Infiniti Q30 2016 Review

Infiniti Q30 1.6t GT and 2.0t Sports Premium
Australian Launch Review
Bowral, NSW

Priced from below $40,000 before on-road costs, the new Q30 family arrives in Australia shouldered with the task of dramatically expanding the number of new car buyers here that are even aware the brand exists. The Q30 is offered in one five-door hatchback body style, three specification levels, three engine choices and two suspension tunes.  

Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti is an easy target at the moment. One journo recently called it invisible, our own Mike Sinclair described it as inconsequential. It’s not uncommon to see it spelled ‘Infinity’ in media reports.

Work to do then. And there’s no doubt the message from Infiniti Cars Australia is that after four years of inconsequential invisibility (our description, not theirs) in this country, the heavy lifting required to make a sales impact starts now with the Q30.

Infiniti calls it a crossover, which in modern terms means it’s a mash-up of a hatchback and compact SUV designed to take on the established luxury brands at the affordable end of the market.

It’s a direct competitor for models across the Audi A3 and Q3 lines, BMW 1 Series and X1 and the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and GLA.

The Benz comparison is particularly pertinent, as the Q30 – and its all-wheel drive spin-off, the QX30 that arrives here next month – are based on Daimler’s MFA small-car architecture that spawns the A and GLA (as well as the B-Class and CLA) and its drivetrains as well.

Infiniti says it has differentiated the Q30 in four key ways; exterior design, interior design, chassis tune and pricing and equipment.

We’ve dealt with a lot of that in our separate product news piece here, but just to recap the essentials the Q30 is a five-door five-seat hatch that comes in GT, Sports and Sports premium model grades. Pricing starts at $38,900 before on-road costs and progresses all the way to $54,900.

The base model is available only with a 1.6-litre 115kW/250Nm turbo-petrol engine and rides on a longer travel comfort suspension and less aggressive 18-inch tyre. The other two are available with the choice of 155kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol and 125kW/350Nm 2.1-litre (officially and misleadingly referred to as a 2.2) turbo-diesel engines and ride on a sports-tuned suspension lowered by 15mm and accompanied by lower-profile 19-inch run-flat tyres. These models also get a more powerful Brembo brake package.

All engines drive the front wheels only via a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Fuel economy claims vary from as low as 5.2L/100km for the diesel to 6.3L/100km for the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol via 6.0L/100km for the 1.6.

Key specifications include a five-star ANCAP rating, seven airbags (including a driver’s knee airbag) and autonomous emergency braking, navigation, Bluetooth and voice recognition. But there is a steep equipment walk up through the grades. For instance only the Sports Premium gets the full suite of driver assistants including radar cruise, front parking sensors and a reversing camera – which comes in the form of an around view monitor. No model gets a spare tyre.

Nor is Apple CarPlay or Android Auto offered and that is a serious flaw in this smartphone dominated age.

OK, enough of that stuff. In the immortal words of Eric Idle ‘What’s it like then?’

Well, the experience varies from model to model. The GT is the relaxed cruiser of the line-up. The less aggressive tyres and softer and longer-travel suspension allows more body movement and less patter and intrusion over the constant smaller irritations that blight Australian roads.

On the bigger problems, like sharp edges and potholes, it does struggle to cope. The rear-end is an independent multi-link but tends to react more like a beam axle in the way the rear-end can shimmy.

Plaudits for quietness though: neither tyre nor road noise was a significant issue. Like the suspension, the electric-assist steering is in need of some detail tuning. Off centre the level of friction varies obviously and feel is not a highlight.

It’s a pity no local tuning of the chassis was undertaken, as there’s some really talented tuners in Australia who could have helped Infiniti nail that last 10 per cent and lift the drive experience from acceptable to enjoyable.

The GT’s engine cruises quietly and accelerates briskly, albeit when the Sport drive mode is engaged. In Eco the throttle and gear changes are just too relaxed. But even in the more aggressive setting the DCT feels a lot like a CVT, slurring rather than slicing through the gears.

On to the Sports Premium and it was immediately noticeable just how much more intrusive the suspension set-up and tyre combination is. At low speed especially there was limited compliance, but there was better body control and steering response as the speeds rose.

So there is an obvious delineation for buyers between the two models, something accentuated by the terrific 2.0-litre engine, which punches hard and add a more aggressive feel to proceedings.

Having said that there’s nothing hot about even the most powerful Q30, which is really sorta mild. That means there’s a lot of upside potentially considering the MFA architecture capably spawns such animals as the Mercedes-AMG A 45 hot hatch and Infiniti has confirmed it has a trick new variable-compression engine family on the way.

Certainly the Q30 currently has the show if not the go. In the metal the Q30 looks good – yes styling is subjective blah blah blah – but where so many others (think the Germans) are into straight lines and right angles, the Infiniti presents more comfortable, organic shapes that combine with the right wheels and paint (such as the liquid copper Sports Premium seen in our video report) and looks pretty darn nice.

Yep, I get the Mazda3 preferences, especially from the rear three-quarter angle, but in terms of a presentation that separates it from the herd Infiniti has succeeded.

Inside, the look is neat and tidy, the two variations of seat -- standard in the GT and single-piece sports in the others – both comfortable and supportive. The seating position also offers a good view out over the road thanks to the raised ride height, especially in the GT.

The Q30 has orthodox twin-dial instrumentation that works well enough but lacks any of the drama and bling the latest digital screens are offering, such as the one coming with the A3 update this year.

One tricky feature the Q30 does have is traffic sign recognition, which is something that some German luxury brands have yet to master for Australia thanks to our range of different speed sign shapes and propensity to put bullet holes in them (not kidding).

The Infiniti Cars Australia execs swore black and blue the tech had been tested in Australia without issue, but it was fooled at least twice. Once it read a 50 as an 80, another time it locked on to the 60 sign on a freeway exit ramp we were taking. No real drama, as the car wasn’t jumping on the brakes autonomously or anything to obey the signs.

The Benz linkage becomes obvious in the Q30’s controls. The power seat buttons in the door and the indicator stalks are fundamentally familiar, as is the stubby gearshift and the way it works with a press-button park function (you’ll also find a few Benz logos in places like the engine bay if you look for them too). Across on the centre stack the touch screen is too small and even the top spec models have button blanks, which always reduces the prestige feel.

But the big issue is in the back seat where a 180cm adult sitting behind a 180cm adult has limited knee and head space, especially in the Sports Premium because of its standard glass roof. Entry and exit is also handicapped by a small door that doesn’t open to 90 degrees.

It’s easy to imagine smart young family buyers getting to the back seat and being turned off by these cramped quarters.

But I guess the Infiniti counter argument would be at least they’re in the showroom looking at the Q30, which is a step forward from where things are at now.

Whatever its features and flaws, the Q30 is destined to become Infiniti’s biggest seller in Australia. It presents well, feels good inside and drives without seriously offending even if it lacks character.

That’s as good a place to start, even if it is belatedly.

Infiniti Q30 1.6t GT price and specs:
Price: $38,900 plus on-road costs
Engine: 1.6-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Outputs: 115kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.0L/100km
CO2: 139g/km
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

Infiniti Q30 2.0t Sports Premium price and specs
Price: $52,900 plus on-road costs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder
Outputs: 155kW/350Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 6.3L/100km
CO2: 147g/km
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

Also consider:
Audi A3 (from $36,500)
BMW X1 (from $51,600)
Mercedes-Benz A-Class (from $37,200)