Infiniti Q70 is a real player now

Test Drive by Graham Breeze

There’s a new player in the large executive market with an eye on the fleet sector.

It’s a sector dominated by Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 but the Infiniti Q70 is well worth a second look, particularly now there’s a 2.2 diesel on offer.

I’ve just had a week behind the wheel of the stunningly attractive Q70 and spent most of my time explaining to admirers that Infiniti is the posh arm of Nissan – just like Lexus is to Toyota.

The first Q70 didn’t sell well when badged in “M” format  but the new look, some interesting tweaks and a 2.2 diesel unit to replace the 3.6-litre V6 have changed the outlook completely.

The Auto Sports Tech model on test is a very attractive car and attracted admiring glances and questions all week, with its distinctive grill, well proportioned curves and beautiful 20inch alloy wheels.

Admirers were impressed at the price too. At £38,950 the Q70 is competitive and an electric sunroof and metallic paint only took the test car price up to £40,580.

For your money you get a seven speed automatic gearbox with manual mode and paddle shifts, speed sensitive power steering assistance, active trace control and a start/stop system to help keep fuel prices down.

Safety is high on the agenda with tyre pressure monitoring, hill start assist, six airbags, active front headrests, rain and light sensors, four wheel ABS, speed limiter, cruise control, blind spot warning, distance control, forward collision warning, lane departure prevention and an engine immobiliser and alarm.

Outwardly the Q70 looks the part standing impressively on the sports design alloys. There’s body colour exterior mirrors which are heated and fold electrically, sports design bumpers to front and rear LED auto-levelling lights, front fog lights, twin exhaust chrome tailpipes and a distinctive red  “S” badge to the rear.

I could have spent hours just sitting in the cabin where you get a multifunction leather steering wheel, loads of reach and height control and stand-out aluminium pedals to match the black interior trim.

There’s all the usual technology you expect today from a luxury car but importantly everything seems to be where you would expect it and is easy to handle.

You can select from a range of driving modes, and there’s keyless entry, rear view camera with front and rear sensors. There’s also a very impressive Around View Monitor with corner parking sensors, moving object detection and parking guidance – though I found this a little too distracting – I like to do some things myself.

The driving position is a joy on a sports designed and either heated or cooled seat and there are all the adjustments you need.

There was no problem with getting the golf clubs on board with 450litres of boot space and rear seat passenger also sit in comfort with ample leg room.

When standing there was a little more engine noise than I expected but that all goes away once on the road though the Q70 is a comfortable rather than exciting car to drive.

Infiniti claim 57.6mpg on the combined cycle - I only achieved around 50mpg. But perhaps that was down to a heavy foot because performance is good with a top speed of 137mpg and 0-62mph in 8.9secs, good for a diesel. CO2 emissions are OK too at 129g/km.

The downside is that there are nowhere near enough dealerships in the UK but Infiniti offer to collect your car when it need servicing, and leave you with a loan car until its returned. You also get a Touring Assistance package when you buy a new model.

And while I would still be a little concerned about residual values the Q70 is now a genuine option. If Infiniti can crack the fleet sales market you will be seeing a lot more on the roads.