Painted in a “Vibrant Red” color and obviously designed for speed, with those two over-sized tail pipes putting out a nice guttural sound, the new Infiniti G37 Sport coupe is bound to get you noticed. However, this is not necessarily a good thing, depending on whose eye you catch, since the willing 3.7-liter rear-drive V6 can take you past reasonable speed limits very quickly, especially if you’re paying more attention to the Bose sound system than to your speedometer.

What is It?

Sharing many chassis elements with its little brother the Nissan 350Z, the G37 Coupe has been subtly redesigned and received a completely new 3.7-liter engine in 2008. The G37 keys off the styling and interior of the Infiniti G35 sedan, and takes over the performance niche of the previous G35 Coupe. The sleek fastback styling concept of the first generation hasn’t changed much, but the simplified front end and addition of a feature line across the rear makes the car look even more attractive. With its more powerful engine and improved suspension, the G37 really comes into its own as a desirable mid-level personal performance car.

What’s It Up Against?

If you’re looking for something with two doors and four adult seats that looks sporty, is fun to drive on the street or even on the track, and is priced at around $40k, there’s a lot to choose from, including the Audi A5, BMW 135i or 335i, Nissan Nismo 350Z, and perhaps even the Honda Accord EX-L.

Any Big Breakthroughs?

The heart of the new G-Coupe is the award-winning new 3.7 litre 330-horsepower V6 engine producing 270 pound-feet of torque (which we will also soon see in the new Nissan 370Z) which is installed on all three G37 models. Variable Valve Event and Lift (VVEL) combines hydraulic-controlled variable valve timing and electronically-controlled valve lift to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions while still enabling higher power and quicker response.

The G37 Sport 6MT is rated at 17 mpg city and 26 mpg highway on the new EPA rating system, which is better by a mile or two per gallon than most other cars in its class. This isn’t huge, but at least it’s going in the right direction.

We usually don’t even turn on the audio when evaluating a performance car, but in the G37 we drove that would have been a mistake. For audiophiles, we think the clarity and sound quality of the new 11-speaker Bose “Studio on Wheels” – which came with the optional $3200 premium package in our test vehicle – is every bit the equivalent of a five-second-range zero-60 time for driving enthusiasts. We were understanding lyrics on Stones tracks, and hearing individual notes in intricate passages by Saint-Saens, that we’d never heard before even on our living room audio system.

On the G37 Sport 6MT we drove for a week, the “6MT” means six-speed manual transmission, but in drives of other G37s we tested and liked the new five-speed automatic manual transmission, standard in the basic and Journey models, that blipped the throttle to match revs on downshifts and had Adaptive Shift Control that sharpened shift response in lively driving.

Our test car was not equipped with the optional new 4-Wheel Active Steer Package ($1300), an Infiniti innovation which actually turns the rear wheels slightly in very tight, abrupt turns of the sort you’d use when making a accident-avoidance lane change, but we’ve tested this system before and would order it without a second thought if we were buying the G37.

We also didn’t have the optional Nav Package with the new nine-gig “Music Box” hard drive. This option not only provides navigation but also a means to store most of your music library through the flash-drive slot. However, since the Bose audio in the premium package did have a convenient iPod interface, and we prefer over-the-counter nav systems at considerably lower prices, we didn’t miss this $2200 option.

How Does It Look?

We liked the overall long hood and fastback look of the G35 Coupe, but in designing the G37, the stylists made several subtle changes that make this second-generation car even more attractive from all angles.

At the front, the Sport model fascia has separate brake duct openings which provide a more aggressive look, and the grille – the only chrome trim on the front of the car – has been enlarged to provide a stronger anchor for the front curves. Catamaran bulges sweep back along the tops of the front fenders to give the front end a look of motion, almost like the speed lines we used to add to the sports cars we doodled in junior high.

Two evolutionary changes effectively improve the look of the G37 from the rear, compared to its predecessor. The sweep of the rear fascia is now broken by a horizontal feature line that visually reduces the bulk of the rear end, and the edges of the trunk opening now extend to the outside of the LED tail light clusters, improving the deck lines and increasing the trunk opening.

The chrome surface of the integral rear spoiler on the edge of the deck lid is an unusual design touch that works well to balance the look of the chrome tips of the large tail pipes.

Our G37 was mounted on 19-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels that are part of the Sport package and which effectively make up for the complete lack of brightwork trim on the sides of the car.

And Inside?

We can’t explain why some monochrome interiors look stylish and elegant, while others just look boring, but the G37 illustrates how to do a charcoal and gray interior that pleases the eye. Color contrasts as we’re seeing in other enthusiast automobiles might be nice, but in the G37 the combination of brushed chrome trim surfaces and gray leather, accented with perforated surfaces and squared stitching on the seat edges is more than enough to lift the interior appearance above the mundane.

Even better is the way the bolstered seats included in the Sport package cosseted and supported us at the same time, making us feel both comfortable and confident under any driving conditions.

Controls displayed around an attractive classic clock face are neatly placed for convenient access as well as being attractive in their design. The LCD screen, recessed enough to be visible even in bright daylight, is standard whether one has the nav system or not and the Nissan/Infiniti interface system is reasonable intuitive.

The rear seats are definitely worth mentioning. While they have the same measurements as many comparable coupes, our passengers thought that the cushioning and bolster design made them more comfortable once they were inside. With two six-foot-plus spouses in the front seats, two average-height women were perfectly happy to ride in the back seats on a 30-minute drive to and from a party, reporting at the end that the back seats were fine but a bit claustrophobic.

The trunk is only rated at 7.4 cubic feet, but the wide opening makes the shallow space reasonably practical. Two medium-sized golf bags would fit in there, if one were inclined to waste a nice day playing golf instead of getting out on the road.

But Does It Go?

The variable-valve magic performed in the new Infiniti engine gives this car a responsiveness that always seems to be lurking just below the surface in normal driving, tempting you to skip the freeway commute to the office and play hooky on the backroads for a couple of hours. When you do get the opportunity to play a bit, the car is definitely ready to handle an open backroad, or even better, tight curves at a club track day.

Similarly, the steering is bimodal, comfortable under normal circumstances, but quick to respond when the turn-in point is marked by a braking marker instead of a street sign.

Overall, the G37 is definitely more than just another pretty face, provided you’ve elected the Sport Package (optional on the basic coupe and Journey, and standard on the Sport) to go with that hot new engine. The basic “front-midship design” which puts the engine behind the front wheels is a good place to start in building a good track car, but handling is definitely improved with the sport suspension, limited slip differential and big brakes in 19-inch wheels that come with the Sport Package.

One downside is that the G37 is heavier than its contemporaries and that weight dulls the handling a bit.

After driving the Nismo 350Z a few weeks earlier, we were happy to find that the suspension changes made on the new G37 give it all the track-confidence of the Nismo package, but with an ability to absorb bumps and ignore changes in road surface that makes the car comfortable enough for daily freeway commutes and long highway trips.

Why You Would Buy It

The positives of this car are simple: The exterior design has speed and elegance written in every one of the understated lines, and the interior is attractive and comfortable, with a high-quality sound system available as an unexpected bonus. Beyond that, with good power combined with a superb suspension on an inherently efficient chassis, the car offers driving performance that is as competitive on the track as it is easy to live with on the street.

Why You Wouldn’t

There are several alternatives in this price/performance class, each having its own small advantages and disadvantages, so deciding among, say, the BMW 135, Audi A5 and G37 is almost entirely a matter of personal taste.

What Does It Cost?

MSRP Base: $35,550
Price as Tested: $39,785 including Premium Package
(see our full pricing guide)

Words and photos by Gary and Genie Anderson

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