Infiniti Q30 vs Renault Kadjar
What's the difference?

Infiniti Q30

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2019 price

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Renault Kadjar

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2021 price

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Land Rover Discovery Sport

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A35

Mercedes-Benz A45

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Mercedes-Benz G63

Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLS

Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Summary

2019 Infiniti Q30

2021 Renault Kadjar

By Tom White

By Laura Berry

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 4, 2.0L

Inline 4, 1.3L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

6.3L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Concept car looks
Willing engine
Standard safety

Cool styling inside and out
Bose stereo
Leather seats

Dislikes

Concept car practicality
Lacking multimedia
Priced in the big leagues

Jerky dual-clutch auto at low speeds
Falling behind in advanced safety tech
Pricey

2019 Infiniti Q30 Summary

Welcome to the future - where your Mercedes-Benz is a Nissan and your Nissan is a Mercedes-Benz.

Lost already? Let me catch you up. Infiniti is the premium arm of Nissan, in much the same way Lexus is the premium arm of Toyota, and the Q30 is Infiniti’s hatchback.

Thanks to the state of various global manufacturing alliances the Q30 is mechanically, largely a previous-generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, with a similar arrangement seeing the new Mercedes-Benz X-Class ute comprised largely of Nissan Navara underpinnings.

Recently, the Q30 has had its range of variants trimmed from a confusing five down to two, and the one we’re testing here is the top-spec Sport.

Make sense? I hope so. The Q30 Sport joined me on an 800km trip along the east coast in the height of summer. So, can it make the most of its German/Japanese roots? Read on to find out.

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2021 Renault Kadjar Summary

Don’t let people talk you into buying a tiny car just because you live in the city. That’s what I’ve learnt from being a car reviewer and living about eight kilometres from the CBD.

Yes, car spaces are small, or almost non existent, but the people that live there are as full-sized as people elsewhere and they often carry around just as much gear. What you need is a big, little car and the Renault Kadjar is that – a small SUV which is actually bigger than most.

The Kadjar is also French, and that’s appealing to us city folk because even though there are millions of us living in one square metre we like to think of ourselves as different, as individuals, cosmopolitan, metropolitan.

So the Kadjar looks perfect then, right?

Well, it’s good yes… in some ways, but after reading this you might prefer its Japanese cousin, the Nissan Qashqai. Let me explain...

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Deep dive comparison

2019 Infiniti Q30 2021 Renault Kadjar

Verdict

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.

Verdict

The Renault Kadjar Intens ticks a lot of the urban boxes. It’s small, which is good for navigating narrow city streets and parking in tight spaces, but it’s also spacious and practical. The Kadjar is fuel efficient for a four-cylinder petrol engine and it has that sophisticated French styling.

The Intens is expensive, though, and unless you absolutely have to have leather seats, a glass roof, and the Bose stereo I’d go for the mid-range Zen grade and save yourself $5K but still have all the same safety tech. That said the Intens has auto parking as standard which is a nice convenience for the city.

Safety could be better. The AEB system doesn’t have pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross traffic alert, or reverse emergency braking.

Finally, the dual-clutch automatic and 1.3-litre turbo-petrol engine while a fuel efficient combination, isn’t all that easy to live with and can make driving a less-than-smooth experience. The Nissan Qashqai’s combination of CVT auto and four-cylinder naturally aspirated engine is better suited to the urban jungle - something to think about there.

Now the scores, the Kadjar Intens gets the same mark for daily driving and its urban talents – it could be smoother to drive, but there’s still lots to like.

Infiniti Q30 vs Renault Kadjar What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Infiniti Q30 vs Renault Kadjar
What's the difference?