2017 Infiniti QX30 Sport is more hatchback than crossover

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The all-new Infiniti QX30 Sport is not a crossover.

It does not have the tall ride height that distinguishes crossovers from cars. It does not have the truck-based heritage that crossovers have crossed over from.

It is a hatchback. Short. Sweet. Hatch. Fun yet versatile.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

Unless you call it a crossover because crossovers are the hottest vehicle in America. Yet hatchbacks are making a comeback.

Hatches have a fifth door that open in back instead of a trunk for more versatile storage and roomier proportions. Hyundai Elantra, Chevy Cruze, Honda Civic are all coming as hatchbacks this year, joining the Volkswagen Golf, Mazda3 and Ford Focus, among others.

Yet the premium segment appears hesitant to market a hatch.

There are several of these raised hatchbacks masquerading as subcompact crossovers (BMW X1, Audi Q3) in the luxury sport space, though not as conspicuous as the QX30. The QX30 takes its platform and powertrain from Mercedes-Benz own hatch-not-hatch GLA crossover. Call them hatchovers.

Pedantry aside, the QX30 is stylish, sporty and fun to drive.

It's 2 inches taller than a VW Golf, and nearly 4 inches shorter than the competition. The Sport version we tested is 0.6 inches closer to the ground than the standard model. It's wider and longer but with nipped rear headroom ? and a whole lot less cargo space than the Golf or the other hatchovers mentioned.

It looks more proportional than those humpbacked hatchovers and embodies Infiniti's tradition of skewing to the sportier side of crossovers, with long sport-coupe noses and stretched wheelbases.

The coupe-like roofline tapers into a question mark-shaped kink at the rear that pinches both rear seat headroom, blind spot visibility and cargo space.

If that's a deal breaker, Infiniti and every other automaker offer plenty of proper crossovers. The QX30 is more about driving than riding. It suits urbanites and empty nesters alike.

The shared 2-liter turbo four-cylinder powers more like a hatch than a heavier crossover. It's quick and responsive at speed, overcoming a minor turbo lag that is easy to anticipate. At higher rpm, the 258 pound-feet of torque might feel underpowered compared with the German competitors, but that's not a space most drivers will occupy for very long. In short, passing moves aren't as bold as from a stop. The seven-speed dual clutch transmission sends power to the front wheels seamlessly, or drivers can flick the bitty paddle shifters.

The Sport trim comes with active suspension and 19-inch wheels. Coupled with the lower ride height and the flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, the Sport stays planted in turns and has less body roll on highway ramps than most crossovers.



The Sport is fun to drive and it looks and feels good on the inside.

The bolstered nappa leather sport seats ($1,500 extra) with integrated headrests are a nice balance of cruising comfort and performance firm, and the power adjustments are placed on the door panel like Mercedes. The interior of the Sport is swathed in something like suede called Dinamica; it makes for a soft velvety headliner, and dash and door accents.

Unfortunately the controls don't match the same level of style and sophistication. The center stack is a long scroll down of horizontal buttons. It's busy at best, overkill at worst. The touch screen isn't necessary because there is a dial in the console like Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Mazda. Infiniti's is not as good; it feels like cheap plastic wrapped in tinfoil that could pop off at anytime.

The InTouch infotainment system was glitchy in our week with the pre-production prototype. The system and screen just went out for one commute. We thought we double-pressed something here and there to cause such black magic, and were going to have to pore through the manual to figure out how to undo the spell, but by the time we got off the highway, it just as magically came back on.

Voice commands were inconsistent at best and frustrating every other time.

Fortunately these problems are relatively easy for an automaker to fix, so we hope the system either gets an update or an entirely new generation within the next year or two. For now, it's not worth the $1,400 upgrade.

Rear visibility is tight and there's a big blind spot due to the low roofline, but that's common for Infiniti crossovers and hatchovers alike.

The QX30 Sport is short. And sweet. Cars ? and their classifications ? don't need to be oversized, large, run-on things that are ungainly and indistinct from what's around them.

2017 Infiniti QX30 Sport at a glance
  • Vehicle type: Hatchback
  • Base price: $36,350
  • As tested: $42,200
  • Mpg: 24 city, 33 highway
  • Engine: 2-liter turbo four-cylinder
  • Transmission: Seven-speed to the front wheels

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