Auto Reviews

It appears Nissan's luxury brand, Infiniti, began its New Year's resolutions a few months earlier than most of us. It started selling a 2008 premier luxury sports coupe -- the G37 Coupe -- in August.

This beautiful coupe does more for Infiniti than any resolution we could muster for ourselves. We are only being delusional about losing weight or getting in shape; Infiniti, on the other hand, has kept its promise of continuing to improve its luxury vehicles and its image.

The G37 may not draw the prestige of BMW, Mercedes or Lexus, but this coupe catches the eyes of everyone it passes. And with well over 300 horses under its hood, it passes a lot of things.

When it slows down, people stare at it in that curious, envious sort of way. They may not know who makes the G37, but they know it's nice. Its Cool Hand Luke sleek lines boast without bravado. She's a keeper.

The $41,000 coupe I tested for a week quickly won me over and never stopped drawing admiring glances. Starting at $34,250, this coupe offers a complete package of luxury and performance, with an all-new design, engine and more high-tech add-ons than a Best Buy year-end sale.

Car's technology augments driving experience

The true beauty of the G37's gadgetry is that none of it feels like it was installed just because Infiniti could. Automotive gizmos need purpose. Does any car really need a second-row ottoman, night vision on its dashboard or a microwave? OK, nobody has a microwave in the dash yet, but give it time and we'll see the Orville Redenbacher Park and Pop.

Every G37 piece of technology enhances the driving experience, instead of distracting from it. Stuff like: the standard intelligent key, which allows for push-button starts and eliminates fumbling for keys while wearing gloves -- a problem I'm increasingly experiencing; a rearview mounted camera that helps me see where my neighbor's kid left his bike; and a hands-free Bluetooth phone system that allows me to take a call and a tight turn at the same time.

But perhaps the most gee-whiz piece of science is the optional 4WAS, which is the 4-Wheel Active Steer System. First of all, it's known by its initials, so it's gotta' be good. And it is: It improves the car's handling by adjusting the front steering gear ratios and the rear suspension geometry depending upon the car's speed and how hard the driver turns the wheel.

That's a lot of Beakman-speak to say this car stays true through tight turns and flat out hauls on open highways.

Forget the terminology, it's fast

Of course, the four-wheel independent multi-link suspension also helps carry through the corners. But there's a lot more under the G37's voluptuous sheet metal than you might think. The power-assisted speed sensitive rack-and-pinion steering helps it glide along the road at any speed.

The 3.7-liter V-6 DOHC provides 330-horsepower and 270-pound-feet of torque. Infiniti's engineers spent plenty of time tweaking this engine, adding so many strange-looking acronyms that it feels like you're reading a list of Bosnian cities. The VVEL (variable valve event lift) works with the CVTCS (continuously variable valve timing control system) in conjunction with the ASC and VLSD (active shift control and viscous limited-slip differential) to make the G37 super FAST.

Lots of cars go fast, but this car looks fast too.

The exterior is clean and futuristic. This is what a coupe should look like in 2015, not 2008. It's like the designers sat in front of a wave machine while drawing it. The lines flow from front to rear with growing certainty.

The G37's face is expressive, elegant and stern. Its L-shaped high-intensity bi-xenon headlights push around the front corner of the body, as if looking out for all challengers. The high beltline helps the car maintain its athletic stance. Its profile, with its sloping roofline gently to the rear of the vehicle, continues that classic line.

Even the proportions feel correct, with the front wheels pushed close to the corners, but the rear tires stay away from the back edge. Many cars continue to stretch their wheelbase without lengthening the car, leaving onlookers to wonder where the trunk is. Designers resisted that temptation, instead giving the G37 a well-balanced wedge-like profile. The speedy implications are left to the imagination.

Interior embraces Asian roots

Inside the coupe is comfortable and well planned. The second row is cramped for adults, but bearable for short runs. It only offers 29.8-inches of legroom in the back row, compared with a leg-stretching 43.8 inches in the front. Then again, it's a coupe, not a sedan, so anyone hopping in the back should not have the expectation they're going to lounge about despite the warm and inviting interior.

Inspired by Japanese Washi paper, the G37 interior embraces its Asian roots and presents a clean, calming appearance bejeweled with aluminum accents and the optional African Rosewood trim.

Lots of leather add to its luxury feel. The seats, which come in 8-way or 14-way adjustable on the Sport trim level, are comfortable. The leather-encased steering wheel feels solid in your hands. The tilting/telescoping wheel also allows the driver create the perfect seating position.

The only quibble I have is that on the highway, the interior noise seemed a little too loud for a luxury car. When you're putting down more than $40,000 for a vehicle, you want the outside world as far away as possible. With money, comes snobbery.

When cruising on concrete highways, the road noise was loud. And even on the finest asphalt surface streets Metro Detroit has to offer, the road noise was noticeable.

However, I've learned that when road noise is high, test the stereo. And the G37, with the optional "Studio on Wheels" -- which includes the 11-speaker Bose system -- and the 9.3 Gigabyte music box that can read thumb drives make the road noise quickly wash away into a sea of Cake, Cracker and Springsteen.

The G37 comes with a full complement of safety features: an adaptive front-lighting system that adjusts the headlights as you move the steering wheel; front and side airbags for front-seat passengers and side-curtain airbag for both rows; standard traction control; and power assisted anti lock brakes.

Safety features may not have the same sex appeal as this car's exterior. And with this car's handling abilities, you may be less likely to use them, but just crack up one car and you'll learn that true attraction is coming out of an accident as well as you went into it.

On the luxury car checklist, the Infiniti G37 coupe checks almost every box.

It's got the power, the class and the sophistication its competitors possess. It may still lack some of the prestige of others, but by staying true to performance coupes and designing something that stands out on the road, 2008 could see this Infiniti come into its own.

Scott Burgess is the auto critic for The Detroit News. He can be reached at (313) 223-3217 or sburgess@detnews.com.