Review: 2013 Infiniti G37 Coupe is the Mongoose of Luxury Sport Coupes

2013 Infiniti G37x Sport Coupe

The Infiniti G37 coupe has been around since the 2008 model year, yet it retains its appeal as a luxurious and capable sports coupe.  How does the 2013 Infiniti G37 coupe maintain its competitive edge?  Lets look at the the details and find out.

This test coupe is the G37x S model.  What does this combination of letters and numbers mean?  The ‘G’ stands for the G-series of Infiniti coupes and sedans.  The ’37′ refers to the displacement of the 3.7 liter VQ series V6 motor.  The ‘x’ stands for Infiniti’s Intelligent All Wheel Drive system with Snow mode.  And finally, the ‘S’ stands for the additional Sport package that came with this car.  Whatever happened to naming cars with actual names?  I would name this car – the “Mongoose X”.  More on this later.

The exterior of the 2013 model is virtually unchanged from the previous year, but it’s not a bad thing.  The design is eye-catching and the car still looks like it’s something special.  I like all the elements of the exterior design, except for the rear.  The tall rear bumper and the shape of the tail lights does not seem to flow very well with the rest of the car.  However, I think the G-coupe has one of the best looking profiles and front ends in the business.

The interior of the 2013 G37x coupe feels very comfortable and familiar as it harkens back to the original 2003 G35 coupe and shares much the same character.  The interior is snug and luxurious with excellent fit and finish.  It took me some time to get into a comfortable driving position, because my head was touching the headliner of my test car, which had an optional moonroof.  I am a little over 6 foot 2.  Fortunately, the driver seat and steering wheel had enough adjustment freedom to where I could move both almost all the way back and get comfortable.  The gauge cluster moves up and down along with the steering wheel (ala Nissan Z) and is a cool touch.

Once in my driving position, with the seat almost all the way back, there was basically zero legroom for the rear passenger behind me.  I could not even get my four year old daughter back there.  If you must carry 2 rear passengers – the only thing left to do is to move the seat forward and start hitting the ceiling with my head. The G-coupe does have one of the smallest rear seats in the segment, which practically makes it a 2+2.  By the way, the competitors are not much better.

The trunk of this coupe is also one of the smallest.  The opening is not very big and the trunk is shallow.  Total trunk volume is only 7.4 cu-ft.  But does it really matter?  Are you really buying this performance coupe for its utility?

The heart of this beast is the tried and true 3.7 liter V6 that you can find in many other Infiniti and Nissan products.  In this application it produces 330 hp and 270 ft-lbs of torque.  In this case, it’s backed by a 7-speed automatic transmission with magnesium paddle shifters, and one of the nicest sounding exhaust systems in its segment.  The shift paddles are nice, large, and easy to grab.  However, I found that it’s best to leave the gear selector in “DS” sport mode and let it up and down shift on its own.  The paddles are still fun to use but have a slight delay.

I found myself looking for every opportunity to rev the engine to its high 7,500 rpm redline.  I also left the moonroof cracked open to better hear the exhaust note.  This motor has a nice V6 burble at idle and very nice sound near the redline (not so much in the mid range).  The exhaust system gives the car the sporty character.

Riding on 19s and check out the large Sport Package brake calipers!

As good as the engine sound is, it’s not what stood out the most about this Infiniti.  The G37x S has an uncanny, mongoose like, ability to change direction.  That’s right, I can only compare this car’s handling ability with the lightning fast reflexes of a Mongoose.  This is why I would name this car, the “Infiniti Mongoose X”.  The ‘X’ (of course) is for AWD.

The steering feels direct and very quick.  The ride on this car is a nice balance between hard and soft.  It does not beat you up, but also provides very good feedback about the road surface.  The all wheel drive system provides great grip.  And the upgraded optional brakes can haul the car to a stop with eye-popping force.  I found myself going plenty fast in the twisties.  If I have any complaints about the handling, then I would like the car to be more flat through corners.  I found this coupe does lean a little in fast corners and this takes away some of the confidence.

Of course, this segment is not without very tough competition.  The brunt of the competition comes from Germany.  The new BMW 4-series coupe is just around the corner.   Home market rivals: Acura and Lexus do not have any answer to the G37 coupe.

After a half week behind the wheel, I averaged 20.4 MPG after mixed city and highway driving.  As I already mentioned, this car begs to be revved.  This average is not bad considering that it is a relatively large V6, and that I was enjoying fast launches whenever I could.

On the TFLcar scale of:

• Buy it!
• Lease it!
• Rent it!
• … or Forget it!

I give this test car a Lease It!  The sticker price on my test car was $51,245.  This included: technology, premium, sport, and navigation packages.  This is basically all the options you can put on this car without stepping up to the IPL performance model.  This coupe may not be perfect, but it’s engaging, fun, and stylish.  For a Buy It rating, I would recommend stepping up to the IPL G Coupe with a 6-speed manual transmission.  The IPL coupe gives you a little more power, further tuned suspension, and it starts at a comparable $50,500.

Please enjoy this TFLcar 0-60 MPH mashup between this Infiniti, Audi S5, and Volvo S60.

Andre Smirnov

Andre Smirnov is a life-long automotive enthusiast, writer, and software engineer. On the weekends – you may find him at a car show, an auction, watching a race, or tinkering with a car in the garage. When not working or spending time with the family – he often scours the internet and other media for various automotive, mechanical, and computer related information.