Infiniti’s rougher and tougher version of the Q30 hatch, the QX30, is now available in Australia. The 5 door crossover enters a particularly competitive segment of the market and is an area that the Japanese luxury marque has yet to compete.
Competitors include the BMW X1, the Audi Q3, Volvo V40 Cross Country, and the Mercedes-Benz A Class to which both the QX30 and its lower and more civilised counterpart, the Q30, are very closely related.
It is a rather pretty crossover, however, retaining many of the same visual attributes worn by the car when it was still in concept form. It projects a sculpted exterior that, like the Q30, certainly carries more road presence that many of its rivals.
Key point - the Q30 is lower and driven by its front wheels while the QX30 comes standard with four-wheel drive to, naturally, navigate the rougher terrain permitted by its increased ride height and protective sill and wheel arch cladding.
Infiniti Cars Australia, the QX30 will come in two model grades, the GT and Premium. Both are powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine sourced from Daimler which produces 155kW and 350Nm. That motor is the same M270 engine found in the third-generation Mercedes-Benz A 250. Power is sent through a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.
Infiniti has furnished the QX30 with standard LED daytime running lights, automatic LED headlamps with Active Front lighting System (AFS). The top-spec Premium also comes with a panoramic (but fixed) moonroof with electric sunshade. Also on offer are roof rails and a set of unique 18-inch alloys.
"The category defying design of the QX30 stays true to the inspiration behind the daring QX30 Concept," said Infiniti Executive Design Director Alfonso Albaisa. "Its mix of artistry in the flowing lines, and power in the elevated stance and confident look, makes a bold visual statement and challenges current preconceptions of what a crossover should look like."
On the topic of the QX30’s interior, Albaisa continued: "QX30's asymmetric interior design results in an environment focused on the driver, yet encompassing passengers in such a way as to involve and cater for them, more so than the traditionally isolating designs found in the premium segment.”
- Infiniti QX30 GT - $48,900
- Infiniti QX30 Premium - $56,900
For more on Infiniti vehicles, including pricing and specifications, check out our Showroom.
