Special thanks to James Cavanaugh for the photos of this 1997 J30.
(first posted 3/27/2015) As Destiny’s Child so eloquently put it, “I don’t think you’re ready for this jelly”. Now of course in the song, they were referring to a woman’s derrière. Yet when used under a different context, it’s a rather fitting statement to describe the Infiniti J30, a car whose jellybean-like styling and focal rear end, most people were not ready for.
Launching a new brand from scratch, let alone a new luxury brand is no easy task. It must be carefully orchestrated, with proper marketing, a clear image, and above all, an appealing product. Unfortunately for Infiniti, it failed to hit any of these targets spot on when it launched in 1989, the same year as its ultimately more successful rival, Lexus.
Whereas Lexus gracefully waltzed onto the dance floor, balancing a pyramid of champagne glasses and all, Infiniti stumbled about like the party guest who had a few to many glasses of bubbly.
Initially launched with the Q45 and M30, Infiniti started off in the wrong gear with its now infamous ad campaign that failed to even show pictures of its cars. Especially in the pre-Internet days, there were far fewer sources for the average buyer to know what an Infiniti looked like without seeing one in person. Consider this strike one.
Once people did see the cars, they were less than enamored. In the case of the Q45, this was rather unfortunate, as Infiniti’s flagship was really quite an excellent car, offering impressive performance, a high quality interior, and a host of notable technologies. Sadly, most potential buyers were put off by the Q45’s somewhat bland exterior design and stark interior. Strike Two.
The second model available upon launch was the M30 coupe. Much like Lexus had done with the Toyota Vista-based ES250, the M30 was a last minute placeholder, in this case, a hastily rebadged Nissan Leopard. With even less memorable styling and only two doors at a time when the coupe market was sharply declining, it came as no surprise that the M30 was a flop. Not even a convertible model could help, and the M30 was withdrawn after selling only about 12,000 over four years. Strike Three… You’re Out!
Luckily for Infiniti, the automotive industry doesn’t go by the rules of baseball. The brand’s third model, the G20, sounded more promising. Sized like a 3-Series and rightfully priced considerably less than other Infinitis, the 1991 G20 aimed to capture the ever-growing class of entry-level luxury car buyers. But a 3-Series it was not. With its non-premium looks, underwhelming performance, and lack of many luxury features available on competitors, the G20 may have better-served Nissan as a more conventional looking Altima (whose shape was not unlike that of a larger Infiniti waiting in the wings).
That Infiniti is our featured car, the 1993-1997 Infiniti J30. As Infiniti’s first mid-size luxury sedan, the J30 sought to go up against at a number of middle-weights like the Acura Legend and newly-introduced Lexus GS, as well as cars like the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class.
Offering a rear-wheel drive layout, 210-horsepower 3.0L V6 (from the Nissan 300ZX), four-wheel independent suspension, and available Touring package that included firmer suspension, a smaller anti-roll bar diameter, and the Q45’s four-wheel steering, on paper, the J30 would have appeared to have the makings for a competitive touring sedan.
Yet in reality, performance was nothing all that special. With some 3,600 pounds of bulk, the V6’s respectable 210 horsepower and 193 lb-ft of torque moved the J30 to sixty in a somewhat leisurely 8.9 seconds – not terrible for its class, but hardly noteworthy. Despite any theoretical handling advantages of its rear-wheel drive, most reviews of the base J30 found the rear difficult to control when steering at higher speeds. Unlike its Japanese counterpart, the Infiniti J30 was not available with V8 power.
Learning from their mistakes with the Q45, designers created Infiniti’s best interior yet with the J30. With its attractive layout, soft gathered leather seats, polished burled walnut trim, and contrasting color schemes, consisting of darker upper dash and a lighter shade lower dash and seats, the J30 offered one of the most handsome and inviting interiors of its class.
Reflecting the J30’s initial $34,000 sticker price was a host of luxury, convenience, and safety amenities, including the aforementioned leather and genuine wood trim, 8-way power front seats, heated front seats (made standard after 1993), automatic climate control with digital controls, premium Bose sound system with CD and cassette, analogue clock, tinted window glass, sunroof, and dual front airbags.
But if Infiniti was generous with the interior trimmings, it was stingy on the space offered in the J30. Despite riding on an eight-inch longer wheelbase, the J30 had less front- and rear-legroom and headroom than the G20. With its sloping rear end, trunk space was a paltry 10.1 cubic feet; considerably less than most compacts. The car’s rear-wheel drive layout also resulted in an obtrusive driveshaft hump.
Of course, to even discover the J30’s performance and interior (both for better or for worse), one had to get past the J30’s rather unusual exterior styling. While the styling of earlier Infinitis may not made many lasting impressions, the J30’s look triggered responses from admirable to stomach churning.
The J30 was designed under a team of designers, headed by Keiichi Shinohara, at Nissan Design International in La Jolla, California. Long before the term “four-door coupe” was ubiquitous in automotive vocabulary, designers set out to create a “personal” luxury sedan with coupe-like styling cues. As a matter of fact, in Japan, where this car was sold as the more exotic-sounding Nissan Leopard J Ferie, it actually replaced the coupe-only second generation Nissan Leopard (which was the M30’s donor).
Coupe-like styling or not, from the start of the project, in 1988, NDI’s goal with the J30 was to create a car with distinctive design language, visually separating it from the larger Q45. In this respect, it is safe to say they succeeded.
The J30’s design was characterized by an ellipse-like (“jellybean” to you naysayers) profile, that eschewed the usual high decklid, in favor of a rounded, sloping trunk. The overall look was very Art Deco, as far as the automotive industry is concerned. Drawing parallels to historic cars including 1950’s Hudsons and early-’60s Jaguars, the J30’s distinctive rump instantly became the focal point of the car’s design.
The ovoid shape of its silhouette carried over in the J30’s grille and flanking twin projector headlights. Although it hardly made for an exciting or aggressive face, props to designers for continuity.
This continuity continued into the interior, with the instrument panel mimicking the grille’s inset placement.
Despite a thought-out design, the fact was that it was love it or hate it, and it appears that more peoples’ opinions leaned towards hate. If you look at most mid-size luxury sedans of this era, you’ll notice that despite all displaying their own design language, nearly every one possessed a wedge-like profile and traditional three-box design, with a long, low hood, a high deck, and short overhangs. Additionally, most of these sedans were able to exude a degree of aggression with their athletic stance and styling elements. The J30, however, possessed none of these qualities.
Whatever shortcomings the car had in performance and interior space, it was above all, styling that caused the J30 to fail. In a class where most buyers prefer conformist style, the J30, with its blob-like shape was simply too off putting for most, and for many, too ugly. It’s similarities to the compact Nissan Altima didn’t help either.
Predictably, sales never took off. After selling just over 20,000 in ’93 and ’94, sales dipped to 17,899 in ’95, and continued to fall to 7,564 in ’96 and 4,594 in ’97, the car’s final year. No direct replacement appeared, but during that time, Infiniti had begun selling the more conventionally-styled Maxima-based I30, which quickly became the brand’s top seller. It wouldn’t be until 2003 that Infiniti would have another mid-sized rear-wheel drive sedan in its lineup, the reincarnated M45.
Given its low sales numbers and lack of much enthusiasm for it, not many J30s exist on today’s roads. Although it may be one of the least remembered Infinitis, the J30 will forever go down as one of the most unusually styled cars from the 1990s.
Related Reading:
I was more enamoured with the Q45 and the M30 than I was with the J30. I found its styling to be less than impressive.
The Infiniti G20 appears to be the same as first Nissan Primera, which was quite successful as a ‘bread & butter’ saloon/hatchback in the UK, but not a premium model. The interior is the best part of the J30 though the jellybean look wasn’t unusual in the early ’90s. Ford’s Granada/Scorpio 1994 facelift featured an almost identical rear treatment – not that that car ever won plaudits for its looks.
That G20 is a first gen Nissan Primera for sure. Quite successful, as you say.
Typical D-segment car, nothing special or “premium”. Its direct competitors in the early nineties were cars like the Toyota Carina E, Ford Sierra (later the Mondeo), Renault 21 (later the Laguna), Volkswagen Passat and Opel Vectra.
This later gen Nissan Primera was a joke. Sales- and looks-wise. It was also the last Primera and D-segment car that Nissan offered in Europe.
The D-segment sedan isn’t dead in Europe. It’s just fully-controlled by the German brands. The Mercedes
C-class and BMW 3-series are D-segment sedans, just like an Audi A4, Opel Insignia and Volkswagen Passat.
Datsun Taurus! The tail also reminds me of the European Ford Scorpio (the one whose “radioactive fish from The Simpsons” looks killed Ford in that sector).
Yes! Definitely the melted Taurus of 1996.
Yep, it’s a fishblob Taurus done right. Glad to know I’m not the only one to see it.
Always found the J30 very attractive, and went looking for a used one back in the mid-90’s. Unfortunately, resale at that time was a bit out of my budget (around $18k). My sister had a G20, which she loved, looked at a J30 but it didn’t speak to her. Ended up with a Volvo 850 which turned out to be one of her less successful cars.
Still would like to have one, but nowadays the survivors are invariably “maintenance deferred” examples from the side of town where nobody has the kind of income that they should consider driving anything more than something base, compact and American.
I appreciated the odd styling. I’m on my second one but it’s getting hard to keep her on the road due to the smog checks and lack of parts. I’ve liked the tuning of the exhaust system and sounds the car makes when starting up. Also most parts of the car seem well made. After 23yrs still on original ac compressor,starter,alternator,steering pump,transmission,engine etc I have changed sensors,belts,hoses,shocks,gaskets etc at major cost though.
The J30 stands out in my mind not so much for the car itself, but the commercial, one of a series of Infiniti spots featuring British actor Jonathan Pryce. Pryce is describing the car’s interior features when he gets to the analog clock and utters a line that has been stuck in my head for over 20 years…..
And this…..(dramatic pause)…..is the clock in the J.
If only Tomorrow Never Dies had come out before the J30. Not much can top having a Bond villan introducing a car. Unfortunately this car didn’t really have sinister looks of any kind.
All I remember of the commercial is a woodpecker. Didn’t they have a woodpecker looking in the sunroof at the “real walnut” inside and the voiceover said something like “don’t even think about it?”
It is the main thing I think about when reminded of this car. That, and that it looked like someone sat on the rear end of it.
Too much ‘art,’ not enough ‘deco.’
I’ve never been a fan of Nissan’s styling.
The factory spoiler didn’t do ANYTHING to improve the look IMO! To me, it was and still is an UGLY little car! 🙂
I always thought it was attractive, in its own special way. I think if it had a bit more grunt to it (which that Japan-only V8 could have helped out with), that would have made people a bit more eager to overlook its looks.
I still remember seeing one of these when they were first out. I tried to figure out whether I liked the styling or not. Well, I’m still trying to decide. Ford started us down the jellybean path in the 80s, but this car may be the ultimate jellybean.
You make an excellent point about how conservatism and conformity rule in this price segment. Few really groundbreaking designs really succeed here. And until today, I had no idea that these were RWD.
This car has been in my office parking lot for a few years now. I recognized it as worthy of a well-researched writeup, but procrastinated as other cars called out to me more loudly. When you saw this car in the background and mentioned that you had been on the prowl for one to write up, I was delighted to offer my pictures. Excellent job.
Once again thanks a bunch for these pictures you took! I’ve been wanting to write about this car for over a year, but have seen exactly one I can remember in that time. I was about to take a few pictures, but as I was walking over towards it, the owner got in and drove away.
Did the Lexus GS offer a V8 at the time the J30 was still being sold? It seems like the V8 arrived about the time the J30 departed.
I owned a 1st generation G20. The specifications were very similar to the Acura Integra…at least the 2nd gen Integra, which I also owned, and of the 2 I preferred the Infiniti. The G20 handled like it was on rails and the engine was near bullet-proof, the manual transmission suffered from “gear pop-outs” after 100K hard miles. Unfortunately, the 2nd gen G20 was lightly de-contented and for some reason, it’s compact size perhaps, pitched almost exclusively at young woman.
But the J30… In my view, the biggest problem with the J30 was the new Altima. The Altima looked similar and I’m guessing with less weight had similar performance from it’s smaller/more economical engine and due to it’s lower price was pitched to buyers not necessarily looking for the “same old, same old” look.
BTW, my BIL had a J30 which he bought to “pamper” himself but would up trading it, eventually, for an “E class” Mercedes.
The GS didn’t get a V-8 until 1998, after the J30 was gone.
In Japan the Aristo, from which the GS was based, did come with an available V8, the 4.0Z i-four, paired exclusively with all-wheel drive. I’m actually surprised that model was never offered as a Lexus.
This is what I get for relying on memory rather than looking it up. Thanks!
I could be wrong, but I thought the JDM optional engine wasn’t a V8 but rather the twin-turbo 6 from the 300ZX?
Nope — I think you’re remembering the Toyota Aristo (basis of the Lexus GS300), which in Japan was available with the turbocharged 2JZ-GTE from the Supra. The Leopard J. Ferie Type X had the 4,130cc V-8 from the Cima and second-generation Q45.
Is it just me or does anyone else think Cadillac is pulling an Infiniti with their new commercial? I want to see the car not the sky or buildings. I just don’t get this line of thinking.
No doubt about it. This commercial will probably backfire,so don`t be too surprised to see a new one……real soon. To say the early Infinity commercials were strange is an understatment. Wheres the car?
And if you are going to quote Teddy Roosevelt in your ad copy, then give him attribution.
The ad agency Hill Holliday did those infamous early Infiniti ads. It’s funny because I actually work in the same building as their main office in Boston. Back in the late-’80s, they did have a small office in California that did the work for Infiniti. Hill Holliday also did work for Cadillac very recently, but lost the account late last year, so the Cadillac building ads weren’t done by them.
Going by memory, for better or worse, but I recall Oldsmobile doing an ad that was a spoof on the Infinity ad. It ended asking “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck would chuck wood.” It was very funny and drove home the point of just how dumb the Infinity ad was.
I always thought these were elegant and attractive cars – I never realized this was a minority opinion!
Ditto.
I always got the feeling that these cars — developed, as I recall, when Gerry Hirshberg of boat-tail Riviera fame was head of design for Nissan — were intended to be about as Jaguar-like as Nissan figured it could get away with. As with some big American fastbacks, I think it’s very angle-dependent; from certain angles, it looks interesting, but from others, it just looks droopy. The little tail spoiler on the J30t model also seemed really out of place.
I was never terribly fond of the GS300/Aristo, either, Giugiaro or no. The styling did absolutely nothing for me (it looked chubbier than the LS400, which I think it might have been) and the performance was uninspiring for the price. It might have been more interesting with the aforementioned turbo engine, but then it would have been more powerful than the LS, which I assume Lexus didn’t want.
The first LS400 and Q45 were pretty serious threats to the 7-Series and S-Class, but the Japanese seemed to have a really hard time coming up with rivals for the 5-Series and E-Class (and arguably still haven’t).
I don’t know how well the Leopard J. Ferie sold in Japan, but my guess is that it was aimed as much at the domestic market as at the U.S. The previous Leopard coupe had been kind of a flop, but Nissan had been quite successful with the first Cefiro and I think the contemporary Laurel hardtop, so they probably figured that there would be more of a market for a distinctively styled “personal sedan.” I would be very curious to hear the inside scoop on whether it was designed from the outset for Infiniti and whether Nissan’s U.S. organization wanted it or if they just took it (if you see the distinction) because they needed between the G20 and Q45.
Coincidentally, Guigiaro also designed the Kensington concept for Jaguar around the same time as they did the GS/Aristo.There were a lot of similarities to both the first and second generation GS in it.
Although the Kensington was a much more attractive design, I think…
And most of the Kensington aft of the A-pillar ended up on the Daewoo Leganza…
That cabin almost looks like a Chrysler LHS to me. Interesting design trend there.
I always thought the first-generation GS/Aristo was absolutely beautiful. Opinions differ on that car too, I suppose. However it’s undeniable that the lack of a more powerful engine option (like the twin-turbo I6) limited its appeal.
Adding my views on the GS300/Aristo:
No doubt that its styling was part of the problem. It wasn’t bad looking (except maybe from the rear 3/4 view), but it was a very forgettable design, especially next to the clean, imposing LS400 and the sleek, rather sexy ES300 of the time. It somehow didn’t seem to exude the same grace and elegance as other Lexus’ of this time.
It’s interior was nice enough, but nothing special either. And of course, performance wasn’t of much notability. The real deterrent to most buyers was probably its price, that steadily climbed with each passing year. Without getting the exact numbers, I think that first-gen GS sales weren’t much better than the J30.
I agree with your comments about the GS300/Aristo. The other issue was a total lack of any family design continuity with the LS, which was clearly the alpha car in the Lexus pack. And it’s an issue Toyota never really addressed with the GS. It looked a bit lost in the Lexus family.
Of course, the same applies with this J30. It has some nice aspects, but zero relationship to the Q45. Of course that applies to the G20 too.
These issues may be one of the reason both these cars never made much headway against the E Class and 5 Series, which always had a very strong family bond to bothe the cars above and below them.
Infiniti and Lexus looked like a family of adoptees, which in essence they were.
Well said. You bring up a very good point about the GS’s lack of any design continuity with other Lexus models. And they largely kept it that way for the second- and third-generation models.
I should also add that the first generation’s lack of any chrome exterior trim and its unusual taillight design (as opposed to a regular-looking full-width) didn’t seem fitting of its premium price.
I have pictures. There’s a couple around here. You want?
It’s on my To Do list, but that list tends to only get longer with time. I’d be very happy to see you do it.
Paul, I would greatly appreciate some GS pictures!
Good point about the family of adoptees. I’d never thought of it that way before, but it’s spot on. Frankly, even today the Asian premium brands seem like something of a hodgepodge, especially Lexus. And don’t get me started on the hideous grilles that Lexus is busy plastering on all their models in the name of continuity.
By the way, I think this conversation has just inspired me to do a write up on the first generation GS300/Aristo. Now if only there were any still around to make it a true Curbside Classic.
This is one of those cars that time has revised my initial views on. When it first appeared, I did not like it, not one bit. I thought the nose bland and the tail odd and unattractive. However my views changed at some point, and looking at it today, I quite like the styling. The nose may not be exciting but it’s clean, elegant, and doesn’t look at all heavy. And the drooping trunkline with that graceful full-width taillight strip works really well. Classy and I do see an Art Deco influence there; maybe that’s part of the “thing” that I like about it but hadn’t been able to put my finger on before. Very nice interior, too, which I’d never noticed.
That lone engine option is disappointing though. I wonder if there’s room in that engine bay for the turbo version? If it fits in the Z… Or one could always go full-crazy and import an RB26DETT, if it’s not too long front to back.
When the J30 first came out I thought the styling was odd. Today, I have to say I think it looks great. I think that rear wheel drive may have hurt the sales of these vehicles, especially in cold climates like the Northeast where at a minimum you really need front wheel drive. I was told by a Nissan rep back in the mid 90’s that the Altima was originally designed to be the entry level Infiniti but Nissan decided to use it for the Nissan platform instead, and it paid off as sales of the first gen Altima were very strong. Maybe the styling was too close to each other? Usually the luxury brand suffers from that more than the parent brand does.
I know several people that owned/leased these in the 90’s and they loved them, aside from the fact that they were terrible in the bad weather.
I’ve never heard that before, but it makes a lot of sense that the Altima was originally intended as an Infiniti given the styling unity the two share. I never really cared for the first-gen Altima’s styling then, but I’ve grown to like it more now. The second generation on the other hand has always had very little enthusiasm to it.
The Nissan rep’s scenario makes sense to me. I got a great deal on a new 96 Altima GLE (top of the line) with every option, including dove grey leather that looked great in a black car. The car stickered for around $24,000 and had been on the dealer’s lot for a long time because most buyers were purchasing the well-equipped mid-line GXE’s for thousands less. Unfortunately I had a short time to enjoy this car before it was stolen and parted out. Replaced it with a Maxima.
96 was before Nissan began decontenting the Altima in the immediately ensuing years. Even the mid-line GXE had full power accessories, including antenna. The 96 GLE especially had a lot of luxury features for a car in its class at that time, including automatic temperature control and cornering lights! If the first gen Altima was originally planned as an Infiniti, this upscale contenting would make sense.
One wonderful feature about the J, the Altima, and Maxima of these years was the huge rear window with a relatively thin C-pillar. Good visibility, though the J’s sloping trunk would not have been within your sightline.
The Js used to be a fairly common sight here in SoCal and they lasted a long time. I see one only occasionally today, often being driven sedately by what appears to be an original owner. I never quite warmed up to the styling – I always thought the Altima looked better. However, I too enjoy them more with the passage of time, maybe because they look distinctive in a world of too many look-alike cars today.
Excellent piece and one I’ve been looking for – thanks.
The interior of the GLE was very upscale for the time. Try finding something like this in a mid-’90s Corolla or Civic. Nissan definitely de-contented the 1998 Altima, and its design always looked unfinished to me, like they got to the trunk and just gave up.
When writing this piece I was actually going to make reference to how nice a ’93-97 Altima could be equipped in relation to the J30, but didn’t want to focus on the Altima too much. More recent Altimas haven’t received any of my attention either.
And as I said, the look of this Altima has grown on me a lot in recent years, especially since they are rare sights in MA. Absence makes the heart grow fonder!
I agree with everything you write, though I think the 93-97 Altima was more competitive with Accord/Camry than the Civic/Corolla – really it was in between, almost a unique niche. You could equip it very nicely but not with a V6 – that was Maxima territory. The 150 HP four cylinder was a very smooth engine around town and on the freeway but would show some coarseness upon hard acceleration and its mileage was not much greater than that of the Maxima VQ engine.
I’m attaching the window sticker for my 96 GLE. Note the nearly 24K price tag and list of features. And that the car was marketed on the sticker as “an affordable luxury sedan.”
I love how even in 1996 they referred to it as the “Stanza Altima” on the window sticker. I thought they had stopped all reference to the Stanza by ’94.
Seriously though, thank you for sharing all this information on your Altima. I totally forgot just how luxuriously equipped these early Altimas could be.
“this upscale contenting would make sense”
Keep in mind this Bluebird/Altima was conceived just before Japan’s “bubble economy” burst. Nearly all the Japanese cars in development around this time frame were very advanced and positioned further up-market than their predecessors. The 1992 Camry is a prime example of this phenomenon.
“I was told by a Nissan rep back in the mid 90’s that the Altima was originally designed to be the entry level Infiniti but Nissan decided to use it for the Nissan platform instead”
That Nissan rep did not know what he was talking about; just like the previous Stanza, the Altima was a Japanese market Bluebird sedan that was lightly tweaked for US consumption. Older generation stanzas were modified home market Violets. Keep in mind that we only got the lower-end variations; in Japan, pillarless four door hardtops were positioned above these sedan models.
One other abstract, yet interesting piece of information many people do not know is that the Bluebird sedan (Altima) you are referring to debuted first in September 1991. The J30/Leopard J.ferie followed in April 1992. Both car’s designs were frozen in 1989, and hailed from Nissan’s California design studio.
Whatever the case, that’s the problem with brands like Infiniti, whose cars are sold in Japan as Nissans. In order to create some brand unity and continuity in Japan, similarities often must exist between many Nissans and Infinitis sold in the U.S. and Canada.
That can be good or bad. In some cases it’s good–one of my favorite Infinitis ever is the 2003-04 M45, which was a Japanese-market Y34 Gloria with essentially no changes other than emblems and LHD.
True, the Altima was the Bluebird in Japan, but just like the current Acura RLX in the U.S. is sold as the Honda Legend in Japan, manufacturers often market cars differently for the different countries. I actually worked for a Nissan dealer at the time and it was told to us by several of the reps that they had originally planned on marketing the Altima through Infiniti dealerships in the U.S. but instead chose to sell it through Nissan dealers. They made a lesser equipped version of it available to us here, namely the GXE, which sold like crazy! The GLE model was indeed the model that would have been sold through Infiniti. It has a lot of high end electronics and such for a lower to mid entry level Nissan of the early 90’s. I’m only reiterating what was told to me back then.
I still don’t buy it. More likely you were told that in a marketing attempt to motivate sales off the perceived prestige of the Infiniti. If this truly were the case, what exactly was the intended replacement for the Stanza? I can’t pinpoint anything suitable in Nissan’s rage at the time.
I see your point. I hadn’t noticed before but on the window sticker I posted (above) the model is described as a “Stanza Altima GLE.” But the car also was marketed as “an affordable luxury sedan.” Whatever you call it, it was a very nice car for the time.
I can buy that Nissan’s U.S. organization might have considered using the U13 Bluebird rather than the Primera, since the Bluebird was a little bigger than the Primera, but looked at the reaction to the Lexus ES250’s similarity to the Camry and decided they’d be better off with a model that didn’t have a U.S. Nissan counterpart, even if it were a little smaller.
The U13 had a pillared hardtop version (Bluebird ARX) with tidier nose styling and a less droopy tail, so Infiniti could have used that, but it would have still been too visibly an Altima.
At the time I actually found the Q45 to be much more attractive and interesting than the LS400.
I always think late 90’s Buick Riviera when I see this Infiniti’s derrière!
The back end looks like somebody’s ugly BUTT.
Oh, I said that last week in the I30 thread…!!!
Well, maybe I didn’t say “ugly” but I meant it!
Nice write up. My Mom had one, a J30t. The “t” pack included the nicer wheels, sport suspension and Super-HICAS active rear steering. That thing could change lanes at high speed like no one’s business. Apparently the platform was related to that of the 300ZX.
Rear seat room was tight. The build quality was excellent all around. There was real wood inside.
Never had any issues with it and she kept it 10 years. The only bad thing was that some bird poop sat on the hood too long and etched the paint. Had the hood repainted but it never looked right. A round, black car is not very forgiving for such things.
In the Nickelodeon movie Goodburger from 1997 featured an Infiniti J30, best part was when it got crushed by the hamburger off the roof of Mondoburger.
Ha! I can’t believe I remember that movie, that was the only scene I remember, as well as the “welcome to good burger, home of the good burger, can I take your order” line that was constantly repeated in the trailers for it. To reenforce my comment below I actually thought the burger dropped on a 911.
J30 exterior= Maxima with an even worse caboose.
J30 interior= Maxima with round analog clock.
Driving behind one of these, it looked like Gort’s visor was up and I was waiting for the death ray…
Brendan: another nice write-up!
When these first appeared, I also thought that they were copying Jaguar as closely as they dared.
Our eye doctor drove a black one for decades. I think he finally traded it last year.
As a fussy note, I’m pretty sure the Lexus ES250 was not based on the Vista, but on the JDM Camry Prominent V6 hardtop. The body shell is the same, but the ES250’s exterior panels match up more closely with the Camry Prominent’s save for the grille and the obligatory early-Lexus side cladding. The Camry hardtop also came with a V-6 (albeit the smaller 1,991cc version) where the Vista was four-cylinder-only.
The Vista and Camry Prominent hardtops were essentially the same car sold at different dealer channels (which is a whole other subject I would like to tackle for an article at some point) in Japan. Both nameplates had a hardtop version that was rebadged as the Lexus ES250. Here’s the Vista hardtop:
The Camry Prominent was just a rebadged car Vista hardtop. Regardless, the whole JDM dealer channels is still something I’m trying to wrap my head around.
The Camry Prominent hardtop and Vista are very similar, but they have different front bumpers, grilles, and taillights. (The hoods aren’t quite identical, but they may be interchangeable — I’m not sure.) The ES250 uses the Camry Prominent hood and bumpers with its own taillights, not shared with either JDM car.
Aside from the different dealer networks — the Vista was sold through Toyota Vista stores, the Camry and Camry Prominent through Corolla stores — the big difference between the Prominent and Vista hardtop was that the Vista was available only with four-cylinder engines while the Prominent was offered only with a V-6, the 2-liter 1VZ-FE. (The 2.5-liter 2VZ-FE from U.S. Camrys and ES250s wasn’t offered on JDM Camrys.) The Prominent was also a later introduction, not added to the Camry line until 1988, midway through the V20’s life cycle.
We have the whole cars here with Japanese dealer stickers still on them more durable than the paint in a lot of cases
I get the Jaguar references in the body design but the car I’m most reminded of by the drooping tail, as well as the full width taillights is this art deco rooted design…
Christian Rosario’s close-up look at a 1994 J30, a cream puff with only 41K. This one I wouldn’t mind owning today. Hard to believe it’s 21 years old.
I always felt disappontment whenever I see the rear end of the J30. The conservative and bland styling of the front end did not make one expect the totally different approach to the rear end. The i30 (1994-1998) was conservatively styled yet still remained attractive and fresh-looking (though not as much as the LH platform Chrysler in my opinion).
On that note, one of my uncles, a Japanese-American faithful to cars only from Nissan (and a few from Honda and Toyota), had a faithful G20 (1993-94?) that lasted him for years as his daily driver. He bought it new out of college. A couple of years ago the engine finally wore out and it wasn’t worth fixing. I always liked the G20 of both generations. Attractive, conservative styling in a compact and reliable package.
It’s a shame that Infiniti’s/Nissan’s current offerings are mostly unattractive, but to be fair, they’re all getting that way.
Thanks Brendan for an interesting write-up on an unusual car. I must admit I all into the “dislike” camp, and I was never a fan of any of the Nissan “droopy butt” styling. I wanted to like the car more than I could, because they dared to be different, but it was just a stylistic dead end. I’d forgotten how unusable the back seat and trunk were (articles at the time pointed that out a lot, IIRC). For comparison, my ’88 Prelude had 11 cubic feet of cargo room, and it was a sporty subcompact.
One great thing I did enjoy about the car: it’s brochure was beautifully photographed in my hometown of New Orleans. Unusual choice for an unusual car.
Speaking about the J30, designer Gerald Hirshberg said “We wanted to break what I call the tyranny of the wedge”.
Around the same time was when the Mazda (nee Amati) Millenia came out – I was enamored with the new-for-the-time droopy butt style. Very vexing how Nissan then underminded the J30’s style in-house with the Altima….
This Mazda (Eunos 800 in Australia) very much follows the same general design ideas, but looks much nicer and less controversial. Somehow it has just enough visual tension to avoid the blob look of the J30. I think it’s the straight window line and the angle at the rear of the side window rather than the J’s curve that does it. Also the smoother front end looks better – the J’s front looks reminiscent of a high bald forehead (like yours truly!).
Jellybean!!!
I loved these, but they’re a dime a dozen around here now. Nobody wants them.
I do remember going to the auto show in ’93, and this car was the darling of the show.
Excellent article, Brendan, because you didn’t miss a one of this cars subtleties: the continuity of the design (inside and out); the drive train and stats; the fact that it was the ‘Anti-Wedge’ shape at a time when everything (save a 911) was a wedge; Nissan’s launch/advertising; the context of its competitors…
A++ on such a thorough coverage of a CC -and that’s WHY I read CC. Like many of us, the articles here have often made me reconsider a car I never gave a first though to.
I agree with JPCavanaugh: when the J-30 came out I couldn’t decide: like/dislike? But I do know that the continuity of the design language was so well executed (like it or not), that I was definitely intrigued and gave it a +1 for that.
Initially (i.e the first two years), the J-30 sold reasonably well in Dallas: I remember that the typical driver was female -whether a single, middle management career woman or a Mom who’d moved up from a Maxima. Which meant it developed a Chick Car inference.
Interestingly, it was Buick that then took the Jelly Bean to the extreme by using some form of it on all the mid-size and full size cars of the late ’90s and early 2000s (think LaSabre in its dying years) and include a very J-30-similar 1st generation Buick LaCrosse (which, at the time it was introduced, was given modest auto press approval, for a Buick). And someone pointed out the Riviera.
Again, exceptional job, Brendan -factual without bashing.
Anyone recall the original J30 nose sketches from NDI that showed narrow headlamps and a larger more aggressive grill? Supposedly the nose was toned by HQ into what you see, but some sketches found their way into car magazines a couple of years later.
Sorry, but why is “gathered leather” a thing?
Just looks like it wasn’t sewn properly to me lol.
Agreed. I don’t get it either.
The j30 grew on me. I used to hate the rear end, but after driving a J30, I enjoyed it. Just like the first gen altima… you either hate it or love it.
I do like the j30 with a trunk spoiler, I think that somewhat “levels” it out.
the leopard J. Ferie version I believe came with either v6 or v8 as options.
I remember when the Infiniti J30 debuted. While I liked the front end appearance and its overall styling, I found the rear-end styling hideous. I still find its rear-end appearance to be un-attractive to look at.
Any one who likes the look, never has driven one of these at night. Always laugh when I come up on one with my headlights blasting the interior with so much light,…it’s a wonder the driver can see where their going. Same effect with the pos 96 Taurus. That is why some end up getting the rear window tinted jet black. Truly a styling error.
While a long way from my favorite shape, and not necessarily the most attractive car around, I do have to say it is a bit of a breath of fresh air from all the cars built in the last 15 years. Everything has the tall, fat, thick looking rear end. I was behind a new Nissan Sentra today and it’s rear end is as tall as my 02 Silverados front end! New cars, with their fat, bulbous posteriors, all look like a broad beamed matron waddling down the street In a tight fitting apron bursting at the seams. Not the least bit attractive. Quite frankly, many very good looking cars had sloping rear ends to some degree…the 1968-72 GM A bodies and 68-79 X bodies come to mind. The problem with the J30 was it sloped a bit too much and had no real definition. It was too round.
The J30 interior was way, way too cramped and the non-masculie, very femine exterior was a turnoff to me at the time. A vp sales director in a company that I worked for selected a J30 as his leased company car…said his wife picked it out…black/black…if you are what you drive..with its passve looks…dont think this car created the best impression for his job as a sales director and he wasn’t around long….car sat in company fleet for many months after his departure….no one wanted to be seen in it. Always think of this guy when I see the J30….At least his car did not have the tacky gold package.
I PUT HID 8000K LIGHTS IN OLD GIRL
I LOVE THE J30 THEY HANDLE WELL AND VERY RELIABLE CAR WITH A VERY STYLISH EXECUTIVE CLASS INTERIOR THATS COMFY AND VERY ACCESSIBLE . THE DESIGN WAS NISSAN FIRST CAR TO EVER HAVE CURVES AND TODAY I HAVE A 95 ALL ORIGINAL PAINT THATS BEAUTIFUL I DONT CAR WHAT PEOPLE SAY THE J30 IS A UNIQUE BLEND FROM INFINITI THAT HAS A TIMELESS BODY , PEOPLE BE SO SHOCKED TO HERE ITS A 95
Recently on the 1st gen Isuzu Trooper re-post, I mentioned that all I want in my dream garage is a Trooper parked next to my w123. OK I lied……I also would love a J30t in green over tan leather, please. With all of the above mentioned issues, I still enjoy these cars to this day. Again, nostalgia. A girlfriend in my mid 20-something years had a white J30 with the BBS basket style wheels and I was in love with the car almost as much as her. After a few years of dating on and off, she traded the J30 for an older 1995 Pathfinder, and me for a different model as well. Go figure. I found a locally owned green sedan 2 years ago in fine condition (not a t IIRC) for roughly $2K, but could not justify its purchase due to owning too many cars already at the time. Maybe someday.
I am glad they did this car. At the time I thought them striking and distinctive and these days I admire the homegeneity of the execution. Is there a car today that´s a strikingly different and achieve the effect with such little effort?
Regards,
Richard
I kind of like the design, the whole anti-wedge thing, but there are enough details that just don’t work visually for me. Even if I was in the market for what seems to be a 4 door 2+2.
I know it’s rear drive, but still – where did all the space go?
When the J-30 came out I instantly thought of a Jaguar; even the “J” designation suggested it. I don’t know how Nissan did it, but the sum total of its elements evoked the other J car. I wasn’t the only one who thought that; IIRC, the glossy car mags said much the same thing. Luxo interior, including real wood. Rear wheel drive to boot.
I also thought “makes sense, a more reliable Jag.” A lot of people here in CT seemed to agree, they seemed to be all over, at least for a few years. Now, I don’t get the Jaguar thing as much when I look at this article, but that’s probably because Jag has moved on quite a bit.
Good point- it is a bit suggestive of a Jaguaresque quality.
It says alot about what we expect to see that the falling boot/trunk looks wierd. It only falls slightly yet it is so counter-intruitive. In the opposite way, the abrupt boot of the 190E Benz looked very strange in 1983 and then it became the norm. That norm as only become more firmly established since the J30.
Didn’t Sinbad drive this in Good Burger?
At the time of its introduction the J30 was important to Infiniti being perceived as an automaker, here to stay, with a more complete model line-up. I think its individual styling, size and rear drive platform contributed to that. This is one of those cars that I think has enough character that I wouldn’t mind owning and being seen driving.
You can’t have a premium brand if you don’t have a basic car that seems to work or sold to people with bad credit ratings. Nissan is just not a brand I consider quality at all. Toyota seemed to have earned the Lexus. Their track record was good. Nissan – nope. Honda – No. A premium brand needs to be more conservative and Toyota is conservative. Honda could have been, but Acura is – what? I still can’t figure that out. Then there is Infiniti? Why?
I remember the commercials when they first arrived and that attitude was all Infiniti had. Infiniti dared me to think deeply about them? Why?
I acknowledge that they are good cars with bland styling, but that the j30 was strikingly different and memorable. I thought the car looked admirable and kind of Italian. I always said that Infiniti was a very feminine looking car brand.
A co-worked had one and he was a huge guy driving around in a car that looked like it belonged in a woman’s handbag. A pretty little imported bobble. By the time I asked him about it a year later – he told me that he got rid of it because it was too small. He was built for blue jeans, not Gucci.
But when I think about Infiniti, I’m left with the impression that I’m getting an overpriced Nissan. Sorry – especially after what Nissan has been selling over the past decade – no way would I even consider an Infiniti.
Would there even be an Acura or an Infiniti if it wasn’t for Lexus? Lexus had a mission, but it seemed that Acura and Infiniti only had a “me too” reason to exist. Amati from Mazda got pulled when Mazda continued to struggle to find a niche. Acura and Infiniti exist because their cheaper sibling brands keep the lights on. Same with Genesis and whatever Hyundai and Kia are trying to do now.