Infiniti’s strong engines have defined Nissan’s luxury division since the launch of the original Q45. On the Skyline-based G37 Journey fitted with Sport Package, chassis tuning and balanced performance become part of the Infiniti storyline. At long last, Infiniti is becoming a cohesive car line, and the new M speaks to a higher level of design, but that’s a story for another day.
Prime Numbers
- Price: MSRP: $34,450. As Tested (estimated): $39,565
- Engine: 3.7-liter DOHC longitudinally mounted V6
- Horsepower: 328 hp @ 7,000 rpm
- Torque: 269 lb ft @ 5,200 rpm
- Drivetrain: Rear-wheel-drive with seven-speed automatic transmission
- Suspension F/R: Double wishbone, anti-roll bar/Independent multi-link, anti-roll bar
- Length: 187-in.
- Width: 69.8-in.
- Height: 57.2-in.
- Wheelbase: 112.2-in.
- Weight: 3,613 lbs
Alternatives To Consider
- BMW 335i. The gold standard. BMW still delivers the most cohesive sedans. Get the 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine and you also have no shortage of torque or horsepower. Compared to the Infiniti engine, the BMW has a gorgeous turbo whoosh, though both engines hold unique appeal. Unlike Audi, BMW long ago figured out that Americans drive on torque, a key reason why BMWs sell—not to mention their aggressive lease programs. For reference, as of the posting date you can lease a 335 with excellent equipment for about $410 a month. That’s a hell of a deal. The hip alternative to the 3-series, AKA the “So Cal Taxi,” is BMW’s 135i. It’s the secret handshake car of the BMW lineup, less expensive, but only available as a two-door coupe.
- Lexus IS350. The Lexus analog of the BMW 335i. Instead of the Infiniti’s raucous V6 with incredible torque, IS has a powerful, silky smooth V6 that delivers beautiful upper intake sounds at high revs and very crisp paddleshifts. You trade away about 27 horsepower to gain that smoother engine. Crisp Italianate exterior design contrasts with Infiniti’s flowing, organic styling. With a super-fast windshield, the Lexus can feel a bit claustrophobic for tall guys. The rear seat has the same restrictions as on the G37: OK if the driver is median height, not so much if the driver is tall. When pricing online, remember to call a dealer and ask about any unpublicized lease deals that bring pricing in line with competitors.
- Audi A4. Pricing and powertrain are the issues here. The A4 comes with a 2.0-liter four turbo related to the VW GTI motor, so you’re down by more than 100 horsepower. Audi steadfastly refuses to adapt to American tastes, as have BMW, Lexus, Mercedes, and Infiniti. You can get A4 in front-wheel drive form with a CVT that makes the car as slow as a Kubelwagen, so we highly recommend stepping up to the Premium Plus model with Quattro and a six-speed Tiptronic—why would you buy an Audi without Quattro? In the end, we’d pick an S4 Quattro with its 333hp supercharged V6 over all these competitors—if Audi offers lease rates as aggressive as BMW’s and Infiniti’s. A car this size with a turbo four is bizarrely Germanic and not what most Americans want in a premium sedan—though perhaps a precursor of what we’ll have shoved down our throats if cap and trade is foisted on an unwilling public. Hey, Dr. Piech, I’ve always loved Porsches and the GTI is an exceptional little hatchback, but you need to adapt to American tastes in premium cars.
AT THE LAUNCH OF THE INFINITI M, I had opportunity to drive a G37 sedan equipped with a paddleshift seven-speed automatic and Sport Package. Infiniti held the drive south and east of San Diego. The area offered the sort of perfectly maintained country two-lane roads California was once famous for, the type of roads where I learned to drive in “gumball” rallies with my father as navigator.
In brief, the G37 impressed me greatly. I was an “enthusiast” magazine editor when Infiniti and Lexus were launched 20 years ago. Though the original Q45 was a strong player if somewhat flawed, many subsequent Infinitis were adequate at best, and disappointing at their very worst.
What a difference 20 years can make. G37 Journey with the Sport Package is a competent sports sedan. One more product evolution, with special attention paid to interior design, will put this car over the top. My friends who remain in the “enthusiast” car magazine business are right about the car’s dynamic qualities: G37 offers a satisfying drive.
Engine, Transmission, Drivetrain
Several cars with this motor have come through our test cycle. Nothing has changed: this is arguably the best high-performance V6 engine in production. Paired with the automatic, the engine tends not to hit its rough and breathless upper reaches so often. It’s not a silky engine that sounds like a hyper sewing machine. It growls in a good old-fashioned manner that should appeal to people who think many contemporary cars are completely soulless. The G37 has a soul, living under the hood.
We first experienced this seven-speed automatic in the FX, and then again in the 370Z. From my notes: “In the first four gears, G37 engine is a fine match for this paddleshifting automatic. With heavy throttle and nearly full use of the rev range from a standing start, you get 1-2 then 3. The 1-2 shift is very tight, keeping revs very high in second. You’re quickly through second and into third. Pull crisp and hard on the paddleshifter at about 6,000 and you’ll get decent shifts, without banging into the engine fuel cut-off that arrives if you try to get every last rev from the engine. Car is very quick. Temptation is to drive it like a sports car.”
The top two gears are for the EPA test cycle. In the FX and Z, I preferred sixth gear to seventh on the highway. If a prehensile seventh gear is the price for an engine like this, we’ll pay. Infiniti’s theme of exceptional drivetrains is maintained. You will never be disappointed with the motor.
Suspension, Steering, Brakes
You expect a great engine with Infiniti, but often the suspension damping and particularly the steering fall short. More so than the G37S coupe we had last summer, the G37 Journey with Sport Package delivered suspension, steering, and braking to very nearly match the great motor.
Along the two-lane road that served as our proving grounds, the G37 demonstrated accurate steering that relayed enough information. A bit more heft and weight would be desirable, but once you learn the car and adapt, the steering is very good. In high-speed sweepers, you simply squeeze your hand on the steering wheel and the car enters the corner smoothly. On my second such 80-mph turn, I had no corrections to the steering. It entered the corner, rolled, set and arced without flaw. To date myself, G37 reminded me of driving rear-wheel drive Alfa Romeos.
Better still, the chassis engineers seem to have gotten the bushings and in particular the damping right. To repeat, in 80-mph sweepers, G37 took a set and glided through. (That sounds like a quote from a 1980s Car and Driver hero driver review, doesn’t it?) The car rolled in a steady, predictable fashion that sent intelligent messages to the brain, then set, which means the chassis engineers properly tuned the shocks and spent a lot of time fiddling with anti-roll bars. The messages coming from the roll of the car and the steering are in sync, something I have only found in one other Infiniti, the G37S coupe. In fact, I found the sedan superior to the coupe. Maybe Nissan can assign the G37 suspension calibration engineers to the FX.
Steering is direct, quick and nicely weighted, with none of the on-center deadness we experienced in the related FX50 S. The steering is well-suited to the car, though it is a few ticks off brainwave. It requires a smooth, slow hand, and I’d prefer more heft, but then I tend to bully the steering wheel (remember, I’m a big oaf who used to enjoy knocking people around). The G37 sedan is proof Infiniti’s basic components can deliver a satisfying experience when properly sorted.
Body, Design, Quality
G37 has a physical presence that’s not only strong but also handsome, a rarity in the first 15 years of Infiniti’s existence. It is mostly cohesive in appearance. Also, for those who find Bangle BMWs a little too extreme (and let’s remember that the current less stridently avant-garde BMWs were done under Bangle), G37 offers a clean, conservative design.
Ergonomics, Interior
I’ll preface this by stating that the new Infiniti M is the first Infiniti with an interior that truly matches the exterior. I’ll cover the M another day, but suffice to say it blends sensible ergonomics with curvaceous surfaces that echo the exterior design. The G37 interior is well-executed and clean, but the dash and center stack in particular do not quite match the exterior design. Infiniti is still evolving.
From my notes, I have these comments:
- Adequate headroom. (Again, I’m a big oaf, so it’s more than ample for most people.)
- Materials are of very good quality, with well-executed alloy-finish trim.
- Not as luxurious as a BMW, and without the cachet one gets in an Audi, which stills makes the best interiors.
- Dash material is crisply molded, but it doesn’t have a rich feel to it. (It might show better in dark gray than in the tan of my car.)
- Same Infiniti audio/nav system. Nothing to add here.
- Clear, crisp gauges with black faces, white numbers and a royal blue ring. Form-follows-function, with a bit of style folded in—perfect.
- Excellent trip computer.
- Good seats that provide side support when driving aggressively on sports car roads like the ones here in Chula Vista.
- Steering wheel rim with thumb hooks. Tilt/telescope combines with seat-height adjustment for excellent driving position.
- Back-up sonar was excellent, proven when it beeped as the rear end neared a barbed wire fence on a gravel turnout. It may have been picking up the wooden post, but THAT’S impressive sonar.
- Good pedal pressures and action—even and predictable.
The rear seats? No one would enjoy sitting behind me as there is little to no legroom available. But with people of median height up front, the rear seats should prove comfortable for a cross-town drive.
Audio, Video, Navigation
The audio system in our G37 delivered crisp sound reproduction. Infinitis all share the same basic components, so to learn more about the audio and navigation, read our earlier post about the Infiniti FX50 S. The story remains pretty much the same.
Conclusion
Pricing and packaging on cars, particularly premium cars, are driven by sales results, product planners juggling trim levels and standard/optional equipment to suit. For 2010, Infiniti has made the G37S available only with the six-speed manual. If you want the Sport Package with an automatic, you are forced into a G37 Journey with Premium Package, pushing the price up and removing some of the value argument—if you look at MSRP. At $34,115 for a base G37, this car is a bargain. A G37 Journey with Sport and Premium Packages moves the price up to $39K and change. To save yourself two grand, get the G37S with manual for $37K and change.
In most measures MSRP is irrelevant, as so many premium sedans are leased, and every premium carmaker offers obscenely good lease deals to keep sales up. In the end, you’ll save about $35/month leasing an Infiniti over a comparably equipped BMW 335.
Like its brother the G37 coupe, the Infiniti G37 Journey with Sport Package is a well-sorted and well-built vehicle. If the lease offer works for your S-corp company car, if you enjoy driving aggressively, and the Infiniti image meets your expectations, there’s no reason not to get the Infiniti G37.
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