The 1990s Luxury Sedan That Tried to Outsmart Everyone - And Why It Failed

In the late 1980s, Japanese automakers decided it was time to take on the Germans in the full-size luxury sedan game. Honda launched Acura. Toyota created Lexus, and Nissan birthed Infiniti. 5-liter V8 under the hood, pumping out 278 horsepower and 292 lb-ft of torque. But Nissan wanted more than just power, they wanted to out-engineer everyone.

So they introduced the Q45a, a version equipped with a hydraulic active suspension system that was unlike anything else on the road.

The Q45a’s suspension used hydraulic actuators at each wheel, fed by a computer that read G-sensors to keep the car perfectly level. It could even raise the car by nearly an inch to clear speed bumps. Compared to the air suspension found in the Lexus LS 400, the hydraulic system was denser and more responsive, giving the tires better grip and sharper handling.

But it came at a cost: the system added about 200 pounds, sapped three to six horsepower from the engine, and hurt fuel economy. Worse, the ride wasn’t as plush as the Lexus, which mattered a lot in a luxury sedan. Infiniti charged $4,000 to $5,000 for the option, while Lexus asked just $1,500 for its air suspension.

Unsurprisingly, most buyers passed on the Q45a. Infiniti sold fewer than 14,000 Q45s in 1990, while Lexus moved over 63,000 LS 400s. The hydraulic system was dropped after just five years, in 1996. Today, surviving Q45as are rare, with most showing well over 100,000 miles. Parts are hard to find and expensive.

But a 1994 example with 66,000 miles sold on Bring A Trailer in February 2025 for just $11,237. For under $15,000, you can own a piece of automotive history, a bold, flawed experiment that tried to beat the Germans at their own game.