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Infiniti models, news & reviews
3
Handling
Performance
4
Usability
2
Feelgood factor
Readers' rating
2.5
By Greg Fountain
First Drives
27 November 2009 11:07
When you clear away the caveats, the G37 convertible is an expensive 3-series cabrio rival made in Japan. And for all the smoke and mirrors deployed by Nissan in the cause of inventing an upmarket brand for Europe with ambitions of Rolls-like exclusivity, it can only be judged against what’s out there. And what’s out there is the 3-series chop-top.
No. For a start it costs £41,900, rising to £43,500 in this GT Premium trim with seven-speed auto, ‘intelligent’ cruise control and red leather chairs (two of which are too small to sit in). For that you can have a 335i M Sport convertible and a couple of grand in change. But more importantly the Infiniti just doesn’t feel premium enough. The doors lack thunkiness, the dash plastics horribly let down the nice leather and there’s way too much road noise when you crank it up.
Also, the central controller buttons are inexplicably sloped away from your fingers, sitting almost horizontally up on the centre console near the nav screen. A right pain to use. And the starter button, though beautifully damped, is hidden behind the steering wheel’s right spoke. Infuriatingly poor design.
Good, but not life-changing. The rear-wheel-drive chassis is pliant and fun to work with, helped by the buoyant enthusiasm of Nissan’s 3.7-litre V6 petrol engine with 316bhp, which mates well with the rather raucous nature of the experience. Think 370Z rather than Primera.
>> Click ‘Next’ for more of CAR’s first drive review of the Infiniti G37 Convertible
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Infiniti G37 Convertible (2009) CAR review
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ronwhite says
RE: Infiniti G37 Convertible (2009) CAR review
Essentially, Lexus and Infiniti and Accura were developed for the US market, so their styling and handling tend to be tuned to American tastes -- and context, where speed limits are fiercely enforced. In that context, they all work well. The problem is moving to markets where speed limits are much higher, and the buyer of a relatively expensive car expects a level of sophistication -- and heritage -- which none of these newcomers can match. People who just want to be different will find the Infiniti appealing. But anyone wanting a replacement for a finely fettled BMW or MB are unlikely to be tempted. Maybe Infiniti should concentrate on its cross-overs, the EX and FX, which, once diesel versions arrive, will have a lot of appeal to the soft roader fraternity.
28 January 2010 09:13
markh says
Nice leather, but the rest is a mess. A why oh why does it have to look like a Lexus SC????
11 December 2009 20:28
motormojo says
Bert, I agree with a lot of your contributions to this site - but not on this. I think the design is a mess. The front is particularly bulbous and the rest of the car looks like it was designed some time in the early 80's (which bearing in mind the tortured gestation of the Infinity brand - it probably was). The interior looks like it was designed by Chrysler - about as bad a thing you can say about new car interior.
Bert,
I agree with a lot of your contributions to this site - but not on this. I think the design is a mess. The front is particularly bulbous and the rest of the car looks like it was designed some time in the early 80's (which bearing in mind the tortured gestation of the Infinity brand - it probably was).
The interior looks like it was designed by Chrysler - about as bad a thing you can say about new car interior.
30 November 2009 16:02
bertandnairobi says
I´ve had another look at the photos. Apart from the interior´s centre console it all looks spot on. It´s what I´d call a text book example of a well-resolved bit of automotive design. It´s a real shame the materials are so poor and the driving manners so below par. Why is it so expensive if the materials are so poor?
30 November 2009 09:59
PamelaS says
Well it took Lexus 20+ years and they've still not cracked the exclusivity thing, although Infiniti / Nissan will be starting from a much stronger position than Toyota did. They need to build the brand to sell the cars.
29 November 2009 19:32
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