This coupe from Infiniti could be the one tool you need to stay away from the pack that is busy imitating each other…

Photos by Azfar Hashim

When you think of a coupe, Infiniti is something you would never even think of. Fact is your mind would conjure, instead, images of a German something; say, the C-Class Coupe, 4 Series Coupe, A5 Coupe and probably even the Cayman.

And that’s not a bad thing if your other point of buying such a coupe is to show up at some open carpark with like-minded bros on a Friday evening, driving the similar model as yours. Plus, imagine showing up at the next family gathering with your flashy German: On top of the statement you’re making, you can imagine how your female cousins would want to match make you with their friends.

Such is life. You buy a car for so many reasons, and undeniably the other reason - besides as a mode of transportation - is to impress others.

“Hell no, I’m not that sort!”, some of you may opine. But before you get disgusted and feel the urge to stop reading this review, let me show you to the most subtle and silent coupe your money can buy right now: Infiniti’s Q60 S Red Sport.

For S$277,800 with COE, you get a sexy exterior that hides 400 bhp/470 Nm with the ability to go from standstill to 100 km/h in a veracious 5.4 seconds. Now just to compare, its nearest competitors the S$262,030 Audi A5 Coupe 2.0 Sport has 252 bhp/370 Nm while the S$233,888 Mercedes-Benz C300 Coupe only has 241 bhp/370 Nm. The nearest competitor here, performance wise, would be the $280,888 BMW 440i Coupe M-Sport, which has 322 bhp/450 Nm and — in a twist — takes 0.4 seconds faster to reach 100 km/h.

Refinement for the daily drive to office seems to be its highlight. While the rest of the Germans would be audible enough to let you know it is getting you up to speed, the Infiniti does it in a hush manner. So to keep track, it’d be wiser to watch the needle as your surrounding turns into a blur, especially on our camera-laden island. On top of that, the transmission is buttery smooth as it climbs up towards seventh.

In times of playfulness, switching to Sport+ mode is a must. Somehow the entire car transforms into a different animal, this time making you fully aware it has switched personality; the twin-turbocharged V6 engine and exhaust note becomes more audible, the steering gets a tad weightier and the throttle response sharpens. Personally, this is the best way to outrun unsuspecting hot-hatchbacks that think they could outrun everything else on the road.

You thought it couldn’t, but this Q60 rockets forward willingly without the need to weld the accelerator pedal dead into the floor. If you love taking control, swap to manual selection mode and utilise the paddle-shifters; with all that powaaah in a straight line, this is the king. But come corners, you may want to slow down a little: A rear-wheel drive, it’s easy to lose the car’s balance if you’re not used to all that power and went bonkers with the highly alert brakes while entering. That said however, the traction control system along with Infiniti’s Active Trace Control really did a brilliant job of ensuring the car remains well under control even when you feel as though the rear’s about to snap and throw you into the barrier, unglamorously.

As a whole, the Q60 S Red Sport 400 is one of the best value-for-money coupe your money can buy right now. Vis-a-vis, the performance and driving experience really makes you question how on earth Infiniti could get it so well sorted and give the three Germans something to worry about.

Truly, this is a very special car that doesn’t shout for attention, but shows off only when necessary. If you’re that sort of individual, don’t bother looking elsewhere. Period.