Skoda KAROQ VS Infiniti Q30
Skoda KAROQ
Likes
- Refinement
- Value
- Practicality
Dislikes
- Dated interior
- Non-linear power delivery
- Needs premium unleaded
Infiniti Q30
Likes
- Concept car looks
- Willing engine
- Standard safety
Dislikes
- Concept car practicality
- Lacking multimedia
- Priced in the big leagues
Summary
Skoda KAROQ
Typically appealing to those seeking quality engineering and tech without feeling the need to make a boastful badge statement, Skoda is a low-key, ultra-confident brand.
On sale here since 2018, the Skoda Karoq is a comparatively small fish in one of the most hotly contested segments in the Australian new-car market, namely medium SUVs, the leading trio consisting of the Toyota RAV4, Nissan X-Trail and Mitsubishi Outlander.
To increase its appeal against these and other high-profile contenders Skoda Australia has introduced a new entry-level Karoq designed to hit the Goldilocks zone between attractive standard specification and sharp pricing. CarsGuide was invited to its local launch.
Read more about
| Safety rating | — |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 1.4L |
| Fuel Type | Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6.5L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Infiniti Q30
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.
| Safety rating | |
|---|---|
| Engine Type | 2.0L turbo |
| Fuel Type | Premium Unleaded Petrol |
| Fuel Efficiency | 6.3L/100km |
| Seating | 5 seats |
Verdict
Skoda KAROQ7.8/10
This new entry-level Karoq gives the already accomplished mid-size SUV an even sharper value-for-money edge. On top of that it's space efficient, hugely practical and economical. Safety's up to speed, the ownership package is solid and it's a quiet, refined drive. Before joining the RAV4 queue, we'd suggest giving this Skoda some serious thought.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.
Infiniti Q306.9/10
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.
Is the Q30 Sport different enough that you’d consider it over its premium hatch rivals? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
Design
Skoda KAROQ
Skoda's distinctively broad, vertically slatted grille stands the brand apart, and even after six years in market the Karoq looks crisp and contemporary with chiselled character lines and jagged head and tail-lights blending successfully with more gently curved surfaces along the car's flanks and turret.
It might be a subconscious side-effect of knowing Skoda is part of the VW Group, but I can't help seeing hints of Tiguan here and there, particularly around the side windows and rear end.
But cool touches like aero-influenced inserts in the 18-inch alloy rims reinforce the Karoq's individual look.
Move to the inside and while the 8.0-inch central media touchscreen and 8.0-inch digital instrument display are on the pace the overall design shows the car's age.
Quality trim materials lift the tone, the cloth seats with contrast stitching look (and feel) great, but the understated dash design in particular is 'traditional', the vibe accentuated by liberal use of piano black highlight elements.
That said, the mix of on-screen functions and physical controls works well ergonomically and the leather-trimmed, partially-perforated, flat-bottom steering wheel is hard to fault.
Infiniti Q307/10
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.
Practicality
Skoda KAROQ
In terms of dimensions, at just under 4.4m long, a bit more than 1.8m wide and a fraction over 1.6m tall the Karoq is a relatively small medium SUV.
Yet, its 2638mm wheelbase means there's enough space between the axles for generous accommodation front and rear with enough room left over for a decent boot.
There's ample room for me, at 183cm, in the front with plenty of breathing space between driver and co-pilot. Not to mention heaps of storage including big door bins with room for large bottles, an open area in the centre console under an extending and height-adjustable centre armrest, various coin and oddments slots, a good size glove box, a broad lidded dash-top compartment and a drop down box near the driver's right knee.
Move to the rear, and sitting behind the driver's seat set to my position, I've got good head, leg and shoulder room. Best for two adults, although three would be possible for (cozy) short trips.
Three up to teenage kids will be fine back there, but if your kids are in a capsule, child seat or booster you'll be good with two but three will be a bridge too far.
Again there are door bins with enough room for oversize bottles, three cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest (one is 'venti'-sized) as well an oddments tray at the back of the front centre console and map pockets on the front seat backs. Adjustable ventilation is another plus.
With all seats up the Karoq offers a healthy 588 litres (VDA) of storage space, expanding to 1810L with the 60/40 split rear seat folded. A rear seat 'ski-port' style door also increases flexibility.
There are numerous bag and tie-down hooks as well as thoughtful storage spaces around the boot space. A full-size (speed limited) spare sits under the floor and while the tailgate misses out on power assistance, there's a typically useful dangling grab handle to help with closing.
For those keen on towing the FWD Karoq is rated up to a 1.5-tonne braked trailer (750kg unbraked).
Infiniti Q306/10
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…
Price and features
Skoda KAROQ
To tempt people away from the Toyota RAV4 juggernaut you need a distinctive brand personality, which the Karoq has in spades, as well as a standard features list long enough to entice but not so lengthy that it sends the asking price over the top.
And this new Karoq entry-grade model is set at $39,990, drive-away, which is a shot across the bow of the base RAV4 GX 2WD sitting at $39,760, before on-road costs.
It's also in the same ballpark as the X-Trail ST five-seat 2WD ($37,250 before on-roads) and Outlander ES five-seat 2WD ($37,740 BOC).
So, the balancing act between price and equipment lands with standard feature highlights including dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, 18-inch alloy rims, auto LED headlights, an 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a reversing camera, built-in nav and eight-speaker audio.
That's pretty handy, although it's worth noting while the start is keyless, entry to the car isn't, and while the Karoq Style and SportLine boast an auto tailgate, this grade misses out.
Clearly, there's been careful fine-tuning of the value equation but the car maintains a premium look and feel that stacks up well in the segment.
Infiniti Q307/10
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.
Under the bonnet
Skoda KAROQ
The Karoq is powered by a 1.4-litre, all-alloy, direct-injected, turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine sending 110kW (at 6000rpm) and 250Nm (from 1500-3500rpm) to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Infiniti Q307/10
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.
Efficiency
Skoda KAROQ
Skoda's official combined cycle fuel economy number for the Karoq is 6.5L/100km, the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine emitting 147g/km of CO2 in the process.
On the launch drive program for this new entry-level model, covering city, B-road and freeway running along the coast south of Sydney, NSW, we recorded an average of 7.6L/100km.
That's useful for a conventional combustion engine without the benefit of electric hybrid assistance. Worth noting, however, minimum fuel requirement is the pricier 95 RON premium unleaded.
You'll need 50 litres of it to fill the tank which equates to a theoretical driving range of 770km using the official figure or around 660km using our on-test result.
Infiniti Q306/10
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.
Driving
Skoda KAROQ
Despite riding on sizeable 18-inch alloys (shod with 215/50 Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber), first impressions behind the Karoq's wheel are dominated by how composed and refined it is.
Even on coarse, irregular B-roads the car remains supple yet balanced and well buttoned down in the corners. The steering is nicely weighted and road feel is good.
Skoda says the Karoq will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9.2 seconds, which isn't ferociously fast but the 1.4-litre turbo four delivers its peak pulling power from 1500-3500rpm, which means you're never short of mid-range urge.
The smooth eight-speed auto also helps keep things on the boil although power delivery isn't always linear. Squeeze the throttle and the engine can take half a beat before responding in something of a rush.
Shift from 'Normal' to 'Sport' mode and the transmission will respond more urgently, holding on to ratios longer and changing down more readily. And if you want full control, move the lever over into the 'Tiptronic' manual position for satisfyingly rapid changes on-demand.
The engine remains quiet, only making its presence felt at higher revs, the supportive front seats remain comfortable over lengthy stints and the brakes (vented discs front, solid rotors rear) deliver firm, progressive stopping power even under the pressure of an enthusiastic twisty backroad run.
Under the heading of miscellaneous observations, the multimedia system is easy to navigate and quick to respond, the extending, height-adjustable front centre armrest is brilliant and the adaptive cruise system responds to changes quickly yet calmly.
Infiniti Q307/10
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.
Safety
Skoda KAROQ
The Skoda Karoq's previous five-out-of-five ANCAP star rating has timed out, given the assessment was from 2017, so it's now unrated.
But that doesn't mean it's underdone in terms of active crash-avoidance tech, this base version featuring AEB (operational from 4.0-250km/h) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, 'Lane Assist', 'Side Assist' (with rear cross-traffic alert), Parking Distance Control (front and rear), a reversing camera, rear AEB as well as tyre-pressure and fatigue monitoring.
If a crash is unavoidable, there are seven airbags on-board - dual front, front side, full-length side curtain and a driver's knee bag.
Multi-collision brake minimises the chances of subsequent collisions following an initial impact and there are three top tethers and two ISOFIX anchors for baby capsules and/or child seats across the second row.
Infiniti Q307/10
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.
Ownership
Skoda KAROQ
Skoda is ahead of the mainstream pack, offering a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is two years up on the majority of the Karoq's competitors.
Roadside Assist is complimentary for the first year, renewed annually if you have your Karoq serviced at an authorised Skoda dealer.
The main service interval is 12 months/15,000km, which is in line with most of the competition, and Skoda offers a seven-year service pack for $2750, or $393 per workshop visit, which is competitive with much of the segment but some way off the Toyota RAV4 non-hybrid at $215 per service on a capped-price deal.
On top of that, through Skoda Choice you can opt for a Guaranteed Future Value offer ranging up to five years, with variable deposit and finance currently at a 6.99 per cent rate.
At the end of the term you can trade-in for a new Skoda, pay out the balloon amount and keep the car or simply hand it back.
Infiniti Q308/10
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.