2013 Infiniti G37 Sedan Road Test and Review

Three versions of the 2013 Infiniti G37 Sedan are on sale: G37 Journey, G37x, and G37 Sport 6MT.

The G37 Journey starts at $37,795. It comes standard with leather seats, Shodo aluminum trim, dual-zone automatic climate control, Infiniti Intelligent Key keyless access and push-button ignition, and a 7-inch color in-dash display screen with a reversing camera. The heated front seats offer 8-way power adjustment, and the G37 Journey is equipped with heated exterior mirrors, a tilt/telescopic steering wheel, a universal garage door opener, automatic Xenon HID headlights, and 17-inch aluminum wheels. The standard stereo includes Bluetooth connectivity, an auxiliary audio input jack, a USB connection, and satellite radio.

The G37x costs $39,395, and is equipped just like the G37 Journey but adds an all-wheel-drive system.

Option packages are offered only for the G37 Journey and G37x. The Premium Package includes a power moonroof, Infiniti Studio on Wheels premium sound, a power tilt/telescopic steering wheel, a memory system for the driver’s settings, and rear parking assist sensors. The Navigation Package adds a hard-drive touchscreen navigation system, Bluetooth streaming audio, real-time traffic and weather reporting, and voice recognition technology. The Technology Package installs intelligent cruise control, brake assist with preview braking, pre-crash seatbelt functionality, rain-sensing wipers, and an Advanced Climate Control System with a Plasmacluster air purifier and grape polyphenol air filter.

In addition to these option packages, Infiniti G37 Journey and G37x buyers can also get 18-inch aluminum wheels with all-season performance tires and genuine Maple wood interior trim to replace the standard aluminum.

Now things get a little confusing. Customers seeking an extra edge in terms of performance can select a Sport Package for the G37 Journey or the G37x, or choose the Sport 6MT model separately. If a manual gearbox is a must, the Sport 6MT model is the only way to go, and this version includes the Premium and Navigation option packages but cannot be equipped with the Technology option package. If you want the contents of the Technology Package combined with performance-oriented hardware, you’ll need to choose the G37 Journey or G37x and then add the appropriate options.

Let’s talk specifics with regard to the Sport Packages. For the G37x, it is primarily cosmetic in nature, including unique styling details, 18-inch aluminum wheels, all-season performance tires, front sport seats with manual thigh extensions and power bolster adjustments for the driver, aluminum pedals, and solid magnesium paddle shifters. Add the Sport Package to the G37 Journey, and these cosmetics are enhanced with summer performance tires, ventilated-disc sport brakes with 4-piston front calipers and 2-piston rear calipers, a sport-tuned suspension, sport-tuned steering, and a viscous limited-slip rear differential.

The Infiniti G37 Sport 6MT ($42,395) includes all of these modifications, but swaps out the automatic transmission and paddle shifters for a 6-speed manual gearbox and a clutch pedal. Additionally, the contents of the Premium and Navigation option packages are standard on this model.

As an entry-level luxury sport sedan, the 2013 Infiniti G37 competes against a number of models in a broad, popular, and somewhat ill-defined segment. We count the following models as direct competitors to the Infiniti: Acura TL, Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Buick Regal GS, Cadillac ATS, Cadillac CTS, Chrysler 300, Lexus IS, Lexus ES, Lincoln MKZ, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Volkswagen CC, and Volvo S60.

What’s New for 2013:

• Sport Appearance Package cancelled
• Limited Edition Package cancelled

How It Looks:

Though advanced in age, and despite design cues derivative of the original 2003 G Sedan, the 2013 Infiniti G37 remains an attractive and appealing vehicle, which certainly helps it to sell better against newer models.

For a sedan, especially one in its seventh year on the market, the G37 is sleek and sexy, with flowing lines and fender swells. The powertrain’s front-midship orientation reduces front overhang, pushing the wheels as far forward as possible while also positioning the cabin further back. The result is a classic long-hood/short-deck sports car appearance, and the G37 almost appears to be crouching on haunches, ready to spring to life with just a touch of the accelerator pedal.

My favorite thing about the Infiniti G37’s styling, though, is the view over the hood from the driver’s seat. The way the hood drops away between the headlamps and front fender swells is similar to that of a Porsche 911. More important, it provides excellent forward visibility coupled with useful orientation points whether parking the car at the mall or screaming down a favorite back road.

What’s New for 2013:

• Sport Appearance Package cancelled
• Limited Edition Package cancelled

How It Looks and Feels:

To be honest, when the current iteration of the Infiniti G Sedan debuted for the 2007 model year, I thought it was a little bit cheap inside. I still think some of the controls appear to have been pilfered from the Nissan parts bin, but now, six years down the road, the Infiniti’s interior strikes me as offering quality on par with, or better than, its competitors, nearly all of which have been redesigned since the current G went on sale.

The G37 is a snug fit for larger people, especially with the bolstered sport seats that are included in the Sport Package. The driving position is perfection, though, thanks to a tilt/telescopic steering wheel and a gauge cluster that moves with the wheel to preserve clear lines of sight to the speedometer, tachometer, and information display.

Rear seat foot room is tight, and the seatback is reclined at an uncomfortable angle, but the seat bottom sits high off the floor, providing good thigh support and a terrific view out. With taller people sitting in the front seats, the G37 Sedan offers just enough legroom.

The Infiniti G37’s trunk measures 13.5 cu.-ft., which is on the small side compared to other sedans that straddle the line between compact and midsize classification. Blame the need to leave room for rear- and all-wheel-drive components.

What’s New for 2013:

• No changes for 2013

Details and Ratings:

Every 2013 Infiniti G37 Sedan is equipped with six airbags, a traction and stability control system, 4-wheel vented-disc antilock brakes with brake assist, and a reversing camera. Rear parking assist sensors are included on the G37 Sport 6MT and in the Premium Package on the G37 Journey and G37x.

An optional Technology Package for the G37 Journey and G37x includes an intelligent cruise control system, a preview braking function, brake-operated pre-crash seatbelts, and rain-sensing wipers. If you’re looking for additional safety features offered on other Infiniti models, such as a lane departure warning system or a blind spot information system, you won’t find them on this model. And to be perfectly honest, it was nice not to have the G Sedan beeping and braking and tugging unexpectedly.

Though the G Sedan is one of the most popular models in its class, the NHTSA hasn’t bothered to crash-test one since strengthening its standards for the 2011 model year. The only NHTSA safety rating offered for this car is a 5-Star rollover rating, indicating the highest level of stability in a lateral skid.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the G Sedan a “Good” rating for moderate overlap frontal impact protection and for side-impact protection, combined with an “Acceptable” rating in the roof crush strength test. Unfortunately, it appears that Infiniti needs to install new front seat designs to protect against whiplash injury in a rear-impact crash, as the current model gets a “Marginal” rating in this regard.

The G Sedan is also one of the first vehicles subjected to the Institute’s tough new small overlap frontal-impact crash test, in which it received an “Acceptable” rating. The aging Infiniti performed better than all tested competitors except the Acura TL and Volvo S60, including two of the entry-level luxury models that sell in greater numbers than the Infiniti: the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

What’s New for 2013:

• G25 model cancelled

How Does It Go:

With the cancellation of the less expensive and less powerful Infiniti G25 model for 2013, every G Sedan comes standard with a free-revving 3.7-liter V-6 engine making 328 horsepower at 7,000 rpm and 269 lb.-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm.

A 7-speed automatic transmission with Adaptive Shift Control, a Drive Sport Mode, and Downshift Rev Matching is standard on the G37 Journey with rear-wheel drive and the G37x with all-wheel drive. The G37 Sport 6MT has a 6-speed manual gearbox. Models equipped with the automatic and the Sport Package are equipped with magnesium paddle shifters mounted to the steering column rather than the steering wheel, which is a huge benefit to people who shuffle steer.

According to the EPA, the G37 Journey is rated to get 22 mpg in combined driving, the G37x is rated to get 20 mpg, and the G37 Sport 6MT is rated to get 20 mpg. Our test car, the G37 Journey, averaged 21.3 mpg despite regular dips into the car’s impressive well of power.

More than any other Asian sedan, including the excellent new Lexus GS, the Infiniti G37 channels Germany’s greatest hits. Assured and resolute the majority of the time, this four-door sports car is ready and willing to break any speed limit or tackle any twisty road, anywhere, at any time. In my opinion, this Infiniti drives more like a classic German luxury sport sedan than do modern German luxury sport sedans, with one exception.

It’s tough to keep the G37’s tail planted when powering out of a corner.

The Infiniti’s 328-horsepower V-6 feels more powerful than that, especially when the transmission is placed in Drive Sport mode. Touch the accelerator, and the G37 lunges forward, inferring that it is only because of traction control that the V-6 isn’t melting the tires down to the cords. When accelerating around city corners, or powering out of curves on a favorite stretch of twisty road, the traction control regularly activates to control wheel spin.

The G37’s 7-speed automatic transmission offers normal and Drive Sport modes, combined with manual shifting via paddles or a gate to the left of the main shift pattern. I tried all of them, and my favorite was the normal setting followed by the paddle shifters.

Around town, Drive Sport added appreciated zing to the proceedings, but when driving hard across the Santa Monica Mountains, it downshifted too soon and held gears too long, apparently calibrated more for accelerate-hard/brake-hard track duty than canyon carving, which requires greater powertrain finesse and flexibility.

Aside from these complaints, the Infiniti G37 is an enthusiast’s dream car. Blessedly free of electronics governing the steering and suspension, the G37 might not offer choice in terms of effort levels or ride quality, but in exchange the driver receives crystal clear clarity of communication.

The level of road feel thrumming up through the steering wheel is extraordinary at a time when modern electric steering systems temper surface texture, and the aural updates about the road surface from the front suspension and tires are music to a driver’s ears. The sticky Bridgestone Potenza performance tires provided an excellent balance between ride and handling, working in concert with the steering and suspension to announce approaching limits of grip.

Any car that effortlessly builds speed like the G37 can also needs a braking system that can bring it to a safe and secure halt, and the Infiniti’s upgraded sport brakes withstood significant abuse. The temperature was about 70 degrees on my testing day, which certainly helped eliminate traces of brake fade, but the G37’s 4-wheel ventilated-discs and its brake pedal proved perfect.

You would think the 2013 Infiniti G37 Sedan would be a tough sell. It is older than every one of its competitors except for the Lexus IS. It is sold by a mid-tier luxury brand lacking the marketing muscle and cachet of a heavy hitter. It is rear-wheel drive in a country that regularly sees snow and ice coat half of the terrain in winter. And it’s easy to find a certified used example with fewer than 50,000 miles and priced in the mid-$20,000 range.

Yet, the Infiniti G Sedan miraculously clobbers the entry-luxury sedan segment in terms of sales, and after spending a week driving the G37, the reason is plainly evident. This is a car possessing a compelling blend of attractive design, cabin comfort, practicality, and value. Plus, the Infiniti G37 is genuinely thrilling to drive every single time you get behind the steering wheel, something that cannot be said for the majority of its competitors.

Pros:

• Genuine sport sedan credentials
• Family-friendly size
• Appealing design, inside and out
• Impressive performance in new IIHS crash test
• Available all-wheel drive
• Killer lease deals are available

Cons:

• About to be replaced by an all-new model
• Unimpressive protection against whiplash in a rear-impact crash
• Lack of traction powering out of hairpin turns

Infiniti provided the vehicle for this review

2013 Infiniti G37 Sedan Photos by Christian Wardlaw