|
Infiniti G37
Review: The G37 offers powerful performance cloaked in an elegant
design, that’s probably why it’s Infiniti’s best seller. For 2010, they
didn’t mess with success, giving it some welcome revisions but leaving
the essential recipe intact.
Infiniti has been
around for 20 years now, competing with its archrival Lexus. While
Toyota’s Lexus division built a large customer base by at first
mimicking Mercedes-Benz, Nissan’s Infiniti brand has often gone its own
way, while still aiming to attract aspirational shoppers.
This G37 (a name that
sounds like a miracle ingredient or a planet in another solar system)
features a powerful 328-horsepower V6 and a beautiful and well-appointed
cabin as part of the entry price into this segment.
It used to be that
Corvettes and muscle cars were the high horsepower possessors, but
nowadays a potent sedan for anyone with some cash to spend is a given.
The 3,613-pound G37’s 3.7-liter engine uses variable valve timing and
electronically controlled variable valve lift to produce prodigious
power along with improved fuel efficiency and surprisingly good
emissions scores.
Fuel economy numbers
are 19 City, 27 Highway, and I averaged 22.1 mpg in a week of happy
motoring. The EPA Green Vehicle Guide numbers are 7 for Air Pollution
and 6 for Greenhouse Gas, giving it SmartWay status as one of the
cleaner cars on the road.
As a nod to German
sports sedan intenders, Infiniti offers a speed manual transmission in
the G37 6MT model. The rest of the four models, including the regular
G37, G37 Journey (like my Liquid Platinum tester) and the
all-wheel-drive G37x, get a seven-speed automatic with paddle shifters
on the steering wheel. I’d love to sample the manual, but, sadly, its
fuel economy is 2 mpg lower and with a 5 for Greenhouse Gas score, it
drops out of SmartWay designation. Pity.
Visual changes for 2010
include new headlights and grille, as well as a revised lower front
fascia. The top and bottom of the chrome grille extend past the opening,
offering perhaps a look at a design that the brand will use to
distinguish itself in the future. BMW with its twin kidneys, and
Mercedes-Benz with its formal radiator, are such icons that everyone
else is scrambling for something memorable. I wish them luck.
High Intensity
Discharge (HID) bi-functional Xenon headlights are now standard and the
rear view is revised with updates below the bumper and a couple of
sporty looking exhaust tips. The 17-inch alloy wheels use a stunning
“triple-fork” design that reminded me of antlers.
In the updated interior
you get opulent leather chairs with six levels of heat, from which you
can look at the sparking brushed metal and chrome accented dash and
console. The new metallic trim uses a “Shodo” Japanese design that is
derived from calligraphy. See, Infiniti is still doing its own thing. If
you want maple instead you can order it, and it will have a high gloss
this year. A brand signature oval analog clock occupies a place of honor
in mid-console.
Infiniti likes to offer
high tech goodies. Order the Premium Package and you can shorten your
commute with the “Infiniti Studio on Wheels by Bose” audio system. That
brings three-way front door speakers with hulking 10-inch woofers and a
subwoofer thumping away in the rear parcel shelf. Hip-hop would probably
sound great in this car, although I don’t believe the young are part of
Infiniti’s target market for this vehicle. The mix of classic rock and
classical I favor sounded exquisite.
The Premium Package
also provides the 2 GB Music Box, where you can store your favorite
tunes, to go along with it, and the pleasures of a power glass moonroof,
driver’s seat memory, power tilt-telescope steering wheel and a rear
sonar system.
My test car had the
optional Navigation system, which features an especially natural and
friendly sounding female voice. The Nav system’s screen is updated for
2010 with higher resolution and includes, along with XM NavTraffic
Real-Time Traffic Information, NavWeather. It kept interrupting my XM
radio listening with warnings of gale force winds within 15 miles, but
when I looked out the window, not a leaf was stirring. I think it was
catching the weather out in the ocean!
My G37 Journey had a
base price of $34,450, pretty normal for cars in this segment. With
options and destination, the final sticker was $39,575. The base car
starts at $34,115, including shipping. The 6MT model is at the top at
$37,865.
In the world of $40,000
luxury sedans, it’s partly about content, partly about execution, and
partly about image. The G37 has parts 1 and 2 down; it’s the third that
is still a work in progress. The six-speed manual puts it in the game
against the BMW 3 Series, and that’s where the battle will continue to
be. By Steve Schaefer © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
The Bottom Line:
The 2010 Infiniti G37 is a driver’s car with a touch of luxury that
makes it a stand out among the competition. While Lexus and BMW have
their own followers, the G37 appeals to anyone who likes to drive. It
handles, rides, sounds and performs like a $50,000 sports sedan for $10
Grand less. You get the best of the best at an entry-level luxury price.
Bottom Line
Review provided by: Tony Leopardo © AutoWire.Net
The 2010 Infiniti
G37 Review provided by:
Tony Leopardo ©
AutoWire.Net. “Tony the Car Guy” is an automotive writer, editor
and publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question or
comment for Tony send it to
TonyLeo@pacbell.net or visit AutoWire.Net at
www.autowire.net - And remember: “ You Are What You Drive ”
Infinity Home Page
Column Name: You get
the best of the best at an entry-level luxury price
Topic: The 2010
Infiniti G37
Word Count: 1007
Photo Caption: The
2010 Infiniti G37
Photo Credits: Infiniti
G37 Internet Media
Series #: 2010 - 28
Download
the Microsoft Word version here:
2010 Infiniti G37
Download the Original Image File here:
2010 Infiniti G37
|
