It's not surprising that expectations are high for the 2017 Infiniti Q60 Coupe, a model that, despite the public's decreasing interest in coupes, possesses an allure that has seen its sales increase 21 percent each of the past two years.

In many ways, the Q60 and its Q50 sedan sibling are quintessential Infiniti, featuring rear-wheel drive with a performance edge. And though sedan sales are greater, the coupe remains an essential image-builder for a brand in need of a stronger image.

“It's a very emotional and performance-oriented segment,” said Geraldo Carmona, a senior manager of global product strategy at Infiniti. “Therefore, it's a key segment for Infiniti.”

Because of that, perhaps, Infiniti stylists endowed the sports coupe with three brand-distinguishing design cues: a double-arch grille, human-eye headlights and a crescent-cut C pillar. Benefiting from the expressive, fluid side sculpting, the Q60's dynamically muscular look has a surprisingly lean drag coefficient.

As you climb inside, you'll find an asymmetrical interior that Infiniti designers say was inspired by a tailored driver's glove.

In the test vehicles, the seats were covered in scrumptiously soft leather that feels indulgent and rich. The seats ideally balance the conflicting demands of supportive bolstering and sumptuous comfort. Cabin trim is accented with glass-fiber accents, which have a plastic sheen that lends the interior a suitably dramatic feel.

But the interior's showy nature sharply contrasts to the car's cheap plastic trim, which feels as if it came from a Nissan Versa. Other misfires include air vents that are perfectly placed to freeze the driver's hands. Finally, trunk space and back-seat accommodations are what you'd expect: meager.

One thing that isn't meager: performance.

At the heart of the car is an all-new 3-liter twin-turbo that produces 300 or 400 horsepower, depending on model. The new engine weighs 39 pounds less than the one it replaces despite its greater power, thanks to a water-cooled intercooler, direct injection and a more compact design.

The engines are mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission with adaptive shift control, which uses a lateral acceleration sensor to detect changes in the road. This results in a very responsive gearbox that does little hunting between gears in the quest for fuel economy.

Infiniti supplied top-of-the-line Red Sport 400 models for sampling.

Stability is impressive, especially at faster speeds. Even more striking is ride comfort, something that usually suffers when performance is a priority. An impressively quiet cabin remains so thanks to the Bose audio system's active noise cancellation system. Fortunately, you can hear the engine, which sounds sweet when revved.

Larry Printz is a freelance writer.