Over the past few days, while driving around the city and its surroundings with the Infiniti Q30, I realised that the brand is still relatively unknown to ordinary people (car enthusiasts being the exception). So I will allow myself a brief detour back to 1989, when Infiniti began selling cars in North America.
Up until that point, Japanese cars had already become popular there, but their image suffered precisely because of the qualities that helped them break into the American market — they were considered cheap and sensible machines, but lacking prestige. A bit like buying Clever mozzarella from Billa. The American market, however, was huge and developing rapidly, while people wanted luxury, prestige and a touch of snobbery. So the Japanese decided to conquer new territory. To do that, they created luxury brands through which to sell their more sophisticated models. Honda was first, launching Acura in 1986, while three years later Toyota entered the luxury market with Lexus and Nissan with Infiniti.
The brand that interests us today, Infiniti, officially began selling cars in Europe in 2008, where premium vehicles are held in particularly high regard. During those eight years, sales across Europe grew overall, but still amounted to just over 20,000 cars… across all European markets combined. Clearly, that is a rather modest result and explains perfectly why the brand still feels like an exotic rarity.
Naturally, the Japanese had no intention of leaving things that way and over the years they gradually began developing more European-oriented cars, designed specifically for European conditions and tastes. The car I am presenting today is their most European model yet — the Q30 has been on sale since the beginning of this year and represents a compact premium hatchback built in England, competing against the BMW 1 Series, Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3 and Volvo V40.
Design
One thing becomes clear from the very first moment you look at the Q30 — this is one of the most sculpted cars on the market today. Curves, folds, creases, angles and surfaces seem endless, forming a body shape that simply cannot be mistaken for anything else on the road and looks exceptionally dynamic.
The silhouette is low and elongated, achieved through the large wheels, the sloping rear window and the short overhangs — especially at the rear. What also stands out is the combination of increased ground clearance compared to its rivals, black wheel arch cladding creating the illusion of greater suspension travel (like an SUV) and an overall crossover-like stance.
Yes, I realise I first described the car as low and then as tall, but the designers really have managed to create some kind of oxymoron that is difficult to describe and simply needs to be seen on the road.
Personally, the car won me over with its appearance back in 2013 when I saw the Q30 Concept (on the left) at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Two years later, at the same event, I had my first encounter with the production model (on the right), which fortunately had undergone only minimal changes to its exterior design.
As for the particular car I drove, it was the sporty version featuring different front and rear bumpers and side skirts. This was combined with a dark graphite grey colour and matching dark 19-inch wheels. Let us not forget the gloss-black exhaust finishers as well.
Interior
Inside, the atmosphere is far more conventional compared to the “alien” exterior styling. In fact, if I isolate everything else, the lines and dashboard design on their own do not particularly appeal to me because they feel overly conservative and somewhat anonymous.
In reality, however, I liked the overall atmosphere a great deal and that is mainly thanks to the solid build quality and especially the materials used. In Sport specification, Alcantara is everywhere — Alcantara seats with leather edges, Alcantara on the doors and dashboard and most impressively, an Alcantara headliner. And all of this comes standard in the Sport version, while in an Audi A8, for example, an Alcantara roof lining costs well over €1,500 extra.
What surprised me most after getting into the car, however, was that for a moment I wondered whether I had accidentally ended up at Balkan Star instead of the Infiniti showroom. Yes, the Q30 is based on the Mercedes A-Class and the drivetrain is identical, but what I did not expect was the sheer number of identical details shared between the two interiors.
The seats, for example, come from Mercedes, which is actually a good thing because the Germans make excellent seats and in this case they also look attractive. In addition, the cruise control stalk, the window and mirror controls, the climate control system, the light switch, the steering wheel and the information display ahead of the driver are all sourced from Mercedes as well.
Is that a bad thing? Not at all — quite the opposite. Mercedes pays attention to details (unlike most Japanese manufacturers) and the end result is genuinely good. I think the only real downside is that the climate controls are positioned too low and are slightly inconvenient to use
As for space and comfort, the front row is excellent, offering very comfortable seats, good visibility forwards and sideways and generous room. The rear is somewhat tighter, however, with low seats and no central armrest. I think children and teenagers will be perfectly fine there, but for adults space is somewhat limited. Still, that is not unusual for the class. The situation in rival models is not significantly different.
The boot, with its 430-litre capacity, is also competitive and I find its shape practical, although it is somewhat shallow. Naturally, that is partly due to the rear-wheel-drive-based layout.
On the road
The Infiniti Q30 is offered with several engines well known from Mercedes. The entry-level diesel is a 1.5-litre unit with 109 hp, while the larger diesel is a 2.2-litre with 170 hp. Petrol options include a 1.6-litre engine with either 122 hp or 156 hp (depending on whether you choose manual or automatic transmission), and naturally the most powerful option — a two-litre turbocharged petrol producing 211 hp, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, all-wheel drive and 0–100 km/h in 7.3 seconds.
Naturally, I chose the most powerful version and after finding myself trapped in yet another Sofia traffic jam, I slowly crawled towards Bistritsa.
In the city, the car behaves very calmly. The steering is light and relaxed, while the engine is barely audible. Interestingly, although the suspension is sporty (and 2 cm lower than the standard version), it actually delivers a high level of comfort and by my standards feels more soft and comfort-oriented than sporty. This becomes evident over rough surfaces and road repairs and I also noticed it when I accidentally drove through several medium-sized potholes (typical Sofia experience). At lower speeds, road noise insulation is excellent as well. As for fuel consumption, I achieved 8.2 l/100 km in the city, which is actually lower than the official figure of 8.7 l/100 km.
Leaving Zheleznitsa behind, I pressed the accelerator harder to find out whether the dramatic exterior matched the car’s character and behaviour. The short answer is NO.
The Q30 offers stable road manners, but the steering is neither particularly communicative nor especially engaging, while the higher centre of gravity combined with the clearly comfort-oriented suspension leads to moderate body roll. It is certainly not unpleasant and the car can be driven quickly through corners while still being enjoyable, but its behaviour is far from sporty and requires more confidence-building before you can drive it close to its limits.
On the other hand, the engine is genuinely pleasant, revving eagerly and producing a satisfying sound when pushed harder. Performance is also strong, although there is a slight delay when accelerating, which I suspect comes from the gearbox. The transmission itself operates smoothly and changes gears slightly slower than some other dual-clutch units, although this remains virtually unnoticeable in everyday driving.
I left the twisty roads around Zheleznitsa behind and continued calmly and economically towards Borovets before heading back to Sofia along the main road. During this kind of driving, the Q30’s comfort once again became the dominant quality. Its road manners feel refined, while the atmosphere inside the cabin remains calm and pleasant.
Aerodynamic noise is kept to a minimum despite the large side mirrors, although additional work could perhaps be done regarding road noise insulation. Still, we should not forget that the car I drove was fitted with the largest wheels available for the model range — smaller wheels and tyres with a taller sidewall would almost certainly reduce road noise noticeably.
Calmer driving also affected fuel consumption. While driving hard through the mountain roads near Zheleznitsa, consumption rose to around 20 l/100 km, but during economical extra-urban driving close to the speed limit it dropped to just 5.4 l/100 km.
Conclusion
The Infiniti Q30 is an exceptionally interesting alternative in the premium hatchback segment. The car impresses with its well-rounded character and the absence of any major weaknesses. Its striking design certainly will not appeal to everyone, but it definitely will not leave people indifferent or unnoticed on the road.
Despite its sporty appearance, the car actually encourages calmer and more comfortable driving, while combined with the comfortable and distinctly luxurious interior, the Q30 becomes a genuinely suitable long-distance companion.
The increased ground clearance and softer suspension settings also make the car very suitable for Bulgarian roads, which unfortunately show little sign of improvement anytime soon. These qualities are complemented by the slightly higher seating position, which makes getting in and out easier and provides somewhat better visibility over traffic.
Naturally, good things come at a price and in the case of the Q30, that price is relatively reasonable. The entry-level model costs slightly over €24,500, although I would not recommend it because for just €1,500 more you get the Premium trim level, which realistically includes everything you need.
A truly well-equipped Q30 with the right engine costs between approximately €30,600 and €35,700, which is acceptable for the class. The only real issue I see is the likely stronger depreciation compared to the established competitors, simply because the brand is still relatively new to our market. In my opinion, however, the risk is worth taking.
Eng. Tsvetan Iliev
