Infiniti Q30 review - Japanese premium compact takes on German rivals - Infiniti Q30 MPG and running costs
Not a car to make you grin on a twisty road, but ride and refinement are both Q30 trump cards
Most frugal of all, and therefore least likely to cause you pain at the pumps, is the 1.5d with the six-speed manual transmission, front-wheel drive and 18-inch wheels. Officially at least, it returns a combined economy figure of 68.9mpg, and while we’ve not yet driven the 1.5d we expect a figure in the 50s will be more commonplace.
Barely less frugal on-paper is the 2.2d with its standard DCT, which returns 64.2mpg, though this tumbles to 57.6mpg combined if you require an extra pair of driven wheels. Diesel CO2 figures range from 109g/km in the 1.5 to 129g/km for the 2.2d AWD, so no diesel Infiniti will cost you much in Vehicle Excise Duty.
Nor are the petrols particularly profligate, with European economy figures from 48.7mpg in a 1.6t with DCT, to 42.2mpg in the Q30’s thirstiest incarnation: A 2-litre, all-wheel drive petrol on the sole 19-inch wheel option. The lowest CO2 figure is 136g/km, the highest 156g/km.
Once again, expecting such numbers in the real world takes an optimistic personality, and our experience with the 2.0t DCT suggests a figure just about scraping into the 30mpg band on an A-road commute; less if you leave the Q30 in its Sport transmission mode, which hangs onto gears.
Will the Q30 be tricky to own? Probably not. You might not be as close to a dealer as you would with some rivals – Infiniti showrooms aren’t exactly common – but there’s a three-year/60,000-mile warranty, 3, 4 or 5-year up-front service contracts, and some suitably premium owner services. If you’re away from home, break down and need to continue your travel urgently, Infiniti will fly you and your passengers to your destination in business class.
