One thing you can always be sure of is that when Infiniti launch a new car it is going to be luxurious and distinctive.
This innovative marque has a reputation for designing cars, and SUVs, that truly stand out from the crowd and although the Q30 lives up to the usual head-turning standards you would be forgiven for thinking that this particular vehicle looks vaguely familiar.
And that is because the Q30, Infiniti’s first foray into the highly-competitive premium compact segment, is actually built using the architecture of the Mercedes GLA and although the luxury arm of Nissan has done a pretty good job of making it their own you can still see the resemblance and it even has a Mercedes engine, in this case a twin turbo 2-litre, four cylinder powerplant, thanks to a long standing sharing partnership with Daimler.
The car is definitely distinctive and although it is based on a Merc the Japanese company should be praised for the amount of work and money they have spent to make sure that the German DNA stays beneath the skin of what has morphed into a very fine Infiniti indeed.
Design wise the resemblance to the GLA is still there and why not, it’s a nice looking car, but somehow the Infiniti looks more dynamic with that signature double-arch grille and 3D mesh which blends nicely into the headlight clusters. The car also has those dramatic Infiniti curves and flow lines plus the signature C-pillar architecture and the rear looks classy and sophisticated.
Sitting on 19-inch wheels, it really does look the business and I have to say the Q30 is one of, if not the best looking piece of kit in its class, particularly in the Chestnut Bronze colour. The interior is what you would expect from a prestigious car company and it ticks all the boxes with plenty of space, flowing design, really comfortable leather seats, classy instrument cluster and an excellent Infiniti InTouch infotainment system.
And again you don’t feel as if you are sitting in a Merc, although, if I was honest, that is what I half expected to feel so it came as a pleasant surprise that I was feeling more high-end Japanese than German.
The Q30 also has an impressive array of driver assists for a compact hatch-back including 360° cameras for parking and safety warnings such as cross traffic or stationary vehicle alerts. It also has automatic park assistance where you just operate the accelerator and brake and let the car do the rest.
In addition, there is a forward collision warning system, blind spot alerts and assisted braking so this is a car that is going to make sure you stay safe. The four-cylinder engine which is hooked up to a seven-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox with paddle-shifts if you want a bit more fun, is surprisingly potent.
The car I drove was front wheel drive but AWD is available as an option. It has something which Infiniti call Acceleration Swell. It might sound more like a nasty illness but it’s actually a pretty accurate description of the torque you get across a large rev range thanks to the way the engine has been tuned. The result is that you get instant response even at low revs where you wouldn’t expect it. A 0-100kmh time of 7.3 seconds is not breathtaking but is more than half decent for a car this sector.
There are three drive modes – Eco for tooling around town without consuming too much fuel, Manual which speaks for itself and the all important Sport which ups the ante, tightens everything up and really brings this car to life, although don’t expect to get a howl out of that engine. It tries its best but delivers more of a muted roar which is reasonably sporty.
The car handles really well and is fun to drive. It has Dynamic Vehicle Control which computes the way the car corners with the driver input and if it senses oversteer or understeer it intervenes by adjusting the power and braking to make sure you stay on the road. It also makes sure that the braking is distributed evenly to stop front-end dive which you get when you brake too sharply.
I really enjoyed driving this car because it looks great, delivers decent performance, is pretty spacious and basically delivers everything you need to attract the audience Infiniti have in their sights – young upwardly mobile families looking for value and distinction.
This is a new market for Infiniti but, typically, they have produced a car that is more than a match for its competitors and although it clearly has Germanic tendencies it is much, much more than a Mercedes in disguise.
