Infiniti Q30 Review (2016-2020)

There is no shortage of upmarket hatchbacks. The BMW 1 Series, the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, and the Audi A3 are the premium-brand staples, but you could go for something a little more evocative, such as an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, or play it safe with a Volkswagen Golf.

Few, if any, would recommend an Infiniti Q30, because most people have forgotten about it – both the car and the manufacturer – if they even knew they existed in the first place. That’s not to say the Q30 was an awful car, but it was unquestionably niche it didn’t sell well.

The company, which is the luxury arm of Nissan (think what Lexus is to Toyota) laucnhed the Q30 in the UK in 2016. It was based on the third-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, due to a partnership between Nissan, Mercedes, and Renault, so it was made from established mechanical components.

The interior isn’t particularly spacious. Both the front and rear seats are cramped, and it’s quite difficult to find a comfortable driving position. Quality is hit and miss, too, because the cabin is made up of a mixture of posh materials and low-rent plastics.

The Q30 has a 368-litre boot, which is neither best nor the worst in the class. However, while the sculpted bodywork looks smart from the outside, it impinges on the cargo area, so it’s difficult to make the most the available space as you could in a car with a square loading area. Honestly, rivals do it better.

The Q30 was sold with a range of four-cylinder engines, including 1.6- and 2.0-litre petrols and 1.-5 and 2.1-litre diesels – although the latter were badged as 2.2. A six-speed manual gearbox came as standard, and some versions could be specified with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission (badged DCT). All-wheel drive, instead of front-wheel drive, was also an option with the diesel 2.2d DCT and petrol 2.0t DCT models.

That’s a pretty good range of engines for a premium hatchback, and the styling and generous specification make it start to look appealing on paper. However, that initial positivity ebbs away when you get behind the wheel.

The Infiniti neither rides nor or handles well, and it isn’t as refined as a classy hatch needs to be to compete with the class leaders. The diesel engines are especially loud, and the driving position and seats are uncomfortable.

A range of trim levels was offered throughout the Q30’s life, including SE, Premium, Sport, and Business Executive, while options included an array of bundled packs and bespoke colours. This is one of its strengths, because even the standard SE model was well equipped, with such as air conditioning, a seven-inch touchscreen infotainment system, puddle lamps, Bluetooth connectivity, rear parking sensors, and cruise control.

However, the infotainment system is difficult to use, which again takes the edge off the car’s limited appeal. The Q30 did make back some ground on the safety front, though, as it scored the maximum five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash testing and came with lots of safety equipment.

The Infiniti Q30 isn’t an inherently expensive car to run – it’s just a conventional hatchback when you boil it all down, so the running costs are unsurprising.

Go for the 1.5-litre diesel variant, in manual form, and you’ll get a car capable of averaging up to 68.9mpg. The bigger 2.1-litre diesel is reputed to average a lesser 64.2mpg at best, but it is more powerful and makes the Q30 quicker.

That said, most report that the bigger diesel returns in the low 40s when it comes to MPG, while the smaller engine can return an average fuel economy of up to and over 50mpg. If economy is vital, as a result, it’s best to go for the smaller engine.

It’s a similar story on the petrol-engined front. Infiniti claimed that the turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol could average up to 47.9mpg, while the more powerful turbocharged 2.0-litre engine would return up to 45.6mpg. Expect some ten MPG less from both in the real world, though.

Opting for a variant with all-wheel drive will also hurt overall efficiency, due to the increased frictional losses and weight, so steer clear unless you need that additional traction. A set of proper winter or all-season tyres, after all, will cover most bases for many.

Annual VED costs can vary significantly, depending on model and year of registration, so check carefully to avoid any surprises. In any case, VED won’t cost much as most variants are pegged at the conventional £150 annual cost.

Even its insurance costs shouldn’t prove unreasonable, given that it has similar groupings to comparable cars. Do, in any case, remember to run a quote or two first – just to avoid any shocks later down the line.

However, the niche appeal and issues surrounding the Infiniti meant, when new, that depreciation was heavy. This ramped up the overall cost of ownership, which further made it less tempting option. You have to be mindful of resale value when buying a used one, too, as selling it could prove difficult and it might end up going for less than you want it to.

Yearly servicing, or a visit to the dealer every 15,500 miles, is required. If you’re interested in one of the 1.5-litre diesel models, you also need to consider that it’s the only engine in the range with a timing belt. Getting that changed, along with the water pump and other components, could hike up your expenditure considerably.

Watch out for cars with 19-inch wheels fitted, too, as good-quality tyres can be costly. Pick up a Q30 in need of a service and four new tyres and you could quickly land yourself a hefty bill. You might also want to steer clear of AWD versions and cars equipped with the dual-clutch transmission, if you’re worried about longevity and future repair costs.

When it was a new car, the Infiniti Q30 came with a conventional three-year, 60,000-mile warranty, 12 years of cover for perforation by corrosion and a three-year paint warranty. None of that was exceptional but it was par for the course in the premium hatchback sector. If you wanted more extensive standard cover, you’d have to opt for car from a brand such as Toyota, Hyundai or Kia.

Whether the Q30 is a reliable option, however, is somewhat of a question mark. There aren’t many major issues reported, and the Infiniti uses lots of tried-and-tested parts, but there also aren’t that many cars around – so it’s difficult to form an accurate picture.

We’d be surprised if you encountered significant problems but, that said, parent company Nissan often doesn’t fare particularly well when it comes to customer satisfaction and reliability. Then there’s the overarching issue of the Infiniti brand no longer existing in the UK, which could pose a few sticking points for owners.

It’s also worth highlighting that the Q30 has been recalled several times, with faults ranging from a malfunctioning gear shift indicator to airbag faults. Consequently, if you intent to buy a used Q30, check out the government’s “Check vehicle recalls” website to see what issues might pertain to the car you’re interested in. If the owner cannot confirm that the problems listed have been resolved, the authorised repairer network may be able to point you in the right direction.