BMW 1 Series vs Infiniti Q30

What's the difference?

The 118i has restored my faith in entry-level models from premium brands. Could it do with more standard gear? Absolutely, especially at $50K, and given what you could get in a higher-grade variant from a mainstream manufacturer, like the Mazda3 or VW Golf.

But the 118i is a cut above the mainstream hatchbacks in terms of performance, driver engagement and how the car makes you feel. 

If value is the priority, look elsewhere. But if your budget stretches this far and you can live without some of the luxo features, there’s little to complain about with the 118i hatch.

The Q30 Sport is a left-field choice in the premium hatch segment. For those who don’t care about badge equity and are looking for something different, the Q30 provides maybe 70 per cent the feel of its well-established competition while offering decent value courtesy of standard safety and spec inclusions.

The biggest letdown is how much better it could be with just a little extra in every department. Even in this top-spec the drive experience is a bit generic, and it’s missing an up-to-date multimedia experience limiting its appeal to a younger audience.

Even with its promising mixed heritage, the Q30 hardly feels more than the sum of its parts.

Since the first-generation model arrived on the scene in the early 2000s, the 1 Series has had a slightly awkward design, partly due to the rear-wheel drive underpinnings. But this latest third-gen model, that debuted in 2019, is by far the most sleek and stylish yet. 

This is helped by the slimline tail-lights, rising shoulder line and well-executed front-end design with the signature BMW quad headlights and wide 'kidney' grille. 

In Australia the 118i comes as standard with 'M suspension' that lowers the ride height by 10mm, which gives it even more of a hunkered down look. The 'Black Sapphire' paintwork of the test car also upped the sexiness of the little hatch.

The 1 Series, and its competitors from Benz and Audi, are all visually appealing in different ways, ensuring they will each appeal to different buyers. 

The interior design is unmistakably BMW, which hasn’t evolved significantly for about 15 years. Although new-generation models like the iX and the soon-to-launch X1 SUV prove that BMW can evolve.

BMW’s overall dash design and layout isn’t a million miles away from the edgy angular look of the new Audi A3 - and that’s no criticism.

The mixed synthetic leather and cloth trim on the seats has a cool blue cloth motif to break up the grey and add a small splash of colour to the cabin. Matching blue stitching on the dash and doors is a nice touch.

The Q30 drew more than just looks for its badge. It genuinely looks like a concept car from a motor show stand. Not the paper mache Mars rover early prototype kind, more like the six-months-before-production kind.

It’s all swoopy with curves cutting all down the sides, and Infiniti has done a good job imprinting the brand’s signature design queues – like the chrome-framed grille and notched C-pillar - on the front and rear three-quarter views.

It’s genuinely hard to tell it shares major componentry with the last-gen (W176) A-Class from the outside and I’d place the overall look somewhere between Mazda and Lexus’ design languages for better or worse.

While the front is swoopy and resolved the rear is a bit busy with lines everywhere and bits of chrome and black trim all over the place. The tapered roofline and high bumpers set it apart from your regular hatchback fare. 

It might grab the eye for the wrong reasons, but it certainly gives the Q30 a slick look when viewed in profile. I wouldn’t call it a bad looking car, but it is divisive and will appeal only to certain tastes.

Inside is simple and plush. Perhaps a little too simple when compared with the new (W177) A-Class with its entirely digital dashboard or the 1 Series with its M bits. One could even argue the Audi A3 has done ‘simplicity’ better.

The seats are nice in the two-tone white-on-black trim and the Alcantara roof is a premium touch, but the rest of the dash is a bit too basic and dated. There’s a smattering of buttons down the centre stack which are replaced with more intuitive touchscreen functions on most rivals, and the 7.0-inch touchscreen looks small, distantly embedded in the dash.

The materials are all nice to the touch, with most important touch-points clad in leather, but it also feels a little claustrophobic, with the abundance of dark trim, thick roof pillars and a low roof-line, especially in the back seat. The switchgear, which is mostly dropped straight out of a Benz A-Class, feels good.

Up front the 118i’s sports seats offer unbelievable levels of lateral support, and despite the bolsters being adjustable, it might be a little too snug for some. It’s expected for a pricey hot hatch but not the lower grade 1 Series. And given how much side support there is, it could do with a touch more under-thigh padding. The driver’s seat is power adjustable while the front passenger has to adjust their seat manually.

The typically chunky BMW M leather steering wheel looks and feels expensive and offers good grip. The minimal steering wheel controls are well labelled with text or clear icons. I appreciated the analogue air conditioning controls instead of them being buried in a multimedia screen menu.

The multimedia system menu is unfussy and while it’s not as tech heavy as some other systems, I don’t see that as a negative. It just means there are fewer functions you’re forced to remember. You can control the system via the 'iDrive' controller in the centre console or it can be used as a touchscreen. I like the way users are given both options. The 10.25-inch screen is nice and wide but quite narrow. Overall, BMW’s operating system is easy to use and functions well.

In terms of devices, the 118i has a wireless charging pad, as well as a USB-A and USB-C port, and a 12-volt charger up front.

It has a smallish central bin, but it’s fine for a number of smaller items. Tall bottles fit easily in the door storage bin and there’s a secondary slot for other items. The 118i comes with a decent sized glovebox, and two front cupholders with a nook for phones just behind it.

The 118i is more spacious than anticipated, especially in the second row. The back of the front seats are scalloped, allowing for a little extra knee room, but there is a good amount of legroom generally, and plenty of headroom, despite the lower roofline. 

The rear seats are on the flat side but still comfortable, and there are ISOFIX points on the two outboard seats.

Rear seat occupants have access to map pockets, two more USB-C ports, and storage for big bottles in the doors (just), but there are no rear air vents. The seats fold 60/40 and there’s no central armrest.

Open the hatch and you’ll find a reasonably sized boot that can swallow 380 litres, expanding to 1200L with the rear seats stowed. There is plenty of under-floor storage because there’s no spare tyre on account of the run-flats favoured by BMW. There are, however, a couple of tie-down anchors and shopping bag hooks.

Infiniti calls the Q30 a “crossover” rather than a hatchback and this is best reflected through its pumped ride height. Rather than hugging the ground like the A-Class or 1 Series, the Q30 sits propped up, almost like a small SUV.

There’s also the QX30 which is an even more pumped version of this car complete with plastic guards in the vein of Subaru’s XV. The QX30 is also your only way to all-wheel drive now that the Q30 is front-wheel drive only. 

While the extra ride height means you won’t have to worry about scraping expensive body panels on speedbumps or steep ramps you won’t be wanting to get too brave off the tarmac.

Interior space is fine for front passengers with plenty of arm and legroom, but back seat passengers are left with a small, dark space which feels especially claustrophobic. Headroom is not great no matter which seat you’re in. In the front seat I could almost rest my head on the sun-visor (I’m 182cm tall) and the back seat was not much better.

Rear passengers do score nice seat trim and two air-conditioning vents though, so they haven’t totally been forgotten.

There’s average amounts of storage up front and in the back, with small bottle holders in each of the four doors, two on the transmission tunnel and a tiny trench – useful for keys maybe – in front of the air-conditioning controls.

Even the centre console box is shallow, despite a large opening. Once I had collected enough loose objects on my trip I started to run out of room for things in the cabin.

There are nettings on the back of the front seats and an odd extra one on the passenger’s side of the transmission tunnel.

Power outlets come in the form of a single USB port in the dash and a 12-volt outlet in the centre box.

The boot is a much better story despite the swoopy roofline with 430 litres of space available. That’s bigger than the A-Class (370L), 1 Series (360L), A3 (380L) and CT200h (375L). Needless to say, it ate up two large duffle bags and some extra items we brought with us for our week-long trip.

This is due to its impressive depth, but it does come at a cost. The Q30 only has the sound system’s base and an inflator kit under the boot floor. There’s no spare for long distance trips.

One irritation I have to mention is the shift-lever, which was annoying in its tilt-shift operation. Often when trying to change to drive from reverse or vice versa it would get stuck in neutral. Sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with a shifter which locks in position…

If you’re shopping in this segment, there’s a good chance you’re not looking for a bargain buy, but the Q30 shines in some areas its competition doesn’t.

A promising start is the complete lack of a lengthy and expensive options list with items which should be standard. In fact, apart from a reasonable set of accessories and the $1200 premium 'Majestic White' paint, the Q30 has no options in the traditional sense.

The base Q30 scores 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with high-beam assist, heated leather seats, flat-bottomed leather steering wheel, leather trim on the doors and dash, Alcantara (synthetic suede) roof-lining and a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen supporting DAB+ digital radio and built-in navigation.

Our Sport adds a 10-speaker Bose audio system (which could have been better…) dual-zone climate control, a fixed panoramic sunroof, fully-electric front seats and Nissan’s 360-degree ‘around view monitoring’ parking suite.

It might have premium aspirations, but value-wise Q30 is still specified like a Nissan.

The standard safety suite is also reasonably impressive, and you can read more about it in the safety section of this review.

Our Q30 Sport comes in at a total of $46,888 (MSRP) which is still premium money. The price pits it against the BMW 120i M-Sport (eight-speed auto, $46,990), Mercedes-Benz A200 (seven-speed DCT, $47,200) and fellow Japanese premium hatch act - the Lexus CT200h F-Sport (CVT, $50,400).

Herein lies the Q30’s biggest problem. Brand recognition. Everybody knows the BMW and Benz hatches by virtue of their badges alone and the Lexus CT200h is known by those who care about it.

Even without the extensive options list, it makes the price of entry against such established competition tough. While you might see a couple of them around Sydney, the Q30 is a relatively rare sight which garnered more than a few quizzical looks in the towns of NSW’s mid-north coast.

The standard spec is also missing the all-important Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It rendered the 7.0-inch multimedia screen clumsy and largely useless, although the old-fashioned built-in nav gives peace-of-mind when you’re out of phone reception range.

If you have an Apple phone you can make use of the iPod music playback feature via the USB port.

The 118i is powered by a three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, offering up 103kW of power and 220Nm of torque. It’s the same unit found in the Mini Cooper, albeit uprated by 3kW for the BMW.

It is front-wheel drive and the engine is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

BMW says the 118i can cover the 0-100km/h sprint in 8.5 seconds.

If you’re after a quicker 1 Series, then the 180kW i28ti or 225kW Mi35i xDrive could be a better pick.

For 2019 the Q30 has had its list of engines trimmed from three to just one. The diesel and smaller 1.6-litre petrol engines have been culled, leaving a 2.0-litre petrol.

Thankfully, it’s a strong unit producing a once-V6-range 155kW/350Nm across a wide band from 1200-4000rpm.

It feels responsive and isn’t let down by a slick-shifting seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.

The new-generation A-Class equivalent, even in 2.0-litre A250 guise produces less torque with outputs of 165kW/250Nm, so for the money the Infiniti scores a solid serving of extra punch.

According to BMW, the 118i consumes 5.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres. During my week of mixed driving with the hatch, I recorded a much higher average figure of 10.8L/100km. This was exacerbated by the fact I did my main test drive shortly before returning the car. It was much more efficient around town.

It has a 50-litre fuel tank and does require premium 95 RON petrol. In terms of CO2, the 118i emits 135g/km.

Over my week-long test the Q30 returned a figure of 9.0L/100km. I was a little disappointed with this figure given much of the distance covered was cruising at freeway speeds. 

It’s made worse when you pitch it against the claimed/combined figure of 6.3L/100km (not sure how you could achieve that…) and the fact that I left the irritating stop-start system on for much of the time.

For a leader in the luxury hatch class consider the Lexus CT200h which makes full use of Toyota’s hybrid drive and pitches a fuel consumption figure of 4.4L/100km.

The Q30 has a 56-litre fuel tank and takes a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded.

To be honest I wasn’t particularly hopeful of an engaging driving experience with the 118i given I have been underwhelmed by the base Mercedes-Benz A-Class. But after a week with the 1 Series, I reckon it might well be the pick of the premium players in this segment.

The 118i is also a much more enjoyable car to drive than the entry-level version of the outgoing X1 SUV with which it shares a powertrain. If you don’t need the extra cargo space or the ride height of the X1, then please test drive the 118i just to see what you’d be missing if you opted for the X1.

BMW has always excelled when it comes to building punchy powertrains for driver’s cars, and that continues to be true, even for its smallest internal combustion unit.

The 103kW/220Nm turbocharged three-pot is smooth yet responsive, offering linear power and torque delivery and acceleration that will bring a smile to your face.

Obviously it’s not as quick as its sportier 1 Series siblings, but make no mistake, you can still have fun in a 118i.

There’s a little bit of lag when taking off and some hesitation from the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission during shifts, but neither are deal-breakers.

That obsession with driver engagement has paid off with the steering which is quick and direct.

The suspension is geared towards dynamism and as a result of that, and the sharp steering, you’ll be seeking out the nearest twisty section of road every time you get behind the wheel. It’s planted in corners with excellent road-holding characteristics.

Unfortunately that dynamic tune, and the low-profile tyres, means the ride is on the firmer side and a little jiggly around town, but it settles at speed. 

In terms of visibility, the 118i has huge B- and C-pillars, small rear side windows and a narrow rear windscreen, so you’ll be relying on the parking sensors and camera. The 11.4m turning circle feels large for a small car, too. 

The cabin is well insulated from some outside noise but coarse chip roads will make their presence felt.

Thanks to its shared underpinnings with the A-Class the Q30 Sport drives largely like you would expect a premium hatch to drive. It’s just lacking a bit of character.

The engine is responsive, the transmission is fast and the availability of peak torque from just 1200rpm will lead to spinning the front wheels if caution is not applied. Power is no real issue.

Although Infiniti says it has tuned the Q30 in Japan and Europe, the ride has an undeniably Germanic flavour. It doesn’t feel quite as tight as the A-Class or 1 Series but it doesn’t feel as soft as the CT200h, so it strikes a decent balance.

The Q30 uses MacPherson strut suspension in the front and multi-link at the rear, more suited to a premium car than the torsion bar rear on the new Benz A 200.

The wheel has a nice amount of feedback, and thankfully doesn’t use the larger Q50’s strange ‘Direct Adaptive Steering’ which has no mechanical connection between the driver and the road.

If you’ve driven a decently-specified A-Class before the drive experience will feel familiar. The added ride height seems to remove a bit of feel from the corners, however.

There’s also the inclusion of three drive modes – Economy, Sport and Manual. Economy mode seems to be the default with Sport simply holding gears for longer. Steering-wheel mounted paddle-shifters could be used to mill through the seven gears in 'Manual' mode, although this didn’t add much to the experience.

The addition of active cruise control and adaptive high beams proved to be fantastic for reducing fatigue on long highway stints during the night, but the lack of a padded surface on the inside of the transmission tunnel proved uncomfortable for the driver’s knee on longer trips.

I persisted with the stop-start system to test it, but it proved slow and irritating. Under normal circumstances it would be the first thing I’d turn off.

Visibility was also a bit limited out the rear three quarter courtesy of the low, swoopy C-pillars.

The Q30 scores some decent active safety goodies alongside the usual refinements. Active safety items include auto emergency braking (AEB) with forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring (BSM), lane departure warning (LDW) and active cruise control.

There’s also Nissan’s signature ‘Around View Monitor’ 360-degree reversing camera which sounds more useful than it is. Thankfully there is also a standard reversing camera.

The Q30 carries a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating as of 2015 but has not been tested to the more demanding 2019 standards.

The rear seats also benefit from two sets of ISOFIX child seat mounting points. 

As previously mentioned, there’s no spare wheel in the Q30 Sport, so best of luck with the inflator kit if you end up with a flat in the outback.

BMW continues to offer a three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty for its models, which is disappointingly a couple of years off most rivals these days.

The German giant also does things a little differently when it comes to servicing. Instead of service schedules, it has ‘condition-based servicing’, which is when the vehicle’s computer will inform you when the car needs a service. 

BMW’s Service Inclusive pre-paid plan runs for five years or 80,000km for the 1 Series, and costs $1700 up front when you buy the car. That averages out to about $340 per service, which isn’t bad for a premium marque.

As with all Infiniti products, the Q30 is covered by a four-year/100,000km warranty and a three-year service program can be purchased with the car. Pricing was not available for the 2019 Q30 model year at the time of writing, but its 2.0-litre turbo predecessor averaged $540 per service once a year or every 25,000km.

Credit where credit is due, the Q30 edges out the European competition by a year of warranty length and general service pricing. This market segment is still wide open for a manufacturer to take the lead offering five or more years of warranty coverage.