Infiniti G37 Coupe Sport (2007) CAR review

An Infiniti G37? Isn’t that just a posh Nissan 350Z?

Yes and no. A lot of the G37’s basics are 350Z-derived, but this is far more than just badge engineering – the Infiniti is a very different beast to the Nissan it’s based on. But to fully understand this car, first we need some context. In America, Infiniti is Nissan’s premium off-shoot, much like Lexus is to Toyota. Late in 2008, the Infiniti brand will be gradually rolled out across the UK with a four-model line-up: G saloon, this G coupe, EX35 (think BMW X3) and the X5-rivaling FX45. Right now, engineers are fine-tuning the UK-spec G37 Coupe, so this American G37 6MT Sport gives us a first taste of things to come.

It looks kind of familiar

The G35 coupe – featuring a smaller capacity engine – has been around in the US for a while and looks very similar, although the G37 styling has been substantially tweaked. It’s also been on sale in Japan as the Nissan Skyline, and a few have been brought in to the UK as personal imports. Previously, Nissan’s Skyline range encompassed a four-door saloon and a two-door, rear-drive coupe (see where this is going?) as well as the range-topping GT-R. This autumn, the new GT-R drops the Skyline tag to become a standalone model but there’s still plenty of shared DNA between the G Infinitis and the soon-to-be-released GT-R – just look at the afterburner clusters hidden away in those rear lights. We’d call that provenance.