Introduction: The Infiniti G cars began in 1991 starting with the original Infiniti G20, these were essentially rebadged Nissan Primeras. The Primera was a midsized car that was sold mostly to Europe but also sold within Japan. As an Infiniti the original G20 never did very well, it never sold very well and not a whole lot of G20s are still on the road these days. In 2003 Infiniti decided to use a different model for the G series, the much more famous Skyline which did well inside Japan. The Skyline is a rear wheel drive sedan unlike the front wheel drive Primera. It sold under the name the G35 as an Infiniti and its been Infiniti's best seller since. In 2006 the Skyline was being replaced with a new model however retained its original 3.5L VQ engine thus it was still called the G35. In 2007 for the 2008 model year a new 3.7L was equipped changing the name to G37 to correspond to the new engine size.
I was surprised to see this car in our fleet. I never expected to see a car of this level actually being bought my company. I truly wanted to try this car out after driving the Maxima, I wanted to see was it worth paying more for this Infiniti badge.
Performance: Well the engine like I mentioned in the introduction is a 3.7L V6. Its differences to the original VQ engine are minor other than the increased displacement. While the Maxima is still under 300 hp, the G37 is allowed to produce 328 hp and 269 lb.ft of torque. The acceleration time from 0-100 km/h is about 5.1 seconds, this is easily the quickest car I've ever experienced. Some people complain a bit about the noise from this engine, but I didn't really find it to be very intrusive, its only loud when your giving it full throttle.
My Score: 10/10 - Slightly noisy but near perfect delivery
Handling: I wanted to see how Nissan managed to make the G37 corner considering the Maxima was given the 4-door sports car(4DSC) designation. Unlike the Maxima the Infiniti is not as wide and doesn't appear to sport wider tires but it also doesn't have the burdens of being front wheel drive. Since I only drove the AWD X version it probably isn't as exciting in corners as a stand alone rear wheel drive one but its extremely flat cornering despite being a luxury sedan. The steering feel I believe is actually better than the Maxima's and due to the electronics you can tweak these to your liking. I actually preferred the standard set up to provide the best balance of comfort and performance. I hate to admit it, this is the closest car I've ever driven that has the spirit of my Cressida. It doesn't feel as light, but not nearly as front heavy as the Maxima.
My Score: 10/10 - No question, its a joy to drive
Interior: The layout of the G37 may seem familiar to your if you've been exposed to the Maxima's interior. In all honestly the layout is pretty much identical, the differences come in the added buttons and the different gauges. I actually prefer the softer white/blue look of the Infiniti over the orange/white of the Maxima which is sharper. The material in the G37 is actually a few notches better than those used in the Maxima. A lot more metal and aluminum trim is used over what would have been plastic and faux wood. If there is anything to fault the G37 from the inside, its not the roomiest car as its not as wide as the Maxima nor is it as long as an Altima. There's a lot of buttons to play with in a G37X unfortunately there's too many and not all are great positions. One of the things the G37X is equipped with is a rear view camera to compensate for the high trunk line, however it is wise to not rely on this over your driving skill. Its best to treat the camera as another mirror, its very useful but if you rely on it...get into a vehicle not equipped with it and you'll feel blind. Build quality in the G37 is excellent, no gaps that I've seen and everything is extremely solid. G37s are built in Tochigi, Japan.
My Score: 9/10 - Good materials, good build quality, very well equipped, but a bit too many buttons and not as roomy as one might want.
Styling: The Infiniti is a pretty handsome vehicle, I actually like this version a lot more than the older V35 design(the old G35). I actually prefer the sedan styling over the coupe version, the design flow much nicer. There isn't an angle I think the G37 looks bad in, but its not beautiful enough to totally grab your attention.
My Score: 9/10 - Great but just not quite enough to be the best.
Value for money: The Infinti G37 competes directly against the Lexus ES350 and Cadillac CTS. It indirectly competes against the very top of the mainstream brands and the midsize offerings of the luxury brands. Against the CTS and ES350, the ES deep down is a Camry and against a high level car like this its definitely worse. The Cadillac, I believe the G37 offers more quality in several aspects for pretty much the same money, its not that the Caddie is bad...just the G37 is better. Its actually very competitive against the Lexus GS, in a value contest the GS is a poor value in my mind and far too expensive. None of the top mainstream cars offer nearly as many features for the money. In this class, I'd say the Infiniti is one of the best bargains you get the medium size, for entry level luxury money, but all the toys and options of cars for 10K more without losing...anything.
My Score: 10/10 - Best bargain in its class.
Overall: 48/50 - Highest scoring car I've reviewed, it truly is one of the best cars today.
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