Warren Henry Infiniti

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• Interior / Walk Around  »
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• Summary

Walk Around

The Infiniti G37 sedan, coupe, and convertible have similar exterior dimensions and an identical wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels). That's because all variants share the same chassis, despite the differences in styling, with the same mechanical components underneath. They share their basic structure with the Nissan 370Z.

The sedan was redesigned for 2007, and it gets a bit of freshening for 2010. The changes for 2010 are most obvious in front, where the fog lights have been moved from their previous location within the headlight clusters to separate housings below the bumper line. In back, the sedan's exhaust tips and rear panel have been reshaped. The G37 Coupe was redesigned for 2008, while the Convertible introduced for 2009.

All of the second-generation G37s are swoopier than previous Infiniti Gs though bulkier around the shoulders and hips. From the side or three-quarter view, the G37s, especially the coupe, bear a family resemblance to the Nissan 370Z.

The G37s are striking in their appearance. The front wheel cutouts are larger than those on earlier models, leaving less metal for the fenders and making them appear to rise even more. The headlights clusters are loaded with separate lenses, yet they're smaller and sexier. Infiniti calls the aluminum hood (pinned with two latches) a wave hood, although the sea looks pretty flat between the bulging shoreline of the fenders.

The 2010 G37 Convertible gets a power folding-mirror function that pulls the side mirrors up against the glass at the driver's request. This G37 has a unique design from the windshield pillars rearward. It's slightly wider than the other models, with a modified rear suspension that allows for the top's power mechanism and stowage space behind the rear seat. The convertible has more heavily reinforced windshield pillars, side members and body sills, which help reduce body flex and vibration when motoring with the top down.

When its three-piece steel top is closed, the convertible looks much like the G37 Coupe. Its heavily insulated headliner works almost as well as the coupe's fixed roof at keeping ambient noise outside the car. The automatic top's opening or closing sequence takes approximately 30 seconds from start to finish, initiated with the touch of a button on the center console. Like the other body styles, the convertible has a special, more aggressive looking grille and front end when it's equipped with the Sport package.

The factory wheel designs are handsome. The standard 17-inch wheels on 2010 sedans feature a new five-spoke, triple-fork design. The massive 19-inch wheels that are optional fully complement the car's looks.

The Anniversary Edition models get a unique set of 19-inch wheels. Created to mark Infiniti's 20th year in the United States, the Anniversary Editions come only in brooding Graphite Shadow paint. Their grilles are blacked out, and their bodies are finished even more aggressively than the Sport 6MT models, with unique chin spoilers, deeper side sills and rear spoilers on the coupe and sedan.

Interior

2010 Infiniti G

Improvements inside the 2010 Infiniti G37s are subtle, but welcome, and they point to a steady trend over the last several model years. The overall quality of the G37 passenger cabins has increased steadily. They're much better suited to the luxury class than they once were.

Generally, the G interior is lively and friendly without being fussy or overly busy. There are features aplenty, tempered by a focus on function and connecting the driver to the car. The materials, fit and finish are good, though we're still not enamored with the graining on some of the harder plastics. There's a vent in each windshield pillar to keep the side windows clear, and the G37 Convertible comes standard with an adaptive climate control system that automatically adjusts airflow and fan speed based on top position and road speed. Lots of rear glass makes for good rearward visibility, even without the optional back-up camera, which is now standard on all but the base G37 Sedan.

Getting in and out of the G37 is easy with the four-door sedan, and a bit more difficult with the coupe and convertible, particularly if your driveway has a significant slant. The doors on the two-door models are long and heavy. The slightest incline can make it difficult to lock them in the open position, and they want to fall closed.

The perforated leather seats are comfortable, and the standard eight-way driver's seat has adjustable lumbar support. The Sport Package seats have more adjustment and bigger bolsters on the back and bottom cushions.

The three-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in hand-stitched perforated leather, with audio and cruise control buttons on its spokes. Optional paddle shifters for the automatic transmission are magnesium, and you can actually reach them with your fingers when hands are placed at 10 and 2 o'clock on the steering wheel. That isn't the case with many cars, and we like the shift sequence, too. You pull back on the right paddle for upshifts, and on the left for downshifts.

The dashboard and center console design is the same in all G37 body styles, with slight variation in the front door-panel designs. The dash applies Infiniti's double wave theme, and the company's signature analog clock sits front and center in the center stack of controls. For 2010, Infiniti has switched the standard aluminum trim from Washi to a design it calls Shodo for the sedan and coupe. It's inspired by the traditional art of Japanese calligraphy, and it's elegant. Yet the subtly etched Silk Obi aluminum in our convertible test car might be the most beautiful metal trim we've seen. A high-gloss Maple trim is optional in all models, while Anniversary Edition coupes and convertibles get a unique red-tone Maple.

The G37's gauges feature electroluminescent lighting: The needles glow red on a white background. An easy-to-read information display shows useful trip functions like immediate or average fuel mileage, average speed, elapsed time, running distance and distance to empty, as well as outside air temperature, odometer, and warning displays. Both the gauges and display have been upgraded with better resolution for 2010, and we love the crispness.

The center stack falls from a high-res LED screen that displays climate and audio data or navigation information. The stereo and climate controls are located out in the open below the information screen, with our preferred layout of audio on top and climate below. The design is attractive and very good from the functional perspective, though the main knobs for volume, temperature, etc. could be larger.

The navigation system is controlled by a mouse-like knob below the screen, by touching the screen itself for some functions, or by voice commands. Infiniti's point-and-click device is one of the more effective, least cumbersome interfaces in the luxury class, but it's still more difficult to use than the best touch screens.

The nav screen itself is quite sharp. The map offers a bird's-eye view, which gives a perception of distance by incorporating a horizon and, depending on the available mapping data, three-dimensional building footprints for the local surroundings. It's neat to look at, though many testers prefer the regular overhead view because it always keeps North up. The XM Satellite Radio system provides real-time traffic updates on the screen, where available, and for 2010 Infiniti has added the Zagat Restaurant Guide to the navigation software.

The G37's standard sound system is competitive with that in any luxury sedan. The upgrade Bose Studio On Wheels audio delivers a sound that's richer, fuller, more intricate and crisper than any system we can recall in cars costing thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars more than the G37. We stepped directly from a G into a $100,000-plus European sports coupe with that marque's top-level sound system and could not distinguish a difference between the two.

The upgrade audio is called Bose Open Air in the convertible, and it's standard, with an extra pair of speakers in the front headrests, right behind the ears. It adjusts volume and re-mixes the audio in real time according to ambient noise. And when it's equipped with the navigation system, the G37 adds a 9.3 gigabyte hard drive that will copy about 90 CDs in short order. You'll never have to carry CDs in this car, and the audio directory can access music by artist or type.

The front door pockets are small in all G37 models, half-taken by armrests, although each includes a hollow for a water bottle. There are also two cupholders behind the shift lever. The center console has been redesigned for 2010, and cubby storage includes a respectably sized glove box. The back side of each front seatback has a magazine pouch (unless you order the cooled seats in the Premium Package). Two cup holders pop out of the fold-down, rear seat center armrest, which also has a unique compartment masked by a Velcro-type flap on the right side.

Interior roominess is competitive for the class. The G37 Sedan's wide rear door openings leave room aplenty for legs, knees and feet when getting in and out of the back seat.

The coupe is slightly different story. It doesn't offer much knee room in the rear seats, and the legroom stat of 29.8 inches is the lowest we've seen in a long time. The driveshaft hump runs high between the two rear seats, and there's a wide crack between the seatback and seat bottom that might get uncomfortable over the miles. Overall, the rear seat sends heavy reminders that this is a coupe, not a sedan. You might even think of it as a four-seat Nissan 370Z.

Rear seat space in the G37 Convertible is just as tight. Access in both coupe and convertible is at least eased by a power walk-in device with position memory. In both, the front seats move forward automatically at the touch of a button to allow passengers into the rear.

With 13.5 cubic feet of trunk space, the G37 Sedan slightly surpasses competitors like the Lexus IS and BMW 3 Series in cargo volume. It falls well short of class leaders like the Audi A4 (17 cubic feet). The G37 Convertible, too, offers competitive trunk space, with 10.33 cubic feet. Of course, that space drops dramatically when the top is lowered under the rear deck, leaving only 1.99 cubic feet for bags or other stuff. With the top down, the trunk in the convertible is really in the back seat.

When it comes to trunk space, the G37 Coupe fares worst of all, lagging just about all competitors with 7.4 cubic feet. A folding rear seat back improves things by allowing larger items to flow from the trunk into the passenger space, and it explains that notable crack between the back and bottom cushion when the rear seatback is upright.

The convertible's top works easily and without a hitch, but we wish it would operate when the car is rolling at a moderate speed, as the tops do in many high-end convertibles.

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