LOOKS

To really appreciate a well-designed vehicle, look at it in the evening, in proper lighting. The Q50’s exterior design sparkles, and holds up well against the best designs you’ll get from the Mercedes, Cadillac and BMW competition in this category.

And don’t get me wrong, it looks great during the day too. The shimmering red paint job is simply stunning.

The interior of the Q60 features high-quality leather and is extremely comfortable for the driver and front seat passenger. Though overall interior space is a bit tighter than some competitors. The back seat isn’t really meant for people to sit in, as is often the case in this segment. There’s just not the room.

This is definitely a fun vehicle, not a family one. Don’t plan to tote the kids around in this thing.

I would call the Q60 Red Sport a sports car with luxury amenities, which is something you don’t always find -- as some manufacturers put all their emphasis on power and ignore the upscaling of the interior.

ENGINE, HORSEPOWER

The Q60 Red Sport features a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine. Output is 400 horsepower and 350 lb.-ft. of torque. It feature a 7-speed automatic transmission, with manual shift mode and paddle shifters.

You get an independent front and rear sport suspension, and sport brakes with larger rotors.

You can opt for all-wheel drive, but rear-wheel drive is standard.

There’s not a truly accurate way to describe the feel of driving a vehicle like the Q60 Red Sport. It’s more of a feeling, you just have to do it and you’ll know what I mean. All I’ll say is that it’s quite a rush.

0 to 60 was under 5 seconds, if you want to use that as a barometer. This bad boy can haul, and I only wish I could have been somewhere beyond the eyes of the law to actually see what it could do without risking my arrest. You can choose your drive mode, though I’m guessing most drivers will stick to Sport and Sport+ and not the more reserved modes below that, which diminish the ride quality but will boost fuel economy.

You’ll look forward eagerly to your time behind the wheel every day if you decide to go for a Q60 Red Sport. Both overall handling and braking are quite responsive, and you’ll want to seek the scenic route and some windy roads on a regular basis.

I will caution though, that if you live in an area with bad weather where you’ll be driving on bumpy, pothole-filled roads, the appeal of a vehicle like this plummets, as that type of road condition inhibits the Q60 from doing what it naturally wants to do.

TECHNOLOGY, SAFETY

One thing that’s impressive about the Q60 Red Sport is that while it’s a performance vehicle, they don’t forget that you need to feel safe. Rearview camera is standard, and you can opt for Intelligent Cruise Control, Distance Control Assist, Blind Spot Intervention System, Lane Departure Warning and Prevention, and much more on the safety front.
It is worth mentioning that some rivals do include more of these features as standard, and not just options.

On the tech side, the dual-screen infotainment system was easy to use, and responded well to voice commands.

MPG
Official fuel mileage numbers on the Q60 Red Sport are 19 city/26 highway/21 combined.
Compared to its main competition, this is roughly on par with the Cadillac ATS coupe, but slightly less than the Mercedes C-class coupe, and BMW 4-series coupe.

But let’s be honest. Fuel economy isn’t the deciding factor in this class. It’s the drive, and the look -- or some combination thereof.

PRICE
The Q60 Red Sport I tested was top of the line with all the trimmings and came in just over $62,000; base price for the Q60 starts about $38,950, but keep in mind that’s not the Red Sport line and you’ll have a less powerful engine and less horsepower (208 hp, 2.0-liter). There are roughly 10 different versions of the Q60 available, from the base model up to the top-level Red Sport I tested.

BOTTOM LINE

While Infiniti isn’t quite as large a name in the luxury market as some of the big competitors, they’ve taken a huge step with the brand new 2017 Q60 Red Sport toward gaining some ground among luxury buyers who want a strong, sporty coupe.

This is a vehicle aimed squarely at driving enthusiasts who want a fun ride that also provides ample luxury feel and safety features. Few vehicles do all of that well, but the Q60 Red Sport is one of them.

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Matt Myftiu can be found on Twitter @MattMyftiu.