Infiniti M30d Sedan Review

If you’re a fan of the Formula 1, you’ll know this brand is splashed all over the side of that Energy Drink team that wins a lot. Yes, the cars that have made Sebastian Vettel a triple World Champion now look they’re powered by a luxury Japanese car brand, even though the engine is from Renault and the car is from Woking – in the middle of Britain.

While the brand is new to South African shores, motorists in the United States have been able make TO THE INFINITI, AND BEYOND jokes for nearly two decades now. The G37 Coupe, now known as the Q60, is a bit of an icon over there. However South Africa is a unique market with its own challenges, and the young company – in our collective consciousness – certainly has its work cut out for them.

Infiniti is to Nissan as Lexus is to Toyota, an in-house luxury brand benefiting from shared production costs, enabling the brand to tackle new segments. However, each Infiniti is built from the ground up as a unique car, with some obvious component sharing from the parent company in the form of the Nissan-Renault alliance.

Infiniti range name change

The range has just undergone a complete nomenclature change, and all cars will now have Q in the title, with engine displacement noted separately.

The first saloon available is the Infiniti M30d, which will eventually change to the Q70 as more stock arrives. Cars of its kind include the Mercedes E-Class, BMW 5-Series, Jaguar XF, Audi A6 and Lexus GS. That is some hefty competition, and Infiniti knows it.

The interior kit

And so Infiniti quite literally has thrown in the technological equivalent of the kitchen sink, resulting in a curvy, wood-lined dashboard crammed with, and yes, I counted them, 70 buttons and six knobs. That is a monumental amount of buttons and knobs.

The screen is also touch sensitive, but as it’s a large car, it is quite a stretch. Many of the functions are controllable from the steering wheel, or via a bank of switches below the screen itself. Overkill maybe, but after a bit of trial and error, the rather comprehensive infotainment system makes an excellent on-road companion.

A soft closing boot lid, a key that automatically adjusts the seat and steering wheel to your set preference, Bluetooth, heated and ventilated front seats – the list is too long to feature here. It feels like no expense has been spared in the interior. Surfaces and textures are plush, the leather is soft and the wood luxurious. It’s a little too “Gentleman’s cigar lounge in the 50s” for my taste, but the target market would appreciate it.

Special mention needs to be made of the sound system in the Infiniti M30d. A 13 speaker Bose custom job creates an epic theatre of noise, crystal clear and full of hearty bass. I’ve never seen speakers mounted in the headrests before – and they certainly do the trick of immersing you in the music. If you are slightly deaf, it will help you hear again, and if you aren’t slightly deaf, be warned, you might be soon.

The outside stuff

The best thing about being inside the car is that you don’t have to look at the exterior. My car design skills peaked in Grade 3 and I have a feeling I might be able to make something a little more interesting to look at. In fact, if I baked, I would imagine a lot of my creations would look like the Infiniti M30d. Saggy.

While it succeeds in having a deal of presence, especially on larger rims and in the bold shade of silver of my test unit, it isn’t particularly handsome. It tends to glide unnoticed through most city scenes, but I know many people who would think of that as an advantage. It’s a bit of a Q-car, so perhaps the name change is more fitting than they’ve realised.

The drive

Back inside and that sense of calming Japanese luxury returns. There’s a powerful, smooth diesel burner hiding under the failed meringue cake up front. It’s a very polite engine, I don’t remember hearing it on a single occasion. Talk about refinement!

The car is sprung in a way I have to describe as pleasant. The layout is rear-wheel drive, and if pushed while in Sport mode, it would happily hustle along with the likes of the Lexus GS, but it doesn’t seem very enthusiastic about that sort of thing. The M30d excels as comfortable, well-appointed cruiser, and if you are specifically looking for a very sporty sedan, you would be better served by the BMW 530d.

However, the enormous lump of torque, all 550 Nm of it, can be summoned from as low down as 1 750 rpm. Stabbing the throttle results in an almost cartoonish whooshing movement as the car lunges forward. I found that to be particularly good fun. 0 – 100km/h is a claimed 6.9 seconds, which is just 0.4 seconds shy of VW’s latest Golf GTi. For a 5 metre long car weighing 1.9 tonnes, that’s not shabby.

Four driving modes tell the big diesel and suspension how to behave, and those modes actually make a real difference. By default, it’s always very comfortable though. Fuel consumption is claimed at 7.5litres/100km average, and my test unit saw just over 11 litres/100km, but very much as a result of urban driving. And stabbing the throttle.

Infiniti M30d / Q70 Conclusion

Sometimes, German cars can be a bit too serious. While the engineering is generally cutting edge, they can make you feel like you’re almost lucky to be driving them around. These big Japanese cars however are entirely different. They feel like they’re trying desperately to impress you; it’s quite refreshing actually.

Infiniti is a brand eager to secure a beachhead in the market and I would imagine that if you’re looking for something a bit different, you should be able to secure a very favourable deal indeed.

The diesel powerplant here is comparable to similar cars from the rivals, perhaps down on power but easily as smooth and unobtrusive. While there is 3.7 litre petrol available, the fuel savings available here make the M30d the pick of the two.

Infiniti M30d Price in South Africa

At R672 000, it might not represent a saving over the rivals, but if you are interested in a high spec level, it would cost a small fortune to spec a similar car with this level of kit.

Specifications

We like:
– Extensive standard features
– Luxurious interior
– punchy, quiet diesel powerplant

We dislike:
– Price, perhaps Infiniti should take a bit of a hit on this one to boost sales
– Exterior design – not particular striking, or sporty
– Initially confusing dashboard – it could be simplified

Also consider
Mercedes Benz E-class
Lexus GS
Audi A6
Jaguar XF
BMW 5-Series

Infiniti M30d photo gallery