Infiniti Q50 vs Tesla Model S

What's the difference?

VS
Infiniti Q50
Infiniti Q50

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2018 price

Tesla Model S
Tesla Model S

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2017 price

Summary

2018 Infiniti Q50
2017 Tesla Model S
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 2.0L
Electric motor type
Multi-Motor – Mixed Types
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol
Vehicle type
Battery Electric
Fuel Efficiency
7.3L/100km (combined)
Electric range
613 km
Energy consumption

20.0 kWh/100km
Battery capacity

100.00 kWh
Seating
5

5
Dislikes
  • Struggles to maintain traction at times
  • Confusing dual screens
  • Cabin design feels busy

  • Sadly, it's not a sports car
  • It's a lot of money
  • Lack of convenient charging
2018 Infiniti Q50 Summary

The Infiniti Q50 Red Sport sedan really wants you to love it, and this latest version is doing its best to impress the heck out of you with its looks and features.

So much so that you'll take it home... and live with it, forever. And then there's that engine – armed with a formidable twin-turbo petrol V6, the Q50 Red Sport's outpowers all its rivals.

But then there's the BMW 340i which is not that much more expensive... and it's a BMW. And what about the Lexus IS 350? That's more like the Infiniti, but also more popular.

Oh, and don't forget that we when first met the Q50 Red Sport last year we didn't exactly get off on the right foot. The engine's formidable grunt seemed too much for the car to handle. Then there was the jiggly ride, and the steering wasn't great either unless you were in Sport + mode. It's all coming back now...

Perhaps the Q50 Red Sport had changed. This is the new one, and Infiniti had assured us it's a different car now.

Do we give it another chance? Of course, and we do, in a quick 48-hour test. So, has it changed? Is it better? Would we live with it forever?

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2017 Tesla Model S Summary

If you have even a passing interest in the Tesla Model S, you'll have seen the endless internet videos where someone has lined up a Ferrari, Lamborghini, or another fast exotic car you could name, to race against it.

There's a long build-up, usually involving men who can't operate a baseball cap, a drag strip and idiotic words in the headline like "destroys" or "rips", or whatever. There's usually a bunch of honking bros with bad haircuts watching on, already planning their next viral video where they set a perfectly good mobile phone on fire.

It's facile and idiotic and doesn't give you any real clue as to the depth of whatever supercar it has "humiliated" or, just as importantly, the depth of the Model S and its spectacular engineering.

So, I won't be spending the next thousand words building up to the conclusion that the Model S P100D with Ludicrous Mode is up there with the world's fastest production cars from 0-100km/h, because I'll tell you now that it is, and it does it in a claimed 2.7 seconds.

Now that's out of the way, there's quite a bit more to the Model S than a "broken" Nissan GT-R owner weeping into their bento box.

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Deep dive comparison

2018 Infiniti Q50 2017 Tesla Model S

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