Infiniti G37 Convertible 2012 Review - International

Infiniti G37 Convertible

Not so much
>> Heavy boot lid
>> Tyre noise (due to British roads?)
>> Manual mirror fold-in

Australia gets its first glimpse of the Infiniti G37 later this year, but motoring.com.au has already driven the Convertible version in Britain. A short drive in drought-breaking weather provided an opportunity to see how the rear-drive V6 sporty car coped with less than ideal conditions. We're pleased to report that the Infiniti did not put a foot wrong.

The G37 is a car that is not reticent about its sporty demeanour. From the very first moment the driver presses the brake pedal, for instance, there's a strong hint that this is a car with good all-round driving dynamics. The pedal feels firm underfoot and fills the driver with confidence that the G37 can be punted fairly hard, with the wherewithal to rein in the neddies when necessary.

Steering response was similarly immediate, although the car could have done with more feedback through the wheel. Suspension was quite firm and the tyre noise was perhaps to be expected from a drop-top car with decent levels of grip — but particularly on England's coarse-chip rural roads.

Being a car with a folding steel roof, the G37 keeps the weather where it should be — on the outside. The steel roof also lends strength and rigidity to the car, which exhibited no structural weakness in the way that some four-place convertibles do, on occasion.

The engine is undeniably one of the nicer sounding V6s in the market, even in this segment. There's a certain warmth about it missing from Benz V6s, for instance, which can sound quite sanitised. The Infiniti V6 also delivers the goods for performance. Acceleration is linear from low revs through to redline. Throttle response is immediate and yet the automatic transmission handles everything — from kicking down to manual shifts using the paddles — with complete aplomb. As is the case with some cars considerably more expensive than the G37 is likely to be, the manual shifting in the Infiniti is rapid, but not unduly aggressive. The shift paddles themselves are metallic and don't feel flimsy like some of the plastic jobs that turn up in some cars.

Entering and exiting the G37 was straightforward enough, although we didn't try the rear-seat access, due to a wind deflector being in place.

Seating was snug and firm, but not by any means uncomfortable. Trimmed in red leather, the seats looked the part. The G37 came with a rose-tinted woodgrain, which was not unattractive, but it could be argued that a machine-finished metallic decor might be more appropriate in a car like this particular Infiniti. That's probably all by the by, since the importer will presumably offer a range of interior trims once the car is available in Australia.

Instrumentation and controls are sensibly designed, although the seat controls are a little difficult to reach with the door closed. The instrument binnacle adjusts up and down with the tilt adjustment of the steering column, so you're going to start out with a suitable line of sight to the instruments, irrespective of how high or low you position the wheel.

There were two minor issues with the G37's boot space. The boot lid itself is moderately heavy to lift and the luggage space is compromised by the need to stow the folding roof. To be sure, it's decent by the standards of many convertibles of similar size, but it was a little cramped for one moderately large item of luggage and a laptop. That was with the roof raised, too. We chose not to check with the roof lowered, since the weather was inclement to the point of snow flurries later in the day.

There's no word on pricing for the G37 at present, but a figure of around $90,000 shouldn't be too far away, given the position of the Nissan 370Z Roadster. Kevin Snell, General Manager of Infiniti Australia says the price will be "south of $100,000".

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