To create a beautiful example of four-seat, enthusiast-oriented topless motoring, Infiniti took the best parts of its G37 Coupe and ripped the lid right off the sucka’.
In an effort to present a top-down example of their sport-halo car, Infiniti was not willing to settle for a compromised lid-off design that felt as though it went through Luigi’s Body and Butcher Shop. The G37 Convertible is their answer.
What is it?
Not content with merely a topless version of the existing G37 Coupe, the Convertible is totally new from the A-pillar rearward despite the visual similarity to the hardtop. Reinforced with extensive structural bolstering, the G convertible features a wider stance, pop-up roll bars, and a three-piece hard shell/clamshell-type of convertible roof instead of a fabric offering seen on some rivals.
Our tester was the more sport-oriented G37S model, which offers the row-it-yourself goodness of a six-speed manual transmission.
What’s it up against?
Just like sedan and coupe variants of the G37, the droptop goes up against the BMW 3-Series Cabriolet and Lexus IS C. Throw in the upcoming Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet for even more upwardly mobile types and you have the makings of a comparison test.
Any breakthroughs?
Since the G37S Convertible is new, we’ll go line by line:
A Bose Open Air Sound System adapts as road noise increases with top-down motoring.
The climate-both inside and out is monitored by the adaptive climate system which maintains settings depending on roof position and vehicle speed.
Finally, the adaptive cruise control is equipped with braking preview, which precharges the calipers so they will be instantaneously ready in the case of a panic stop.
How does it look?
Actually, it is one of the best looking clamshell convertibles made today – at least in our opinion. Its new haunches lead the way to a wider rear stance. On close inspection, the G is not a pop-top clone of the coupe version of the same name. Gently curving flares over the wheel wells give the feeling of muscularity, while the long hood, and short rear impart the definite impression of a sporting grand tourer.
The bling is subtle, save for the chrome bit around the grille, the side windows and the rear. There’s a little more to show off by way of a chrome spoiler, chrome badges and exhaust finishers under the rear bumper, but overall the look is discreet. Centered below the spoiler lip is the rearview camera lens that shows what’s behind during backup operations.
With the roof up, the car looks decidedly Italian. Lower it, and it sports a much cleaner look than some of the fellow products from its home country.
And on the inside?
A clean, purposeful-built cockpit awaits those who need to exercise their sport-touring fix. A combination of charcoal and brushed aluminum panels surrounded the interior on our tester. A supportive twelve-way adjustable driver’s sport seat and eight-way power passenger seat offered some of the best bolstering and adjustments that we have seen in a sports-touring model.
Although the G has a nice throaty gurgle while under acceleration, four Bose surround sound speakers in the headrests join nine others around the cockpit to feed music to the occupant’s ears. The G37 Convertible sports a pair of back seats that look like they possibly could fit a pair of your friends, but trust us, they will only be good for a run to the corner 7-Eleven for a Super-Big Gulp. Any longer than that and you’ll opt for your own car.
Overall, the interior is very business-like, featuring high quality materials, with single-needle stitching throughout. A leather-wrapped steering wheel with redundant audio and Bluetooth controls sits in front of the driver, while a straightforward gauge cluster holds sway behind the wheel. A 6 x 9 inch monitor and command dial that offers control of the climate, audio, rearview camera and navigation systems occupies the head of the center stack. Directly below are separate dials and buttons operating the CD audio functions and the climate controls.
A six-speed gear lever occupies prime real estate in the center console, as do the seat warmers and the roof control module. Speaking of roof, we love the concept of topless motoring. But with the clamshell style of roofs now en vogue, certain arrangements need to be made. You must be prepared in one of two ways: First is to travel extremely lightly so you can stash your baggage in the back seat while the roof is open, or second, try to carry all your accoutrements in the trunk and once you arrive at your destination, unload your belongings and then put down the roof. The folded roof takes up quite a bit of luggage space – just as it does in BMW ’s 3-Series and Lexus ’s IS C.
But does it go?
With a snarl, it sure does. Infiniti ’s ubiquitous 3.7 liter V6 once again makes the scene in the G37 droptop, joining at least half a dozen other cars across the Nissan North America product portfolio. But that’s not just because it is their world engine. No! It’s because, frankly, it is a great engine.
Sporting 325 horsepower at 7000 rpm and producing 267 lb-ft. of torque at 5,200 rpm, the V6 utilizes a sequential multi-port fuel injection system. We recently nicked Lexus for their use of multi-port injection over direct injection and we will do so here, as well. Yo, Infiniti! What up?
Mated to the aforementioned six-speed manual row-it-yourself transmission, it rewards the driver with confident strides from a standing start. Shift precision is spot on, and encourages a driver along in his or her quest for spirited motoring. Our Sport 6MT version sported (pun intended) R-Spec high friction brake pads, and 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels shod with W-rated Summer high performance tires.
The G37 Convertible’s overall handling abilities are a tribute to its suspension engineers who seem to have eradicated any signs of torsion flex from the unibody construction. A double wishbone setup with stabilizer bar in front is the way to go, while a rear multi-link kit, also with stabilizer bar, go a long way toward keeping the rear drive firmly planted. A rack and pinion setup with speed-sensitive power steering help keep the nose pointed the right way in what has to be a well-sorted package. Balanced with a 52-percent front and 48-percent rear bias, the G37 C has a curb weight of 4,110 pounds. EPA estimates are 16-mpg city/and 24-mpg highway, about what we experienced.
During our brief time with the G37 droptop at our official test facility on the grounds of Palm Beach International Raceway, we found the G to be extremely well balanced with very little in the way of nose wandering, especially under early braking. The G37 did allow for a little tail wiggling when exiting the turns on the 2.034-mile road course. Otherwise, it followed the mantra of “the best surprise is no surprise.â€
Why you would buy it:
One of the best clamshell models out, the G37 Convertible offers great looks and performance in one package.
Why you wouldn’t:
With the roof down, where do you put all the junk for the trunk?
Leftlane’s bottom line:
Infiniti continues to build cars that are as good looking, as they are fun to drive. Next years’ (2010) model hits the market with an interior refresh in late February. It’s clear that Infiniti is not content to rest on its laurels.
Infiniti G37 S Convertible base price, $43,900. As tested, $50,365.
Premium package, $3,050; Illuminated kick plates, $330; Navigation, $1,850; High friction brake pads, $370; Destination, $865.
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
