Infiniti G37 Coupe Review and Test Drive

In the $40,000+ price range, it’s hard to make a bad choice when buying a new vehicle. If you’re looking for a sporty and luxurious coupe with usable rear seats you really can’t go wrong. Even if you pick on styling alone, you won’t make a bad decision. The G37 Coupe from Infiniti has great curves that make a convincing case.

Exterior

Spending time with this car in black and studying the styling, I came across a realization. Make some minor changes such as eliminating the chrome, round the tail lights and add some yellow prancing horse badges and it could easily pass for a grand tourer from Ferrari. That is how well the lines on this car look in person. The same could be said in the 4th (and last) generation Toyota Supra from 1993 to 1998.

Details like the headlights, hood line and front fenders are exquisite. Fit and finish are exemplary with excellent fitment of the body panels. Even the standard 18” rims look proportionate in this day of 19s and 20s on many models.

Interior

The keyless entry and push button start combined with exterior push button locking is very convenient. It takes a while to remember to stop reaching for the key to start it. Its proximity technology is so accurate it can detect what side of the car the key holder is standing by only allowing that door to unlock. The exterior push button trunk feature is nice as well.

The other favorite part is the rear back-up camera. A proximity sensor usually makes for a messy back bumper. The camera makes life so easy, not just due to the rear visibility but also keeping a lookout for shorter obstacles like curbs, rocks, shrubs, etc. Using graphics to trace the path of the vehicle makes for great visualization of the intended path. As mentioned in the Audi A5 review, the fisheye lens means a broad view in case of cross traffic in a parking lot.

The memory driver’s seat is very comfortable and the ergonomics are excellent. It’s a little bit of a reach for the seatbelt but that is common in coupes. The dashboard display is beautiful at night with great colors. It does take some time to learn the intricacies of the integrated navigation and audio systems but that is expected. The selector dial on the dash is a little bit of a reach instead of where the arm falls naturally in the center console area like Audis and BMWs. If the passenger reaches for it, an accidental press of the hazard button has happened several times.

The wood dash option looks great but is dark. The brushed aluminum has a sporty element with a nice contrast. For 2010, the aluminum has a slightly different finish and there iPod hook-up is more integrated instead of an adaptor cable needed. Also the heated seats have switches instead of dials. The owner reports moving things to the passenger seat (like a purse…) may turn a dial accidentally, hence the change to switches.

Despite telescoping and tilt steering (which moves the driver’s dashboard display), it could offer slightly more downward adjustment.

Thinking about the MSRP of the mid-40s and what could be changed in terms of upgrades are few. More power via a V-8 is one way provided the weight gain and front-to-rear balance isn’t altered too much. If the seatbelts were structurally integrated into the seats, that would solve the need to reach or twist to grab the seat belt. How much of a weight gain it would take would be interesting to know, along with crash testing, etc.

Driving Experience

Driving the car is so effortless. The 7-speed automatic means the car always seems to be in the right gear with no dead spots or lag. It’s very smooth with no hint of the commonly reported vibration or harshness of the 370Z especially with the manual transmission. This particular model is not the “Sport” model. The Sport model brings paddle shifters, a limited slip differential, larger brakes and a stiffer suspension. For daily driving this isn’t necessary because the ride is so good.

The brakes take a light touch, almost too light. It takes some getting used to. The engine response is a little jumpy or touchy as if the tune for the fuel delivery is a little sudden. Revised engine mapping or throttle programming with the drive-by-wire system would easily solve this. I can’t imagine it’s simply a function of the 3.7 liter engine being tuned to 330hp.

Acceleration is more than adequate but barely qualifies for a helmet at the drag strip. Enough for traffic and decent mileage but it’s not a racer. It’s so nice that you don’t care whether or not you get beat by the kid next to you in a Mustang or Camaro. Because it just doesn’t matter when you’re rolling in a sweet combination of art and jewelry.