I DON'T think I've ever been stopped so many times and questioned about a car in the numerous years that I've been doing this job and the reason brought with it positives and negatives.

Firstly, the car I was driving was the all-new Infiniti Q30 with especially prominent Liquid Copper paintwork. And it was the car's eye-catching dynamic styling along with the colour that instantly drew attention.

I was questioned in supermarket car parks and at a service station by strangers and the car even attracted attention from neighbours who rarely show any interest in my cars any more - even the more expensive ones.

The questions that followed ran something like this: "Oh that's an unusual colour - I love it" and "I don't recognise that badge - which company makes them?"

And that's where the problems started.

Whilst I could agree with the dazzling colourings of the car and indeed its stunning good looks, the mention of Infiniti was greeted with totally blank expressions. Not one person had ever heard of the company and that's a real shame.

Infiniti is the luxury vehicle division of Nissan, similarly as Lexus is to Toyota and the Q30 is by far the best car to emerge from the company so far.

It's a compact five-door hatchback guaranteed to attract attention everywhere it goes and it's loaded with technology and top notch features that befit a premium model.

Add in some excellent driving stats and a competitive asking price and you can see why the Q30 is indeed the complete package.

The car looks fabulous from any angle thanks to its sporty, athletic stance complimented by 18-inch alloys, LED front fog lights, a large front grille, flashes of chrome trim, dual rectangular chrome exhaust pipes, LED rear lights and sweeping headlight clusters.

The angled rear end resembles an arrowhead and that means the Q30 looks like its moving fast even when standing still.

Move inside and there is luxury at every turn with heated leather front seats with electrical adjustment, nappa leather dashboard, smart contrasting wood inserts and a host of technology to be explored including a BOSE premium sound system (£650 extra), Infiniti InTouch navigation (£1,400 option), Bluetooth connectivity, a drive select mode to alter the car's driving dynamics, a touchscreen infotainment system and plenty more besides.

Comfort levels are excellent with bags of space for four adults to travel in style, although with the front seats pushed back the leg room can be a little cramped in the rear.

In addition, storage options are good with a generously-sized boot with a 430-litre capacity which can be increased further with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. Elsewhere there are cup holders, decent door pockets and a glovebox.

But it's the car's handling and dynamics that really impressed me. The 2.2-litre diesel engine delivered all the power you could wish for and the handling was smooth and responsive as it moved through the automatic gearbox with ease.

In town centres the visibility was unobscured and the rearview camera and parking sensors made light work of manoeuvring into tight spaces.

Then out on the faster roads and country lanes, the Q30 was a delight to drive.

The road holding was exceptionally sure-footed and the steering beautifully precise. Switch into Dynamic mode and the whole performance becomes a little edgier which is great fun.

There is a little engine noise from the diesel powertrain when the car is pushed hard, but apart from that the cabin is well insulated.

According to official figures, the Q30 can sprint from 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds and tops out at 134mph. It can deliver combined fuel economy of 57.5mpg with carbon emissions of 127g/km.

The asking price for this high grade Premium Tech model is a very competitive £31,180 (£33,900 with options fitted).

It's also worth noting that the Q30 featured four-wheel-drive which is an added bonus with our unpredictable climate and ever-changing weather patterns.

There are numerous other safety features too, such as lane departure warning, cruise control, adaptive brake assist, seven airbags and lots more.