QX30 doesn’t quite measure up
Infiniti, eager to capitalize on the current obsession with crossover utility vehicles, is coming to the market with a new one.
As of September, the luxury Nissan division is adding the QX30 to its lineup of QX50, QX60, QX70 and QX80CUVs and sport utility vehicles.
It’s meant to compete for attention with the Audi Q3, BMWX1, Lexus NX, Acura RDX, VolvoXC60 and even the MercedesBenz GLA, with which the QX30 shares a commonly developed platform.
That’s a crowded field of very appealing vehicles, and the QX30 is aworthy entrant. But how and why will anyone choose it over the competition? They’re all good cars.
The QX30, built in England and intended for the global crossover market, gets up the road on a 2-liter turbo engine, powered through a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
Scooting around town and hopping on and off the freeway, it’s a great getaround car, full of pep, especially in sport mode, using the paddle shifters. But even in Eco mode, the little turbo pulls hard and never feels anemic.
Plus, it’s very easy to drive. The QX30 sits lowto the ground, so it’s easy to
step into and out of. Adding to the lowstance, the suspension is firm, preventing too much SUV roll in the turns. The steering is precise. There’s no need to get used to howit behaves; it’s userfriendly fromthe get-go.
Inside, considerable care has been given to the ergonomics. The driver and passenger seats are narrow but comfortable. There’s plenty of headroom and legroom, though less than a big passenger will want in the back seat.
But the interior is strangely small and a little cramped overall for a car that looks so big fromthe outside. Rear visibility is somewhat impeded by the sloping back contour of the car, but it’s helped considerably by a 360degree view in the navigation screen, which can be switched on in forward or reverse gears.
Visibility fromthe back seats is limited by the front headrests and the small rear windows. My back-seat guests said they felt claustrophobic.
Outside, is it just me? Does the design lack something? Like, beauty? Of course, it’s a matter of personal taste, but I find the front a little too “Transformers” and the rear a little too blunt, as if the designers decided the car was too long and just chopped off the last two feet.
This isn’t accidental. The QX30 marketing materials boast the vehicle’s “highly sculpted exterior” and “asymmetric cabin design.”
I like the swooshing lines on the hood and along the lower part of the doors, but the plastic running board below it looks like it’s going to last about a month before snapping off.
I felt the sameway about some of the interior components, where the abundant use of plastic made me wonder howit would look after a year or two of use.