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2018.5 Infiniti QX30 Adds Auto Emergency Braking As Standard

A compact-sized crossover that’s actually a premium hatchback (Q30) based on the previous generation of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the QX30 wasn’t great when it went on sale in 2016. And things have yet to change, although Infiniti is trying its utmost to keep up with the competition through various improvements and updates.
2018.5 Infiniti QX30 11 photos
Photo: Infiniti
Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30Infiniti Q30
Enter the 2018.5 model year, listed on the automaker’s website at $29,950 for the Pure trim level. The suggested retail price may appear unchanged from the 2018 model year, but that’s not the case for the Luxe, Essential (replaces the Premium), and Sport grades. In these cases, Infiniti ramped up the pricing by $200 and $1,400.

As strange as it may sound, the QX30 Sport AWD is no longer the most expensive QX30 on sale in the United States. That would be the QX30 Essential AWD ($41,200), which comes with satellite navigation from the get-go. Last year, navigation was listed as a $1,850 option. These said, what about the good news?

Auto emergency braking is now standard on the Pure, the Luxe replaces leather upholstery with leatherette and adds a panoramic moonroof, while the Essential benefits from Surround View Monitor with Moving Object Detection in addition to satellite navigation. The Essential can be $1,450 more expensive if you tick the City Black Package off the options list, adding 19-inch wheels, silver-painted mirror caps, black leatherette with contrast stitching, and other undesirable bits and bobs.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Infiniti doesn’t shine through anything when it comes down to the QX30. While it may be cheaper than the BMW X1, Mercedes-Benz GLA, and Lexus NX, there’s no escaping the fact the QX30 is cramped, not exactly posh, nor does it handle too well. And at the end of the day, customers in the market for a compact luxury crossover would look just about everywhere else but at Infiniti for such a vehicle, and the sales figures prove it.

In May 2018, the QX30 sold 672 examples compared to last year’s 927. But more worryingly, even the QX80 outsold it with 1,124 examples (and 1,424 the previous year).
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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