Sector: Compact Executive Price: €39,140 Fuel: 4.8l/100km CO2: 124g/km

The Q50 is to be a turning point for Infiniti in Europe. Aiming for a small share of the compact executive class, it’s tasked with helping the Japanese premium brand significantly increase its sales and will lay out the foundations for the lower-medium Q30 launching next year.

That’s a tough segment to crack. Volvo and Lexus have struggled in the past, Jaguar and Alfa Romeo are readying new models, and Infiniti is a relative unknown at present. Sales and residual values have also been tricky with no competitive diesels and a range starting at the Executive class.

But the groundwork is underway, the dealer network is expanding its coverage and senior-level appointments are frequent. Infiniti also isn’t looking to knock the dominant players off the top of the sales charts, which should keep the Q50 a refreshing, avant-garde choice.

It’s a good-looking car, with swooping bodylines and its own sense of style which is markedly non-German. The longest wheelbase in its class means plentiful rear leg room, and most cabin materials are of a high quality. There are a few hard plastic parts dotted around, but it’s clear that the Q50 was benchmarked against European rivals, rather than Japanese ones.

But perhaps the most noticeable difference inside is the infotainment system. The Q50 groups most functions into a tablet-style touchscreen in front of the gear lever, with the option to download additional apps, and only basic controls are assigned to the rotary commander on the centre console.  This had the potential to be a real headache but InTouch is attractive to look at, intuitive to use, and the real-time traffic information is accurate too.

Unlike Lexus, Infiniti isn’t chasing a large fleet share with its hybrid technology. Instead, the Q50 uses a 170hp 2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel from Mercedes-Benz, which comes pretty close to the segment’s benchmarks on fuel economy and CO2 emissions and will be the likely fleet favourite.

Sadly it’s not the car’s best point. The engine has the sort of coarse rumble which disappeared from most compact executive cars a couple of generations ago, vibrates through the cabin at idle and only really settles down at high speed. Power delivery is strong and fuel consumption of around 5.4l/100km is respectable, but the lack of refinement is surprising in a car which otherwise feels very slick and polished. 

The rest shapes up nicely. Ride quality is firm, but no moreso than any of its rivals on large wheels, and the steering is responsive if a little lacking in feedback. Do the sums on the seven-speed automatic gearbox, though, as the six-speed manual is much closer to segment benchmarks on running costs and costs €2,190 less.

Infiniti’s steer-by-wire setup, which removes the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and front wheels, isn’t standard on SE or Premium trim levels. This reduces vibration and automatically corrects for weaving and high crosswinds, but it polarises opinions and is worth trying on the road before ticking the option box.

Verdict:

An exclusive, stylish choice in a segment dominated by three ever-popular models, it’s only a lack of diesel refinement, which lets the Q50 down.