By Don Hammonds

That sleek looking blur that just roared past  you just might be a 2018 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400.

Infiniti is not playing with this car–they are deadly serious about making a name and building a rep for this particular model.

Of course, the big elephant in the room in the superfast midsized luxury sedan market are from BMW in the form of its M sedans. But never mind.  The Infiniti has a couple of cards to play that I think one-up …

Some cars are just beyond expression in words.

You gotta drive it instead.

Such a car is Infiniti’s Q60 Red Sport 400 AWD.

Exhilarating. Chock full of tech.  Awesome exhaust sounds. And lusty, catch me if you can driving thrills.

To be clear, I would not describe this as a sports car per se. It is a luxury grand touring coupe–a strong handling high speed car that is meant to be driven on weekend trips and cross country journeys.

Of course, this car is designed …

By Don Hammonds

 

Everybody knows red is the color for passion–and sex.

We have never thought that Infiniti products needed a name that exudes passion. The cars do that for themselves, thank you very much.

But this special iteration of the Q50–not a car noted for being cold-blooded OR slow—adds a lot of spice to a product already blessed with a reputation for being an enthusiast’s ride.

Frankly, we think Infiniti to stand to cut a few words out of the long name–every time …

By Don Hammonds

Sometimes small differences can make all the difference in the world.

That is certainly true of Nissan’s 2016 QX60 all wheel drive crossover.

[caption id="attachment_8357" align="alignnone" width="532"] Infiniti has comprehensively enhanced its versatile QX60 premium crossover for 2016, introducing a wide range of changes that improve the seven-seater’s exterior design and its driving dynamics, while showcasing new features and technologies that improve comfort, convenience and safety.[/caption]

Basically pretty similar in appearance and content to the Nissan Pathfinder, the QX60 still has …

By Don Hammonds

If James Bond was a family man, I strongly suspect that Nissan’s new Maxima would be on his list of possible rides for the kiddos.

Sleek, sexy, sly as a leopard, the 2016 Maxima is beyond a doubt, one of the coolest cats in the full-size sport sedan field.  It’s reliably fast without slamming you against the seats or upside a door panel. It corners and stops and steers like some of the better sports sedans I’ve driven.  And …

By Don Hammonds

Want subtlety in your next set of wheels? Want striking without the needless bling? How about a car that is as close to a prototype for the future as you’ll get? Let me introduce you to the Lincoln MKZ. I can see you now–you take a look at the zoomily elegant fastback in front of you, and you’re thinking, “No way!  That’s not an MKZ. The MKZ has a squarish design. Looks like a fancy Fusion. But this  fastback …

By Don Hammonds

Luxury cars these days seem all of a kind to some of our observant eyes. Semi fastback roofline. elongated, horizontal taillights. And increasingly, lots of bling. But there’s t least one classic among us that resolutely gives us another way: The Chrysler 300. Everything about the 300 says classic American luxury.  The sumptuousness of the seats.  The layout of the dashboard. The chromed dual exhaust in the back. The square shouldered, handsomeness of the design itself–you won’t …

By Don Hammonds

When auto shows begin their annual displays of razzle dazzle  in this country, most auto writers think they know what to expect.

Detroit will be a busy, hectic, but important show where we will see what’s on tap from the U.S. in coming years. Chicago will host a far more expansive and comfortable car show, earning its stripes as the circuits most enjoyable venue. but its unveilings may not be quite ground breaking as the Detroit show.

And New York …

     By Don Hammonds

     If we had to describe the 2014 Lincoln MKZ it would the word “futuristic.”

     I can’t think of a single piece of usable new technology that this car  does not have, and if Lincoln officials are ;looking for a new way to sell it, that’s the angle to use as far as we aer concerned.

      When you enter this car, you notice the unusual contour of the seats, the sweeping dashboard and console that look as …