Infiniti G37 S 2013 Review

Here's the thing…Why would you buy one of these cars when you could have a Nissan 370Z for less? They're essentially the same car under the skin with the same 3.7-litre V6 providing the oomph, but the Zed gets a bit more power.

There's no denying the desirability of the iconic Zed, now in its second generation but the Infiniti is still something of an unknown quantity (at least with this badge).

VALUE

Priced from $75,900 (or $83,500 for the better equipped G37 S Premium model that we drove), the coupe is a nice bit of gear. The interior is finished in full leather and it is better equipped than the Zed, but not by much.

One major point of difference between the two cars is that G37 actually has a back seat, albeit a small one. There's not much legroom nor much headroom back there, but it will do at a pinch.

Standard features include leather, climate air, push button start, swivel bi-xenons, 30Gb navi system, 7-inch touch screen and 11-speaker Bose sound system with 10Gb hard drive. The S adds sport seats, sports suspension, 4-wheel active steer, viscous limited-slip diff and opposed-piston sports brakes, along with larger 19-inch alloys.

It all sounds pretty good but bear in mind that you can pick up an imported, late model Skyline coupe with just about delivery kilometres for half the cost.

TECHNOLOGY

It has two doors and a boot whereas the two-seat Zed has two doors and a hatch. The G37 actually sits on a 30cm longer wheelbase, but it's track is slightly narrower front and rear. The 3.7 litre petrol V6 produces 235kW of power at 7000 revs and 360Nm of torque at 5200 revs, compared with the Zed's 245kW/363Nm and is paired with a seven-speed auto, with drive to rear wheels.

There's sport mode and downshift rev matching, along with steering column mounted change paddles. The dash from 0-100km/h takes 5.9 seconds, compared with the Zed's unofficial 5.4 seconds (it's over 200kg lighter). Fuel consumption for the coupe is rated at 10.5 litres/100km (we were getting 13.6 litres/100km after about 400km).

DESIGN

The G37's look is fairly staid compared with the bright colours and lightning bolt design of the Zed's lights. As a technology and performance wannabe, Infiniti would do well to consider more aggressive styling, something spectacularly different that would really get people to sit up and take notice. Just a thought.

SAFETY

No problems here. Gets a full five stars for safety in crash tests. There's six airbags along with active front headrests, plus a full gamut of safety systems including electronic stability and traction control.

DRIVING

If you like the Zed, then naturally you're going to like the G37. The V6 is a fantastic engine and delivers the urgent response that's expected from a sports car, making all the right noises in the process.

The steering is direct and incredibly responsive, guaranteeing the car will go where you point it.  At the same time the tyres tracked mercilessly on Sydney's streets following every irregularity. The big problem is it looks too much like one of the grey import Skylines that the teenagers all drive. Don't know about you but if I paid big money for a car, I'd want people to know that I was driving the real deal.

VERDICT

Sorry. Like the car but we like the look of the Zed better.

Infiniti G37 S

Price: from $83,500
Warranty: 4 years roadside assist
Engine: 3.7-litre 6-cylinder, 235kW/360Nm
Transmission: 7-speed auto, RWD
Thirst: 10.5L/100Km, CO2 246g/km