CROSSOVER CHIC
The stylish new Infiniti QX30 comes at an overinflated price
The Infiniti QX30 looks good, but is it value for money?
Anybody who has spent time in a Mercedes-Benz will immediately feel at home in the new Infiniti QX30. There would be no need to hunt for the electrical controls for seat adjustment or to furrow a brow trying to figure out how to release the parking brake because these components, along with the indicator stalks and secondary controls in the QX30, have all been lifted directly from the Mercedes’ parts bin. Moreover, the QX30 is based on a Mercedes platform which it shares with that company’s crossover SUV, the GLA.
Meanwhile, anybody remotely familiar with Nissan’s X-Trail and Primera or Renault’s Espace might recognise the clanking diesel notes of the 170 bhp 2.2 litre engine in the QX30. This venerable power plant seems to have been around for generations and probably drives half the taxis in the world.
All major manufacturers share parts and plans these days but the result is not that all cars come out the same. On the contrary, as the QX30 proves, contemporary design is making cars more individual; we’ve never seen anything quite like the QX30.
Infiniti – the premium brand which is to Nissan what Lexus is to Toyota – normally produces 4x4s for Texas ranchers and saloons for Californian executives. Their commercial strategy is not, on the whole, to acknowledge the existence of Europe or female drivers.
The QX30 marks a radical departure from that blinkered outlook. Its wheel arches and sills are clad in the protective shells that mark out SUVs with rural lifestyle aspirations, but with its low, feline body and sharp curves, this
SUV crossover is the first that could qualify to be called chic. The QX30 is also the first 4x4 that appears to be in touch with its female side.
To add to the sense of deliberate discernment, the interior of the QX30 is such a haven of cosseting comforts that it could almost double as an anteroom in a health spa. A full leather interior with Nappa leather facings is complemented by dual-zone air-conditioning and a voice-activated infotainment system that runs through a 7-inch touch screen. Active noise cancellation protects delicate eardrums from road noise in the cabin.
That antediluvian engine – the only available option – is the least compelling element in the QX30’s performance. Acceleration from 0-60 mph takes a little over eight seconds but kicks up such a racket that you might be charged with inflicting cruel and unusual punishment. Infiniti claim 57.6mpg but my average fuel consumption was almost a third less.
The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox, fitted as standard, is a highly sophisticated piece of kit and the chassis set-up is finely balanced for hustling on country roads, where the body leans far less than SUVs with higher profiles. The permanent all-wheel drive system is a positive aid when pushing hard in corners and makes this car more enjoyable to drive than most of its competitors. However, the boot space is only 431 litres.
The all-in price for the QX30 we tested was £37,020, which feels like another punishment for fashionable appearances. For that kind of money, you could buy a Mercedes-Benz GLA equipped to the same level of specification. Furthermore, you would be highly unlikely to find within it a single component or part you would recognise from Nissan.
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