2008 Infiniti G37: Friday Night Fun, Monday Morning Nightmare
On a Friday night during my week test-driving the Infiniti G37s coupe, I honestly thought about leaving the G in the driveway and taking my own car because I needed to carry more than one passenger; even though it’s a four-seater, the G37’s backseat isn’t exactly inviting. After a quick “is he gonna fit back there?” moment, we crammed one my buddies into the back because, honestly, would you want to leave a fresh G37 collecting dust in the driveway on a Friday night? I admit the 6-footer was a little crunched back there, but he didn’t think it was too uncomfortable for a 40-minute-each-way drive to a concert and back.
Really, even if it had been, rear-passenger comfort wasn’t exactly a high priority for me. First off, I didn’t have to sit back there, but more importantly the G37 is a 330-hp, rear-wheel drive sports coupe.
While its horsepower looked promising on paper, its acceleration didn’t feel strong unless I was swinging the tachometer near the redline. For me, one of the most intoxicating things about driving the G37 is the almost Ferrari-sounding exhaust that made all the right noise when shifting though the gears, which was a joy. The car also shined as far as handling, which is were I got the most kicks; the car simply stuck and felt flat around corners.
As fun as the car is to drive quickly, though, the combination of its awkward clutch pedal action at low speeds and an engine that felt short on torque made stop-and-go traffic unbearable. Even after driving the car for 400-plus miles, I couldn’t quite get the hang of driving it smoothly in traffic. I don’t have any objections to driving some manual transmission cars in traffic, but this one stood out as a nuisance more than usual.
It was a tough call choosing between listening to the exhaust or the Bose stereo — yes, I had to make that choice — and when the stereo won, an iPod hookup in the center armrest compartment was relatively easy to use.
The car’s multimedia system didn’t have navigation, and typically non-nav-equipped cars have lackluster stereo and multimedia interfaces compared to ones with nav. That is not the case in the G37, as the sound system’s generously sized display screen resembled a snazzy flash music player that I would use on a computer; it would have gained bonus points if the large screen had also been a touch-screen.
After my week with the car was up, I didn’t necessarily mind giving it back. Yeah, it was a blast to drive, but in all honesty it was a little too finicky when cruising around town to really enjoy. The moments where it really jumped out at me as “wow” were when I was able to mash the accelerator pedal and quickly shift gears. That all-out feeling is great for a little while, but it wore on me as the week went by. The multiple hours stuck in Chicago rush-hour traffic probably didn’t help leave a positive lasting impression, either.
This review is part of an ongoing series in which other voices from the Cars.com staff will share their experiences with new cars we’re given to test. Joe Bruzek edits Ask.cars.com, where he answers readers’ common — and not so common — questions about cars and the car-buying process. You can find our expert review of the 2008 Infiniti G37 here.
