RE: Infiniti G37 S: Spotted

RE: Infiniti G37 S: Spotted

Tuesday 3rd April 2018

Infiniti G37 S: Spotted

Manual, four years old, less than 10,000 miles and better than half price...



The Infiniti G37 is a classic case of badge snobbery denying success to a thoroughly decent sports coupe. Aimed squarely at cars like the more expensive 3 Series Coupe and Audi A5, the G37 entered into battle with a brawny 3.7-litre V6, well sorted dynamics and loads of standard kit.

But when did you last see one? Exactly. The G37, and perhaps more broadly the Infiniti brand, has always struggled for brand cachet in the UK, which was always going to be a problem in a market that seems to prioritise a badge above absolutely everything else. Lexus has been doing it for more than a quarter of a century in the UK, but you could still argue that many see BMW, Mercedes and Audi as another cut above. The result is that how many left currently shows just 17 G37s like this in the UK...


There are other G37s around - 48 standard models and 74 automatics, for example - but this particular car is one of just 17 manual G37 S Infinitis in the UK. So it's the most PHey of Infiniti specs, and let's not forget that this is a car we described as "a brisk, entertaining and sophisticated coupe" back at launch.

Moreover, while Infiniti probably won't appreciate the point, lacking some of the kudos of its rivals means its cars have suffered savage depreciation. For many a manual will be a hindrance rather than something to celebrate, which will compound the issues of it being a relatively unknown coupe that uses a lot of fuel and costs a lot to tax. The end result is that this G37 S is for sale at £16,317, a stratospheric fall from the £40k it would have cost new. When you bear in mind too that it was registered in 2014 and has covered just 8,000 miles, it begins to look like the bargain of the century.


So while it might be a stretch to call it nearly new, the Infiniti is also very far from even average mileage for its age. The colour might not do the Infiniti a huge amount of favours, though you can't be particularly choosy when it comes to selecting a manual G37...

While some will of course never consider an Infiniti instead of one of its German rivals, comparing it to a few of the obvious premium coupes makes the G37 look even better value. Want a £16k 3 Series Coupe? You're looking at this 2012 325i, with another 15,000 miles and a hundred less horsepower than the Infiniti. This Audi A5 has the same amount of miles as the Infiniti and is £34k. A newer car, of course, but that's more than twice the price!


So although the Infiniti G37 won't be to all tastes, it does look like a heck of a lot of car for the cash at the moment. While far from the bottom of its depreciation curve, there's surely only so far a car can fall - certainly it's not going to lose another £20,000, and if you're going to keep it for a while then the effects are less severe. With a car boasting Japanese reliability, great rarity and a desirable powertrain layout that's becoming rarer by the day, that doesn't sound like a bad way to spend a few years.


SPECIFICATION - 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: 8,000
Year registered: 2014
Price new: £41,840
Yours for: £16,317

See the original advert here

Author
Discussion

Gameface

Original Poster:

16,565 posts

78 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Definitely worth further investigation if you're in the market.

If I were I'd have it simply to be different.

I love V8 FX/QX for the same reason.

Cambs_Stuart

2,886 posts

85 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
That's a lot of very new looking car for not a lot of money. About 18 months too soon for me, but really tempting.
I wonder what the running costs would be like?

richs2891

898 posts

254 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Interesting and a nice looking car- but 320 bhp from 3.7 V6 seems low to me and high VED rate would put me off.

kellydk

62 posts

160 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Surely a good comparison is the 370Z? Doesn't it use the same engine?

No pictures but this 2010 has 10K miles for just under £16K

https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...

The G37 is certainly an interesting option although it does look a bit bland. A different colour would probably help....scratchchin

Turbobanana

6,307 posts

202 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
richs2891 said:
Interesting and a nice looking car- but 320 bhp from 3.7 V6 seems low to me and high VED rate would put me off.
It's the same as a 370Z, isn't it? They seem to go well enough.

I "think" I remember seeing one on the road once, but not sure. On that basis: yes please!

Paddy78

208 posts

147 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
richs2891 said:
Interesting and a nice looking car- but 320 bhp from 3.7 V6 seems low to me and high VED rate would put me off.
It's the same engine in the 370Z which also has about that much. I have a 350Z with 300 bhp and have never really thought I needed any more than this on a public road (On a track day, maybe) - this will be slightly quicker though. In the world of hp figures being the key factor, then rivals do have more (Whether usable or not is entirely debatable). The G is a comfortable and fairly practical GT car which probably isn't going to see a track. The Tax isn't that bad considering the general running costs as you'll be looking at 25 mpg at a push.

A great alternative to a German coupe and you certainly won't see many others on the road as there are not even 200 registered (According to Howmanyleft.com).

uuf361

3,154 posts

223 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Had a G37 convertible (having had several G/Q variants as rentals in the US)...........it was a good car, very well equipped and different but a change in job and 25mpg meant i went.

I am now considering a used Q50 as a commuting car given how cheap they are in comparison to the normal German rivals.....

Gooly

965 posts

149 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
richs2891 said:
Interesting and a nice looking car- but 320 bhp from 3.7 V6 seems low to me and high VED rate would put me off.
On what planet does 86BHP per litre count as low output? Its the exact same specific output as BMW's much lauded N52B30 which puts out 254BHP...

James Junior

827 posts

158 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
I owned a 370Z that was great fun to drive, but also very uncivilised as a daily, so always been quite intrigued by these as an alternative.

Trouble is they are dull as ditch water to my eye and I always had to wonder who you would ever sell it to when it came to time to move on...

DaveCWK

2,000 posts

175 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
James Junior said:
Trouble is they are dull as ditch water to my eye and I always had to wonder who you would ever sell it to when it came to time to move on...
Yes I think that's the main problem - if you ever need to sell you'll likely end up having to part-ex it for a pittance.
I do like them though. I know they did it in a really nice shade of metallic blue in the US - was probably never specc'd over here.

dromong

689 posts

221 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Looks a bit reminiscent of a Hyundai Coupe to me.

gazmond

9 posts

120 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Still got mine, although it's the 4 door. Does like to drink petrol (I average 22mpg) I don't really mind the VED - an extra £250-£300 per year to drive something a little different isn't too bad. Didn't' realise there were so few registered as I see two other's fairly regularly plus I'm not far from a dealer so that probably helps.

Ownership so far has been great, not needed to do anything to it other than some consumables (tyres and brake pads) and oil and fuel in it over 4 years I've had it. Considering getting a Q when the time comes as well.

Nick Young

250 posts

251 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
These have a big following in the USofA. I ran one of these - the 2011 model (more or less identical to the one in the ad although I had the arguably more sellable automatic) for a couple of years. Mine was a pre-reg with 254 miles on the clock which I got for just about £25k, and sent it back to the finance company 2 years later because it was worth significantly less than I owed. Shame really, because I loved that car and it was one of a very small number of coupes that you could sit two comfortably in the back - much better in that regard than the Q60 which we now have.

I loved it and was very sad the day it went.

For anyone interested - yes the tax is on the expensive side. And certainly with mine, 30mpg was easily achievable - on a cruise down to Monaco we even managed close to 40mpg. Of course, we also managed single digits on occasion ;-)

Hairymonster

1,434 posts

106 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
For this sort of money that's a lot of coupe - I like the fact that it isn't one of the default German triumvirate; as well-engineered and designed these Beemers, Audis & Mercs are, they really are everywhere, so I'd consider one of these just to have something a bit different. Yes, it'll depreciate faster than a stallion with VD, but someone has already taken the lion's share of the financial hit.

Must say I love the look of the Lexus RC. Not sure I really want one with a hybrid/CVT powertrain though.

RemarkLima

2,379 posts

213 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Gooly said:
richs2891 said:
Interesting and a nice looking car- but 320 bhp from 3.7 V6 seems low to me and high VED rate would put me off.
On what planet does 86BHP per litre count as low output? Its the exact same specific output as BMW's much lauded N52B30 which puts out 254BHP...
And with a Porsche 997 1 more HP and 100cc less, 3.6 @ 321 BHP = 89.1 BHP per litre,

So yes, 86BHP per litre is pretty good! It's a shame that the Japanese metal doesn't seem to have got past the 80's reputation-wise over here, good reliability but not "expensive"!

loveice

649 posts

248 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
RemarkLima said:
And with a Porsche 997 1 more HP and 100cc less, 3.6 @ 321 BHP = 89.1 BHP per litre,

So yes, 86BHP per litre is pretty good! It's a shame that the Japanese metal doesn't seem to have got past the 80's reputation-wise over here, good reliability but not "expensive"!
For the same amount of HP, I know I would prefer an engine with bigger displacement.

And imo the shame is on the Europeans (inc. Brits). Everywhere else from the newer market like China and older market like US have accepted what the Japanese and Koreans are offering now.

Matt Bird

1,453 posts

206 months

PH Reportery Lad

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
gazmond said:
Still got mine, although it's the 4 door. Does like to drink petrol (I average 22mpg) I don't really mind the VED - an extra £250-£300 per year to drive something a little different isn't too bad. Didn't' realise there were so few registered as I see two other's fairly regularly plus I'm not far from a dealer so that probably helps.

Ownership so far has been great, not needed to do anything to it other than some consumables (tyres and brake pads) and oil and fuel in it over 4 years I've had it. Considering getting a Q when the time comes as well.
Good to hear somebody is enjoying one!

jimbo761

376 posts

83 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
I remember test driving one of these when they came out. Am certainly glad back then I went with an Audi in the end based on that depreciation ! They were only selling petrols at the time and it was pretty clear they weren't going to sell many of those into the fleet market..

Infiniti are definitely a lot of car for the money if you don't care about the badge. I know of someone who recently picked up a 3 month old Q50 3.5H Sport Tech with 10 miles on the clock for just under 40% below the list. Bargain!

carlpea

381 posts

140 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Slow auto box, and I mean dangerous slow, and interior full of rattles. No thanks!

richs2891

898 posts

254 months

Tuesday 3rd April 2018
quotequote all
Gooly said:
richs2891 said:
Interesting and a nice looking car- but 320 bhp from 3.7 V6 seems low to me and high VED rate would put me off.
On what planet does 86BHP per litre count as low output? Its the exact same specific output as BMW's much lauded N52B30 which puts out 254BHP...
Golf R (+ various VAG group cars using the same engine) 306 BHP from 2.0 litre = 153 BHP per litre
EP3 Civic type R 197 BHP from 2.0 litres = 98.5 bhp per litre
Ferrari 458 562 BHP from 4.5 Litres = 124 BHP per litre

And a diesel with more than 100 BHP per litre
BMW 125D 221 BHP from 2.0 litre engine = 110.5 BHP per litre

Edited by richs2891 on Tuesday 3rd April 19:00