Battle of the 400-hp heavyweight sports sedans
TFL’s test car pro, Paul Gerrard, gets behind the wheel of the 2017 Infiniti Q50s Red Sport with rear-wheel drive and the 2017 Mercedes-Benz E43 AMG with all-wheel-drive to see which hot red sports sedan is hot-or-not. Both cars feature technology packed engines and systems highlighted by the Infiniti’s steer-by-wire set-up.
Out to TFL’s test track at IMI Motorsports we went, and here’s how it went down:
| Inifiniti Q50s Red Sport | Mercedes-Benz AMG E43 | |
| Engine | 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 | 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 |
| Drive | Rear-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
| Horsepower | 400 | 396 |
| Torque | 350 lb-ft. | 384 lb-ft. |
| Transmission | 7-speed | 9-speed |
| Curb Weight | 3,870 lbs. | 4,145 lbs. |
| List Price | $60,720 | $91,175 |
| Tires | 19-inch/245 front, 265 rear | 20-inch/245 front, 275 rear |
| 0-60 | 5.52 seconds | 5.5 seconds |
| Lap time | 1:07:67 | 1:06:44 |
| Paul says … | “Steering was always one step behind me. Wooden break pedal.” | “Can tell it’s heavy. Car seems more about tech than performance.” |
| Hot or Not? | Not | Not |
