Thursday 24th July 2014

Infiniti G37 S: Spotted

The 370Z for grown-ups with a manual gearbox of all things. Who wants a 335i anyway?

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Sometimes cars struggle to sell because they're objectively bettered by contemporaries. And if a rival is cheaper, faster, more economical and so on, why wouldn't you buy it? But occasionally a car is ignored due to nothing more than brand prejudice, which is rather a shame.

Imagine the dealer's face with this spec

The Infiniti G37 is a perfect example of the latter. PH's first drive in 2009 concluded: "The G37 S Coupe may not yet have the brand kudos of rivals such as the Audi A5 or BMW 3-Series coupe, but, as a product, it more than stands up to comparison with them". The recent success of the Korean brands would suggest British buyers are beginning to look beyond badges but the Infiniti range just doesn't seem to have caught on here.

Lexus has shown Japanese luxury brands can achieve reasonable success here. And for those pointing to the G37's thirsty V6, the Audi S5 or BMW 335i aren't exactly paragons of parsimony.

Looks must play a part. Compared to the minimalist style of something like an A5 the G37 does have a slightly fussy appearance. Those after a conventional sports car may well have preferred the more aggressive (and cheaper) Nissan alternative as well.

Don't get a 370Z, don't get a 37...

The corollary of all this is very few G37s on the road. When was the last time you saw one? But that doesn't mean it should be ignored as it's a very talented coupe. All the more for PH with this car as it has a manual gearbox. And the dealer claims the car is 'very rare' because it's white...

Last year I drove a G37 (or Q60 as it was badged in the States) with six on the floor at a Nissan media event. Unsurprisingly a manual G37 feels much like a manual 370; a quite burly, short shift with the rev match function there as a reminder your fleet footwork isn't really good enough. Makes burnouts easier too of course, until a jobsworth of a marshall puts the TC back on. Boo.

For some the Infiniti badge can't be overlooked, but it's their loss. Having something that isn't one of the usual suspects is nice in itself, and to know it's a thoroughly competent car on top makes it more appealing. Yes it will cost a fair bit to run at 248g/km and 26mpg, plus the depreciation will surely continue for a worryingly long time, but a 370Z will do similarly. We all know Japanese performance cars garner huge affection over here (see the responses to Dan's paean to JDM from yesterday for proof), and not all of those are inexpensive to maintain.

There are three two-door G37s for sale on PH and ten times as many Zees. Dare to be different and go for the Infiniti. It's far better than anyone will believe.

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INFINITI G37 S
Engine: 3,696cc V6
Transmission: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 320@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 265@5,200rpm
MPG: 26.7 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 248g/km
Recorded mileage: 31,100
Year registered: 2011
Price new: £35,150
Yours for: £18,995

See the original advert here.

[365daytonafan]

While I'm sure brand prejudice plays a part, a tiny dealer network and having too high C02 and small rear seats to get on company car lists probably plays a bigger part.

[va1o]

Nice car but I definitely would not want it with a manual gearbox! Wouldn't suit it at all and resale suicide.

[vz-r_dave]

va1o said:

Nice car but I definitely would not want it with a manual gearbox! Wouldn't suit it at all and resale suicide.

How would a manual box not suit this car? Odd comment

[Clivey]

va1o said:

Nice car but I definitely would not want it with a manual gearbox! Wouldn't suit it at all and resale suicide.

I'd definitely want it with a manual gearbox. The only things that would stop me is that it still isn't within my budget (yet) and the RFL will only get higher. The car itself looks great and would make an excellent daily driver.

[RenesisEvo]

I would certainly consider one over a 370Z, but when this is the same price, with similar running costs, it's a no-brainer in favour of the posh Toyota, not the posh Nissan.

[Prawnboy]

vz-r_dave said:

va1o said:

Nice car but I definitely would not want it with a manual gearbox! Wouldn't suit it at all and resale suicide.

How would a manual box not suit this car? Odd comment

and do you really buy a car for the next owner? sod them.

i really like these and wish nissan had sold them here earlier as a skyline like they did in japan. A bit out of my budget still but i could see me in one at some point.

[Nick Young]

I may know of one coming up for sale soon at the same age, with lower mileage and possibly for less money than this - auto box but still in white. ;-)

[DirtyIrish]

va1o said:

Nice car but I definitely would not want it with a manual gearbox! Wouldn't suit it at all and resale suicide.

Drove one of these in the States for a couple of weeks with an auto box and loved it. Proper cruiser when needed but could light up a mountain road in Colorado.
Although found their infotainment system to be complete ste. The Audi MMI system runs rings around it

[Nick Young]

RenesisEvo said:

I would certainly consider one over a 370Z, but when this is the same price, with similar running costs, it's a no-brainer in favour of the posh Toyota, not the posh Nissan.

Except it's not comparable, it's 3 years older and higher mileage, and a 4 door saloon. And the running costs are higher. They do sound nice though, but if your only consideration is the same price there's quite a lot of other cars that would be a more sensible purchase.

[anonymous-user]

It *could* be snobbery and the brand that is holding Infiniti back in the UK or it could also be the fact that they are absolutely hideous, bloated and wildly overstyled? In fact in an age of hideous, bloated and overstyled cars they still manage to stand out. I remember the first time I saw one in the US I actually stood and stared at it as I was so taken aback at how fking ugly it was.

Maybe they're acceptable for tasteless Americans but until they radically change their design language they will never sell in any serious numbers in Europe.

[Benjaminbopper]

dme123 said:

Maybe they're acceptable for tasteless Americans but until they radically change their design language they will never sell in any serious numbers in Europe.

What you've done there is embarrass yourself with that comment.

I personally think that the American market has helped defined some of the automotive industry's most iconic designs.

[Horse Pop]

I wish more people were buying these because they're going to be ace depreciation specials in a couple of years.

[Prawnboy]

Benjaminbopper said:

dme123 said:

Maybe they're acceptable for tasteless Americans but until they radically change their design language they will never sell in any serious numbers in Europe.

What you've done there is embarrass yourself with that comment.

I personally think that the American market has helped defined some of the automotive industry's most iconic designs.

and this car is far better than the current 1 design- scale up/down to fit of it's euro rivals.

[Reardy Mister]

Prawnboy said:

Benjaminbopper said:

dme123 said:

Maybe they're acceptable for tasteless Americans but until they radically change their design language they will never sell in any serious numbers in Europe.

What you've done there is embarrass yourself with that comment.

I personally think that the American market has helped defined some of the automotive industry's most iconic designs.

and this car is far better than the current 1 design- scale up/down to fit of it's euro rivals.

It's a cracking design. I don't think it's over styled at all. As coupes go, surely an A5 is far more bloated and overstayed. C class is boring as bat st, BMW 3 series coupe of that year is even more boring to look at. It's a rare occasion when a Japanese coupe looks right (as opposed to a Toyota Soarer, for example).

[RenesisEvo]

Nick Young said:

Except it's not comparable, it's 3 years older and higher mileage, and a 4 door saloon. And the running costs are higher. They do sound nice though, but if your only consideration is the same price there's quite a lot of other cars that would be a more sensible purchase.

Agreed, but if that was my budget the Infiniti would struggle to get a look in. If you start bringing in other factors than yes, it starts to look more favourable. I also have a slight crush on IS-Fs at the moment so logic may have long gone out the window.

[McSatan]

Oddly enough I was looking at a couple of older (2004) ones this morning on Autotrader, they're badged as Skylines, and look quite tempting for not very much money at all, sub 5 grand.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...

Edited by McSatan on Thursday 24th July 14:45

[205intheblood]

The biggest issue Infiniti has across the whole of Europe is a total lack of marketing! Not everybody knows or understands the Red Bull F1 tie up. To date there are less than 2000 cars on the UK roads so the vehicle park is way too low to see one on the road daily. Not enough dealers on the map. CAP values being slaughtered hence no real offers on new car PCP due to lack of a decent residual. The good news is, if you want to be a little different to all the rest then it is actually a decent car. Infiniti dont really want to try and overtake BMW,Audi or Merc in terms of numbers they just want to be a challenger to the mainstream. I have driven the new Q50 and as a car to go up against the mainstream it is a really decent proposistion all you need to do then is negotoate a decent deal and you then have something which is moving away from what everybody else buys over and over again!

[DSLiverpool]

As an owner of the FX50 now badged QX50 its a great car, the small dealer in Hull was one of the best I have dealt with for anything and the car was a bargain compared to a RRS, Q5, X5 etc

On a quality note its not MB / BMW quality but is about par with Jaguar but with far far better telematics (I love the infotainment system its better than a 2011 command)

I note a leggy FX50 on trader very cheap

[Ocellia]

The Skyline GT350s are the slightly earlier equivalents.
Useful for having useable rear seats in a Coupe.
I'd go for the Autos.
Too 'modern' for older Skyline fans, but a great engine,(350Z?) still being used in the El Grand Vans +10 years on.
(I have one!)

As to 'Rare' white? Pretty standard. "Pearl White' probably.

[Clivey]

Ocellia said:

The Skyline GT350s are the slightly earlier equivalents.
Useful for having useable rear seats in a Coupe.
I'd go for the Autos.
Too 'modern' for older Skyline fans, but a great engine,(350Z?) still being used in the El Grand Vans +10 years on.
(I have one!)

As to 'Rare' white? Pretty standard. "Pearl White' probably.

I've driven one; didn't like the auto 'box. Shame as the rest of it was good (better than half of the stuff people do flock to in this country!).