Test drive Audi A4, Infiniti Q30, Haval H2 and Jaguar F-Pace

Audi A4 instead of a snow shovel, Jaguar F-Pace as a very family car, Chinese crossover Haval H2 under an extreme snowdrift and Mercedes-Benz A-Class in an Infiniti Q30 suit

Every month, the AvtoTachki editorial staff selects several cars that made their debut on the Russian market no earlier than 2015, and comes up with different tasks for them. In late November and early December, we cleaned the parking lot on an all-wheel drive Audi, tried to find a common language with the Jaguar F-Pace, checked the Chinese Haval H2 for readiness for the Russian winter and looked for differences between the Infiniti Q30 and the soplatform Mercedes A-Class.

Roman Farbotko was cleaning the parking lot on Audi A4

The sedan was displayed sideways at every turn, the stabilization system continued to fuss when starting from a traffic light, and the heated mirrors at some point ceased to cope with the sticking snow - winter came to Moscow. But the first snowfall, which was more reminiscent of the plot of a disaster film, I met not on a huge crossover, but on an Audi A4, courageously clearing the snow with its front bumper.

Half an hour later, the all-wheel drive sedan finally convinced: it copes with non-flying conditions better than most SUVs. I should have been disappointed by a courtyard in the south of Moscow, where the snow has not been removed since last winter. A4 emerged from one rut and flopped into another, scattering snow on low rapids. On the icy hill, the sedan did not even think to give up: the non-studded rubber firmly clung to the surface, and the Quattro almost did not let the wheels slip.

And this despite the fact that no one has adapted A4 to Russian realities. It has the same ground clearance (142 mm) as on the European version, there is no heating of the drip washer nozzles, and the heated steering wheel is available only in the most expensive versions. Needless to say that the "four" does not know how to economically use the "anti-freeze"?

But the Audi A4 can be forgiven for everything thanks to its filigree handling in the days of a collapse, when neighbors creep along the stream, eyes bulging with fear. With a top-end 249 hp engine. it easily turns into a drift car: without a stabilization system, the sedan cleans the parking lot in the side slip, easily changes direction and continues in the same spirit.

The “four” of the new generation debuted on the Russian market in 2015 - just at the height of the dollar. But who said that gambling can be cheap?

Ivan Ananiev tried to find common ground with Jaguar F-Pace

The F-Pace was expected for so long that it began to sell well just after its appearance, and the Jaguar brand immediately became noticeable in the charts of the Russian car market. It's no joke - the market share has almost doubled against the background of the fall of even traditionally stable premium brands. This despite the fact that the crossover did not open a new segment and did not bring anything fundamentally different. It's just that the Jaguar crossover format itself suddenly shot very well.

Constantly catching the views of not only motorists, but also pedestrians, I understand that the British have got a really high-quality show stopper. The squat, sporty silhouette with narrow optics and exposed nostrils of the air intakes make a powerful claim for speed, and the high ground clearance and ostentatious brutality of the front end indicate that this car is solid and big - exactly as we like it. And the symbol of a modest size on the huge false radiator grille not only does not get lost, but, on the contrary, begins to play with new aggressive colors, either grinning viciously, or stinging its tongue sarcastically.

The feeling of brutality is quite consistently maintained in all other aspects. There are too many cars of quite moderate dimensions. It scares me with ostentatious luxury, puffy bumpers, dimensions I can't feel, and an overpowering 380 horsepower charge. F-Pace is redundant in everything, which is very annoying for a person who is used to thinking rationally.

If there were a standard two-liter diesel, everything might have been easier, but the power of the gasoline engines only starts at 340 horsepower. Incorrect, the use of such a charge in an urban environment can be very expensive. I try not to disturb my own 380 forces at all, especially given the fact that initially the rear-wheel drive F-Pace (the front end is connected by electronics) is not averse to wagging its tail on the winter Moscow slurry. As a result, I either restrain this crossover myself all the time, trying to handle the controls more gently, or it is he who restrains me, frightening with some vague reactions.

Changing cars often, I was used to easily adapting to any of them in minutes, but I could not find a common language with the F-Pace even after two days. We had to take a good walk together somewhere in the wild, but all I managed to do was put on two child seats, load the trunk and go to the country house with my family, and these are not the same driving modes. But the F-Pace has opened from the other side: it has a lot of rear room and a very large trunk. Finally, he plowed quality fresh snow up to the hubs of beautiful 20-inch wheels.

The hand does not rise to write that this is the most practical Jaguar in history, because the F-Pace is not about that at all. The car can play the role of a family car, but I do not want to blow off dust particles and scold children for dirty marks on the creamy skin. I don’t want to deal with intricate media applications, I don’t find it convenient to turn on the heated seats through the touchscreen menu, which I have to wait for awakening. Jaguar, as always, has too many problems that I am not ready to put up with on a daily basis. Finally, my personal format is the XE sedan, not a crossover that brazenly expands the yard with its huge air intakes. We did not understand each other, but now I know for sure that there are cars that I just haven’t grown up to.

Evgeny Bagdasarov tested Haval H2 for frost resistance

I approached Haval H2 with some skepticism: will an exotic crossover start or not? I left the car three days ago and flew away on a business trip. During this time, H2 managed to turn into a large white snowdrift and no longer bother passers-by with incomprehensible nameplates. And then they said on the radio that the previous night had become the coldest since the beginning of winter - minus 18 degrees. The starter grunted for two seconds for the sake of sight and the one and a half liter unit (150 hp) started up, but with it the steering wheel and mirrors shook with a small shiver. Turning off the air conditioner is another matter, the vibrations have practically disappeared.

Haval does not support the global trend to reduce buttons - there is a whole scattering of them, there is even a separate button for blowing on the windshield and feet. The zone of the multimedia system is not visually separated from the zone of the air conditioner, and the knobs for the volume and intensity of the blowing are completely the same, which introduces confusion.

The washer nozzles, meanwhile, froze tightly, and the windshield wipers, which are now smearing snow on the glass, have also become hardened. The same was the case on the flagship Haval H9, but the stove in the small crossover works much better. It quickly warms up the interior, frees the glass from the ice captivity and restores their mobility.

Moreover, this is the average Lux configuration, and only the most expensive version has dual-zone climate control. To maintain a comfortable temperature, you have to turn the knob all the time, balancing between tropical heat and arctic cold.

Savings are questionable and spoil the impression of a good car. As well as the complete absence of a stabilization system. The loss is more of an image loss, since the H2 does not experience any special problems with the movement of the HXNUMX on snow and ice. The six-speed "automatic" is relaxed and keeps high gears. A special "snow" mode, activated by an inconspicuous button, can be left unused. Gradually you get used to acting smoothly and proactively so as not to rip off the front drive wheels into slipping.

H2 survived the coldest night of the year with virtually no loss, but the multimedia system never thawed and stopped responding to touching the touchscreen and physical buttons. She came to life only the next day - the system again shows the picture from the rear-view camera and talks in a gurgling voice.

Nikolay Zagvozdkin was looking for differences between Infiniti Q30 and Mercedes A-Class

I switched to the Infiniti Q30 exactly two and a half minutes after I got out from behind the wheel of the Q50. And if the format allowed, then there would be four, or even five paragraphs about how, why and why the Japanese sedan got me so sunk. But, alas - therefore, just a couple of phrases. The Q50 is very beautiful, unusual and very modern inside, rides great and rulitsya very sharp. And it doesn't look like any other car. Unlike Q30.

And this became clear as soon as the key was in my hands. There is only one extra thing on it - the Infiniti badge. Otherwise, it is quite an ordinary, beautiful and fashionable Mercedes-Benz key. I get behind the wheel, trying to adjust the seat by analogy with the Q50 - no matter how it is: the seat control buttons are on the door, they are divided into sectors, traditional ... yes, for Mercedes-Benz. Inside, everything is also not at all the same as in Q50: there is no beautiful "beard", everything is more intimate, although of no less quality.

Of course, I understand that this Japanese hatchback is built on the same front-wheel drive MFA platform as the A-Class. It is clear that a large amount of commonality in the interior design is an adequate and logical opportunity to save on production. There is only one question: why then Q30 is more expensive than its competitors? The minimum price for a Japanese hatchback is $ 30. A donor A-Class can be purchased for $ 691. And, for example, Audi A22 - for $ 561.

I also have one more question: isn't originality one of the main advantages of Infiniti? Q50, I repeat, won me over, including this. Although the similarities to the A-Class do not detract from the Q30's merits. He, for example, is very adult-driven. Moreover, on the Internet you can find reviews of owners who drove both the smallest Mercedes and the Infiniti Q30. The majority vote for the Japanese car, considering it more gambling.

Is the final conclusion made? All my thoughts and arguments were smashed to pieces by my wife. She has been trying for months to describe the type of car she would like to buy in the future. It should be something “at the same time small, but roomy and not very low”, have at least four doors and be beautiful. Seeing the Q30, she immediately said: "Well, yes, that's exactly what I imagined."