A four-seat, four-door fastback saloon as vast as it is blingy. The Infiniti Q80 Inspiration (named, TG presumes, for the nationality of its likely buyers) measures 520cm from bow to stern, placing it within just several centimetres of a Jaguar XJ. Under the Q80’s long bonnet is a 550bhp hybrid arrangement, a 440bhp twin-turbo V6 gas supplemented with electric motors. The Q80 remains rear-drive in everyday driving, with power pressed to the front tires if required. Behind claphand doors, there lurks – naturellement – a swoopy inside of much fabric, Alcantara and hi-res information screens, while a friendly variant regarding the present raft of auto-driving tech gently recommends towards the driver what might be the very best course of action to take.
The Infiniti Q80 Inspiration might appear to be old-fashioned high-concept fare, but Infniti is interestingly seriously interested in bringing it to output in mostly unchanged form. Infniti designer Simon Cox informs TopGear that the firm will enter the big-car section – think BMW 7-Series and Merc S-Class – “in three to fve years”, a production form of this vehicle prepared as the range-topper. It’ll probably lose those reverse hingeing rear doorways, but won’t be slow. Infniti’s Europe employer, François Goupil de Bouillé, states the manufacturing Infiniti Q80 Inspiration should be capable of 0–62mph in less than four seconds. “It may have the best performance in its segment,” he warns. Be careful, Panamera Turbo.