There are many auto awards. It’s hard to keep track of what’s out there. While all bring prestige to the vehicle that wins, some awards hold more sway over consumer decisions than others. The AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award is one of them. This year the 2021 Infiniti Q50 was chosen as the winner.

What is the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award?

Earning the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award is no small feat. The main concern is that owners feel satisfied with their purchases. That means no buyers regret a month after driving the vehicle. 

The problem is that it can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. The AutoPacific considers this by looking at 36 different areas, including interior design, usability, driving performance, and other various features.

Rather than having one or two people take the vehicle for a test drive or even keep it for a year, the AutoPacific VSA sends out a survey to over 89,000 owners and tallies the responses. It gives a comprehensive view of how people feel about the vehicle, determining which vehicle earns the reward.

The Infiniti Q50 lands the award

Infiniti has won many awards over the years. This is the first time the Q50 has won this particular award. There have been other Infinitis to win it. There was the QX50, QX60, and QX80. Each won in several different categories, and there’s no doubt it was well-earned. Infiniti was especially excited about this one, however.

According to USA Infiniti News, “Successfully blending sportiness and luxury with a powerful twin-turbo V6, the Q50 earns praise for its acceleration, braking, exterior styling, front-seat comfort, power, and an array of safety features. Owners also highly rated key attributes like the Q50’s driver’s seat durability, handling, movement, quality, reliability, ride, safety ratings, and visibility.”

It’s interesting because many owners on Consumer Reports weren’t that impressed with the 2021 Infiniti Q50. The major complaint revolved around the interior, which they didn’t think was all that comfortable. Despite this, the 2021 Infiniti Q50 won enough votes to win the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award.

What makes the 2021 Infiniti Q50 so great?

With a starting price of $37,625, the Q50 is just expensive enough to be a true luxury vehicle. It also comes with enough goodies to entice those who can afford it.

The exterior has the slick looks expected of a luxury sports sedan. It’s perfect for a business person who wants to look professional or someone who wants to drive a good-looking vehicle.

Thanks to the twin-turbocharged and inter-cooled DOHC 24-valve V6, the 2021 Q50 can go from zero to 60 in 5.0 seconds. That’s not exactly top speeds, but for this price range, it’s more than respectable. The 7-speed automatic with manual transmission is a delight for anyone who likes driving a stick. 

The ride is smooth and makes an excellent vehicle to drive the highway in. It fits in well on city streets as well. The dual-screen infotainment system gives a fun feel to the Q50. What’s really cool is the use of various apps, Android Auto, and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

The best part of the 2021 Q50 is the new safety features. In the past, the Infiniti Q50 failed to impress due to its lack of common safety features and its cost. Infiniti took the criticism and decided to fix this. 

Now the Q50 gets lane departure warning, intelligent cruise control, automatic high beams, and rear collision warning as standard. The 360-degree camera has also been updated, as well as the blind-spot monitors. Some might wonder if this is enough to draw in sales, but the fact that the Q50 won the AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Award proves it can.

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