[Pat]

Let’s face it, going for the Infiniti brand is a nonconformist statement, therefore I thought it would be interesting to know the motivation that led to that choice. It would also be enlightening to know the age range, occupation and country of residence.

As far as I am concerned, the car is a retirement gift for my wife. She’s had a number of company cars, the last being a Nissan Qashquai diesel 130 hp, therefore she wanted to stick with the SUV style, mainly for the vantage point (you’re right after all Indiana !), but with a petrol power plant and an automatic transmission.

Out of the number of cars we considered, she was very keen on the Subaru Crosstrek (another nonconformist selection, so there’s a pattern here), however I disqualified it on the grounds that the engine, although a great piece of engineering, is not turbo charged, that the transmission is a CVT, and that the on board technology is not up to date (unlike in the US, you can’t have the “Eyesight” in Europe), not to mention the fact that it’s not exactly a premium car.

Then she came upon the Q30 and it was love at first sight, despite its relatively low stance compared to what she had at first envisaged. I had a close look at it and, satisfied with the Mercedes Benz pedigree, I okayed it without reserve.

My wife was till recently a Sales Manager in the warehouse handling equipment field and after having lived in different countries, we are currently residing in France.

 

[Indiana Jones]

Admittedly, Infiniti didn't really come to mind when I was looking for a new car. It was the generic brands for me like Toyota, Honda and Jeep because they were more familiar to me but their SUVs were eliminated for various reasons.

The Toyota Rav4 was just plain ugly, I've had one in the past and loved it but the newer model is just hideous and looks like something a teenager would drive.
The Jeep Renegade was an option too but I took a look at a renegade forum and there's a whole slew of problems with it, having my vehicle constantly sit in the dealership garage just isn't what I'm look for. Honda's HR-V and CR-V just didn't capture my attention either, looked a bit vanilla to me.

Then I saw an Infiniti in a parking garage one day and it took me a while to recognize the badge and after a bit of research I came upon the Q30 and it looks amazing. Of course I really can't say I'll definitely get it since it still hasn't been released over here yet but if the drive dynamic are what I'm looking for then I may go home with one.

I'm in my late 20s in Canada so there's still a while yet before we see them over here.

 

[InfiniteClass]

The Renegade, HR-V, Rav4, all look quite off-putting to me to put it euphemistically.

The kicker for me aside for aesthetics on the Q30 would be the pricing. It is extremely entry-level priced and it doesn't look like it should be.

 

[Indiana Jones]

For the Q30 price, you're getting a car that looks like it costs more and it is sitting on a Mercedes-Benz A-Class platform. There really aren't that many negatives to it. Just have to patiently wait to test drive one.

 

[Pat]

I don’t know what ride you’re looking for, but if it is petrol fueled with sufficient performance, well, the I.6t DCT is the ticket. Ours has now a thousand miles on the clock and it’s a joy to drive, nice and smooth when you want it to be and reactive and nippy when necessary even without hitting the Sport Drive Program. The comfort is really of premium standard with a very quiet ride and superb audio (Bose option). The intelligent cruise control works like a dream and the Around View Monitor is great, we had a previous version of the latest on the Qashqai, but on the Q30 the system has really come of age.

A friend of mine visited us recently and he came with his latest acquisition, a Porsche Macan S diesel (he also has a Carrera S and a vintage E type). We compared notes and, performances apart of course, in terms of comfort and equipment the Q30 has nothing to be ashamed of and it’s half the price. The one thing which I envied him was the electric hatch and yes, I was very impressed with the really amazing (and totally useless) electrically operated trailer hitch, it actually looks like an aircraft landing gear being lowered, which must please my friend no end as he used to be a 747 captain and a naval pilot to boot.

 

[Answer42]

I'm looking at petrol only vehicles and the QX30 seems to have everything I need and more without me needing to load it up with additional options and packages. If only it came with an electric hatch, that won't put me off of the QX30 but I'll feel a little bit jealous every time I see my brother push a button to close his hatch.

 

[Pat]

Sorry to disappoint you Answer42 but it seems that the QX30 is available only with a truck (i.e. diesel) engine, that’s the reason why I didn’t bother to wait for it and went for the Q30, especially since the QX30 is merely a marketing trick with a (very) slightly raised stance and bits of plastic on the wheel arches and back and front spoilers, a trick very similar to what Volvo did with the V40 and the V40 Cross country.

 

[Indiana Jones]

I think the slightly raised stance is what will trick a few people into going for the QX30 instead of the Q30. Good thing I never really cared for diesel since I've never owned one so petrol is the only way to go for me.

 

[DDave]

Three and a half years ago we were looking for a replacement for my wife's kia sportage lease car, we decided to buy and not lease and I wanted her to have a petrol not a diesel car (UK here). We went to a car supermarket to try a mini countryman Cooper 1.5. I'd driven it (she won't test drive) and said to the salesman that we would have it. On returning from the test drive she had spotted a car and asked what the black car was and would I drive it. It was a q30 business model 2.2 fwd. I drove it said to the saleman I liked it but we would have the mini. On our return my wife stated she had been looking at cars on his computer and there was a "grey one with purple stitching" on the books. It was brought out for her it was 2.2 awd in touch premium model. She fell in love with the interior and the purple stitching. It was just 2 years old and 9k miles and a bargain. 3.5 years later its a 23k car and she still loves it and atm has no intention of getting rid of it. Honest story 😁