A Rebel With Class
From ends that slope until they droop, through a styling magic that has softened the bulk of a sedan into the visual delicacy of a coupe, the Infiniti J30 suggests one car in a rather unusual condition: It’s a 1961 Jaguar Mark X that melted.
But wait a minute. There’s also a touch of mid-60s Ferrari in that broad mesh grille backing an elliptical front air intake.
Look closely enough at the short, steep slope of the rear deck, and vague reminiscences stir for the GM shape of early Firebirds and the 1973 Pontiac Grand Am.
None of these touches, however, are backward glances, nor do they imply a lack of originality in this latest luxury car from Infiniti. So see the shape and silhouette of the J30 as an intentional break from the norms of high-tailed automotive wedges and today’s loyalty to aerodynamics before aesthetics.
Or as Gerald Hirshberg, head wizard of the J30 design team at Nissan Design International in La Jolla, explains: “It’s the first car in what we see as a trend toward breaking away from the long tyranny of the wedge.
“The result is an almost classic design quality without being retro. We wanted a car that was aware of the evolution of auto form . . . (the) subconscious ways of cars that have been.”
Draw a horizontal egg. Lay an arc through its length. The egg is the passenger compartment. The arc becomes the dorsal line of trunk and hood. That’s how the NDI group conceived the J30 before massaging its drawings into clay and metal.
Granted, the molten look may be an acquired taste. Like anchovies. Yet there is an unquestioned balance between these ellipses and arches, the curved glass and broadly rounded ends, that should satisfy anyone aching for pure distinction in their wheels.
And although positioned in price ($33,000) and market category between Infiniti’s entry-level M30 coupe (at $25,000) and flagship Q45 sedan (at $43,000), the J30’s styling and stance remain clearly apart from its siblings.
Mechanically, the car offers nothing radical. The power plant is a smoother, quieter, 210-horsepower version of the 24-valve V-6 that has done wonderful things for the reputation of parent Nissan’s 300ZX sports car.
Of course, with 12 less horsepower to haul around 3,500 pounds--or about a quarter ton more of fine leather, twinkling wood and assorted mechanical metal--the J30 doesn’t have the punch of the 300ZX. In fact, with a 0 to 60 m.p.h. time of nine seconds and a maximum speed of only 128 m.p.h., performance drivers will find the J30 somewhat pale in both acceleration and top end.
Then again, this is a five-passenger luxury sedan equipped much more for boulevards than back straights. Its points of examination should be creature comforts, ride quality and handling ease. In those departments--with the exception of cramped rear seating and reduced headroom because folks sitting back there are in the blunt end of the egg--the J30 is a confident, high-value smoothie.
There must also be the matter of how these qualities come together, especially in a pricey luxury car where all buyer expectations must be filled and then some. What of the balance between suspension and steering? How much engine snarl is allowed to enter the passenger cocoon? How fluid is this meld of transmitting engine power through a drive shaft to the rear wheels, and how much effort is required to tame fast pace in an emergency?
In the J30, there is absolute harmony.
And the list of goodies accompanying this concert of mechanicals and function is a pretty plush inventory. The audio system is by Bose and a compact-disc player is standard. So are leather seats, wood door and dashboard accents, eight-way power adjustments of driver and front passenger seats, and a keyless remote that can zap locks, trunk lid and interior lights from the next county.
Then there are air bags for the driver and whomever is at her or his elbow. Three-point front seat belts have pre-tensioners to snug up the straps when panics stir and solid objects threaten. And anti-lock brakes, of course.
An extra $1,700 buys a “touring package” bolted to a car badged as the J30t. It includes Infiniti’s all-wheel steering system and admission to an infinite debate: Does all-wheel steering actually improve turning response and high-speed stability?
The J30t also offers a slightly firmer suspension, a rear deck spoiler, performance-rated tires and forged alloy wheels.
Internally, the car is ergonomically sound with armrests precisely at elbow height. The instruments are exactly where the eyes fall, and standard knobs and buttons are poised squarely where fingertips flutter.
The deep, comfortable and supportive seating makes the term “bucket seats” an upholstered lie. They also allow enough adjustments and room for the longest of leg and torso. Cabin vision is generally good, although the combination of windshield pillars and robust mirror mounts may distract some.
On the road, in traffic or when bolting free, the J30 performs to a level of smoothness, precision and secure sense of everything working in unison that in a very short period of years has become an impressive standard of Japanese luxury cars.
Steering, braking and cornering manners are impeccable. The handling is secure and sure-footed. But remember, this remains a luxocar with a softer side, and tires certainly will whine and groan at drivers who try turning country roads into rally courses.
And thank Infiniti for one large mercy.
The J30’s badging is the corporate logo, an oval with one pie slice removed.
May that horrific hood badge of the Infiniti Q45--a rounded rectangle that is a television screen writhing with snakes--be consigned to trademark purgatory.
1993 Infiniti J30
COST: * Base: $33,000. * As tested, $34,700 (includes touring package with modified suspension and all-wheel steering, passenger- and driver-side air bags, anti-lock brakes, climate control, Bose audio system with CD player, passenger and driver power seats, leather upholstery, wood accents). ENGINE: 24-valve V6 developing 210 horsepower. TYPE: Front-engine, rear-drive, five-passenger luxury sedan. PERFORMANCE: * 0-60 m.p.h., as tested with automatic transmission, nine seconds. * Top speed, as tested, 128 m.p.h. * Fuel economy, EPA, city-highway, 18 and 23 m.p.g. CURB WEIGHT: 3,527 pounds. THE GOOD: * No mistaking this for any other Infiniti. * Easy, quiet performance from smooth luxury. * Air bags on both sides of the dashboard. * Full menu of options as standard equipment. THE BAD: * Luxury never comes cheap. * Short on rear space. * Short on pace. THE UGLY: * No fouls here.
