RicerX

BE PREPARED - I'm about to get wordy.

I've been weighing this a lot myself actually. There are a few factors that haven't been made available to help me make a decision (one being price... how much is this thing going to be?!), the other being equipment changes.

I have a couple buyer's remorse things in my 2015. Luckily, you can still track down many 2015s that have these options that I didn't get, and I advise you to do so on the 2015 -

1) Rays wheels (Performance wheel and tire package). These also come with a physical spare. If you're not concerned about having a ton of trunk space, get the spare.

2) Navigation package. My car didn't have it, and I didn't think I would care for it... but almost a year into it and being acquainted with the InTouch system, staring at that clock on the top screen... meh. I would rather make use of the extra capability by having the Nav.

Other stuff I didn't get, but I didn't care about because this is my first luxury car -

1) Remote start. Would have been neat to have, but I can't figure out how it's packaged. I test drove several Q50s, but on purchase day, I drove two 2015 sports. One had the Rays wheels, one did not. I thought that was the only difference, but apparently there was something else on the car that carried the remote start feature. The only thing I do know is that neither car had navigation.

2) Seat memory (and it pairs with the intelligent key). This wasn't a priority for me - I rarely don't drive my car, so once it's dialed in, it usually stays there. Would be neat, but not worth getting the Deluxe Touring Package for.

As for the 2016 - I don't know if the Rays wheel package will still be available. It doesn't look like it, as the 2016 Red Sport models the press have been getting have staggered tire sizes on the new sport wheels (265 rear, 245 front). Many don't realize this, but the optional Rays wheels on the Q50 are four front 370Z rays wheels - square wheels, staggered tires. The rears would poke past the rear fenders. My 2015 Sport has the regular sport wheels with runflats, square 245 setup. They suck. Great DD tire, but the first time you try and have any fun with it, it's easy to overwhelm the tires. Plus, runflats are SUPER stiff and don't lend themselves well to the ride quality. I expect this to be exacerbated by the gobs of torque available in the 2016 Red Sport.

Another thing I have touched on in this thread is the lack of a limited slip differential. I don't know if that changes in the 2016 - there's nothing in any of the press releases that points one way or the other. I really wish they would, and that would be a tipping point toward the 2016. Otherwise, powertrain aside, the cars are identical. So I'll break down my final thoughts now.

I prefer naturally aspirated power. It's always on, always there, and there are less components to worry about failure points with. That said, stock turbo power, well executed, is also attractive to me. However, at the end of the day, I need to be able to trust my car - when I hit the start button, it needs to start, and it needs to safely take me from where I am to where I am going. A more tried and true powertrain brings me that peace of mind. People have hammered on the VQ37 on this forum with many different power adders, and I have read through it vigorously - I know where its failure points are. I also know that I can get to the 400hp mark with this car at the crank with bolt ons - so I can take this car to where the 2016 is (minus the torque) and still be n/a and have a VERY reliable daily driver with a good tune (I live within 2 hours of Z1 Motorsports). I would prefer to have that setup with the Rays wheels and a good LSD. Now, with the extra discounts, I would have absolutely sourced a properly equipped 2015 and taken advantage (and I would still be working on finding a true LSD solution).

If you want to mod and you want bang for the buck for your mod dollar, the 2016 is a no brainer. The aftermarket support for factory boosted cars is monstrous, and the new Q50 will be no exception. I have already talked to Fast Intentions, and they have already told me they will have a full lineup of parts available for the VR30 in the Q50/60. I imagine it's possible for the catback exhausts to carry over to the 14-15 Q50s, because I would think that since the turbo engine is dropping into the car otherwise built for the 3.7 that they'd be able to keep the mounting points for the catback the same, but I have been wrong there before. The other big change is the transmission, though - it's the M56 transmission, basically. It can handle the extra power of the VR30 (and probably a bit more). Now, you can source the 7AT upgrades available from Fast Intentions with their twin turbo setup for the 370Z and be in a good spot with the 3.7L Q50, but you won't have a transmission warranty.

(I also forgot about the dynamic suspension on the 2016 - you can adjust dampening via InTouch, which is neat, but not a priority for me - I like sport suspension all the time.)

TL;DR -

If you're happy with some simple bolt ons on a tried and true platform, the changes going to the twin turbo Q50 aren't quite enough to pay the premium on an as yet unproven powertrain. Take the money saved and rock a 2015.

If you want extra factory power now, and you want it under warranty, and you like the idea of having some cutting edge performance tech, the 2016 is the way to go. The Q50 red sport is more tweakable than a GT-R from the factory - with the performance packages, you can tune transmission shift logic, throttle tip in (and boost management -Sport+ Mode allows "overboost"), suspension dampening, and steering up to 150+ different combinations. Kinda neat, but lots to mess with. To each his own there. I wouldn't pay extra to get all that, but I would have fun with it if I had it (all things equal)

Let us know what you decide! If you end up considering a 2015 and shelve the idea of a 2016, go drive a Lexus IS350 F Sport before you drive a Q50 and let me know what you think. If you decide on a 2016, don't even bother with the Lexus - you'll be torque-drunk after driving the Q50 Red Sport.

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