1997 Infiniti I30 The Infiniti I30 represents badge engineering that works. By Michelle Krebs, New Car Test Drive .com

Introduced in May 1995, the I30, based

on the Nissan Maxima, was developed to fill a gap in Infiniti's line in

the high-volume and growing entry level segment of the luxury car market.

The front-drive luxury sedan became the fourth car offered by Nissan Motor

Corp.'s luxury division, which began selling cars in 1990. The I30 was

planned to share features and styling cues from Infiniti's flagship Q45,

but with a significantly lower base price of less than $30,000.

Within Infiniti's current product line, the I30 is positioned between

the entry level four-cylinder G20, which runs about $25,000, and the $36,000

rear-drive J30.

The odds seemed stacked against the I30. Unsuc-cessful examples of badge

engineering--taking the same basic car and selling it under two separate

nameplates at different price points--are many. Additionally, the I30 competes

in the crowded entry-luxury segment against some extremely strong contenders

including the Lexus ES 300, the segment's volume leader, the BMW 3-Series,

the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Mazda Millenia and now the Cadillac Catera.

Nevertheless, the I30 has succeeded, and spectacularly. In less than

two years on the market, the I30 has come to represent half of all Infiniti

sales.

A test drive in the Leather Appointed version of the 1997 I30, virtually

unchanged since its introduction, helped us understand why buyers are attracted

to its performance, luxury and price.