litres of petrol, half the amount of the thirsty relative (cue silly joke about drunken uncles, if this isn’t out of place in a review of a sophisticated luxury car).  In the power stakes, the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid does pretty well, too, with 268 kW of power on tap at maximum at 6800 rpm.  This is thanks to the non-electric bit of the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid: a 3.5 litre V6 petrol engine, which also has 350 Nm of torque at 5000 rpm. The electric motor has a respectable 50 kW in the 1770–2000 rpm range (perfect for around town) and an astonishing 270 kW of torque at 1770 rpm, which beats some petrol units out there.

The Infiniti Q70 Hybrid looks positively sporty, too, with something almost coupé-like in the roofline. Having said that, the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid is a sedan – a luxury sedan at that.  It’s beautifully, smoothly styled, from the chrome grille and the bi-xenon dusk-sensing headlights to the dual chrome-trimmed exhaust. Inside, it’s just as lovely, with leather trim on the steering wheel and seats (bucket seats in the front), and brushed aluminium paddle shifters – to say nothing of the ash wood trim that’s bound to keep the connoisseurs happy.

The 7-speed automatic transmission (with manual mode if wanted) is superbly smooth, thanks to the rev matching downshifting function – it makes using the paddle shifters very easy and smooth.  And that’s not all the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid can do to make your drive more enjoyable and efficient.  A minor convenience feature that isn’t to do with the handling or the on-road performance but is still very useful is the Intelligent Key function, which doesn’t just open the door – it also has a memory function that has your settings for the driver’s seat, exterior mirrors and steering wheel ready to go as soon as you start off. It’s the little details that count.  Some of those little details include speed sensitive steering (not so little, when you think about it), a lock-up torque converter and brakes with everything (EBD, ABS and BA).  The drive mode selector has plenty of options to play with: Standard, Snow, Economy and Sport.

One active safety feature they’re very proud of in the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid is the Blind Spot Intervention, which uses radar technology to detect whether something’s crept into where you can’t spot them in the mirrors.  You’ve also got the rear view camera to see what’s behind you.  You’ll also find traction control and stability control, as you would expect.

Other goodies inside the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid include everything a good modern car should have: auxiliary 12-volt power sockets, tons of storage space, lumbar support for the driver, keyless engine start, cupholders and all those things we’re starting to take for granted.  Things you might not take for granted but will find in the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid include the power-operated rear tailgate, the 30 GB hard-disk navigation system, the Bluetooth preparation, the 8-inch high-resolution colour display, USB input on the sound system, dual-zone automatic climate control and more.

Current model series include:

• Infiniti Q70 Hybrid

For any more information on the Infiniti Q70 Hybrid, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Infiniti dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!