Test Drove G37S Coupe @ Track

[SVT666]

Cougs this is pretty sad. The cars are close enough. Esp when you factor where the two cars make the meat of their power.

Anyways its great that the G has good steering feel. Sounds like its a good car. Like I said I would def go for it over the 3, even with the price premium.

There is no price premium for the G.  The G is a much better value.

[GoCougs]

Cougs this is pretty sad. The cars are close enough. Esp when you factor where the two cars make the meat of their power.

Anyways its great that the G has good steering feel. Sounds like its a good car. Like I said I would def go for it over the 3, even with the price premium.

Since when is ~20 car lengths 0-120 mph close enough???

[Rich]

.2 sec 5-60 is close enough

Not sure why you're doing brake torquing starts to 120.

[GoCougs]

.2 sec 5-60 is close enough

Not sure why you're doing brake torquing starts to 120.

Not sure the why/what this is in reference to; the G37 will pull on a 328i both from a dig and a roll (at any speed); 90 hp deficit and turbo lag does that.

You guys can dig on the G37 all you want; trying to invent a world whereby the 328i keeps pace let alone is quicker than a G37 won't prove fruitful. 

[Rich]

Not saying a 328 is faster. Just saying .2 seconds in the real world isn't noticeable.

[GoCougs]

Not saying a 328 is faster. Just saying .2 seconds in the real world isn't noticeable.

The G37 is going to be 4-5 car lengths ahead 5-60 (5.7 vs. 6.5 sec), and the gap will only notably grow from there (note that the only AT 5-60 test I could find was of the G37x coupe at 5.7 sec, which is ~250 lbs heavier + AWD drag than the G37 sedan).

I had to lol at this - VWvortex thread cutting on the new 328i for seeing Camry taillights 5-60 (6.1 vs. 6.5 sec) though that's only going to be 1-1.5 car lengths.

[hotrodalex]

A few grand more will buy a 335i, which is faster than a G37.

If you're happy with being faster than the baby of the 3er family, that's cool, but don't act like the G37 is king. It only wins if you're also comparing price.

[GoCougs]

A few grand more will buy a 335i, which is faster than a G37.

If you're happy with being faster than the baby of the 3er family, that's cool, but don't act like the G37 is king. It only wins if you're also comparing price.

Couple grand? The G37 starts at only $36,400. The 335i starts at $42,800, and equivalently equipped to the base G37 sedan the 335i is $45,000. If I thought the 335i "won" it'd be in my driveway. It didn't and it isn't.

[hotrodalex]

It only wins if you're also comparing price.

I'm just pointing out that your car is slower than a 3 series.

[GoCougs]

I'm just pointing out that your car is slower than a 3 series.

Why?

[hotrodalex]

Because it's a fact that I felt needed to be pointed out.

[GoCougs]

Because it's a fact that I felt needed to be pointed out.

Why?

[hotrodalex]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u2ZsoYWwJA&t=7m20s

[GoCougs]

Nah; it's just jelly doughnut + unwilling to admit another loss + ad hominem backfire.

[hotrodalex]

Backfire? I stated my point. You just refuse to accept it. I said that the only way the G37 is faster is if you compare it to the base 3 series, which is only a viable thing to do if you are basing the comparison soley on price. Thus, the only thing the G37 wins at is being a bargain. This is not a bad thing, but does not make it the greatest car in the world. That is why I made my original post.

[Eye of the Tiger]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u2ZsoYWwJA&t=7m20s

lolling

[GoCougs]

Backfire? I stated my point. You just refuse to accept it. I said that the only way the G37 is faster is if you compare it to the base 3 series, which is only a viable thing to do if you are basing the comparison soley on price. Thus, the only thing the G37 wins at is being a bargain. This is not a bad thing, but does not make it the greatest car in the world. That is why I made my original post.

Ha, ha. You're Interneting too hard.

[hotrodalex]

Ha, ha. You're Interneting too hard.

When in doubt, always revert to commenting on peoples internetting skills.

[sportyaccordy]

I dont think Ive ever seen Cougs take a bench race so seriously/personally lmao

[GoCougs]

How is it you guys talked yourselves into choosing the 328i as the method and manner in which to use me as the rock upon which to break yourselves???

[dazzleman]

Infiniti entered the Mexican market just this year. Today at our semi-monthly track club meet this was available to test:




So, what do I, a hardened bimmer fan think of the G37s?  I drove it for 5 laps on a wet track. Stability control on. It was an auto with paddle shifters. Starting with the positives, steering feel is in my opinion best in class. Yes, better than a 3 series, either E90 or F30. The info you get is very nuanced and it is easy to place the car.

Handling balance is also very good. Motions are very well damped and attitude is very neutral in corners. Easy to call up oversteer with the throttle at will, with a natural slight understeering tendency. Balance I would put on par with a 3. It does, however, feel more ponderous than the 3. It feels heavier than the 3 series. I am thinking here of comapred to the F30 328i which defintely feels lighter on its feet specially on turn in. The 3 is at the same time more comfortable and more agile, but the margin is thin. And the true comparison would be vs. the 335i which is heavier in the nose. It has nothing on the E46 M3 though which I drove back to back. The M3 feels much more agile even with more lean on corners.

Brake feel is excellent. Great initial bite and progressive. And this particular car had been pounded all day at a track with some very demanding braking zones. Excellent brakes, easily better than any non-M 3 series, maybe even better than an M.

On to the engine. Power felt good, probably close to my E46 but less rabid. Throttle response is good but nothing extraordinary for an N/A engine. Subjectively the N54 engine in the 1M feels a lot more powerful. Consider that Mexico City is about 7,000 ft above sea level so turbos enjoy a huge advantage. But the 11 year old engine in the E46 has this engine licked in any measure important to an enthusiast. Vs. a modern N54/N55 being generous I'd call it a wash. The very slight advantage of the Infiniti engine in throttle response (IMHO it is closer in this regard to a turbo BMW engine than to an individual-throttle-butterflies M engine) is easily compensated by the whollop of torque of the N54/N55. Good engine but not the best.

The auto gearbox could use some improvement. It felt rough - maybe because it had been abused for the day - shifts felt abrupt not smooth at all. Jerky. It mostly obeyed my commands with very low lag but ocassionally the computer would consider my request and grant it whenever it wanted. Not bad for an auto but this is an area where the sport automatic in the F30 (not to mention a modern Audi/BMW DCT box) has it licked. By quite a bit. AFAIK this car is not available here with a manual. If it were I'd choose the manual every time. It has to be better than this. On the BMW, on the other hand, I'd probably be happy with the auto.

The interior fit and finish I'd call competitive. Not my particular style but good quality. The sports seat were very adjustable (nice) but the switches to adjust the seat felt a bit cheap, especially those for backrest width. The interior trim seems to be easily scratched, didn't look new on this demo car. Navigation system is one gen behind iDrive easily. Lower res graphics, less responsive and overall felt inferior to the latest iDrive. A step or two below both BMW and Audi but competitive.

One thing I did hate: headroom absolutely sucks. I just don't fit in this car. I have to lean the seatback far more than I'd like. First I drove without a helmet and it was already slightly uncomfortable. Put my helmet on and it was ridiculous. I felt headroom on my E46 was tight. After the G37s I was thankful. Both cars have sunroofs. This was so bad that it would eliminate this car from consideration for me, which is a shame, I am 6'4".

Overall, I liked this first Infiniti very much. It is easily the enthusiast choice of the segment, at least tied with a 3. Better in a critical area - steering - and a wash in others like engine & handling balance. In my opinion the BMW is the better luxury car though in ride comfort, interior apointments, tech and styling (this last thing entirely subjective of course). Very interested in what Infiniti will do in their upcoming next-gen G.

Price wise the G37s here sits less than 5K below a very loaded F30 335i. The 335i has some significant advantages here, since it comes standard with the electronic adjustable dampers and a lot of stuff. I'd think Infiniti has to price a bit more agressively in this market to be accepted among its german peers.

In any case, congrats to you G owners on the spin. A fine enthusiast choice.

Thanks for the review.  The Infiniti has been on my list of cars to consider when I decide to pull the trigger on a new car (which probably won't be for a couple of years).

[dazzleman]

I dont think Ive ever seen Cougs take a bench race so seriously/personally lmao

The whole group of you needs to get a reality show.  You could do better than those trashy "Housewives" with all your bitchy fighting.....

[nickdrinkwater]

The G37 is just so ugly though.  That back end is awful.

[hotrodalex]

The G37 is just so ugly though.  That back end is awful.

That's my only problem with them.

First gen coupes are amazing, though.

[MrH]

I dont think Ive ever seen Cougs take a bench race so seriously/personally lmao

i was thinking the same thing.

[Raza]

Since when is ~20 car lengths 0-120 mph close enough???

Do you do a lot of 0-120 runs?

[Raza]

How is it you guys talked yourselves into choosing the 328i as the method and manner in which to use me as the rock upon which to break yourselves???

Man, you really love yourself. 

Yet you pull numbers out of nowhere and don't back them up when challenged.   

[Raza]

The G37 is just so ugly though.  That back end is awful.

They're very good cars and offer a great value, but yeah, they're not pretty.

[SVT666]

I think it's a very pretty car.  The sedan more than the coupe though.

[MX793]

I think it's a very pretty car.  The sedan more than the coupe though.

Yeah, the current sedans look great.  The coupes just look kind of off.  The rear bumper is too tall, the lights too high, and the front end just doesn't quite jive with the back.  Like they facelifted the 1st gen coupe rather than fully redesigned it.  The front got prettier, the back got uglier, and everything between the wheels looks exactly the same.  The 2nd generation transformation of the sedan was better executed.

This is the opposite of the 1st generation, where the coupe looked great but the sedan was a bit awkward.