2016 Infiniti Q30: A Modern Family Car
The Frankfurt Motor Show is held once every two years, alternating with the one in Paris. At the 2013 edition, Infiniti unveiled the Q30 Concept. At the most recent New York Auto Show, Nissan's luxury brand presented the QX30 Concept, a good-looking sub-compact luxury SUV with an odd resemblance to the Q30 Concept. In fact, it was a raised Q30, in the way a Subaru Outback is a raised Legacy.
This year, Infiniti is using the Frankfurt show to introduce the production version of its Q30—and it’s practically a perfect copy of the concept from 2013. The production QX30 will be unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Be that as it may, we have just seen and touched this production Q30. Prettier in person than in the photo (though that is a matter of taste, of course), it will be facing some well-established competition—like the BMW 2 Series, Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3. Meanwhile, the QX30 will be contending with the BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA and Audi Q3. This new Infiniti shares its platform with the Mercedes-Benz CLA and GLA.
Sport version
The interior design is simple but effective, and we really liked the new Italian suede-like material. The press release promises one of the quietest cabs around and Active Sound Enhancement for the exhaust. We can’t wait to hear what that’s like! Infiniti promises that the front seats in all Q30 trims will be very comfortable. Fun fact: They were tested by Sebastian Vettel, who worked with Infiniti and Red Bull at the start of the vehicle’s development process, but since he is now working with Ferrari, the people at Infiniti tend to forget to mention him in their press releases. With the 60/40 rear seats raised, the trunk has a capacity of 419 litres (the capacity with the seats folded down was not disclosed).
The Q30 will be offered in three models: base, Premium and Sport. According to Grahame Cornforth, Infiniti’s Chief Vehicle Engineer, the Sport version will be calibrated differently to make sure the product lives up to its name. It will also have a different front end. The differences between the base and Premium models will most likely be in the option packages offered.
No “X”, no all-wheel drive
On the technical side, we don’t know much yet. The powertrain will be a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo engine. If you think that you’ve seen this engine before (like in a Mercedes CLA-Class) you’re not dreaming: it’s the same engine, but tuned differently. In the CLA, it develops 208 horsepower and 258 foot-pounds of torque, and comparable figures can be expected in the Q30. The wheels are 19 inches on the Sport model, so 17 or 18 inches on the two others. The transmission is automatic, seven-speed, dual-clutch – again, just like in the CLA. Elsewhere in the world, all-wheel drive will be offered, but the Canadian edition will come with front-wheel drive only. Infiniti Canada is reserving all-wheel drive for the QX30, which I think is a wise marketing decision.
The technical specifications and pricing have not yet been released, but we do know that the Q30 will be built at the Infiniti’s first European plant, at Sunderland, in the United Kingdom.
