evening drive in the summer with the top down is one of my favorite things to do, and the G37 convertible was the perfect vehicle for a top-down drive home from the movies last night. A simple one-button actuation is nice-no flipping of locks or anything. But in looking at the top's operation and realizing all the servos and electronics that make a folding hardtop possible, one wonders whether you should ever keep the car beyond its warranty period. Man, it looks complicated.
And you also give up the sturdy chassis that is the foundation of the G37 coupe. There's plenty of cowl shake and chassis vibration to let you know this is no fixed-roof coupe.
But this is a good-looking car, and the benefits of a folding hardtop instead of a traditional ragtop are many: warmth, security, quietness. The obvious downside is the highly mechanical operation.
I also continue to marvel at Nissan/Infiniti's method of storing radio stations. It seems as if every other manufacturer on the planet does its presets on the same frequency: AM, FM or Sirius/XM. Not Nissan and Infiniti. Nope, you can store an FM station and an AM station right along with four satellite channels. I'm sure this would be less annoying if you lived with this car longer and got used to it, and maybe even this would be a plus. But I find it annoying when I'm trying to go between a couple of AM stations looking for a traffic report only to switch from AM to XM or FM with no idea of how to get back to where I started.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Here we have yet another hardtop convertible--they are all the rage nowadays. The BMW 3-series convertible, the Volvo C70 and the Lexus IS-C all have gone the hardtop-convertible route with mixed results.
From a styling standpoint, designing a rear deck to cover these large and heavy three-piece tops is a challenge, which I believe the Infiniti pulls off the best by far, followed by the Volvo. The Lexus is the ugly duckling of the group. When you look at the Infiniti, the lines all flow together fluidly and maintain good proportions. This results in a car which looks really good both with the top up and with it down.
As with any convertible, it would be foolish to expect it to drive as tight as a fixed-top version. Losing a B-pillar is tough to overcome, but the G37 convertible does it admirably. It boasts decent reflexes when you dive into turns with responsive steering and strong, grabby brakes to scrub off speed. The important thing to remember is that this thing weights more than 4,000 pounds, and a lot of that weight is placed high in the car. Take that into the account, and it's pretty impressive how well Infiniti has made this convertible handle. Do the chassis and cowl shake? Yeah, but it's not horrendous or anything.
The suspension is stiff and does crash over larger bumps, but the smaller road imperfections are soaked up without a problem. With the top up over the big bumps, the roof does clink, clank, rattle and crash a lot. It's not the most comforting sound to hear, in all honesty.
As we know, Nissan/Infiniti's V6s are always strong with good pull throughout the revs and sound good whenever you put your foot into it. The six-speed manual shifts smoothly enough, but I'm not real high on the clutch. The pedal is a too springy for my liking and take-up is abrupt.
Inside the cabin, the plastics are all of good quality and the silver trim along the center stack and doors looks cool. Backseat legroom also isn't half bad and an adult could manage back there for short trips. Trunk space is also generous with the top up, which came in handy for a Sam's Club trip that saw me pack in four cases of drinks and a few other smaller items.
For those looking for a luxury hardtop convertible, I would have to say the Infiniti is my pick. However, if you don't mind a ragtop, I would advise you to check out the Audi A5/S5 cabriolet.
2010 Infiniti G37S Convertible
Base Price: $47,815
As-Tested Price: $50,035
Drivetrain: 3.7-liter V6; RWD, six-speed manual
Output: 325 hp @ 7,000 rpm, 267 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm
Curb Weight: 4,099 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 19/15.5 mpg
Options: Navigation package including touch screen, DVD video playback, 3D building graphics and Birdview, lane guidance, speed-limit advisory, streaming audio via Bluetooth, satellite traffic and weather, restaurant ratings, Infiniti voice recognition, 9.3GB music-box hard drive ($1,850); R-Spec high-friction brake pads ($370).
And you also give up the sturdy chassis that is the foundation of the G37 coupe. There's plenty of cowl shake and chassis vibration to let you know this is no fixed-roof coupe.
But this is a good-looking car, and the benefits of a folding hardtop instead of a traditional ragtop are many: warmth, security, quietness. The obvious downside is the highly mechanical operation.
I also continue to marvel at Nissan/Infiniti's method of storing radio stations. It seems as if every other manufacturer on the planet does its presets on the same frequency: AM, FM or Sirius/XM. Not Nissan and Infiniti. Nope, you can store an FM station and an AM station right along with four satellite channels. I'm sure this would be less annoying if you lived with this car longer and got used to it, and maybe even this would be a plus. But I find it annoying when I'm trying to go between a couple of AM stations looking for a traffic report only to switch from AM to XM or FM with no idea of how to get back to where I started.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: Here we have yet another hardtop convertible--they are all the rage nowadays. The BMW 3-series convertible, the Volvo C70 and the Lexus IS-C all have gone the hardtop-convertible route with mixed results.
From a styling standpoint, designing a rear deck to cover these large and heavy three-piece tops is a challenge, which I believe the Infiniti pulls off the best by far, followed by the Volvo. The Lexus is the ugly duckling of the group. When you look at the Infiniti, the lines all flow together fluidly and maintain good proportions. This results in a car which looks really good both with the top up and with it down.
As with any convertible, it would be foolish to expect it to drive as tight as a fixed-top version. Losing a B-pillar is tough to overcome, but the G37 convertible does it admirably. It boasts decent reflexes when you dive into turns with responsive steering and strong, grabby brakes to scrub off speed. The important thing to remember is that this thing weights more than 4,000 pounds, and a lot of that weight is placed high in the car. Take that into the account, and it's pretty impressive how well Infiniti has made this convertible handle. Do the chassis and cowl shake? Yeah, but it's not horrendous or anything.
The suspension is stiff and does crash over larger bumps, but the smaller road imperfections are soaked up without a problem. With the top up over the big bumps, the roof does clink, clank, rattle and crash a lot. It's not the most comforting sound to hear, in all honesty.
As we know, Nissan/Infiniti's V6s are always strong with good pull throughout the revs and sound good whenever you put your foot into it. The six-speed manual shifts smoothly enough, but I'm not real high on the clutch. The pedal is a too springy for my liking and take-up is abrupt.
Inside the cabin, the plastics are all of good quality and the silver trim along the center stack and doors looks cool. Backseat legroom also isn't half bad and an adult could manage back there for short trips. Trunk space is also generous with the top up, which came in handy for a Sam's Club trip that saw me pack in four cases of drinks and a few other smaller items.
For those looking for a luxury hardtop convertible, I would have to say the Infiniti is my pick. However, if you don't mind a ragtop, I would advise you to check out the Audi A5/S5 cabriolet.
2010 Infiniti G37S Convertible
Base Price: $47,815
As-Tested Price: $50,035
Drivetrain: 3.7-liter V6; RWD, six-speed manual
Output: 325 hp @ 7,000 rpm, 267 lb-ft @ 5,200 rpm
Curb Weight: 4,099 lb
Fuel Economy (EPA/AW): 19/15.5 mpg
Options: Navigation package including touch screen, DVD video playback, 3D building graphics and Birdview, lane guidance, speed-limit advisory, streaming audio via Bluetooth, satellite traffic and weather, restaurant ratings, Infiniti voice recognition, 9.3GB music-box hard drive ($1,850); R-Spec high-friction brake pads ($370).
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