Some recent threads got me looking at the 2012 M37 instead of the G37, and since I'm putting off my buying decision until fall, also considering some other cars as well (and have upped my price range).

First, are there any active (as in many posts per day) M37/M56 forums? The one here doesn't get much activity.

While I still think the G37 is a better value, the M37 has grown on me and I like both the exterior and interior better.

Did any of you seriously compare the two, or have any comments about the M37 compared to the G37 you'd care to offer?

I'd like to have a list of things to look for when I go in to drive both on the same day.

PS the G37 options I would get (if I end up getting the G37) are sport, premium, and nav.

 

I like the M, I've heard that it also exhibits the same tranny quirks as our 7sp Gs though. The interior is most definitely the place where the M really outshines the G. If interior luxury, interior room, and a much quieter drive is more important than the sportier and more responsive nature of the G, than I'd surely vote for the M. I haven't heard that the Ms paint is as pathetic as our Gs, so if the paint is of better quality that would also be a nice tilt in the Ms favor

 

Yeah I prefer the M37 interior over the G37 interior. The M has lots of double stitched leather on the dash, console, doors, etc. The G37 uses too much plastic in my opinion. The ride in the M37 is also quieter. It uses that active sound control thing to listen for road noise, then uses the speakers to send out frequencies to drown out the road noise. I also prefer the bigger navi screen in the M37 compared to the G.

 

i think the new M37 looks amazing. you cant go wrong with either.

 

performance is g luxury is m

 

The difference in exterior looks is fairly subtle in photos, but stands out more when you see them in person since the size is also different. The M is a bit more "sculpted" I guess is the word. The different C-pillar also makes a notable visual difference.

Both cars with sport package:

 

M wheels are 10x nicer than the current buttugly G stockers, even the G37S sedan wheels are horrendous IMO, only the G37 coupe wheels look worthy on these cars.

 

The M37 looks great with the sport package, its interior is incredible as well; if you value luxury over sportiness go for the M.

 

I like the M if its an S. The non-S looks too.....stodgy to me.

I came from an 01 i30 and the M interior/features seem to be more in line with my old car than my G is, but the performance/sportiness of the G is what the i30 was missing.

If I have to do it over again (and I may in a few years, since I want to dump our tranny eating Acura), I might be picking up an M. Not sure if my wife will get the G or the M, but thats a fight for a different day.

 

if i had the money i would go for the M,

 

I think the frontal view of the G is better, the mass of the M fenders puts me off a bit. But the M interior is what the G should have been. IMO the G console design is a mess. Cupholders that are too small and storage bin that holds little. Seat heater control should be moved to door armrest to free up room.

 

Thanks for the comments so far. Several people mentioned that the performance / sportiness / responsiveness aspect of the M is inferior to the G.

If you could elaborate on that in more tangible terms, that would be helpful. When I do my same-day test drive of them, what driving conditions would the differences be most apparent?

Is this something I can do on a test drive, or is it something that takes pretty extreme road-race-like conditions to appreciate?


As an aside...
Just based on published test numbers, they both reach 0-60 in five-point-something, 60-0 braking both excellent around 115 feet, quarter mile the M is a few tenths slower, skidpad the M is a few hundredths of a g lower, and for slalom, the M with sport package is a tad quicker than the G, or a tad slower without the sport package.

Since winning road or drag races isn't high on my list of requirements, the differences in the numbers seem incremental and I'm not sure I'd notice (but I'm open to hearing opinions on that). They both beat most of the coveted late-60's early-70's muscle cars in every category, so in that respect the M37 still qualifies as a solid performance car.

Is it correct that most of the differences with the G can probably be explained by the weight difference, or is there something very different in the (frame/suspension) design?

 

Yeah, the M is just screaming to have the wheel wells filled with bigger wheels and tires. The base M wheels makes the car look cheap.

I'm not sure what Infiniti is thinking on the base wheels on all its cars. The base wheels for the G is quite possibly the worst wheels I've seen on any car for quite a long time.

 

The M37 has the same drive train as the G37. The M37 rides on a stretched version of the FM platform that the G37 uses. Since it's a bigger and heavier vehicle using the same engine it will lose some performance traits when compared to the G37.

 

as far as performance, it is mainly the feeling, the m feels like it has to try harder to achieve the same thing, so more engine noise and more strain. Now, M56 Sport with aero...droool