INFINITI’S latest offering in the premium class is a handsome and powerful sports coupe.

The Japanese car maker’s stylish Q60 also has rarity value when pitched alongside more established rivals from Mercedes, Audi and BMW, giving it the potential to appeal to those with an eye for something a little different.

The Q60 has a low and wide stance which, combined with its eye-catching muscular lines, is capable of turning heads.

The wider wheels and tyres not only adds to the new Q60’s attention-grabbing aggressive design, but also improves the vehicle’s handling.

In terms of engines, there’s a choice between two petrol units. The two-litre 208hp turbocharged petrol option, tested here, has now been joined by an advanced all-new 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo offering 400hp.

The 2.0-litre engine sounds a little gruff when the car is idling and also when you’re setting off, but it soon settles down to a quiet and refined cruise.

The power on offer is channelled through the rear wheels and provides acceleration that’s swift enough for most situations, but you need to give the car plenty of revs to get it to pick up speed with urgency.

That’s partly because the seven-speed automatic box can be a tad slow to respond to subtle throttle inputs.

A Drive Mode Selector allows you to choose from standard, snow, eco, sport, sport+’ and personal options.

As you might expect, sport mode is the most engaging from a driver enjoyment point of view, with the engine becoming more eager.

As for ride comfort, the Q60 is firmly sprung, meaning you feel some of the road imperfections, although it’s still pretty comfortable for the most part.

The chassis improves as you work it harder, offering good body control and well-balanced grip levels as you increase speed.

Once inside the cabin of the Q60, you can’t help but be impressed by the quality of the materials used, with all trim levels being equipped with leather seats, pleasantly-textured soft plastics and attractive trims.

If you look hard enough, you may find one or two buttons and displays that can be found in cheaper cars from the Nissan range, but that’s a minor grumble.

The cabin of the Q60 has been packaged to offer comfortable space for all passengers, in spite of its sports coupe shape.

The standard electric seats offer plenty of adjustment for even the tallest of drivers to get comfortable.

The Infotainment system is something you’ll either love or hate, with a pair of touchscreens mounted on top of each other in the centre of the dash.

The top screen, which is eight inches, takes care of infotainment and the sat-nav, while the bottom one, which is seven inches, deals with the car’s dynamic settings and other apps.

At first, this twin-screen system seemed unnecessarily complex but, as I got used to the menus, I started to see the value of separating the information available on the two screens.

Making its world debut in a production vehicle, the Q60 is available with a 13-speaker, Bose Performance Series sound system, an optional audio setup which has been tailored to the acoustics of the car’s cabin.

Premium models are available in black or white leather with brushed aluminium or black wood accents. Sport models are standard in black leather with well-matched violet carbon fibre accent, but also propose a brighter interior finish: red or white leather with a glass fibre accent.

With eye-catching looks, excellent performance and a luxurious interior, the Q60 has plenty going for it.

In trying to entice buyers, it’s main challenge is something beyond Infiniti’s control – the continuing strength and development of the German competition in the same marketplace.

THE LOWDOWN

Infiniti Q60 2.0 Premium Tech

Price: £37,690 (range from £33,990)

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.0-litre petrol producing 208hp

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic driving rear wheels

Performance: 0 to 62mph in 7.3 seconds; top speed 146mph

Economy: 41.5mpg combined CO2 emissions: 156g/km