Being an all-new engine, it’s packed full of tech, especially in 400 hp flavor
Infiniti is making bold claims about its new turbocharged six-cylinder, an engine it’s going to offer in two states of tune, under the bonnet of its Q50 sedan. First will come the 400 hp version, which will be shown at the Detroit motor show, then the lesser-powered 300 hp which will join the range towards the middle of 2016.
In 400 hp spec, peak power arrives at 6,400 rpm, with the torque curve staying flat at 475 Nm / 350 lb-ft between 1,600 and 5,200 rpm. Maximum oomph of the 300 hp variant is reached at the same rpm, and its 400 Nm / 295 lb-ft of pull is also maintained between 1,600 and 5,200 rpm.
Being an all-new engine, it’s packed full of tech, especially in 400 hp flavor: it apparently has two water pumps as well as an innovative optical turbo speed sensor that according to Infiniti “gives a 30% power boost to the turbo system by allowing the blades to spin faster.”
It also comes with what is called “advanced timing control,” a unique turbine blade design and an electronic wastegate actuator all of which add up to make a motor with “best-in-class power-to-efficiency ratio.”
Final point worth mentioning is the units’s weight; thanks to its lower displacement (plus multiple less significant weight saving measures, like the exhaust manifold which is built into the cylinder head), the V6 block is 14 kg / 39 lbs lighter than the naturally-aspirated 3.7-liter it replaces, even though the twin-turbo system adds back 25.8 kg / 56.9 lbs – total mass for the new engine comes in at 220.6 kg / 486.3 lbs.