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2008 Infiniti G37 Sport Review

Infiniti’s newest luxury sport coupe takes on BMW

AS
by Autobytel Staff
October 30, 2007
6 min. Reading Time
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The Infiniti G37 sport coupe unapologetically blazes its own trail. Its flexed bicep styling looks like nothing else in its class, the handling is excellent, there’s power everywhere you look, and it’s supremely satisfying to drive. Comparisons to BMW’s 3 Series coupe are inevitable, and the G37 more than just holds its own, it throws down, kicking sand in the BMW’s face and challenging it for the luxury sport coupe crown. Whether the Infiniti bests the BMW boils down to extremely fine points, but it’s far and away one of the strongest contenders against the 3 Series in a long, long time.

By Keith Buglewicz Photo credit: Oliver Bentley

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The basic Infiniti G37 Sport will set you back $36,265 with the $715 destination charge included. The Sport is the only way to get the manual transmission option, and it comes with a beefed up suspension and more aggressive tires as well. Options included the $3,200 Premium Package, which added a sunroof, Bose audio system, heated front seats, iPod interface, power seats, lumbar, tilt/telescope steering wheel and a handful of other goodies. It also had the $2,200 navigation system and the completely transparent $1,300 rear active steer package. The $550 rear spoiler topped things off, driving the total price to $43,515.

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    The Infiniti G37’s 3.7-liter V-6 and six-speed manual transmission are just short of perfect. The 330 horsepower flows like water through a spillway, and the 270 lb.-ft. of torque peaks at 5,200, but there’s plenty down low, too. The transmission’s perfect ratios and short throws are marred only by an abruptly engaging clutch. The only other thing that keeps us from falling head over heels for this drivetrain is the harsh thrum from the engine at high revs. It’s not a deal killer, but it’s especially annoying in light of the powertrain’s overall performance.

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      Our test car arrived with seriously worn rubber, and the upshot is that this powerful rear-drive coupe understeered precipitously on turn in, a trait we didn’t anticipate. When we slowed down our entry the Infiniti G37 behaved more like we expected, with a sublimely balanced chassis that allows you to steer with the throttle. We’d need a back-to-back comparison to report fully on the four-wheel steering, but we didn’t feel anything unusual or twitch about the G37. The ride was rough but still acceptable, and with fresh tires, we think the G37 would be one of our favorite twisty road cars.

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        The view over the hood of the Infiniti G37 is a little like looking out of a Porsche 911 thanks to the fender blisters rising behind the headlights. It’s also the best view out; to the side things are acceptable thanks to the large mirrors, but the rear view is merely so-so. The sloping rear pillars block the view considerably, and the steeply raked glass gets a lot of reflections from the light-colored rear shelf. The car’s high rear haunches limit the rear view, and we wished for backup sensors on our car to keep from harming the bulbous rear bumper.

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          The Infiniti G37 is a sports coupe for people who are too old for the Nissan Z’s noise, but don’t want to see themselves coming and going in a BMW either. It handles exceptionally well, has more than enough power to keep all but the most power-mad happy, and it looks stunning. Nearly everyone on staff could envision this car parked in his own garage, and compliments don’t get much better than that.

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            Considering the low roof line and fastback shape, the Infiniti G37’s front seat is pretty accommodating for tall drivers. There is plenty of head and leg room, and it’s easy to get comfortable thanks to the multi-adjustable seat and tilt/telescope steering wheel. All the primary controls fall to hand, although it’s a bit of a stretch to the navigation system controls. The steering wheel and stubby shifter both feel good in the hand. Entry and exit is a little difficult because of the low roofline, but otherwise it’s a comfortable cockpit.

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              The rear seat in the G37 is a tiny upholstered package shelf. Squeezing two adult humans back there while having another two in the front seat is an exercise in futility; even one extra person seriously taxes the passenger carrying capability of this car. It’s the one area where the Infiniti G37 gives up a serious advantage to the BMW 3 Series coupe.

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                Open the throttle and the engine roars. Unfortunately, slip it into sixth and cruise on the freeway and there’s still some roar from the tires and the engine. It’s disappointing from a luxury brand. The Infiniti G37 is significantly quieter than, for example, a Nissan 350Z, with which it shares its underpinnings. But you expect that. The problem is that it’s also noisier than a luxury sport coupe should be. It won’t result in tinnitus, but it’s louder inside than a $40,000 car should be.

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                  The Infiniti G37 is long on sport but short on practicality. The trunk is small, barely big enough for two sets of golf clubs, or just enough luggage for two on a long weekend. The liftover is also surprisingly high for such a low car, and the rear bumper protrudes far from the trunk opening, begging to be scratched.

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                    Our Infiniti G37 Sporttest vehicle was a pre-production unit. We did not assess build quality, as it is our rule to praise or critique this aspect of a vehicle only when it is reflective of what consumers will find at the local dealership.

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