January 2014

Infinti is making a much more concerted effort on the company car market with its new Q50 compact executive saloon. It’s aimed squarely at the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class, so it has its work cut out to impress. It arrives with a 2.2 turbodiesel and 3.5-litre V6, with the latter also equipped with hybrid power and the option of four-wheel drive to take on larger-engined diesel models from its German competition. The 3.5 V6 Hybrid Q50 offers brisk performance of 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds, or 5.4 for the all-wheel drive version. Emissions of 144g/km, with 159g/km for the four-wheel drive, put the Q50 just one tax band above an equivalent BMW 330d. However, fleets will be more concerned with the 2.2 turbodiesel that comes with 170bhp and a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearboxes. The manual serves up 64.2mpg and 114g/km CO2 emissions, while the auto turns in 58.9mpg and 124g/km. This means the Q50 trades blows very effectively with the BMW 320d and, in SE trim, the Infiniti is also cheaper.