It's not a go-kart, but I'd call it tossable:

http://www.motortrend.com/av/roadtes...son/index.html

 

lol the infamous video, part 2 of the one you posted JonnyOzero:

http://www.motortrend.com/av/roadtes...t_2/index.html

LOL @ 1:07 to go in the video...

 

Limp mode

BTW, that's the Vid I was talking about. You can toss the G if you are up for the task.

 

I love the way my G37S handles and I came from a FWD (97 Maxima) which I was reasonably happy with. The G37 is a little on the heavy side, but my experience is all new cars are heavy due to safety regulations. I bet the new 2009 Acura TL will be heavier then the old model as well.

I suggest skipping the moonroof as I did. I adds over 100 pounds of weight on the top of the car, which is the worst place for handling dynamics and it subtracts over 1" headroom. 100 pounds isnt all that much weight but the location of it makes a big difference. The road tests will show the versions without the sunroof get better acceration and handle better (marginally0

 

I dont plan on racing my car so I will take the 100lbs and the sunroof. This is a fun car to drive with the sunroof down.

I know the safety features made this car into a bit of a hog but it handles as well as any car for the weight it is.

I hope Infinti keeps the 330 hp and works on getting the car down by 500 or more lbs. That would make the car faster than the 335i and make very good handling great, The problem is it it might cost more to make the car lighter.

Infiniti has all the HP they need IMO so just work on getting the car on a good diet and it will be an amazing car. I know there is a possibility of a twin turbo 500 + hp G37 but I would prefer keeping it n/a and and lose weight. The twin turbo would just about have to be AWD,

Dean


Dean

 

The Motortrend video is fantastic, and it sounds like the driver was impressed with the G, as well. (Doubt I'll be driving it like that on my test run. LOL) Only real knock I heard from the driver was that a little more torque would be nice, but we enthusiasts can probably say that for most any car.

I'd love to keep my TL-S plus add a weekend car (like the S2000 or a Z). Ideally, I think that would be the best answer. However, I'll probably stick to just one car. So, given this, the G may be a perfect fit for me. I'll give it another run soon. As September approaches, I'm getting more and more eager to drive one of the new 09's.

I sincerely appreciate all the great insights. Great forum!

 

I agree it could use a little more torque but it depends on where the torque is. A lot of cars are loaded with low end torque but then dont have it at higher RPMs.

The VVEL allows the cams to be optimized which means you have torque from about anywhere.

I would like to see the car have maximum torque around 5k and above personally. In fact, I would almost rather have a VTEC style where it uses a separate cam shaft above a certain RPM range designed for higher speed.

However, Infiniti did do a good job overall and just shedding weight would improve this car drasticallly and it is NOT slow now.

Dean

 

Th G is more of a momentum car and is wicked fast if driven that way, as shown in that Vid. Once again, I think the setup on the "S" is pretty damn good right out of the box and unless you are taking it to the track it is a real street steam-roller.

 

Speak for yourself, mine is mechanically plump.

 

Is there no end to politcal correctness?

 

For those who say the G is not tossable at all I say that there is a difference between handling feel and actual handling. Many cars that feel light aren't light on it's feet and visa versa. The G doesn't feel light but you can toss it fairly well especially if you know how to throttle steer effectively. The revs have to be right though. Even swiftly reversing direction is highly achievable after the initial toss but it takes a little more effort and work than say an S2K or roadster. The Z is more tossable because of its shorter wheelbase. The G37 is however on quite a short leash compared to the G35 coupe. In this car that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

i think anyone of us who made the comment about the G not feeling light said it wasnt tossable. It is. The OP said he wanted a car that feels light. The G does not feel light to most of us especially those who have owned true sports cars as opposed to sports coupes.

There car has exceptional handling especially the G37S version. Yes it is tossable bit not it is not going to feel light to anyone who has driven light cars would 50/50 (or near) weight distrubution. I dont think anyone said it is a bad thing. I am just not trying to make the car out to be something it isnt.

The bottom line is the Op needs to see if he can get the car for a day and test drive it. Infintii offered for me to take the car for a couple of days to test drive it because it is no fun driving with the dealer in the car.

Dean

 

When i test drove it, the sales guy told me to open it up!!! We hit the back roads and just hit it hard! The sales guy did it first to show me what it has then we switched and i opened it up on the turns, curves, etc. The handling was unreal. It feels solid (saying it's heavy doesn't do it justice) and it's suppose to feel that way. It's a sports luxury coupe, not a small Acura Integra.

Price-to-performance, you can't beat the G. Get the same options on a BMW 3 and you'll pay 10K more for it with a butt-a$$ ugly interior.

 

Slight correction: 2003 is the last S2000 year before the motor was stroked and the rpm's dropped....I know because I owned one

 

Tossable??? Mini Cooper S. I test drove one of those and it was a lot of fun.