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Infiniti Q60:: Mid-range V6 gap filler not off the table for Australia

If you're thinking about sliding into the all-new 2017 Infiniti Q60, you'll have two petrol engine options to choose from: a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder unit, priced from $62,900, and bigger 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, priced from $88,900.


The 2.0-litre models, known as '2.0t', are powered by a Mercedes-Benz engine that offers 155kW of power and 350Nm of torque. And, while you could buy a small hatch for the cost of stepping up to the '3.0t' twin-turbo V6, you'll nearly double power to 298kW and more a whole lot more torque to make 475Nm.

If those two options fall into the 'too cold' and 'too hot' zones on your Goldilocks scale, there could be a 'just right' option on the cards. Although not yet available here, Q60 buyers overseas have access to the same 224kW/400Nm twin-turbo six available in the local Q50 sedan range.

This is the a down-tuned version of the same engine that powers the 298kW Q60 flagship, and indeed the Q50 can be had with that higher-powered option, too.

Why, then, does it not form part of the local Q60 range?

Speaking with CarAdvice at the Australian launch of the Q60 2.0t models this week, local Infiniti chief Jean-Philippe Roux said that it has potential, but isn't on the immediate agenda.

"We looked at the market and where the market is, the data. We felt that, to start with, this two-level strategy was the best thing to do," Roux said.

"So, we are still looking at other opportunities, but... top-spec 298kW and at the same time a 2.0-litre version, was for the moment good enough in terms of covering the market."

Roux suggested that the marketing plan for the Q60 is, at the moment, a straightforward affair: 2.0t for volume, 3.0t for big spenders looking for that extra something.

"[There are] two different roles to the car," Roux said. "The 2.0-litre version is the design aspiration, a bit of technology appeal. But the top-spec version is more for that power and performance aspiration. Now, volume will come primarily from the 2.0-litre version."

Infiniti Australia product planning manager, Bernard Michel, added that the lower-powered 3.0-litre engine is at least under consideration.

"We'll look at it and study it, but the market's telling us everybody's downsizing in terms of that volume car - and we thought those two models, basically, hit the mark," Michel said.

If the Q50 is any indicator, local pricing for the 224kW Q60 could see around $10-$15,000 shaved from the price of stepping up to a V6 option, making for a handy compromise point.

Still, it is perhaps that exact point that will keep the lower-powered V6 from ever launching here: Infiniti is already expecting the Q60 range to be a relatively low-volume prospect, regardless of specification and trim. Adding the 224kW model could ultimately complicate the range and reduce profit potential across the line-up.

Time will tell.

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