It's always tough to be little brother to a successful older sibling, whether said sib just gets straight A's in high school, is president of the United States or, for that matter, is the all-new flagship of a brand-new brand and you're a car that's been around a while but was badge engineered into duty as second fiddle so the number one son wouldn't have to be an only child.
And that, allowing for anthromorphization and a few mixed metaphors, is how the Infiniti M30 must have felt in 1990. After the infamous "rocks and trees" commercials that showed everything but the cars, Infiniti finally released the stellar Q45 to an enthusiastic press. The M30 met with disappointment, mostly by comparison.
Yet this was for a notchback coupe based on a platform and drivetrain shared with the 300ZX. The M30 was powered by the corporate 2,960cc V6 producing 162 bhp at 5200 rpm, still quite respectable for the time, especially when backed up by 180 lb-ft of torque and a 3.91:1 final drive ratio. Infiniti was Nissan's luxury line, so like the Q45, the M30 was offered only with a automatic transmission, an electronically controlled four-speed overdrive unit with a lock-up torque converter. "M," Infiniti flaks pointed out, "lies in the middle of the alphabet" and stands for "mid-luxury."
Like the Z car, the M30 had rear drive, plus strut-type front suspension with semi-trailing arms at the rear, the basic arrangement dating back to the Datsun 510. The M's wheelbase, at 113.4 inches, was a foot longer than that of the 300ZX, however. Brakes were discs front and rear, with ABS standard.
The two-door coupe body was neat, although with a lot of straight lines, dated by the time it was introduced here. It had been sold in Japan since 1986 as the Nissan Leopard, a top-of-the-line luxury coupe for the home market. Add new badging and, voila, an Infiniti.
The interior was liberally swathed in leather, the hide wrinkle-fit in door panels and the front buckets thick and liberally cushioned. The back seat had three seat belts, though was suited only for two adults. Plush, but conservative, and like the exterior, perhaps dated.
Infiniti did give the M30 one new trick: an ultrasonic sonar device located just under the radiator "read" the pavement ahead of the car and adjusted the suspension to soft, medium or firm accordingly. Two ride modes, "Comfort" and "Sport," also allowed driver input, the latter limiting shock settings to medium and firm. Meaty Dunlop P215/60HR15 rubber on 6.5-inch wide rims helped the M30 corner at 8g-plus.
As a luxury coupe, the M30 was an adequate entry, but there was nothing particularly outstanding about it. A convertible was added about six months after the coupe's introduction, allowing open-air motoring but not changing the basic package. Performance was good, not great, with 0-60 right about 10 seconds-Infiniti claimed under-but the Acura Legend, admittedly priced higher than the M30's $23,500 list, was quicker.
And of course there was the kid brother problem. The Q45 was superb, the M30 merely competent. In another car line, it might have been considered outstanding. But just as the M30 was overshadowed by the Q45, the LS400, indeed the whole Lexus line, was burying Infiniti. Alas, the M30 was an honor student, just not straight A's. But with only minor changes, the M30 remained in the Infiniti line through 1992. In its best year, sales never topped 7000. The new J30 that replaced it would scored better with buyers, so after a career in mid-management, the M30 quietly retired.