Infiniti traded trunk and rear seat space for a convertible with the sleek look of the G37 Coupe.
As I set out on a beautiful, early Spring morning for the winding open roads north of Los Angeles, my mind turns back to the frigid cold morning, just a wee bit more than 20 years before, when Nissan formally pulled the wraps off its new luxury brand, Infiniti.
The event overlapped the similar announcement, at the 1989 Detroit Auto Show by Toyota, which used the well-attended show to introduce its own luxury marque, Lexus. The similarities continued from there. Both brands would come to market with a pair of new products: a small and reasonably affordable “entry-luxury” sedan, and a high-line saloon car aimed directly at the European makers, such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz that had long dominated the upscale automotive market.
But those nearly identical debuts soon diverged, Lexus quickly becoming one of the most powerful players in the luxury market — indeed, it has been the segment’s best-seller, here in the U.S. for most of the decade – while Infiniti all but vanished from popular perception. Indeed, in the late 1990s when parent Nissan was struggling for its very survival, it gave serious consideration to killing off the moribund brand.
CEO Carlos Ghosn ultimately relented, and his renewed focus on product has slowly begun to pay off. Though Infiniti remains an also-ran in the luxury segment, it’s slowly — belatedly — gaining traction. It’s in the midst of a global product roll-out, one that gained significant notoriety during the recent Geneva Motor Show, thanks to the unveiling of the Essence concept car, judged by many in the media to be the Swiss show’s most striking introduction.
Despite an extra 450 pounds, the 2010 Infiniti G37 convertible is still surprisingly quick and nimble.
The U.S. remains Infiniti’s spiritual and potential profit center, however, and there are signs of progress here, notably in the form of the three G-series models. The revised sedan version, introduced a couple years back, was a modest but not breakthrough upgrade. The sleeker, more intriguing G37 Coupe, however, has earned plenty of praise and a goodly number of new buyers.
Now comes the third offering to wear the G badge, the G37 Convertible. Let’s start out by saying we were happy to be celebrating Infiniti’s 20th anniversary going top-down in Los Angeles than we would have been back home, in Detroit where frost and threats of snow still exist.
With the launch of its new al fresco edition, Infiniti is the latest automaker to enter the ongoing battle over the trendy new hardtop convertible versus more conventional ragtops. A number of makers have been opting for the former approach, including BMW, with its 3-Series convertible, and Mercedes, with its SL roadster. Audi, with the new A5 Convertible, has opted for the traditional soft-top. (Some makers, including both BMW and Mercedes, are using both approaches, as fits the model.)
While there are certainly advantages to the hardtop, notably in terms of comfort and convenience and all-weather ease, the necessary metal origami is not only complex but costly and heavy. It also eats up a lot of space. The stacked roof elements of the BMW 3 with the hardtop require changes to the basic body of the coupe version — a compromise Infiniti designers say they weren’t willing to embrace.
So, the maker came up with a new, “clamshell” approach to folding up all that metal. You need a slow motion replay to figure out all the fancy-dancy moves made during its 30-second activation. But once you do, you realize it’s a masterful job of packaging. And, from a design point, Infiniti designers have gotten away with maintaining the elegant lines of the G37 Coupe. Had they adopted the stacked roof strategy, the tail would’ve been stretched four inches, while the decklid would’ve been raised notably.
There is still a trade-off in terms of trunk space. It’s acceptable, at least with the top up. Lower the roof and you’ll fit your briefcase — if you aren’t taking too much paperwork home for the evening. But, let’s face it, that’s what the back seat of most convertibles are for. Sure, you can fit in a couple of friends, but not for long and not if you intend to remain on speaking terms, considering there’s a painful five inches less legroom than the already-cramped BMW 3 ragtop.
The 13-speaker Open-Air Audio system compensates for wind noise and road speed.
As the roof retracts, we feel the warm LA sunshine spread over our winter-whitened faces. Shifting into gear, we head north on the 101 freeway, and after suffering through the obligatory Los Angeles traffic snarls, we reach Mulholland Drive and pull off for a little more driving fun — and the real test for a convertible.
The G37 Coupe has received plenty of much-deserved kudos for its grace and agility. Slicing the top off of any car risks ruining its structural integrity, and while its possible to make some of that up with various reinforcements, you run the chance of knocking things out of balance, especially when you add all that mass from the foldaway roof high above the center of gravity. In all, Infiniti engineers have inflated the G37 Coupe’s base weight by a full 450 pounds.
Yet it doesn’t take long to discover that it has somehow all come together, at least in currently acceptable and known design practices. The drop-top’s 325-horsepower 3.7-liter, DOHC V-6 moves the metal at around 5.5 seconds from 0 to 60 — a couple tenths off the Coupe’s numbers. More important is the way it pirouettes through the corners. No, it’s not quite a BMW 3 convertible, but handling is solid and predictable, even if there is a tendency towards understeering.
Over the course of a long day’s driving, we got our hands on most of the permutations of the G37 Convertible, including both the 7-speed automatic and 6-speed manual transmission. The 6-speed is a responsive and reasonably short-throw gearbox that is certain to appeal to serious performance fans. But Infiniti has no reason to apologize for the 7-speed automatic, which features a surprisingly quick-to-respond “manumatic” shift mode. It also delivers an extra mile per gallon in EPA City and Highway driving cycles, 17/25 compared to the stick’s 16/24.
Frankly, and though we know this might cause some to question our reviewer bona fides, we’d likely opt for the 7-speed were we living in a city like Los Angeles. Man-handling a shift during the day-long jam-ups still laughingly called “rush hour” is simply more than we’re willing to bear. And the trade-off, with the Infiniti package, is marginal, at worst.
There is one trade-off that disappoints us with the introduction of the G37 Convertible. The need to go with a revised floorpan has forced Infiniti to abandon the all-wheel-drive package still available on the Coupe. But stay tuned. There’ll be another update to the entire G line-up in relatively short order, and we’re hearing hints that AWD will reappear across the line.
One recommendation we’d make to the serious sporting fan: consider ticking the box for the sport pack that, among other things, will reward you with magnesium paddle shifters on the steering wheel.
Infiniti engineers have come up with several nice touches to cope with the downside of open air motoring. The climate control system is designed to respond, automatically, to three critical factors: the position of the top, the ambient temperature and the car’s speed. On a hot day, that would deliver you an added blast of cool air; on a cold evening, you’ll get more heat. That should make it easier to expand convertible season significantly, depending on where you live.
Meanwhile, if you order the Premium package, its 13-speaker Bose “Open-Air Audio System” uses headrest-mounted speakers and noise-compensating software to give you a surprisingly consistent audio experience, whether the top is up or down, and whatever your speed.
While we’re still waiting for final numbers, expect to spend around $46,000 for the price of entry into the new G37 Convertible, when arrives in dealer showrooms in June. The base car is well-equipped, but we’d expect most buyers will lay out around $50,000 when they add up the various options.
Is it worth it? After spending time behind the wheel, we find Infiniti’s first convertible in quite some time was worth the wait — as long as you’re willing to accept the trade-offs in passenger and cargo space. In terms of performance and styling, the trade-offs are surprisingly minimal. It’s taken a long time for Infiniti to establish its credibility. The latest G series is finally doing the job. And the G37 Convertible may be the most credible offering yet.