First impressions are very important, and where Automobile Magazine and the Infiniti G37 coupe are concerned, those first impressions were full of admiration. After power-sliding around a Nissan test track in Arizona during our first meeting with the G37 [June 2007] and blasting down back roads all the way from Tennessee to Michigan two months later, we declared Infiniti's sexy new sport coupe to be a near-equal to its chief rival, the BMW 335i coupe. That's among the highest praise we can give.
By their nature, though, first impressions don't always tell the whole story. We don't retract any of our conclusions about the G37's performance credentials - any dynamic differences between it and the perennial champion 3-series are small enough to fade into the background noise - but surprisingly, after a year of living with the G37, we filled its logbook with more complaints than compliments. The Infiniti may nearly match the BMW's performance, but it falls short in refinement. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
First, the good news: Not once in 24,504 miles did our trustworthy G37 miss a beat. In fact, the only minor problem we encountered - a rattling exhaust heat shield - somehow fixed itself. Other than three scheduled service visits and two tire-shop sorties to mount and dismount winter tires, our G37 steered clear of the service bay. The total cost of the three routine service stops - $213 - was so reasonable that we barely missed BMW's free scheduled maintenance. And while we're on the subject of money, our fully loaded G37 Sport hit the ground running for almost $12,000 less than a comparably equipped 335i. That's an enormous savings, although spending nearly $45,000 for a sport coupe isn't exactly exercising financial restraint.
Our G37 was stuffed with $8560 in optional equipment. Apparently, it wasn't enough that our Sport model came with a 330-hp V-6, a six-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip rear differential, four-piston front brake calipers, a leather-trimmed interior, bi-xenon lights, keyless ignition, and power everything. We added an $1150 technology package (laser-guided cruise control and swiveling front headlights); a $3200 premium package (power moonroof, Bose premium audio system with iPod adapter and Bluetooth, heated seats, and assorted other goodies); a $2200 navigation package (including XM NavTraffic, a 9.3-gigabyte hard drive for music, and a backup camera); four-wheel active steering for $1300; a $550 rear spoiler; and $160 in nets and mats to secure the junk we'd be carrying in our trunk. ...next page >>