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2017 Infiniti QX30 Road Test and Review

Jason Fogelson
by Jason Fogelson
July 21, 2016
5 min. Reading Time
2017 Infiniti QX30 Front angle ・  Photo by Jason Fogelson

2017 Infiniti QX30 Front angle ・ Photo by Jason Fogelson

The fastest growing automotive segment in the US right now consists of premium compact crossovers. BMW X1, Audi Q3, and Mercedes-Benz GLA will soon be joined by the 2017 Infiniti QX30. We had a chance to drive prototype versions of the new QX30 at a launch event. The production vehicle will be hitting US showrooms in the early fall, arriving from Infiniti/Nissan's newly expanded assembly plant in Sunderland, England. The QX30 brings a lot of expected Infiniti virtues to the game, as well as some unexpected surprises hidden deep in its bag of tricks. Infiniti sees the QX30 as an entry point to the brand, leading new buyers to the company's crossovers, sedans, and coupes in the future.

Nissan/Daimler Partnership

A few years ago, Renault-Nissan (Infiniti's parent company) and Daimler AG (the parent of Mercedes-Benz) announced a partnership in which they would jointly develop and share some future vehicle platforms. The first of those platforms underlies the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class crossover vehicle, and also forms the basis for the first-ever QX30. In this case, the platform includes some basic body structure, dimensions, the powertrain and transmission and some other shared technologies and parts. The GLA and QX30 have completely different exterior and interior designs (for the most part), and Infiniti says its engineers were responsible for the QX30's transmission, throttle, steering and suspension tuning. Despite shared engineering, technology, and even major components, GLA and QX30 are very different vehicles.

 Photo by Jason Fogelson

Photo by Jason Fogelson

Entry-Level Luxury

No automaker enters a market segment casually. Plenty of research, planning, and strategy support the decision, and the case for QX30 is more than jumping on the segment bandwagon. Infiniti believes that the new crossover will serve as the point of entry to its brand--not just on the crossover/SUV side of the lineup, but for the sedan/coupe side too. The QX30 will be the lowest-starting priced vehicle on the Infiniti showroom floor. The belief is that young buyers (in their early 30s) will make the QX30 their first premium vehicle, and then will grow into either an Infiniti sedan like the Q50 or a larger crossover like the QX60, building brand loyalty along the way. That's the belief, anyway.

 Photo by Jason Fogelson

Photo by Jason Fogelson

Nice Unibody

All that brand loyalty will start with the first look at the actual vehicle. QX30's exterior does its job of capturing approving glances and even stares out on the street. It all starts with the face, and a familiar-looking Infiniti "double arch" grille. Expressive headlights (full-LED available) defined with signature LED daytime running lamps look out from the muscular fenders, and flank the bulging hood. The body seems to barely conceal an organic athletic form, with deeply sculpted sides and flared wheel arches. The fast roofline concludes in an integrated spoiler, shadowing a nicely rounded tailgate with big LED taillamps. It's definitely a member of the QX family, and one of the more attractive segment entries.

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Inside Luxury

With the stated goal of attracting new, young buyers, Infiniti has chosen to modestly outdo the non-premium offerings with a higher level of material selection, plus refined execution. That means genuine stitched dash covers, authentic metal and wood trim, and other nice touches. A 7-inch color touchscreen interface lives atop the center stack, with a simple arrangement of controls beneath, grouped by function. The center console houses the gear selector, and a push-knob telematics interface surrounded by buttons. At first glance, the arrangement seems overworked, but it becomes familiar very quickly. Mercedes-Benz-style round analog gauges flank a central driver information center. The steering wheel wears multi-function buttons on front and paddle shifters on the back.

 Photo by Jason Fogelson

Photo by Jason Fogelson

Seats and Cargo

Infiniti’s version of Nissan's "Zero Gravity" seats, "Spinal Support Seats,” are said to reduce pressure points and fatigue by 30 percent. The sport seat has an integrated headrest. The standard seat, with a separate headrest, delivered much better comfort on a long ride--but the sport seat looked cooler. The QX30 does not offer great headroom, especially with the available power moonroof. The second row deals with the compromise of the vehicle's compact dimensions. With the front seat at full extension, the seatback nearly touches the front of the rear seat cushion. A roomy luggage compartment (19.2 cubic feet) lurks behind the second row, and thart expands when you fold the seat flat. An available passthrough further improves utility.

 Photo by Jason Fogelson

Photo by Jason Fogelson

Engine and Transmission

Not shying away from the Mercedes-Benz ties, Infiniti acknowledges that the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline 4-cyldinder engine in the QX30 is “sourced from Daimler.” It’s the same engine that lives in the GLA. A glance under the hood reveals the “Mercedes-Benz” printed on fan belts and other parts. So what, right? If we found parts that said “Yugo” we might be concerned, but finding “Mercedes-Benz” does not shock or disappoint.

The engine mates to a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with standard paddle shifters. In FWD and Sport models, it drives the front wheels; in AWD models, front-wheel drive is the priority, but the QX30 can send up to 50 percent of the torque to the rear wheels when conditions demand.

 Photo by Jason Fogelson

Photo by Jason Fogelson

Handling and Suspension

Infiniti has one of the best-handling crossovers on the road, the QX70, so the QX30 has a high bar to jump. Electric-assist power steering, often a bugaboo, in this case works very well, delivering good road feel and sharp response. Four-wheel independent suspension (MacPherson struts front/multilink rear) with stabilizer bars at both ends controls the body. Infiniti didn’t go crazy with the ground clearance, which ranges from 6.1 inches (Sport) to 6.8 inches (FWD) to 8.0 inches (AWD)–that's higher than a sedan, but not really off-roader figures. That helps with on-road handling, while still producing an assertive stance with a slightly elevated seating position. Driving around in the QX30 can be fun, especially if you appreciate sharp cornering and stable cruising.

 Photo by Infiniti

Photo by Infiniti

Three Variants, Six Trims, Entry-Level Pricing

In the Infiniti tradition, the QX30 lineup refrains from extensive complexity. Three basic variants, FWD, Sport and AWD mix with trim levels and a few bundles of options. The base FWD starts at $29,950, a decidedly entry-level premium price. FWD Luxury starts at $32,600, and the FWD Premium starts at $35,300 and walks up to $42,100 as you add options packages. Sport models start at $38,500, including the moonroof and Navigation packages, and that price peaks at $42,200 when you add the leather, LED, and Tech packages. AWD Luxury starts at $34,400, and AWD Premium starts at $37,700 but climbs to $44,500 when you check all of the boxes.

 Photo by Jason Fogelson

Photo by Jason Fogelson

Options and Packages

Infiniti offers several options packages for the QX30, along with a good list of standard features. The base FWD comes with cloth seats, while every other variant comes has leather or leather and Dynamica (a synthetic suede product) surfaces. LED headlights and ambient interior lights can be ordered on Sport and Premium trim levels, and Navigation gets bundled in early on in the Premium models, although it's standard on Sport.

The Technology package, long an Infiniti strength and available on all trims except FWD Base and Luxury, includes blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning, forward emergency braking, intelligent cruise control, auto high/low beam headlights, intelligent park assist, and Around View Monitor with Moving Object Detection.

 Photo by Infiniti

Photo by Infiniti

Entry-Level Luxury Crossovers

A bit too much road and engine noise entered the cabin of our pre-production test cars, which we hope does not occur in production QX30s. Beyond that, we had very few complaints about the premium compact crossover. It looks great, it is fun to drive, and it has a true luxury feel, especially in AWD Premium trim.

Potential buyers should look at the other entries in the class, like the BMW X1, Audi Q3, Lexus NX, and, of course, Mercedes-Benz GLA. Rumored new entries from Acura and others may be on the way soon.

Will the QX30 bring new buyers into the Infiniti tent? Maybe. The 2017 Infiniti QX30 is a very attractive, reasonably priced new premium crossover vehicle, no matter who buys it.

 Photo by Jason Fogelson

Photo by Jason Fogelson


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