08 Infiniti G37 By ALAN GELL (7/07) www.CarColumns.Net Beautiful.  Stunning.   Modern.  Powerful.  These are the adjectives that come to mind when I try to describe the all-new 2008 G37 Coupe by Infiniti.  I was among a group of journalists invited to Seattle, Washington to preview this great vehicle, and truthfully, it was very exhilarating. My driving partner and I took the standard G37 Coupe out from the parking lot in downtown Seattle, headed to the Ferry docks, and got on board to travel across Puget Sound over to Bainbridge Island.  We had more than a few glances in our direction, obviously admiring the great styling and dramatic looks.

After unloading, we headed across Bainbridge Island, and wound our way through some of the rural areas in Washington State.

Mark Igo, Vice President and General Manager for Infiniti, had given us an early morning briefing.  He said that there that had been a lot of changes in the G-Class cars, mostly in the interior.  Igo noted that there was a new touch screen navigation system and a new 12 speaker Bose sound system, among many other things.

The power plant for the G37 Infiniti is a new 3.7 liter V6 engine with variable valve event and lift.  It is rated at 330 horsepower and 270 lb-feet of torque.  The 3.5 liter engine previously used in the G-Class  was named one of the "Ten Best Engines" by Ward's Auto World, and the new 3.7 will probably follow as an award-winner also.  The new engine features a ladder frame construction for greater rigidity, lightweight pistons coated with molybdenum, and increased cylinder block height.  Combined, there is now doubt that this new V6 is a powerhouse.

After zig-zagging in the rural areas of Washington, we stopped for lunch in Tacoma at the Glass Museum.  It's a small, but significant museum paying homage to glass making, design, and artwork.    After the lunch break and a quick tour of the museum, we pulled out on to US Interstate 5 and headed back north toward Seattle.

For the afternoon drive, we switched from the standard G37 Coupe to the G37 Sport model.  The overall look was sporty, of course, yet elegant.  Randy Fior, the Senior Manager of Product Management with Infiniti, said, "We didn't fool with our success."   He went on to explain that Infiniti has a history of designing their vehicles that are expressive.  The new G37 coupe certainly fulfills that approach.  There's a new 18 inch wheel and tire package that comes standard on the G37 Couple and a new 10 spoke 19 inch wheel package is available as an option.  A tire pressure monitoring system is standard on all the 2008 G37 coupes. 

Inside, the G37 seats are in premium leather, with an 8 way powered driver's seat and four way front passenger seats.  The Intelligent Key features push button ignition, remote keyless entry, tilt & telescoping steering column, illuminated glove box, and a 6 speaker audio system.  An 11 speaker "Studio on Wheels" by Bose, is available as an option.  A new touch screen Navigation System with real-time traffic information is also an option.  The interior design of the G37 Coupe comes in three color combinations -- Wheat, Graphite, and Stone.

The test drive trip in the new G37 was too short.  It was a very comfortable ride, almost relaxing.  I did notice that the Sport Model had a slight bit more bump in the bounce on the roadway than the standard model.  The Sport Model came with large paddle shifters located conveniently on the steering wheel.   A slight movement of the gear shift allows the car to go into DW mode, short for Drive Sport.   Randy Fior noted that about 30% of all G class sales are manual transmission and about 70% are automatic.  But with the Sport Model, those wanting the automatic transmission can have the best of both worlds by using those paddle shifters to manually change gears.

Mark Igo wrapped up his remarks by saying, "When the original G Coupe was introduced, it proved to the world that exhilarating sport coupe performance doesn't have to come in a machine-like box."    Base MSRP is $34,250 for the standard Coupe and $38,915 for the Journey model with Premium Package.  The all-new G37 Coupe is ready to take a position as a key figure on the automotive stage.  Check out the new G37 Coupe at your Infiniti dealership soon.