da mayor

iTrader: (2)

why complain about your Infiniti which you bought b/c of all the toys and bells/whistles compared with the other cars in it's price range. thats the point Infiniti always made-- for a price point you get a big value out of it.

the wheels grew on me but it's not going to satisfy everyone's needs--- and they know people will go aftermarket anyways if you don't like a wheel

js3350z

I agree, the CTS-V is by far one of the best sedans, however it is 20 grand more then the G, I compared the G8 gxp because it is similar price

ozzypriest

iTrader: (2)

boomerbob - yes, you're right - it'd probably be another 6k or so for the bi turbo deal. However, some changes on the engine internals could probably get us up to the torque level of the turbo engines - I mean, the Porsche flat six gets tons of NA torque and HP, so I believe it's doable for infiniti - I just think they went in the wrong direction with the VQ37 - my point was I think most buyers would be happier with more low-end than top end.

da mayor - I was complaining about the performance rather than bells and whistles. I really could give a rats bum about the tech nav stuff - all I need is a great chassis, a great engine, an iPhone and a good stereo. I just think that the G37 is a little weak in the performance category, and needs to step up its game a notch - I think infiniti could totally kick the 335 (and others) butts with a torque and HP upgrade, a different transmission tune, and sportier throttle response. IMO, the G has great available goodies and lux, if you want to pay for it. It's a pretty tricked out car in when optioned out. and 2010 models are stepping up even that game.

and FTR, the G8 GT and the GXP are fantastic driver's cars - way , way more than a great engine on wheels. They just suffered from build quality, and the General's various cost cutting measures.

And I'd love a cts-v or an isf, they just cost too much money. Actually, I've love an AMG c63 more than all of those.

Alex57r

Kenny, we are not complaining, we are bitching... LOL

da mayor

iTrader: (2)

yes, I do it all day long and hear it all day long. Why do you think I'm losing my hair!

G37-6MT

My brother has a G8 GT and it weights nearly 4000lbs. It a has a sweet motor trapped inside a two tons of metal. Pontiac made that car 200lbs too heavy and a foot too long. My brother loves his car, but agrees it's too big and heavy.

My last two cars were V8 Mustang GT so I knew I'd miss the low end torque. The G is plenty fast if you wind out the gears, but yes, low end torque is weak. I do think it helps to mate the VQ motor to a manual trans. I wouldn't purchase this car without a manual trans. To be honest, I miss the sound of my Mustang's more than anything. They just sound so good with even a mild aftermarket exhaust. There's nothing I can do to my G to make it sound as good as my mustangs.

The sport package helps the G look aggressive. The brakes alone look serious and feel great. The LSD and summer tires add to the appeal. I wouldn't purchase the G without the RWD sport package either. The only thing missing on the sport package to me is a slightly lower ride height. That would do wonders for the aggressive look.

Coming from two Mustangs, the G is everything I had hoped for. It's a not as raw as a Mustang GT, but still has some sport appeal while providing luxury. That's what I was looking for and it's very affordable for me.

classy37

Definitely agreed. Forgot about that one. Awesome looking car, but that's where it ends, as you've mentioned.

Sounds like coupe owners definitely outnumber us sedan owners on this forum. Regardless, I will say that I had absolutely free will in choosing between the coupe and sedan (no kids, no regular backseat passengers, indifferent about the difference in insurance premium, etc...) so practicality/utility is not what made me get the 4 door. I prefer the look of the sedan over the coupe; was not even a contest.

dbg37

Thoughts...

Low end torque is fair but not outstanding, however pumping a lot of torque out of an engine consumes more fuel and / or it means that it is more like a truck motor and won't turn rpm.
Nissan knows that Honda enjoyed a MPG benefit from having motors with lower torque values but turned higher rpm to produce power. It was a negative aspect when comparing the 2 brands.
Nissan has always enjoyed a torque advantage by comparison, so it seems they tried to balance one against the other.

Auto transmission cars actually have the advantage here. Typically autos have much lower initial gear sets and the stall speed of the torque converter that will be beneficial when the vehicle has less low end torque. Plus launching a car that shifts must faster thru the gears means improved rate of acceleration. Thats why autos are used so widely in drag racing.
They may not be as much fun, but they are faster.
The biggest downside is the increased weight factor between the auto and a manual. But the heavier auto actually brings the CoG of the car further back from the firewall.

As far as the looks of the sedan, I like it. The lines are clean without being concocted. The only funkiness seems to be the light bezels, but nearly all cars seem to be doing strange things in that department.

G37-6MT

Let's not forget that a manual trans. has less parasitic loss to the wheels. The 7AT and 6MT may have the same flywheel numbers, but I'll bet the real world dyno results are not equal. I don't want to turn this into a debate, but this is nearly always the case. Another thing late model auto transmissions have is programmed torque management from the car's computer. I hate torque management. The engineers do this to extend the life of the transmission. It also makes for smooth shifts. Blah, blah, blah - I say let me shift me own gears and I'll decide when to shift and how hard to shift on my sports sedan.

Mike P

iTrader: (1)

Don't we ever get tired of dreaming?

You clearly bought a car that you liked or should not have bought it. I am not saying that there is nothing to improve on this car, of course there is. Comparing this car to something $20K more is absurd. You can get a lot of mods for the $20K. Why don't we just say, "I like Ferrari." Yeah but we saved $200K on the Infiniti. Comparing this car to a a 335i is not correct. This car should be compared to the 328i, NA to NA. When you do that, it blows it away. You cannot compare an NA to an FI. Yeah we try, but they are different. FI's have advantages that the NA's don't just because it's an NI. Yeah a squirel is fast, but a cheatah is faster. Sure more can and will be done for this car, but remember this car is very stylish and reliable and can be modded to your heart's content. That's more than enough for me. I also do not concern myself with what could have been, I deal with what is right in front of me and that is my glorious G's.

This all seems like another personal opinion and bitch thread and there is at least 100 of them here. Later.

Alex57r

I got news for you, manual cars have torque management too. Even mustangs had an electronic timing retard during manual shifts starting back in 1994-5. Mazdaspeed 3 limits power to like 70% in the first 2-3 gears. I do not know for a fact if our Gs have this, but i would not be surprised to lean that they do.

Mike, even if I could afford a Ferrari, I would sill bitch about torque... LOL

madmax2k1

This is what discussion forums are for, talking about pros and cons of a car relative to the competition. There is nothing wrong with talking about cons of a car since no car is perfect. If you only see positives with your G, then you are just a fan-boy and can't see things in an objective manner.

Let me assure you that most people cross shop the 335i and the G37 since they have similar performance and handling dynamics. The 328i is just for poseurs who want the BMW badge.

When I started car shopping, my number one choice was the 335i, but I ended up picking the G37. If I had to do it all over again, I will still pick the G37.

ozzypriest

iTrader: (2)

I'll have to say, top end is a nice advantage to this car. I took it out on the freeway tonight (they are deserted around here after 10) and WOT'd at 110, and it pulled really well up to 130 or so, which is when I shut it down. Did that a couple of time. The car handles so well, and is so stable at those speeds, it was much more impressive than my G8's big torquey engine, which began to peak out at that point (and handling, which was floaty at 130)- the G37 had more oomph at those speeds, for sure. It's also speed limited at 15 to 20 mphs faster than the G8, and I can tell why.

G37-6MT

That's not news to me. My last two cars were manual trans. Mustang GT's. The torque management was only present during normal driving to produce smooth shifts. At WOT, there is no torque management on the Mustang or the 6MT G37. The manual transmissions are rated for a specific level of torque.

The 7AT pulls timing on even on WOT shifts. It's most noticeable on the 1-2 shift. Not sure if you test drove the 6MT, but there is a noticeable difference on the 1-2 upshift at WOT. The 7AT will sometimes chirp the tires on the 1-2 shift, but the 6MT will provide much more aggressive tire spin on the 1-2 shift.

Both cars share the same motor, tires and weigh nearly the same, so the only difference is torque management. In fact, the 7AT has more aggressive gearing so in theory, it should produce a more aggressive 1-2 shift, but it doesn't because of torque management.

My brother's G8 GT has riduculous torque management built in the software. 360 hp and the car won't even chirp the tires on the 1-2 shift. That's lame.

Alex57r

What you are saying makes sense in theory, but I DID test drive a 6MT coupe, and there is no way that 1-2 shift was any harder than the 7AT. NO WAY. I mean of course you can just power shift or dump the clutch on purpose, well obviosly that will make it chirp harder, but just a propper 1-2 shift on the coupe you can forget about leaving smokey tire tracks. Granted the coupe is heavier and I have not driven an 09 6MT sedan, but can that extra 100lbs really make that much of a difference? You tell me.

I think all modern cars have some sort of torque management , but in the end who cares? The 7AT shifts hard enough for me and is for all intends and purposes just as quick as the 6MT. In fact there are lots of people complaining that the 7AT shifts TOO hard.

I do love to drive manual (most of my cars were manual transmissions cars), but for me the G37 in stick was a dissapointment. Performance wise it doews not offer the kind of edge over the automatic, for which I would be willing to fight NY traffic with it. In an auto, I use the paddle which are the most responsive of any auto I have ever driven (once you turn vdc off that is) and when I hit traffic I just lay back and relax. To each his own I guess.

All this made me remember how my mildly modified 88 mustang GT convertible with 4:10 gears would get all sideways on a 2-3 shift... LOL

Also I agree with Max. Who cross shops a G37 and a 328?