Although the Infiniti Q70 has its faults, judged purely as a tow car it’s not half bad.

It’s a very heavy for a executive saloon, which makes for favourable matching ratios. However, this benefit is offset by the low legal towing limit of just 1500kg.

Hitch up to a caravan weighted to this figure, and the Infiniti feels as if it could tow more. The diesel engine has a healthy 295lb ft of torque, enough to pull from 30-70mph in just 12.9 seconds. Plentiful power is matched to strong brakes: the Infiniti took just 10.5 metres to stop from 30mph with a caravan behind it.

Stability at speed is also good, as it should be when a car weighs just under 1.9 tonnes. The Q70 was quite at home towing at 60mph, and only started to feel a little loose at well beyond the legal limit. Even then, we’re talking about slight movement rather than anything to make the palms sweat.

Straightline stability was matched to a solid performance in the lane-change test: however much the caravan slid around the Infiniti dragged it back into line eventually.

However, the foot-operated parking brake was an irritation when making hill starts. If it wasn’t pushed down far enough first time to keep the outfit still, the natural reaction was to press it down harder. However, this released the brake completely. This glitch aside, the Infiniti easily pulled up the 1-in-6 test hill.
As a solo drive, however, the Infiniti doesn’t ride or handle as well a BMW 5 Series or Jaguar XF. Although the cabin is roomy enough for four adults, many rivals offer more boot space.

Our practicality judges were disappointed to note that the handbook warns against using the compact spare when towing. What’s more, running costs are high and resale values are weak compared with most rivals.