Mercedes-Benz X350 vs Infiniti Q50

What's the difference?

The V6 X-Class is big, bold and bloody expensive – and it has segment-topping safety tech– but its price-tag swiftly climbs above more than $80,000 when you start adding one of the many optional extras and is it really worth that much beyond the cache of the badge? Really?

Sure, the bigger engine is what most potential X-Class buyers were pushing for after the launch of the four-cylinder-powered utes as part of the first-gen X-Class wave, but is there room – or even actual demand – for such a high-priced supposedly luxury ute?

Read on.

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?