The Infiniti G37 is rear-wheel drive like a BMW, not front-wheel drive like an Acura. It would be nice if there were an all-wheel-drive version of the G37 Coupe, as there is with the Sedan, but Infiniti says there's not enough demand. Maybe later. Three hundred thirty horsepower is a lot to get out of a V6, but if any engine were made for it, it's the Nissan V6, which has won too many awards to list. Nissan engineers prove they have lost nothing, with this 3.7-liter version using an aluminum block and heads. That new VVEL, Variable Valve Event and Lift, is hydraulic-controlled variable valve timing and electronically controlled variable valve lift on the intake side, helping to improve not only performance and response but also emissions and fuel efficiency.
The engine makes 270 pound-feet of torque at a peaky 5200 rpm, and revs to a howling pitch at 7600 rpm, where the rev limiter begins to gently cut fuel. The power comes on smooth and quick, and doesn't snap your head because it still has 3616 pounds to carry. The engine has a unique howl, carefully created by the exhaust system; you can even hear it when a G37 rolls by at 20 mph. But you can't hear it from the cabin with the windows rolled up, because the G37 is insulated so well. You can hear it with the windows down, though, and the howl brings a smile to your face.
The five-speed manual automatic transmission, with or without paddle shifters, is wonderful. It positively demonstrates a difference in car-building philosophy between the Japanese and Germans, because this transmission obeys the driver, it doesn't rule the driver. Making it a relief and joy. It flawlessly does everything it's asked to do, and a bit more. Only a bit, and the right bit.
Move the stubby leather-wrapped shift lever to the left, and Sport mode is engaged. The upshifts come at higher rpm, and both upshifts and downshifts are sharper. But we found that the Manual mode is where we wanted to be, during sporty driving. Most of the time we stayed in plain old Drive, and drove casually, able to forget the transmission was even there.
Another difference between the Japanese and Germans is the direction the lever moves to make upshifts or downshifts. The G37 goes forward for upshifts, back for downshifts. The other direction, the European way, seems more natural to many, because it follows the physical forces on the body: upshifting back, downshifting forward. So the G37 might take some concentration to shift, if you've moved into it after selling your BMW with a manual automatic.
Another small dilemma with the shift lever is that you have to raise your elbow to clear the armrest in the center console. The optional steering-wheel paddles would cure that. They're huge, four inches long and arc-shaped, so your fingers can reach them even if your hands are on the steering wheel at 10 and 2 o'clock.
The 6MT Sport comes only with the six-speed manual transmission with upgraded synchronizers, tied to an improved clutch. Our drive took us into downtown Seattle, and pulling away from stop signs on steep hills, we missed BMW's system of holding the brakes for a couple seconds to allow time to engage the gas and clutch.
The six-speed shifted with short, tight throws and no notchiness. But you can't hurry the release of the clutch pedal after downshifting or the car will snatch. Mostly, the car's overall noise and vibration increase with the manual transmission. We like the five-speed automatic with the delicate and strong paddle shifters.
Our test model was a G37 Coupe with the Sport Package, including bigger brakes. They are super smooth, predictable, and rock steady, inspiring confidence. They're also sensitive, so you can't jump on them, just as you can't jump off the clutch pedal when downshifting.
The G37 uses a new chassis that's 36 percent stiffer, a bit lower, and has a wider track. The ride is excellent, even with the Sport Package, with no jolts even over rough roads. The multi-link rear suspension has been redesigned, with the shocks and coil springs separated, allowing ideal placement of each. You could forgive some stiffness from any suspension that provides high-performance handling, but the G37 needs no slack in standards of ride comfort. The Sport Package ($1850) includes different shocks, springs, anti-roll bars and bushings, a tighter steering ratio (14.7:1), 19-inch wheels with Bridgestone tires, a Viscous Limited-Slip Differential (VLSD), and the bigger brakes, plus styling and interior modifications.
We also drove a Journey with the softer suspension, 18-inch wheels with Dunlops, and 16.4:1 steering ratio. It too felt taut. If you don't care so much about high performance, the Journey still works.
We were impressed by the handling of our Coupe Sport, especially its precise turn-in, with no dead spots in a long curve. The speed-sensitive power steering is seamless. The G's front-midship design, with the engine set farther back behind the front axle, is inherently well balanced. Driving hard over roads that would cause almost any car to twitch, the steering wheel stayed remarkably steady.
Pushing harder, over remote, twisty and smooth curves, we felt the VSD at work, or rather, we didn't feel it at work, we saw it at work on the dash. Its corrections were beautifully subtle. So subtle it might present a new problem: You can pitch the G37 to a ridiculous point, and the VSD just gently won't allow the car to get out of shape. It doesn't tell you how wrong you were, with a slap upside the head, like some other electronic stability systems. But maybe the driver needs a good slap upside the head to know he or she was behaving badly.
The 4-Wheel Active Steer turns the rear wheels slightly in the same direction as the fronts at speeds above 35 mph, providing stability. Sensors trigger motors to move the rear suspension lower links, to nudge or pull the wheels. You can feel the effect, or maybe it's the 19-inch Bridgestone tires that come with the optional 4WAS. When we switched to a Coupe with the four-wheel steering, we felt it trying to follow the crown of the road. Maybe that was because we were giving it the same amount of steering input as we had with the Journey that we had just driven. The steering ratio is variable, from 14.:1 to 20.1:1, depending on the car's speed. This makes parallel parking easier, with a lighter touch on the wheel.
Infiniti says it expects the G37 to get an EPA-rated 18/24 mpg City/Highway, but we averaged 16.9 mpg during our week-long test. We enjoyed the car and drove it hard. Owners of a G37 Coupe with the Sport Package will probably do the same.
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