Infiniti's five-door hatchback has the character and quality to offer an attractive alternative to its more established rivals.

The Q30 may have its roots in the Far East but it is built in the North East - Sunderland to be precise - making it the first vehicle to be made in Europe by Infiniti, an upmarket sub-brand of Nissan.

The car is also Infiniti's first global entry into the fast-growing compact segment and has been designed with the goal of attracting a new generation of premium buyers.

And it's certainly a good-looking car. With its strong, muscular lines and daring creases running across the sides in a flowing effect, the vehicle is quite unique from anything else. It also benefits from an elevated stance on the road.

This week, Infiniti invited the northern media, including the Telegraph & Argus, to its Stockport centre where several different versions of the Q30 were available to roadtest.

I spent the morning testing the 1.6-litre petrol 'Premium' manual variant, before moving onto the 2.2-litre diesel 'Sport' automatic in the afternoon.

The former comes with a £21,600 price tag before options are added, with the latter costing £33,890.

In 1.6-litre petrol guise, the Q30 has decent acceleration capabilities but needs a bit of persuasion to get up to speed. The driver has to work the car hard through the gears and you'll find that the rev counter needs to be kept pretty high to get the best performance.

Even at entry level, the vehicle feels comfortable and refined, offering smooth ride quality combined with a quiet cabin. A mixture of leathers and tasteful soft plastics make for a pleasant interior.

The vehicle has Mercedes underpinnings and this is most evident when it comes to the well-constructed controls. The driver's seat also offers a good deal of adjustment, and even a taller person will have no trouble getting comfortable. In general, the cockpit feels spacious and well laid-out.

Once I stepped up to 'Sport' trim in the afternoon, the extra performance offered by the more potent 2.2 litre unit was quite noticeable - still not really quick enough to be classed as a 'hot hatch', but sufficiently punchy to be described as a 'warm hatch.'

The interior also becomes that little bit posher, while the exterior benefits from a more pronounced front bumper and 19'' alloy wheels - an inch bigger than those lower down the trim trail.

In terms of its stance on the road, the Sport version is more low-slung, which seems to reduce body roll and provide added stability when cornering briskly. While this diesel version brings added excitement to the Q30 experience, the 'Sport' petrol apparently puts even more of a smile on the face.

Producing a successful premium hatchback is a challenge for any manufacturer, especially one that only became active in the UK around five years ago. But there's no doubt that Infiniti has come up with a confident, classy and distinctive offering.

THE LOWDOWN

Infiniti Q30 1.6 Premium

Transmission: 6-speed manual driving front wheels

Price: £21,600 on the road

Engine: 1.6-litre petrol producing 122PS

Economy: 47.1mpg combined and 138g/km

Performance: Max speed 124mph, 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds

Will's ratings

PERFORMANCE: 3

ECONOMY: 4

RIDE/HANDLING: 4

SPACE: 4

EQUIPMENT: 5

SECURITY: 4

VALUE: 4

OVERALL: 4