2018 Infiniti QX30 AWD

What It Is: The Infiniti QX30 serves as the Japanese luxury brand’s entry in the hotly contested subcompact-crossover segment. Like the Mercedes-Benz GLA250 with which it shares its chassis and powertrain, the QX30 is motivated by a 208-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Although the front-wheel-drive QX30 can be had in base, Luxury, Premium, and Sport trim levels, the all-wheel-drive model is available only in mid-level Luxury and Premium trims.

Our test car was a high-end AWD Premium model and came equipped with $465 illuminated doorsills, a $500 Liquid Copper paint job, the $1000 LED package (swiveling LED headlamps and additional LED interior lighting), the $1750 Café Teak Theme package (brown leather seating surfaces, wood trim, and more), the $1850 Navigation package (navigation system, color gauge-cluster display, and front and rear parking sensors), and the $2200 Technology package (360-degree camera, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning, automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beams, and self-parking capabilities). The final tally: $46,460.

Why We Tested It and How It Performed: Little has changed since we last tested an all-wheel-drive QX30 as part of a five-vehicle comparison test in late 2016. At the time, the then all-new Infiniti finished in fourth place, ahead of the Audi Q3 Quattro but trailing the Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4Matic, Lexus NX200t F Sport AWD, and BMW X1 xDrive28i. That QX30 was a very early build, however, so we wanted to give Infiniti’s entry-level product another chance to prove itself.

Compared with the prior all-wheel-drive car, this QX30 was noticeably quicker. Credit better launch-control programming, which held back our earlier example; this time the QX30 cracked the mile-a-minute mark in 6.2 seconds and passed the quarter-mile in 14.8 seconds at 94 mph—0.4 and 0.3 second ahead of the earlier car, putting it at the swift end of the segment.

As before, the QX30 rode on a set of 18-inch wheels wrapped in Continental ProContact TX SSR tires. The all-season rubber helped the small crossover stick to the tarmac around our 300-foot skidpad to the tune of 0.86 g, an improvement of 0.03 g that put the QX30 in the same league as the comparison-test-winning BMW X1 xDrive28i. Meanwhile, this 2018 QX30 needed just 159 feet to stop from 70 mph, an impressive figure that bested its prior effort by four feet.

What We Like: The QX30 AWD’s low-slung proportions nicely blend the brand’s latest design language with typical crossover styling details such as faux front and rear skid plates, a set of roof rails, and 8.0 inches of ground clearance—an increase of 1.2 inches relative to front-wheel-drive models. Regardless of trim or driven wheels, every QX30 features a well-built interior assembled from quality materials. We particularly liked the rich brown leather and dark wood trim that were part of our test car’s pricey Café Teak Theme package.

What We Don’t Like: This crossover’s slinky shape and the fact that it was adapted from a small hatchback make for a cramped interior with limited passenger and cargo space. Also, its Mercedes-sourced powertrain is at times laggy despite the solid acceleration figures aided by that launch-control system that few drivers are likely to use. The QX30 returned just 27 mpg on our 75-mph real-world highway fuel-economy test, which is 3 mpg worse than its EPA highway estimate. The QX30 also rides more clumsily and generally doesn’t drive as well as its Benz-badged counterpart.

Verdict: A visually appealing small luxury SUV with strong performance that may underwhelm in day-to-day use.

Specifications >

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback

PRICE AS TESTED: $46,460 (base price: $35,395)

ENGINE TYPE: turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection

Displacement: 122 cu in, 1991 cc
Power: 208 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 258 lb-ft @ 1200 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 106.3 in
Length: 174.2 in
Width: 71.5 in Height: 60.2 in
Passenger volume: 89 cu ft
Cargo volume: 19 cu ft
Curb weight: 3530 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 6.2 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 17.2 sec
Zero to 130 mph: 44.4 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.0 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 3.3 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 4.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.8 sec @ 94 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 159 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.86 g

C/D FUEL ECONOMY:
Observed: 22 mpg
75-mph highway driving: 27 mpg
Highway range: 390 miles

EPA FUEL ECONOMY:
Combined/city/highway: 25/21/30 mpg