Infiniti G37X S Coupe smoothly covers all seasons
Infiniti G37X S strikes a sporty pose, concealing AWD capabilities.
By John Gilbert
When a car has really smooth handling, we say it feels as if it’s riding on rails. But no rails I’ve ever ridden on come close to the level of smoothness of the Infiniti G37X S Coupe.
Smoothness: A subjective thing, usually difficult to quantify. But not this time. This one’s easy. The Infiniti G37X S belongs on the list usually reserved for some models of Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Acura, or Lexus.
There are a lot of memorable features about driving the Infiniti G37X S for a week in all imaginable weather conditions, but the most impressive is that remarkable smoothness when cruising on a freeway. That is not to diminish the Samurai-sword precision with which the G37X S carves around curves, or accelerates, stops and handles.
But at $41,450, the 2013 G37 Coupe with all-wheel drive can be the perfect prescription to cure the midlife-crisis-blues as a legitimate sports car to ease the aging process, but the AWD is worth the added base price because it lifts the car to all-weather, all-climate performance. Appearance-wise, the G37 has a sleek, GT look, and that signature Infiniti grille still shows a resemblance to a stack of sword blades, twisted slightly at either end.
The 3.7-liter V6 blasts off with 330 horsepower and 270 foot-pounds of torque, and the 7-speed automatic harnesses all that power either gracefully or with neck-snapping force — you pick, using the slick-shifting Drive-Sport mode, with its impressive steering-column-mounted shift paddles. The transmission has rev-matching throttle blips. Programmed to function when you’re in manual shift mode and click the left paddle for manual downshifts, the revs pop up as though you had a stick shift and were heel-and-toeing on a road-racing track.
Driver’s view shows easy view of shift paddles on either side of steering wheel.
A word about steering-wheel paddles, which are those little ears on either side of the wheel that allow you to up- or down-shift manually. The best cars with any performance inclination has them, but almost all of them are affixed to the steering wheel itself, and when you make a 90-degree turn, with the wheel cranked, and you realize you’re running out of revs, you have to grope to find the shift paddle. Infiniti takes a cue from Japanese competitor Mitsubishi, which has been building super-hot Evolution compacts for years, and plants the long, magnesium paddles on either side but affixes them to the steering column rather than the wheel. Now when you make your 90-degree turn and shuffle hands on the wheel, you know you can always pull on the right side and catch the upshift paddle.
Maybe that’s just a small detail, because a lot of people dismiss or don’t appreciate those paddles, but for anyone who enjoys using them, the difference renders all others as a distant second. Nissan is making strong inroads into the heady territory Toyota and Honda have had to themselves for the last couple of decades, and such attention to detail is part of the company’s climb. Correspondingly, Nissan doesn’t miss many tricks for those moving up from Nissan to Infiniti.
Infiniti has always graced the coupe version of the G37 with properly supported suspension and good handling, ever since it was the car that helped launch the whole Infiniti line. Back in the old Nissan (and Datsun) days, the 240Z sports car was an enormous breakthrough in the auto industry. As it evolved, it went on to become a 260Z, a 300Z, 350Z and finally a 370Z, where the numbers identified the engine’s displacement.
It was a 260Z when Nissan decided to expand its consumer base by adding a jump seat in the rear, making it either a 2-seater or a 2+2. When Infiniti started up as an upscale level for Nissan, the Z stayed with Nissan, while the 2+2 version went to Infiniti as a G. It grew to add a 4-door sedan as well, and while the G35 and now G37 sedan remains one of the neatest sporty sedans in the industry, the G37 Coupe has been refined through the years as well.
Dual exhausts highlight tapered rear design of newest Infiniti G37X S Coupe.
The ”X” in any Infiniti’s name designates all-wheel drive, a welcome attribute in areas that celebrate wintertime with more than just a calendar. Nissan’s “ATTESA E-TS” AWD system, with snow mode, means you can take care of that midlife crisis and also satisfy the need for an all-wheel-drive vehicle for year-round driving in northern climates. A rocker switch on the console engages the snow mode for calmer start-up on snow or ice.
The “S” means Sport package, which has nothing to do with calmer start-ups. It includes 19-inch alloy wheels, viscous limited-slip differential, and an independent suspension, sport-tuned with firmer stabilizer bars to heighten the flat attitude of optimum stability. The already-quick steering simply feels quicker with those suspension enhancements. The Sport package also has special brakes — 4-piston front calipers and 2 in the rear — and a sporty front fascia, with interior trim items such as more supportive 12-way driver and 8-way passenger bucket seats with manual thigh extenders, and aluminum pedals and footrest.
Along with the Sport package, the test model also had the Technology, Premium, and Navigation packages, each of which had its own cost, and all of which boosted the test vehicle’s sticker to $51,245. It is very tempting to want them all. The Technology package offer intelligent cruise control that’s adaptive, advanced climate control, rain-sensing wipers, and preview braking and pre-crash tensing seat harnesses. Navigation package offers hard-drive navigation, Zagat restaurant reviews for any restaurants you might be considering, and voice recognition.
The Premium package is more for pleasure driving than safety and performance, but it might be the most difficult to bypass. Power sliding glass moonroof, rear sonar system, Studio on Wheels Bose premium audio, memory system for the driver’s seat, steering wheel and outside mirrors, power lumbar support on the driver’s seat and power tilt and telescoping steering wheel.
Plush leather envelops occupants of Infiniti G37X S Coupe.
The final combination results in a tight package that rolls with a silky smoothness whether you’re taking a slow tour along a scenic boulevard or hammering the gas for a burst of acceleration, or snarling around a tight corner or cloverleaf. Impressive as it is, I can only imagine how it would be on an extended freeway trip.
Snarling, by the way, is the operative term here, because that 3.7 V6 emits a wonderfully pleasing exhaust note when you drive it hard. And once you settle into that seat, hit the push-button start, and grip the steering wheel that bulges in all the right places, you know it’s going to fun to drive it hard, and difficult to drive it soft. I got about 20-22 miles per gallon in mostly city driving, with plenty of foul weather.
Another nod to serious drivers is the interior, which is classy but also businesslike, with basic black pebble-grain stuff on the dash, and brushed silver trim adorning it without being gaudy, and the rest of the decor is two-tone grey. Other neat touches include the large nav screen, which can be set up as a split screen, with a map on one side and audio controls, or a larger-scale map, on the other. If all that’s not enough to dazzle a customer, shift into reverse and see the rear-view camera concept taken to amazing levels, with an overhead view looking down on your vehicle and showing a surrounding view of everything on all sides. Try backing into your garage wall with that device activated, and forget about blaming anyone else.
Sleek GT silhouette sets the Infiniti G37X S apart, AWD beats any weather.
That map, incidentally, can be zoomed in or out easily, and clicked from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional, for a different perspective on the road ahead. That is not necessarily unique these days, but it is something Infiniti and Nissan pioneered as a “bird’s-eye” view years ago.
Dismissing all the trick stuff in the option packages is possible, and while it might save you $10,000 off the sticker price, all you’ll be left with is a fantastic sports coupe, good for all weather, and smooth — incredibly smooth — on the highway.
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About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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