Car Blog Review: Infiniti G37 Coupe for Europe

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Infiniti G37 Coupe for Europe

G37 Coupé in detail

While closely related to the new Infiniti G37, the G37 Coupé is a much more than a two-door version of the saloon. Although it shares the same 2850mm wheelbase – which ensures its rear seats are more than just occasional perches – the Coupé is more than 100mm shorter than the Sedan to give it genuine coupé proportions and does not share a single body panel.

The G37 Coupé is powered by the 3.7-litre version of VQ family of petrol engines. Drive is taken to the wheels via a slick six-speed manual or an advanced seven-speed automatic transmission. Suspension layout – double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear – delivers sharp and agile handling allied to superb ride comfort. With an accent unashamedly focused on performance, it is vital that the G37 Coupé’s dynamic behaviour can match or better the opposition.

To ensure it can handle the higher speeds in Europe, a dedicated team of Infiniti engineers working out of Nissan’s Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) have fine tuned the suspension, steering, brakes and aerodynamics to suit the conditions. In order to favour easy trackability and secure feel, exceptional high-speed stability has been a focus point as well as braking and steering precision.

Add generous equipment levels and a range of technically advanced options such as Four-Wheel Active Steer (4WAS) and the G37 Coupé can be marked out as something special, a genuine alternative to the establishment.

Exterior styling

A long bonnet, short overhangs and dramatically raked roof line give the G37 Coupé a silhouette that sets it apart from those rival products based more heavily on their saloon counterparts. Designed as a modern sports car without compromise, the G37 Coupé has elegant and sophisticated proportions allied to an expressive, curving shoulder-line to give a feeling of movement even when stationary. The shorter and lower roofline also helps accentuate the Coupé’s low centre of gravity and gives a clear indication that this is essentially a rear-wheel drive car.

Curving ‘character’ lines at the front of the car mimic the lines of the front wings and help give the Coupé a more athletic and aggressive stance, while the wave-style aluminium bonnet incorporates a natural power dome to accentuate the potency of what lies beneath. A special production process has been developed for installation of the headlights to ensure tight build tolerances and an exact fit into the complex front fascia.

Thanks to its shorter body, the Coupé’s rear shoulder is even more muscular than the Sedan’s, while the integral rear lip spoiler is more pronounced. The jewel-like tail-lights feature LED lamps to reinforce the Coupé’s high-tech appeal.

Chassis and driving dynamics

Like the Sedan, the Coupé uses the second generation version of Infiniti’s FM platform. The ‘front midships’ engine location sees the compact V6 mounted in the front of the car, but as low and as far back as possible, with most of the block behind the front axle line. The result lowers the centre of gravity and helps to deliver the optimum front to rear weight distribution. Suspension uses lightweight aluminium components to reduce weight as much as possible. A double wishbone set up at the front and a subframe-mounted multi-link arrangement at the rear allied to an extremely rigid bodyshell, gives the G37 Coupé agile handling perfectly in keeping with its performance potential.

Four-Wheel Active Steer (4WAS) is available as part of the Sport Model (see standard and optional equipment). This helps improve handling performance still further by varying the front steering ratio and adjusting the geometry of the rear suspension according to steering input and vehicle speed. All versions of G37 Coupé come with Electronic Stability Program (ESP), while a Viscous Limited Slip Differential (VLSD) is included as part of the Sport package. Power-assisted four-wheel vented disc brakes have a four-channel, four-sensor Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).

To enhance the braking feel, the G37 Coupé uses a ‘link-design’ pedal which becomes progressively firmer as g-forces and vehicle speed increases. As a result, the driver has a more direct sensation of the forces acting on the car as he brakes from high speed, as well as the benefit of increased assistance. At lower speeds the brake is easier to operate but with more travel relative to assistance. The power steering system is a twin-orifice vehicle-speed-sensing design, which provides optimum steering effort at both high and low vehicle speeds.

Engine and powertrain

Infiniti’s latest 3.7-litre V6 engine was given its debut in the G37 Coupé and now powers the Sedan, too. A potent, high revving engine, the 24-valve twin cam V6 produces over 310PS and over 350Nm of torque. Constructed from lightweight aluminium, the engine features a two-part bed-plate construction which is more rigid than a single piece casting for reduced vibration levels. It also permits sustained use at higher revs: the V6 is red-lined at 7,500rpm. The VQ37 unit features V-VEL (Variable Valve Event and Lift) technology to optimise efficiency and, in turn, the balance between power, response, fuel efficiency and emissions.

By continually altering valve lift and therefore the quantity of air in the combustion chamber it provides a more powerful combustion phase to increase torque and power. Best of all, as the valves control the intake rather than a conventional butterfly, response to throttle inputs is immediate. Precise mapping of the engine control unit (ECU), meanwhile, helps the engine provide a progressive ‘swell’ of power and torque, providing a ‘building wave’ of acceleration rather than a peaky power delivery.

In keeping with the performance profile of the Coupé, Infiniti engineers have developed a special aural soundtrack for the car. Equal length tubular exhaust manifolds and a symmetrical exhaust and silencer system have allowed the engineers to create a linear sound with a good balance between low and high frequency notes. As well as a smooth shifting six-speed manual transmission, the G37 Coupé will be available with a new seven-speed automatic option with Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) allowing a downshift blip control.

Interior environment

By providing a sporting cockpit environment for the driver and a luxuriously open space for the passengers, the G37 and G37 Coupé share similar design objectives when it comes to their respective interiors. Coupé’s dashboard and centre console adopts Infiniti design DNA with a ‘double wave’ upper section linked to a central vertical spine for a feeling of solidity. Textured aluminium trim inserts can be found on the centre console, the instrument binnacle and the door panels. Gracefully curved door trims have been inspired by traditional Japanese ceremonial swords while the true aluminium trim inserts are inspired by Japanese Washi handmade paper. Other signature Infiniti features are the elegant analogue clock on the dashboard and purple backlighting of instruments and controls. Thanks to its long wheelbase, there is room in the rear compartment for two adults with easy ingress and egress provided by the wide opening doors and the electric fold and slide front seats.

Safety

High levels of passive safety were a priority at the design stage. As a result, the G37 Coupé has a full complement of six airbags, seat belt sensors and passenger seat occupancy sensor. The front seats incorporate hip and thorax bags, while there are front-to-rear curtain airbags for protection in a side impact. Also standard is a pop-up bonnet, designed to offer greater crash protection for pedestrians. In the event of a collision, a small pyrotechnic charge raises the trailing edge of the bonnet close to the lower edge of the windscreen. This creates a larger buffer between the bonnet and the top of the engine, providing a more yielding surface which in turn helps to reduce potential injuries.

Standard and optional equipment

Following the lead set by the G37, the G37 Coupé has a full complement of standard equipment, plus options for those who want to make even more of a statement. Standard features include the I-key with smart access that incorporates personalised memory functions on the key fob. A six-disc, seven-speaker audio system, Bluetooth phone connectivity and cruise control can all be operated via switches on the leather trimmed steering wheel. Other features include power seats (with eight way adjustment on the driver’s side and four way for the passenger), auto-dimming rear view mirror, front and rear parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, 18-inch alloy wheels, six airbags and integrated fog lamps.

An adaptive front-light system (AFS) and “Scratch Shield” self healing paint are also standard. Bi-Xenon headlamps are linked to steering inputs and automatically follow the path of the front wheels to provide a wide spread of light around corners and on winding roads. “Scratch Shield” paint incorporates a special highly elastic resin within the conventional clearcoat to increase the paint’s flexibility. A car painted as such can exhibit up to five times fewer scratches that a conventional clearcoat when exposed to the same conditions.

Options include a leather package with leather seats, heated in the front, power lumbar support for the driver and an upgrade to eight-way adjustment for the passenger. To sharpen the G37 Coupé further, a sports package provides 19-inch alloy wheels, Four-Wheel Active Steering, heated leather covered sport seats, tyre pressure monitoring, a viscous limited slip differential and sports settings for the suspension, steering and brakes.

Satellite navigation, reversing camera and a premium 11-speaker sound system developed by Bose form the multimedia package are also available, while the final option is an Intelligent Cruise Control, operating in “Full Speed Range” from 0km/h on the automatic versions, using brakes, throttle and laser sensors to help maintain a set distance between the Coupé and the car in front. The custom-engineered Bose sound system sets a new standard for stereo performance in a car. Its 11 high-performance speakers provide crisp musical detail, with impactful low notes bringing G Coupé owners closer to the power and emotion of a live concert performance.

Conclusion

“G37 Coupé is built to the same exacting standards as the G37 and enjoys excellent dynamic qualities, equipment levels and refinement. Thanks to its own distinctive style it will offer a genuine and exciting alternative in the segment,” says Nicolas Tschann, Product Manager, Infiniti Europe.

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