Cargo capacity is 368 L, which is slightly better than, say, a Nissan Juke. Infiniti says this is an above-average size for this segment which seems like wishful thinking on the face of it. It’s worth noting though that “standards” for this blooming segment are hard to define. Looking at the cargo area I wonder if Infiniti measured the space with the tonneau cover in place, because it looks more generous than that number suggests. The seats fold 60/40 and there is a DC power outlet and luggage tie downs in the boot. An over-eager show goer had broken one of the vanity covers on the side of the truck space and it looked like those pieces would be vulnerable if the trunk was too packed.
Accent lines can be etched into the alloy wheels according to the buyer’s choice with lines as little as 0.3mm thick.
To further assist the “personalization” of the Q30, drivers can choose between three interior styles: City Black, Café Teak and Gallery White.
City Black is black (unsurprisingly) with purple stitching while Café Teak comes in brown and black two-tone and the Gallery White is yellow. Just kidding – it’s white, but with red accents.
Mock suede door inserts and accents abound, and the interior has lashings of piano black and real chrome. The info screen has rich graphics and is well-insulated from glare deep in the dash while the gauges are likewise lush and easy to read. A puck-style controller can be found down on the console but Infiniti’s execution of this style of system is still a little underdone. Familiarity would help but I found it difficult to work out the system in my short time with it.
The sport seats with integrated head rests are a first for Infiniti and offer supportive bolstering. Sport trims get a flat-bottomed steering wheel that is thick and fits well in the hand.
The cabin benefits from active noise cancellation and drivers will get a simulated engine note played too them via the Active Sound Enhancement system which “smooths out variations in engine tone to project a harmonious and exhilarating sound when accelerating.” This is also known as “fake engine noise”.
The Q30 will offer Automatic park assistance with Around View Monitor and Moving Object Detection, Blind Spot Warning, Forward Collision Warning with Forward Emergency Braking, Auto High Beam Assist, and Intelligent Cruise Control.
The radar waves of the cruise control sensor pass through the Infiniti badge, rather than a plastic panel elsewhere in the grill as it often is on other cars. This, Infiniti says is due to a special metal-plating method they’ve employed for the first time on this badge.
The Q30, which took over 750 designers and engineers to develop, will be the first-ever Infiniti built in Europe. It will be produced out of Sunderland, United Kingdom and deliveries will begin in some markets by the end of 2015.