Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

74 | AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE

Infi niti’s Q50 range opens with
the Daimler-sourced 155kW/
350Nm 2.0-litre turbopetrol/
seven-speed automatic/rear-

wheel-drive 2.0t Pure at $54,900.

The Q50 Hybrid runs a 3.5-litre

V6 petrol/electric-motor parallel

hybrid drivetrain with combined

outputs of 268kW/546Nm.

It’s priced at $70,900 for the

rear-wheel-drive Blue Sport

variant.

A seven-speed dual-clutch

transmission is standard.

The performance Q50 models

run a 3.0-litre V6, with a single

turbo, 224kW of power and

400Nm of torque in the $58,900

3.0t Pure and the $64,900 Sport.

A twin turbo Red Sport version,

with 298kW, is priced at $74,900.

That’s serious bang for your

bucks indeed compared with the

German brands.

The Hybrid is no slouch either.

It gets up and goes with much

greater enthusiasm than its

Lexus IS hybrid rival.

Steer-by-wire is an acquired

taste but exceptionally precise

and direct. Adjustable adaptive

suspension is standard and the

Q50 handles very nicely, with a

genuine sporty edge.

The Q50 interior is

comfortable, conservative Japan

Inc, with luxurious front seating

and good adjustability for the

driving position. There’s ample

rear-seat legroom, too.

Top spec Red Sport includes

red highlight stitching and semi-

aniline quited leather seat facings.

Only Blue Sport and Red

Sport get automatic emergency

braking, blind spot and lane

departure warning.

INFINITI Q50 FROM $54,900 S

THINGS WE LIKE

 Hybrid drives like a real sports sedan

 Steer-by-wire works

 Excellent value

 Well equipped

 Comfortable seats

 S Premium is loaded with safety tech

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Run-fl ats compromise ride comfort

Small boot

Six-month service intervals on hybrid

Hybrid runs 98 octane premium

SPEX (Hybrid)

Made in Japan

3.5-litre V6 petrol/electric hybrid/

seven-speed dual-clutch automatic/

rear-wheel drive

268kW of power/546Nm of torque

0–100km/h in 5.1 seconds

5.4L/100km highway; 9.6L/100km

city; 98 octane premium; CO 2

emissions are 159g/km

Warranty: Four years/100,000km

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, leather-faced seats,

19-inch alloy wheels, sports

suspension, navigation, Bose sound,

Bluetooth with audio streaming

and smartphone connectivity, DAB

radio, paddle shifters, sunroof, tyre

pressure monitoring

Redbook future values: 3yr: 45%;

5yr: 31%

Safety

ANCAP

Green Vehicle

Guide

Performance

Handling

Quality and

reliability

Comfort and

refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

compare with ...

Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Lexus IS

Infi niti’s Q30 hatch is a product
of the Nissan (Infi niti’s parent)
and Daimler joint venture.
It’s a Mercedes A-Class with
different sheetmetal, seats

and suspension tuning. Q30 is

front-wheel drive and QX30 is

all-wheel drive.

The 155kW 2.0-litre turbopetrol

2.0t Pure is $44,900 and the fully

loaded Sport Premium is $52,900.

All-wheel drive QX30 Sport

is$56,900.

Q30 is a competent, well-

made luxury hatch, but it does

beg the question: why would you

buy a Mercedes-Benz with an

Infi niti badge?

Because that’s exactly what

it is. Infi niti’s prices aren’t

signifi cantly cheaper either and

despite its best efforts, Infi niti

remains a nothing brand here in

terms of recognition.

The Mercedes 155kW 2.0-litre

turbopetrol is a smooth, tractable,

responsive engine that works well

with the seven-speed automatic.

Ride and handling are fi ne, but a

Ford Focus or VW Golf are just as

capable and comfortable and will

cost you a lot less.

The dash is mostly Mercedes

A Class, right down to the

instruments and switches.

You get a luxurious driver’s

seat, reasonable back-seat

legroom and a big boot.

Annoyances include restricted

vision due to the thick rear pillars,

numb steering and some tyre and

wind noise. Surround cameras

and blind spot monitoring are only

fi tted to Sport Premium models.

Badge-engineered cars are

usually unpersuasive. Infi niti Q30

is exactly that.

INFINITI Q30 FROM $44,900 S

THINGS WE LIKE

 Distinctive sheetmetal

 Mercedes drivetrains

 Mercedes engineering

 Comfortable ride

 Excellent fi t and fi nish quality

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

^ Infi niti is a nothing brand in Australia

^ It doesn’t have the cachet of a

Mercedes, even though that’s

what it is

^ Overpriced compared with Mercedes

A-Class, BMW 1 Series and VW Golf

SPEX (2.0t Sport)

 (^) Made in England
 (^) 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbopetrol/
seven-speed automatic/front-wheel
drive
 (^) 155kW of power at 5500rpm/350Nm
of torque from 1200–4000rpm
 (^) 0–100km/h in 7.3 seconds (claimed)
 (^) 5.3L/100km highway; 8.5L/100km
city; 95 octane premium; CO 2
emissions are 147g/km
 (^) Warranty: Four years/100,000km
 (^) Standard: Seven airbags, stability
control, lane departure warning,
automatic emergency braking, rear-
parking sensors, camera, traffi c sign
recognition, alarm, touch screen
infotainment, Bluetooth, voice
control, navigation, sports seats,
LED headlights, 19-inch alloy wheels
 (^) Redbook future values: 3yr: 51%;
5yr: 36%
Safety
Performance
Handling
Quality and
reliability
Comfort and
refi nement
Value for money
Overall
STARS
compare with ...
Alfa Giulietta, Audi A3, BMW 1
Series, Ford Focus, Mercedes
A-Class, Peugeot 308, VW Golf