Infiniti M37 GT 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory & delivery charges): $85,900
?Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): N/A
?Crash rating: N/A?
Fuel: PULP
?Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 10.2
?CO2 emissions (g/km): 235
?Also consider: Audi A6 2.8 FSI (from $91,000); BMW 528i (from $98,800); Jaguar X5 3.0 Luxury (from $95,650); Lexus GS350 Luxury (from $89,400); Mercedes-Benz E350 (from $132,135)

In an industry where ambition often far outreaches capability, it’s nice to see Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti taking a realistic approach.

It has launched with just three dealers, a small range of cars and a slow but steady attitude towards expansion and sales growth.

Within that context the Infiniti M37 GT makes plenty of sense. While it’s new to us, Infiniti’s latest generation mid-size luxury sedan has been around globally since 2010.

So there’s no point trying to sell it as the latest and greatest. Think of it as solid and proven.

What we have here is a front-engined rear-wheel drive three-box sedan based on the FM architecture that is used by a variety of vehicles including the Infiniti FX SUV and Nissan GT-R super-coupe. The M 37 GT is nearly five metres long and weighs about 1650kg with aluminium doors and bonnet.

The 3.7-litre double overhead cam V6 petrol engine is mated to an automatic transmission with seven gears. But the drivetrain lacks tricky techno aids like cylinder shutdown or idle stop-start to help save fuel; which is a pity, because at 10.2L/100km, the official fuel consumption claim is poor.

But the M37 GT does put -- or at least keep -- money in your pocket in comparison to the obvious rivals because it costs less to buy.

The M37 GT is the base model in a lineup that also includes the better specified M37 S Premium, the turbo-diesel M30d GT and S Premium and the petrol-electric hybrid M35h GT Premium.

From the M37 GT’s $85,900 starting point, pricing stretches through to $99,900 for both the top-spec diesel and the hybrid. So it’s a pretty tightly packed five model range.

And pretty tightly packed with gear too, another area where Infiniti has done its best to match or exceed the competition.

The GT includes 18-inch alloy wheels, scratch resistant paint, bi-xenon adaptive headlights, white ash wood trim, leather upholstery, two-driver memory for the heated and power-adjusted steering wheel, exterior mirrors and 10-way adjustable heated and ventilated driver’s seat; keyless entry and start, sunroof, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, 30GB hard drive sat-nav, DVD playback, Bluetooth, aux and iPod connection.

A little disappointingly, the audio system is only six-speaker single-CD/tuner, although there is a 10GB ‘Music Box’. The spare tyre is only a space saver, albeit mounted on an alloy wheel.

There are also six airbags, stability control and antilock brakes, front and rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and a four-mode Infiniti Drive Mode Selector that adjusts throttle and transmission settings.

Much of that stuff is wrapped into a generously proportioned and attractive interior highlighted by a wave of wood that flows into the centre stack, which in turn bulges out into the centre console. Oddly, some instrumentation actually turns a little away from the driver. Of course, that modern signature of ye olde luxury, an analogue clock, sits on the dashboard. A foot-operated park brake is just plain old.

The inside is, of course, meant to reflect the organic flow of the exterior. Styling is very much in the taste of the beholder, so you can judge for yourself there. But from the driver’s seat there’s a big bonnet stretching out and those guards are almost 911-like in their distinctiveness.

The front seats are terrific; generous of both size and reasonably supported. Up-front storage nooks and crannies are quite good. In the rear there is plenty of headroom and kneeroom for outboard passengers. But the middle-rear pew is badly compromised by the transmission tunnel. There are also no door pockets, although there are seat-back pockets.

There is also no split-fold rear for the 500 litre boot, but there is a ski port.

The M37 GT is no only an entrée to the M lineup in terms of price, but also driving experience. It runs on smaller 18-inch tyres and lacks the magnesium steering wheel shift paddles, sports suspension tuning and four wheel steering of the S Premium models.

But unless you hunger for a fierce and aggressive drive, the reality is that the M37 GT does the job quite nicely.

The ride and handling compromise is reasonably balanced, while the steering is reliable without being pin sharp.

Cracks do shimmy through the body on sharp edged corruptions, the body control gets a bit sloppy over undulations, the rear-end can be skittish on bumps and there is the odd bit of steering kick [Ed: something we’ve noted on Infiniti models previously].

But for cruising this is a very pleasant experience as it’s not only comfortable but quiet too, in part thanks to Active Noise Control, which works like noise cancelling headphones.

The automatic transmission works well, harnessing the substantial oomph of the 235kW/360Nm engine. Quietness and smoothness are a must and appreciated as the peak power figure comes at a heady 7000rpm and peak torque at 5200rpm. A 6.2 sec 0-100km.h time tells you how quickly it can gallop along if you so desire.

But the reality is you almost certainly won’t want to. The M37 GT is at its best with the intensity dial wound back and the emphasis instead placed on relaxed cruising. And realistically speaking, that’s far preferable for most of us.

*Overseas model images shown

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