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Infiniti G37 looks great, but its weight (and cost) add up
12:00 AM CDT on Saturday, July 4, 2009
We would arrive in Austin at twilight, dappled by faint starlight and a tequila sunset.
Once there, we'd tool topless down Congress Avenue, living large in Funky Town.
Maybe we'd even slide the Detroit Cobras into the car's juke box just to rattle old hippies on the sidewalk.
At least, that was my plan for the 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible I had recently. My new wife, Janet, and I were driving the Infiniti to Austin for a honeymoon of sorts – and let's be honest here: How much celebrating do you need when you've just married Mark Martin's older, grumpier, poorer brother? (Line up those shots deep, barkeep.)
My rakish intentions with the car lasted all of 41 minutes – or roughly the time it took to traverse downtown Dallas and Oak Cliff on overwhelmed Stemmons Freeway, our own ugly Baghdad Highway.
First it drizzled. Then every battered 18-wheeler in North Texas with bald tires and a sun-bleached trailer encircled the Infiniti as we inched along I-35. They seemed to be interspersed with ancient, smoking Plymouth Neons that were either spraying for mosquitoes or on fire.
For some reason, middle-aged women – even free-spirited ones – don't much care for a rich mix of heat, humidity, fumes, wind, occasional rain and the odd lightning bolt or two.
But maybe that's what is really significant about the new G37 convertible, which features a stylish retractable hardtop. Convertibles are fantasy cars most people struggle to live with – sort of like that exotic dancer your loosey-goosey brother married in the '90s.
You start out figuring, "Hey, I'll run with the top down every day from March to November," and you end up sitting beneath a flopping, flapping piece of canvas 360 days of the year, dodging Texas' wide array of elements.
Thanks to my silver G37 and its retractable hardtop, I figured I could have it all – sort of. If the weather or environment around me was uninviting, I could keep the top up and drive in silence, with virtually all of the structural integrity of a coupe.
If we got one of North Texas' five fabulous days, I could push one button and the top would disappear in 30 seconds, folding itself into three sections and stacking itself in the trunk.
But like most things in life – especially those involving fast cars, fun women or anything governmental – prices must be paid.
Let's relish the good stuff first. As you know, the G37 is one of the best near-luxury sedans on the market and a truly worthy competitor to the vaunted 3-series BMW.
Powered by a potent 3.7-liter V-6 that cranks out 330 horsepower, the rear-wheel-drive G37 can click off low five-second 0-60 runs and sprint with most 3-series BMWs on a track.
Plus, some people think that the G37 coupe looks better than a Bimmer.
As you might have guessed, though, there's a "but" in all of this – and I'm not referring to old Beavis here. While retractable-hardtop convertibles are a decent compromise between a coupe and a convertible, they are as heavy and at least as expensive as convertibles.
My early-production G37 convertible weighed in at more than 4,100 pounds, which is about 400 pounds heavier than a coupe with a six-speed manual.
In addition, it cost an estimated $50,000 – a $10,000 premium over a well-equipped coupe despite its being slower and not handling quite as well.
But as we know in Dallas – where style is king – the price goes up when the top goes down.
My convertible was equipped with 18-inch wheels and average 225/50 tires up front and 245/45s in the rear. And because of some changes in the exhaust system, the V-6 loses five horsepower in the drop-top, falling to 325.
Still, it was pretty close to gorgeous topless – which is a heck of a lot more than most of us can claim.
Mine had light-gray interior, which looked rich, well-stitched and right with the top up or down. I also liked the aluminum trim on the center stack and a matching aluminum strip on the door panels above a padded gray insert.
With two tons of weight, a six-speed automatic and less horsepower than in the coupe, the G37 was no hot rod. Nonetheless, it was commendably quick, managing a 5.5-second zero-to-60 run in a couple of publications and economy of 17 miles per gallon city, 25 highway.
It's also blessed with decent steering, fine brakes and a good, firm ride.
But the weight is evident in every move the car makes. The car's sweet engine – which still sounds great, especially with the top down – seems to strain some in the lower gears, giving it a slightly coarse feel.
In hard corners, it is slower to turn in and lumbers a little – but still twirls pretty good for a fat guy. The coupe can slide gracefully through a 40-mph curve like one of those yo-yos on Dancing With the Bores. The convertible squirms and stumbles a bit but rounds corners better than most.
If style is more important to you than performance, this is a cruiser you can use – a car that should be right at home in Dallas. Just don't take it lightly.
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