Trends in the automotive world are a curious thing. They seem to slowly trickle along and then, once they hit a critical mass, suddenly surge forward.

We saw it with SUVs and now we’re seeing it with a new brand of pseudo-car compact crossover. Every manufacturer and their dog seem to be in a rush to deliver a new, small city runabout that “defies convention” or “redefines” body styles. Infiniti is no different. The all-new Q30 looks and feels similar in terms of size to a compact SUV, only lower – much lower.

Our Mazda CX-3 long-term tester is a diminutive 1,547 mm high, this Q30 is 1,495. Get the “Sport” addition and you are looking at 1,475 mm in total height, 15 mm of which is accounted for by reduced suspension travel. The truth is, cars like this are moving back into wagon territory, creeping ever so slowly back to a time when an SUV was a truck, and a crossover was but a gleam in the eye of a designer.

Despite being shorter than all of them, the new Q30 is longer and wider than cars from that sub-compact CUV segment. At 4,425 mm long and 2,083 mm wide with a wheelbase of 2,700, Infiniti’s latest has a solid footprint on the road.

It is similar in ethos, style and size to the Mercedes-Benz GLA – and there’s a reason for that. This Q30 is the result of a partnership between the two companies and the Q30 shares the same platform as the GLA.

The styling is unmistakably “Infiniti” right down to the arched c-pillar, double-arch grill and ‘double wave’ bonnet. This is perhaps the best execution of the marque’s design language.

The engine too is the result of the tie-in with Mercedes-Benz. In Canada, we’re likely to see the 2.0L four with 211 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. We won’t see either of the two diesels nor are we likely to see the 1.6L four – which is good because it has an anaemic 122 hp and 150 lb-ft. We also are unlikely to get the six-speed manual, instead settling for the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission driving all four wheels. No weight figures were available.

Infiniti says customers will be able to “personalize” their Q30 thanks to the availability of two trim levels above the base model, Premium, and Sport.

As mentioned, the Sport model gets lower suspension and a more sporty focus, as well as 19-inch alloys, a different bumper and a black grill plus dark chrome rectangular exhaust tips.

Premium models are equipped with 18-inch wheels,  bright chrome exhaust tips, LED fog lamps and heated, body-coloured mirrors.

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.

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