The Infiniti Q30 is a funny looking car, not strange, just funny. I wasn’t sure what to make of it initially but after a little while studying it’s rear end (feel free to add amusing comments at the ‘bottom’ of the article) I decided it looked like a sporty squashed SUV. I know that’s not very clear, but have a look at the picture below and you’ll know what I mean. It’s a crossover, and it looks that way, it also looks slightly confused!
Whilst I’m talking about the back of the car, the boot space is excellent. You know it’s always a factor for me – most cars need to pass the pushchair/golf clubs test and this most certainly did. In fact there was plenty of room and it was easy to access to. Not only is there plenty of room, there’s also both types of anchor points for children’s car seats and a power outlet in the boot – big tick for those who like to go camping and use the car as a source of power.
Inside the car it has a luxurious feel, there’s lots of mod-cons and it seems that Infiniti have tried to make sure every possible driver desire is catered for. Unfortunately what that meant for me was that not everything felt like it was done to the best possible standard. The finishes felt a little on the cheaper side and the materials used felt like they perhaps wouldn’t have the lifespan of other brands. I always get an idea for a car by the sound it makes when you close the door… you know what I mean? That solid satisfying thud from a good car, compared to a rattle and tinny sound from something you’re not sure about. If this was a sliding scale, the Infiniti Q30 would unfortunately be edging towards the tinny tally. The Bose stereo system is excellent however, and I really tested that out on a longer drive and was very happy with how all sorts of music sounded in that (for those of you wondering, yes, that did include The Wiggles). Not all models have a rear view camera though, and given how common these are in similar cars to the Q30 that is a bit of a surprise.
Driving was enjoyable, it stuck to the road around corners in both wet and dry conditions. The pick up was a little unresponsive at times. But the seats were comfortable and the steering was smooth and light. I love my heated seats, so it was a big tick of approval when I was able to chuckle away to myself when I turned my wife’s seat up to maximum power on a 30 degree Sydney day without her realising. This has developed into one of our favourite car games (to add to the five I listed here in our Best Car Games for Kids article from earlier in the year) and you cannot underestimate the enjoyment of seeing someone not notice their arse is on fire until they see the heated seat sign on the control panel lighting up! There’s a lot of different tactics to getting away with it, but that’s for another day and another article.
One of the quirky things about this car was the size of the gear stick, or to be more precise, how small the thing was. It’s tiny, and you’d be forgiven for missing it when you first stepped in. Anyway, I managed to get a pretty cool photo of it so thought I better mention it!
Pricewise, the Infiniti is around $40,000 for the base model and goes all the way up to nearly $60,000 for the top of the range. I enjoyed my time in it, but it’s certainly not my favourite car of 2016.
You can read more about Infiniti’s range of cars here in Australia right here.