USA - Infiniti launched the all new QX30 in the USA, with six trim levels, and a $30k start price, its a good car to own.

• All-new 2017 QX30 priced from under $30,000 USD
• Dynamic, responsive performance, with standard 208-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, is perfectly suited for the active urban environment
• Available technology includes INFINITI’s Around View® Monitor with Moving Object Detection and first-ever Intelligent Park Assist
• Special INFINITI QX30 Reservation Program now available online at InfinitiUSA.com

INFINITI Today announced pricing for the first-ever INFINITI QX30 premium active crossover, which arrives at INFINITI retailers nationwide in September. It is available in six trim levels: QX30, QX30 Luxury, QX30 Premium, QX30 Sport, QX30 Luxury AWD and QX30 Premium AWD.

In addition, a special 2017 QX30 Reservation Program is now available at InfinitiUSA.com for buyers desiring to be among the first in line for the bold new premium active crossover. 

Those who sign up for the program will be rewarded with their choice from a selection of premium gifts, including a GoPro® Hero4 Silver camera, Bose® SoundLink® around-ear wireless headphones II, Starwood Preferred Guest® one-night accommodation, GILT™ online shopping experience and a specially curated culinary experience.

The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices* (MSRP) for the 2017 INFINITI QX30 are:

Model	Engine/Drive	MSRP
QX30	2.0L I4 Turbo / FWD	$29,950 USD
QX30 Luxury	2.0L I4 Turbo / FWD	$32,600 USD
QX30 Premium	2.0L I4 Turbo / FWD	$35,300 USD
QX30 Sport	2.0L I4 Turbo / FWD	$38,500 USD
QX30 Luxury AWD	2.0L I4 Turbo / AWD	$34,400 USD
QX30 Premium AWD	2.0L I4 Turbo / AWD	$37,700 USD

Destination and Handling $995 USD

"The all-new QX30 is a tremendous addition to the INFINITI lineup – a powerful statement of our design and technology leadership and a vehicle that we predict will bring a new generation of premium buyers into our showrooms,” said Randy Parker, vice president, INFINITI Americas. 

“In addition to its striking appearance, the QX30 offers confidence-inspiring handling and an available Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system, making the QX30 the ideal vehicle to take on urban, suburban and winding rural roads in all driving conditions.”

USA - Infiniti QX60 premium crossover offers enhanced look and feel for 2016 model year.

• Infiniti QX60 premium crossover offers enhanced look and feel for 2016 model year
• Refreshed exterior design adds to premium look and feel, interior revisions bring enhanced luxury for up to seven occupants
• Chassis dynamics retuned for a more engaging, comfortable drive
• Suite of available technologies expanded to include Forward Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection and Predictive Forward Collision Warning

Infiniti today announced pricing for the 2016 Infiniti QX60, which has received a major freshening for the new model year – including revised exterior styling, a refined interior, improved dynamic performance and an enhanced list of available safety, security and driving aids technologies.

Infiniti’s second-best selling vehicle in the United States, the QX60 is again available in four models – QX60, QX60 AWD, QX60 Hybrid and QX60 Hybrid AWD.

The starting MSRP* for the 2016 QX60 (FWD) is $42,600, an increase of just $200 from the 2015 model despite the long list of revisions. The popular Premium Plus option package, which includes Infiniti Navigation with Infiniti Connection and Around View® Monitor with Moving Object Detection, is $2,900, a decrease of $100 from last year.

The Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices* for the 2016 Infiniti QX60 are:

Model	Engine/Drive	MSRP
QX60	3.5-liter V6 / FWD	$42,600 USD
QX60 AWD	3.5-liter V6 / AWD	$44,400 USD
QX60 Hybrid	2.5-liter supercharged I4 / FWD	$52,050 USD
QX60 Hybrid AWD	2.5-liter supercharged I4 / AWD	$53,450 USD

"The new Infiniti QX60 offers a long list of new features," said Randy Parker, vice president, Infiniti Americas. "Content and option packaging have been carefully crafted for the new model year to provide more value and equipment advantages versus our luxury crossover competition."

The exterior of the new 2016 QX60 fully embodies Infiniti’s new design language, with a host of new exterior cues including signature grille, headlamps, turn signals and new 18-inch and 20-inch wheel designs. Two new exterior colors are added for 2016: Jade Green and Hagane Blue.

On the inside, the 2016 QX60 adds new graphite weave interior accents, stitched upper dash and a new shift lever (shared with the new Q60 coupe).

Improved driving dynamics are provided by a revised steering system, new tires and enhanced chassis tuning. As in previous years, the 2016 QX60 features a standard 3.5-liter DOHC V6 rated at 265 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 248 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm, along with a fuel-efficient Continuously Variable Transmission.

The QX60 Hybrid’s advanced drivetrain features a supercharged 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder and an electric motor powered by a compact Lithium-ion battery pack. It is rated at 250 net system horsepower. Both the standard and hybrid models are offered in front-wheel drive and with Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.

On the technology front, the new Deluxe Technology Package adds Forward Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection and Predictive Forward Collision Warning. The previous Deluxe Touring Package and Technology Package have been combined to form the Deluxe Technology Package.

"The Infiniti QX60 continues to stand out in the luxury crossover segment, excelling in the areas that luxury crossover buyers desire most – interior flexibility and roominess, safety, and advanced hospitality features," added Parker. "It again offers real 3-row utility, plus all the premium features, performance and innovations that Infiniti has become known for worldwide."

Along with the new Forward Emergency Braking with pedestrian detection and Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), the 2016 QX60’s available technologies include Backup Collision Intervention (BCI) system; Infiniti Connection™ telematics system and Infiniti Personal Assistant; Around View® Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection (MOD); Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Lane Departure Prevention (LDP); Blind Spot Intervention® (BSI) system; Intelligent Cruise Control (Full-Speed Range); Distance Control Assist (DCA); Active Trace Control; Front Pre-Crash Seat Belts; and a Bose® Cabin Surround® 15-speaker sound system with digital 5.1-channel decoding.

TMW ROAD TEST - The New Infiniti Q30, a car that deserves to succeed in an ever growing premium sector.

The All-New, or is it, Infiniti Q30, gives the impression that the car you are driving is a totally new car from Infiniti, The luxury arm of Nissan, but don't be fooled, the Q30 is heavily based on the Mercedes A-Class, and that's not a problem for this car, as they have moved the goal posts, and made a good car, from Mercedes, into a great car from Infiniti.

And it does not stop there, they have not taken the easy route and allowed Mercedes-Benz to produce this car, as they could well have done, but they have invested a significant amount of money and expanded the Sunderland plant that makes a number of Nissan cars, for the UK and export, and have a purpose built expansion to build the Q30 and upcoming QX30 Active Compact.

The sector that this new car enters is a very hotly contested one, you have the entry level cars from BMW (1-Series), Mercedes (A-Class), Audi (A1), Lexus (CT), and others like the Volvo V40 and the likes of the Mini Cooper, so the Q30 has to offer something more, to tempt the buyers to the brand, a brand that currently lacks the sales numbers of it's competitors, but is doing all it can to rectify that.

On first glance you see a car that definitely looks far superior in the metal than it does on any paper, brochure or picture, the fluid lines that start on the front grill and work there way back to that, now, familiar brand identifier, kink by the rear doors, the lines then continue to make the rear of the car so different, not just a standard hatchback, but a piece of art, everything works, and flows seamlessly.

The interior of the car does not fail to impress either, using high grade, quality leathers, Alcantara, soft touch plastics and a nice sized steering wheel, that has a feel to it that gives you confidence, I know that sounds odd, but you get into some cars and their steering wheels are thin and nasty, or too big and bulky, this one is just spot on, well, for me anyway.

The seats in this Q30 are without doubt some of the most comfortable, supportive and tactile in the sector, our car here, had some electric movement, but strangely a lower down model had full electric seating, where as this one, which cost significantly more, did not, the steering wheel has a decent amount of reach and rake so between that and the seats, getting a decent position is very easy, I also noted that head room for a car in this class was very good.

The car tested here had the 360° all round view camera facility, and it works extremely well, as we found out, it is very strange to see the roof of your car, with the cars around you, but this set up has been successfully used for some time on a number of Nissan models, and on this, assists in parking, and keeping an eye on how close cars are to you in traffic, when you come to a halt.

The steering is not as light as some cars, but it is weighted about right, so you can direct the car and know that's where it is going, the suspension and damper set up is firm, but not spine ripping, this car grips like a banker with his bonus cheque, when pushed you never feel like the car is struggling around bends, and the pull away is just superb.

The 2.2 litre diesel engine fitted here with a seven speed automatic is faultless, you put your foot on the go peddle and it does, quite quickly, and the gear change is sublime, so smooth and quick, we did notice on both cars we tested, (the other road test report will come shortly), there was some road and wind noise, at speed it can be a little off putting, but the road surfaces we took our cars around were not the best, and you will always get some wind noise around the wing mirrors, it's just something you accept no matter what car you drive.

Combine this engine and gearbox to the All Wheel Drive system and the car really is something special, it is very difficult to take it past it's "safe" level of drive ability, no matter what you do, it just grips and continues to grip and go round corners faultlessly, not that we recommend you do anything that could result in an incident, after-all, you must behave on the UK roads, most of the time.

We also noted that when pushed there was a distinct engine note, which we immediately thought sounded just like the Impreza, that Boxer Engine growl, again, this is something that was a positive, as it also gave the car an air of sportiness to it, and did at times "encourage" you to be a little heavy footed, but we had to behave, well, mostly.

The rear seats and passenger area was also a positive, plenty of room, two six footers sat in the back, with room to spare, and we never moved the front seats forward either, as with most cars, the rear seats do not have as much support as the front's, this is to allow for baby seats and three passengers, they were comfortable and very tactile, the boot space is very generous too, with a flat loading floor, there is not having to lug your shopping over a huge lip here.

Our drive took the car around a number of roads, from high speed dual carriage ways, to tight and twisting B-Roads and town driving, the car managed to return 28.8mpg over this distance, although, it has to be noted the mpg was still rising once we finished our, all too brief drive, the figures officially given are

• 47.7mpg Urban
• 65.7mpg Extra Urban
• 57.6mpg Combined

The EU6 engine is rated at 129g/km, slightly high, especially when you can get powerful diesel engines under the 100g/km mark, push the car and you might get near the claimed 134mph top speed, and give it some real beans and it will do the 0-60 in around 8.5 seconds, this sounds quite high in today's high torque engines, but then who actually does this.

At £33,890 this car is not the cheapest on the market, but you do get a lot of kit included, for that price, the 360° camera is a great addition, The key less entry, moving object detection, Voice recognition system, Drive mode selector, Automatic Park Assist, are just a tiny selection of what you can expect to find on this model.

The Q30 S is also not the lightest car in the car park, with a gross weight of 2075kg, is higher than the Lexus CT at 1790kg, The A-Class starts at 1960kg and the BMW 1-Series 5 door at 1395kg (Unladen), but the powerful engine does make up for this.

CONCLUSION

The Q30, for a first attempt at a premium compact, is a brilliant start, it hits all the targets, and surpasses most of them, whether you like the cars looks or not, you can not fail to be impressed that they have a range of superior products from this to luxury executive saloons and a range of very capable Crossovers.

It should also be noted that the Infiniti has been about for a while, so it begs teh questions why are they not better sellers, they have the pedigree, they have the quality, they have the range and they have the technology, and in some cases, they were first with a number of technical achievements which they have chosen NOT to "blow their trumpet" about. 

Why not, you have spent the money and put in all the effort and know how, so why not showcase it, if you don't, no one else will, and others, as has been noted recently, will take the plaudits for all your hard work. 

The Q30 deserves to succeed, in a sector lorded over by the German's, it is about time that they get a bit of a kicking and get shown how to do it, and do it with style, the UK has shown it can build class leading products, and the continued input from foreign investors, backs this up, this new car will be exported the world over, with an estimated 65,000 units per annum, should this be exceeded, then who knows, either UK expansion or a second plant elsewhere within the Nissan business.

USA - The New Nissan Maxima sedan is available now, crammed full of tech and luxury.

Dramatically styled "4-Door Sports Car" lands in Nissan showrooms with 300 horsepower, jet fighter-inspired interior and $32,410 starting M.S.R.P.*

The wait is over. After its buzz-generating debut at the recent New York International Auto Show, the 2016 Maxima has arrived at Nissan dealerships nationwide. As Nissan's flagship sedan, the all-new eighth-generation design takes the company's best-known nameplate into new territory with its boldest styling, most powerful engine and highest level of available safety and connected technology features yet.

"Following on the highly successful launch of the all-new Nissan Murano, the new 2016 Maxima is hitting showrooms with tremendous momentum," said Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Sales & Marketing, Parts & Service, U.S.A, Nissan North America, Inc. 

"With its winning combination of style, technology and driving excitement, we see it appealing to both the large number of previous Maxima owners and buyers considering vehicles from luxury brands. We've proven Maxima can go tire-to-tire on the track. We think we can do it in the showroom as well."

A 2016 Nissan Maxima SR recently posted the lowest average lap time in independent third-party testing at Buttonwillow Raceway against the 2015 Acura TLX 3.5 (FWD) with Technology Package, 2015 Audi A4 2.0T quattro® Premium Plus Tiptronic and 2015 BMW 328i sedan**.

Along with burnishing its longstanding reputation as the "4-Door Sports Car," the new 2016 Maxima embodies the latest Nissan design language and projects a distinctive upscale look through its unique combination of a lower profile and a wide stance, bold front end, Nissan signature V-Motion grille and floating roof appearance. The new Maxima also features a premium-crafted interior, anchored by a command central fighter jet-inspired driver's cockpit, that rivals luxury vehicles.

All 2016 Maximas feature a revised 300-horsepower 3.5-liter VQ-series V6 engine and new performance-oriented Xtronic transmission. The comprehensive re-engineering effort also results in a 15 percent increase (over the previous generation Maxima) in highway fuel economy to 30 miles per gallon***.

Maxima's next-generation technology features include standard NissanConnect^SM with navigation and available 11-speaker Bose® premium audio system, NissanConnect^SM Services powered by SiriusXM® (SiriusXM subscription required, sold separately) and Around View® Monitor (AVM) with Moving Object Detection (MOD).

The 2016 Maxima also offers an extensive range of available safety, security and driving aids, including Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW), Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC), Forward Emergency Braking (FEB), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), Blind Spot Warning (BSW) and Driver Attention Alert (DAA) system****.

The 2016 Maxima is available in five well-equipped models (all equipment is grade standard, no available options): Maxima S, SV, SL, SR and Platinum. It is assembled in Smyrna, Tennessee, with engines assembled in Decherd, Tennessee.

The new Maxima starts with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) of $32,410 for Maxima S. The Maxima SV is $34,390, while the Maxima SL is $36,890. The sporty Maxima SR is priced at $37,670 and the top-of-the-line Maxima Platinum is $39,860.

USA - Nissan announces pricing and specification for 2015 Quest.

Nissan today announced U.S. pricing for the 2015 Nissan Quest, which is on sale now at Nissan dealers nationwide.

The boldly styled Nissan Quest once again offers a range of family friendly features, including one-touch power sliding doors, quick release fold-flat 2nd and 3rd row seats, Advanced Climate Control System and an always-available rear storage well.

Enhancements for the 2015 model year include:

• Previous LE grade becomes Platinum grade
• Revised tuning and enhanced D-Step Shift logic added to the standard Xtronic transmission
• Fuel economy increased by 2 mpg highway, 1 mpg city and combined – now 27 mpg highway, 20 mpg city and 22 mpg combined
• Moving Object Detection (MOD) added to Platinum grade’s standard Around View® Monitor
• 5.0-inch color display added for audio systems (replaces 4.3-inch display)

Quest is offered in four well-equipped models: S, SV, SL and Platinum. Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices* (MSRP) for the 2015 Nissan Quest: 

Quest 3.5 S	$26,530 USD
Quest 3.5 SV	$30,280 USD
Quest 3.5 SL	$34,060 USD
Quest 3.5 Platinum	$43,180 USD

Destination and Handling $885.

Quest’s sophisticated, modern exterior combines fluid sculptural elements with a dynamic mass and crafted details. The low sliding door step-in height is helpful for small children or older adults getting into the 2nd or 3rd rows and to assist entry further, the Quest’s 2nd row features a standard walk-in device for easier access to the 3rd row. A one-touch unlock/open power rear liftgate is standard on Quest SL and Platinum models. Third row power return seatbacks are standard on Quest Platinum.

All 2015 Quest models feature a VQ-series 3.5-liter DOHC V6 rated at 260 horsepower and 240 lb-ft of torque, and an advanced, tuned Xtronic transmission that provides a smooth driving experience. The enhanced D-step logic simulates shifts, giving a more natural acceleration feeling without holding a high rpm constant, letting rpms build as speed builds. Fuel economy is rated at 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined.

Quest also features 4-wheel independent suspension, 4-wheel disc brakes and vehicle-speed-sensitive power steering. Quest is designed to incorporate a number of advanced safety systems, including the Blind Spot Warning (BSW) system, which is standard on Quest Platinum.

The 2015 Quest is available with a number of option packages, including DVD Entertainment System, Bose® Package, Dual Opening Glass Moonroof, Leather Package and Roof Rails.