I just bought my X this summer and feel good about it when the snow and ice comes this winter, but am curious to hear how it operates since it isn't a full time awd system? From what I gather it engages when the rear wheels detect slip/wheelspin....curious to hear some stories from those that have experienced it....

 

It's OK. I'd say about as good as a Camry in the snow. For an AWD car I'd say it's not that good. Take a Subaru or Audi and put the G37x next to either in the snow and it will get seriously outperformed in the snow and slush. Granted those two manufacturers make some of the best AWD systems. Anyhow I'm planning to park my G in the garage this winter to avoid ruining with the Northeast salt and also to avoid banging it up as the rear will kick out on you if you give it even moderate throttle in the snow.

 

It's AWD up for 12(I think) mph, then goes to rwd only until it detects slip in the rear. As the person above me said it definitely won't be able to keep up with Audi or Subaru in the deep stuff, but for getting off the line on those icy days it will be ok.

 

Personally, I love it. Grew up driving RWD cars with none of those fancy ABS or t/c systems. In the snow and i like the ability to steer the back end with the throttle a bit. I felt it did a remarkable job last winter despite less than ideal tires.

Basically, it will get you moving, but it won't make you magically know how to drive in the snow. If you've already got the latter part down, it's a lot of fun

 

I'm def used to driving in the snow and my last car was an Altima 3.5, so I'm assuming for sure it cant be any worse than that.....

 

Having owned both a subaru and an audi prior, as well as driving in buffalo's winters the past 16 years, I can tell you the G can not hold a candle to the awd systems in those cars. The G will keep you from spinning at a stop light but the subaru and audi will launch you from a stop in 3 feet of snow.

 

Agreed, my old subie was much better in the snow. I wonder where 4matic stands in comparison to the G.

 

I had the *** end come around on me last winter at less than 10 mph in maybe 2" of snow. I had decent all weather tires on, it should not have been been an issue. Not looking forward to another Kansas winter driving the G37x. My last car, a 12 year old front wheel drive Monte Carlo SS puts this x-drive to shame.

 

I find this post interesting. It seems there are several people expecting an All Season tire to perform well in snow. Not a dusting, but accumulated snow. Up to 2"?!? Time to do the responsible thing and put some winters on the vehicles you will drive in said snow. Otherwise, telecommute on those days snow will be on the roads. Problem solved.

The Monte Carlo, or any other fwd, is not a great comparison to the AWD G. If you were speaking only braking performance with the same tires, then the comparison is fair. Otherwise, majority of vehicle weight over driving wheels? I feel that is apples and oranges. We also don't know the other specifics: tire size, brand, model, etc.

I feel the misconception is similar to the mentality of many 4WD truck and AWD SUV owners. You are not impervious to losing traction solely because you have two more wheels propelling you over hills and down dales. From my time in the Pacific NW and Northeast, informed driver choices (not excluding proper shoes for your ride) are the best way to approach true winter driving.

 

This is concerning for me as I just moved to Cleveland Ohio and I am not used to driving in snow. The reason i am looking at this car is due to the awd system as I sold my rwd car since I now live in a snow climate.

I get Subaru and Audi will out perform this system in snow, but for me, I am not looking for performance in snow but I am looking for safety. Will this system help me get from point A to point B safely with spinouts, getting stuck, and things like that?

 

Spinouts will be because of your tires, not whether a car has AWD. Get good winter tires and drive reasonably and you'll have no issues, that goes for rwd, fwd or awd. All awd will help with is getting going and avoiding getting stuck. It won't help you turn, brake or anything other than accelerating really. I live in Alberta and spent the last couple winters with rwd cars with good winters and have only been stuck a couple times, and all of those times were in 5+ inches of snow where the snow is half way up my bumper.

 

A point not yet made is the engineering behind the G37X ATTESA AWD system. Infiniti designed it for sportiness and is essentially RWD until the wheel speed sensors detect some slip. The Infiniti system than automatically switches towards an AWD bias (unless the driver pushes snow mode). That's why some of you get a little oversteer when you take off on a slippery surface. But the G rapidly stabilizes rapidly as the AWD kicks in and apportions power to each wheel as needed.

I live in Colorado, so we get plenty of snow here. Our G37xS uses all-season tires and does an excellent job during the winter. It's much more entertaining to drive than the Subis and Audis that use full time AWD. But if snow scares you and you want more security, just push the snow button and it'll have AWD on all the time.

 

Ah, and stopping is another matter completely. AWD or not, it's the coefficient of friction of the tires that make all the difference in braking distances. Get snow tires in snowy conditions and you'll have the best chance of stopping in icy or slippery conditions.

 

Is anyone aware of a way to lock the car into awd on a 2013 G37X sedan? I've done some searching and haven't seen much about it

 

I think hitting the "snow" button has it in AWD under 25mph. I live on the side of a mountain. My fitbit gives me 11 floors for walking my driveway. The G does decently, with good AWD tires. It's good at transferring power to a slipping wheel, but when all wheels are slipping, nothing happens. I'm going to get some snow tires this year.