1989 INFINITI Q45 4.5L V8 4AT (178 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Infiniti introduced the Q45 on the U.S. market in 1989 as its flagship model, but it wasn’t a completely new vehicle.

Nissan started to push harder with the Q45 series, which was nothing more than a re-badged Nissan Cedric Cima from the Japanese market. As expected, there were some differences, other than the badge and the headlights.

Unusually for most of the cars on the market, the Q45 didn’t feature a front grille. Instead, the design team did the front fascia with a flat shape and a big badge in the middle. Infiniti brought the air needed for cooling the engine via a grille on the lower side of the bumper. Its curved margins and a sloped rear window created a sportier appearance than Lexus LS400, its main competitor.

Inside, Infiniti installed bucket seats at the front with high bolstering and a curved dashboard with a center stack tilted toward the driver. The instrument cluster was wide and narrower than most of the cars from that era. Thanks to the long wheelbase, the Q45 provided enough room for four adults. In the rear, the tall center tunnel made the center seat almost unusable. At least, it offered a big trunk.

Infiniti carried over the Nissan Cedric Cima’s powertrain with its 4.5-liter V-8 engine paired to a standard four-speed automatic transmission. Surprisingly for its size, the car could rocket from 0 to 60 mph (0-97 kph) in 6.7-seconds.