I just recently ordered a G37 Blk/Stone 6MT Premium, Nav, and Spoiler yesterday. I have been lurking the website for a while now and finally decided to ante up.

I'm hoping that what I write may have some significance to someone, and if it does, then it was worth it.

My thoughts on the G37:

I was lucky enough to see the g37 in the flesh at the NYAS. Having seen the pictures prior to the show, I pretty much ruled out the G37 as my next car. The initial photos seemed to "mute" the overall appearance of the car. The color did not shoot well, and I almost left the show without even giving it a chance.

I went up to the car with ALOT of pessimism. I stood there as the car rotated and observed every single angle of the car. I really didn't have anything bad to say, actually, I was extremely surprised. I knew I was a fan of the interior having been inside the new G35 sedan. Btw, I think they did an overall great job with that car. Now back to the coupe, the design was an healthy evolution of a great style. G35 coupe owners...I know you may think that the new coupe doesn't look aggressive, but the magazines hold true, it is much more aggressive in person.

But, I couldn't put down a deposit just yet. I still wanted to drive the new sedan and get a feel for the direction that Infiniti wanted to go in. A few weeks ago, I test drove an 07 6MT Sedan with the works at a local Infiniti dealership.

Here is my take:

To give you a little background, I am a previous owner of cars like the E46 M3, S2000, E36 M3, and an RSX Type-S. I also test drove the 335i coupe. Having owned those cars, I feel like I may be able to give some different aspects and make comparisons that may give everyone a different perspective.

Interior:
The interior on the new G is very high-grade. I even think it is laid out even better than my E46 M3 was. Granted, the new Infiniti's interior/exterior can be said to have Bimmer cues, but I seem to think Infiniti's integration of the navigation system is more thoughtful. The Bose stereo sounded great, and I think that it will be even better in the coupe. Considering, their new "studio on wheels" scheme.

With the windows up, the Sedan held out exterior noises quite well. When I accelerated, I could hear the new VQ churning. However, the noises may or may not appease buyers looking for a raw and visceral experience. The S2000 and E36 are one of a kind. But then again, if you want "race" car feel, look at an Elise. Those cars are a blast to drive.

Verdict: I think Infiniti did a great job of keeping this car a GT car. It definitely feels sporty, but you also know that you are in a car partially intended to coddle the driver.

Driving Impressions:

The car doesn't "feel" quick by the seat of my pants odometer, but looking down at the Tach it definitely picked up speed quickly. The car had a lot of room to pull above 4000 RPMs and did not run out of breath the closer I got to redline.

People forget that due to the new regulations, the 330 hp would essentially be higher under the old standards. This car will MOVE. For example, I have seen an Is350 edge out an e46 M3 on the highway. I am certain that from a roll, the new G37 will look more than marginally quicker than the G35 coupe.
HP will keep the G37 moving on the highway.

Comparing it to the new 335I, the bimmer will certainly feel quicker. I am also quite sure that it will be easier to yield quicker 0-60 times and quarter mile times because of the extra torque, but it will not be impossible to net equal to or similar times with a launch at a higher RPM. So in essence, the BMW will be faster in real world driving. But, I would bet that once you are on a roll, the G37 will definitely hand the 335i a whooping. I am not saying that it will "destroy" it, but it shouldn't be hard to tell that it has more of a top-end speed/power than the bimmer.

*note, this is not easy to type as I have been a die-hard bimmer fan for most of my life.

The 335i is a joy to drive, but I think the G's ease of being thrown around will make it a more enjoyable drive. I am not a fan of the 335i's shifter. It is not nearly as good as the S2000s or the RSX Type S's for that matter, but it is smooth.

In contrast, I do like the gate-to-gate feel of the G sedan. The non-M bimmers always seemed too buttery for me. The throws seemed a bit long, but then again, I can't think of a better gearbox than the S2000s.

I did get a chance to drive the G around the twisties. The car definitely feels balanced and poised on turns. I purposely tried to hit imperfections on the road while turning and the car held its line very well. The pedals were spaced very well for aggressive shifting. You really didnt "feel" the weight of the vehicle during turns and it allowed you to enter turns at a higher mph than you might expect. This is certainly what will make the G faster in the twisties.

I am not a fan of clutch uptake on the G. I think the release point is a bit high, and it will be harder to create more of a smooth driving experience for your passenger(s). But who cares, you are the driver and maybe it will take more practice. Input from current owners on this please?

Overall, I think the new G37 will be a great car as the current coupe is/was. It has improved in nearly every way and I am very excited to join the infiniti family. Btw, I dont think there is more of fun car to drive than the s2000. It was my favorite car that I have ever owned. It was not the fastest, or the most luxurious, but it always put a grin on my face. If Honda would have updated the S2000, I may have considered it again, but their "freshening" doesn't cut it these days. The styling of the bimmer still hasnt convinced me. I even looked into the A5, but from certain angles, it looks sort of Dodge Avenger-ish. I am sure that all new coupe owners will be very happy with their purchase.

Happy Motoring!

 

That was a great objective post!

Btw, welcome to the forum and congrats on the deposit of your G37!

 

nice writeup, but being that you have only driven the sedan i dont think you could begin to speculate how exactly the g37 will be, we all know the engine is gonna be a plus.

 

Thanks Garnet and Alpha. I am not trying to speculate at all on how it will be. Obviously, I have not driven it and all I am doing is taking my new g35 impressions and "squaring" them. But logically, I am a fan of the new G sedan, and if you add more hp to it, smoother shifting, and a better stereo...then why not speculate? Obviously, again, there is much more to the new G37, but I highly doubt infiniti would release a car that isnt superior, albeit, even by a little, than anything they already produce.

 

Excellent write-up, Initial G!

As one S2000 owner to another: "Right on!" The S2K has the BEST gearbox I've ever driven, bar none, and that includes some Bimmers and Porsches over the years, although I have no experience with these after 2005.

It would be great if Infiniti could work the S2000 "magic" with their 6MTs. The S2Ks of course have rod actuation vs. cable, with very short rods at that. I'm not sure how the G37 shifters will likely be set up.

In any event I'll be missing the S2000 come this time next year, when I expect to have a new Ivory Pearl G37/Navi tucked safely in the garage!
(The Honda lease ends in mid-2008).

 

Great write-up! Thank you... Threads like this are wonderful, helps give insight based on real world experience and perception. Gee, I wonder how many of us are current or previous S2000 owners. Interesting that S2k drivers are migrating to the G37.

 

Thanks for the post and welcome to the forums. When I drove the '07 Sedan as a loaner I got similar ride and powerband impressions. However it felt quick to me- quicker than my coupe by far. But of coarse the loaner is not a Sport model nor is it an MT.

 

I also ordered my first G yesterday as well. My dealer called me on Tuesday and said Infiniti was doing something unusual this time. They are allowing a few to pre-order their new G as they want it. The dealer had three initial allocations and I was number 3 on the list! He said that the order window was going to be open for three days starting on 5/10. I have an IP with graphite interior. 5 speed auto, premium, sport, nav, and rear spoiler. Car to be build in June with an August delivery.

 

awesome! congrats on the order. Great write up, welcome!

 

First of all, welcome to the G family

and great write-up! very objective! Its hard to come by a objective write up on car forums some times

 

Comparing it to the new 335I, the bimmer will certainly feel quicker. I am also quite sure that it will be easier to yield quicker 0-60 times and quarter mile times because of the extra torque, but it will not be impossible to net equal to or similar times with a launch at a higher RPM. So in essence, the BMW will be faster in real world driving. But, I would bet that once you are on a roll, the G37 will definitely hand the 335i a whooping.

Interesting observation. If the two cars are geared similarily and weigh about the same, the G37 should be faster at the 6K+ RPM range based on the higher HP of the G. You may have overstated your case with the word "whooping", but the G should be faster at the upper RPM range.

I would love to see a torque curve of both the G37 and 335 engines. That would tell us a lot about perforrmance. I also agree with your observation that the G should be able to get a decent 0/60 and 1/4 time provided that you are willing to launch at a high RPM. I'm certain that the guys at Car & Driver will probably get around a 5 sec 0/60 with a 6K RPM launch, but who cares since how many G37 owners will abuse the hell out of their G's to shave a few tenths of a sec. Unfortunately the 335 will probably be much quicker in a real world 5/60 run.

Good report. Thanks for sharing your observations.

 

I noticed the same trend with the 3/S platform when the G35 came out. I haven't made the jump just yet.

 

You can find a couple of 335i dynos on line. You can also find the 2007 g35 6mt sedan dynos as well. It wouldn't take much to exprapolate from there. They already mentioned how much more torque by % that the new engine has over the old one (I think 4% down low and 6% up high).

When I used the 335 dyno and compared it to the new HR dyno, you can see that after 5k rpm, the 335 starts to lose torque (and power), and by 6k it's a really steep decline. That's when the current HR already makes more power (that's my recolleciton) that the 335. Actually, at 7k rpm, the HR makes ALOT more power than the 335i. The new motor will just accentuate that same thing. Maybe move the breakeven point back 500 rpm or so.

 

Congrats on your purchase and thanks for the write up. I agree with pretty much all of it. However you are speculating a lot when you speak of comparing power/acceleration of the G37. In time we'll have the factual answers.

 

Congrats on taking the plunge for the new 37.

I can't welcome you to the family since I am still a non owner myself, but I am hoping that will change soon.

It must be tough to be objective on the sedan from the bimmer world, so many people who spend that much money eventually start arguing that whatever is not perfect is worth putting up with since they have a car with soul, and if you want quality go buy a toyota! I have driven the 335 and it was a nice ride, but I agree with both your points on that car's styling and the A5, a little too boring and conservative to be a sports coupe. The A5 has a nice interior, much more agressive looking then the outside, but the outside is all long lines, standard audi grill, no heartbeat.

That was a comprehensive write up, and you walked through what a lot of us were telling members on this site for weeks, wait until you see it to pass judgement, she is very hard to actually see the real lines and curves from a few photos, especially the un-flattering ones put up in late March. Up close this car looks 100% different, better then in photos, and every angle has styling cues you cannot get from distant photos. To each his (her) own- enjoy the ride, and post up more when the arrival comes! How late in August did they tell you is would arrive?