2009 Infiniti G37 Sedan Review – An all-star sports car with four doors

By Mary-Ellen Ash

Yays:

• A rocket-car with superb engine power and acceleration
• Big brakes for excellent braking control
• Tight, crisp steering
• Spacious and comfortable interior
• Large boot cargo hold

Nays:

• Stiff suspension for a luxury sports sedan
• Can’t extend limited trunk space by folding down the rear seats

An Infiniti car can always be seen out on the local roads and highways. They always receive strong reviews and compliments in many magazines and websites. Once I got into the G37, I understood all the hype. The Infiniti G37 is a stylish and powerful sedan with all its features adding up to a very attractive package. All the attention to details that went into designing and building this car are what makes this car so appealing.

The 2009 G37 Sedan enters its 3rd generation with subtle exterior design changes, new interior features with its tried and tested V6 engine. Some of the technologies include Infiniti’s “intelligent” full-time all-wheel drive system, the VQ37VHR  V6 engine that provides more power and better fuel efficiency, and the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system for enhanced vehicle stability for all types of driving conditions. The Infiniti G37 Sedan comes in a variety of trims to cater to any preference or budget. It’s packed with many cool features including a hard drive navigation system with voice recognition, real-time traffic updates from XM NavTraffic®, 7 inch touch-screen, start/stop ignition button, back-up camera, radar-managed active cruise control, and a lane-guidance system.

Build and Styling

The new Infiniti G sedan delivers high style and high performance. The Infiniti engineers built the G with top-of-the-line components: everything was designed to be strong and beautiful. The sleek and seductive exterior was defined by its crisps lines from front to back. The sedan is very eye-catching and sporty having a strong resemblance to its sporty brother, the G Coupe. It’s also well designed on the inside: factor in the G37′s excellent safety rating: 5-Stars for Frontal Crash, 5-stars for Side Crash, and 5-stars for Rollovers. Safety features include two-stage front airbags, side-impact airbags for front passengers and full-cabin, head protection curtains. The Infiniti G37 also includes Vehicle Dynamic Control which helps keep the G37 under control in the wet or when you get too happy with the throttle.

After driving the G37 through a wide array of conditions over +300 miles, not a single noise resulted from poor assembly. It just kept ‘purring’ along and begging to be driven. This is a seriously safe, well built sports car.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

Upon sitting in the driver’s seat, my love affair with the G37 began. The 2009 interior re-work has shown some of the biggest improvements since the second generation Infiniti G models were produced starting in 2007. The overall quality of the passenger cabin has increased, and they’re more luxurious than ever before. With an extremely well designed interior, all the car controls are easily reachable from the driver’s seat with everything well lit and clearly laid out.

In the front cabin, the seats and steering wheel are wrapped in soft leather. The perfect driving position could be dialed in with the G37′s 8-way power driver seats. After you’ve worked so hard to get the seat, mirrors and steering wheel into your exact driving position, the G37 is equipped with a memory system which can remember 2 driver’s settings. You’ll never lose your favorite driving seat position; just push the button and the seat, mirrors and steering wheel will pop back into position.

The vehicle was built with ample head room meaning that almost anyone can be comfortable while driving this car – from the little ladies to the big boys. Likewise, the rear cabin is pleasantly comfortable for any passengers with plenty of head and leg room. There is a folding armrest with access to the trunk. The G37 is perfect for those long car rides where the drive can still be enjoyable for the driver while the passengers nap in the rear.

Onto the other impressive car features: the toys. One of the things that really stood out is the sound system. The car came with XM®  Satellite Radio and AM/FM radio which could also be operated by the steering wheel. There is so much memory space to save all my favorite stations that I was getting dizzy just trying to set them. The G37 is also equipped with 6-CD changer and had an iPod interface system. Throw that together with the Bose audio system with its 10-inch woofers and this car becomes a moving sound stage. The music is always crisp and clean with no interference from outside noise. The other feature I really liked was the Navigation system. Using the touch screen, a destination could be set only when the car was completely stopped. When rolling along, push the handy button on the steering wheel and voice recognition could set a new destination. It was all designed with safety in mind to keep the eyes on the road. And with the lane guidance and bird-eye view, it would be very difficult for anyone to get lost. Another handy feature was the XM NavTraffic® options for those who are long distance commuters. Some other cool G37 features were Bluetooth® Hands-free, power lumbar support, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, and Infiniti Intelligent key with push button ignition.

There was only one draw-back to the car interior: the rear seats did not fold down. It could be considered a tad unnecessary for a sports car since it wasn’t designed to haul a lot of gear or equipment. But it would be nice to have the option for those ‘just-in-case’ moments. Overall, the interior was stellar making the whole driving experience such a pleasure. The G37 was functional and stylish with all of the features a driver would ever need.

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