TMCnet News
2011 Infiniti G37 Convertible [La Prensa (San Antonio, TX)](La Prensa (San Antonio, TX) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) I have always been of the opinion that Texas, especially south Texas is not a place to own a convertible. The weather is either way to hot, to rainy or to windy to bother. You have to take time to unlatch the ragtop, pull it down and tuck it into the trunk. When you get to the office you have to reverse that task and make sure it's all neatly strapped down before you hit the bricks. Secondly I hate the wind noise associated with most convertibles when you move down the road... and lastly I hate the loss of body stability when you give up that solid roof line......well folks I have found a convertible I love. The Infiniti G37 is a "dream come true"! First of all, the solid roof comes down and neatly puts itself away in the trunk in a mere 28 seconds and it is a sight to behold. To watch the artistry of the metal and glass folding and tucking neatly before closing the trunk draws gasps from innocent bystanders as I sit at the street light showing off. The body is sleek, showy, and aerodynamic with curves Madonna would be envious of. It cuts through the air like budda, and the control you get behind the wheel is, well sensuous. It is an experience that truly delights the senses having a vehicle that responds to your slightest commands and does it with style and power. This baby has both looks and brawn with a 3.7-liter V6 that produces 325 horsepower at 7000 rpm with a max torque of 267 ft-lbs which kicks in at 5200 rpm. Here is the nice part, the G37 provides all this get up and go, and does it with a 17-mpg city and 25-mpg highway fuel economy rating. All that power moves to the rear wheels by a 7-speed manu-matic shifter on the steering wheel that has Adaptive Shift Control, and Downshift Rev Matching. Once you get the hang of the manual shifter, you can move through the gears and stay in the power band when pulling around the slow poke ahead of you. There of course is a 6-speed manual transmission on the Sport model, if you like me, love the feel of the car responding to your precise shifting. The electronically controlled transmission has a driver adaptive learning algorithm that learns how you dive and adjusts the automatic shifting accordingly. Once you get going it's hard to realize you are sitting on over 4 thousand pounds of steel and electronics, because the ride is solid and the power assisted rack and pinion steering gives you all the control you need in any situation. When it comes to physical appearance, the Infinity G37 does not disappoint. The wide stance and the 19inch aluminum alloy wheels, and low profile performance tires (225/45/19 in front and a 245/40/19 in back) help deliver added grip as well as a sporty look. My test car came in a stunning Lapis blue, which I would define as a bright metallic processed blue that seems to glow and enhance the lines of the vehicle. The slight forward pitch to the G37 seems to place the front nose just slightly downward giving it a look as though it's ready to pounce once the light turns green. Of course something that can move that fast needs to be able to stop quickly. The G37 uses Electronic Brake force Distribution, a Brake Assist system, a 4-wheel Anti-lock Braking system and a vehicle dynamic control system with traction control. On the inside nothing but luxury exploding everywhere you look. You are going to find soft leather seating, with a driver 10-way power driver's sport seat, including 2-way power lumbar support with manual thigh extension, and power torso and thigh support adjustment, and an 8-way power front-passenger's sport seat for your best friend. Climate-controlled front seats with a cooling function to keep your backside cool on those hot Texas summers. A silk and aluminum interior trim is modern yet sophisticated. Leather-wrapped 3-spoke steering wheel and shift knob with aluminum accent as well as aluminum doorsill kick plates with Infiniti logo, and stitching on the seats finish the high end look. I love my music when I drive and the Infinity G37 did not disappoint. Of course you have a large 7 inch navigation screen with an easy to use interface. When you put the Infinity in reverse a small but sharp camera provided a clear image in your nav monitor. The 13 speaker audio system with AM/ FM/CD with MP3 playback capability and Radio Data System made by Bose included a Personal® front seat speakers and featuring noise adaptive technology that set speakers in the headrest so you were covered with sound from head to toe. I plugged in my Iphone to the interface and I was listening to my favorite tunes in nothing flat. You can also get a 9.3GB Music Box® hard drive built into the entertainment system that will download your favorite tunes so that you don't have to use your Iphone to listen to your favorite songs. Add to that the blue tooth hands free enabled phone function and I was ready for a road trip! If there were a downside to this beauty, it is the lack of room in the trunk due to the roof requiring so much space. And the back seat was great for my two grandchildren averaging in age from 6 to 9 years old. Put two adults back there and they are not going to be happy for long, unless you drop the roof and let their hair blow in the breeze. This kind of power, looks and technology comes at a price of course. My loaded out convertible came to just over 50 thousand dollars. Not within everyone's price range, but if you have the credit line to afford one of these beauties I would recommend that you not waste another day driving that sad sedan. By Albert Flores, past President of the Texas Auto Writers Association (c) 2011 La Prensa San Antonio |