2013 Infiniti G37 Sedan Preview

Introduction

The 2013 Infiniti G sedan is a midsize luxury car and Infiniti's best-selling vehicle. The G competes most directly with the Cadillac CTS. It also competes with smaller luxury cars such as the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and Lexus IS. Infiniti has announced that the next version of the G sedan, due as a 2014 model, will change its name to Q50 as the whole lineup adopts Q nomenclature.

Exterior Features

The Infiniti G sedan is based on Infiniti's front midship platform that is shared with the Infiniti EX and FX and the Nissan 370Z. The goal of this platform is to set the front-mounted engine back as far as possible for best weight balance to facilitate handling. The coupe and convertible share the G sedan's 112.2-inch wheelbase, but the sedan is about four inches longer. Standard exterior features include automatic bi-xenon headlights, fog lights, and 17-inch alloy wheels.

Interior Features

The 2013 Infiniti G sedan seats five. Split-folding rear seats are not offered, but Infiniti provides a pass-through to the 13.5 cubic foot trunk.

Standard interior features include leather upholstery, heated 8-way power-adjustable front seats with driver's side lumbar adjustment,  dual-zone automatic climate control, interior air filter, tilt/telescoping leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, heated power mirrors, power windows, power door locks, keyless access and starting, AM/FM/CD stereo, satellite radio, USB port, Bluetooth connectivity,  trip computer, rearview camera, outside-temperature display, universal garage door opener, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror.

Optional Features

Infiniti offers a G37 Sport model that comes with the 6-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip differential, larger front and rear brakes, rear park assist, navigation system with real-time traffic information, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, 12-way power front sport seats with thigh adjustment and driver's seat torso adjustment, sunroof, 10-speaker Bose sound system, sport-tuned suspension, and staggered-size 18-inch tires. It also gets memory for the driver's seat, mirrors and steering wheel. A pair of Sport Packages are offered for other models, and they come with such features as the staggered 18-inch wheels, sport-tuned suspension, limited-slip differential, 12-way sport seats, and steering column paddle shifters.

A Technology Package adds pre-crash brake assist and seat belts, adaptive cruise control, and rain-sensing wipers.

Under the Hood

The 2013 Infiniti G37 sedan comes with one engine, a 3.7-liter V-6 that delivers 328 horsepower and 269 lb.-ft. of torque. It is offered with a 6-speed manual transmission or a 7-speed automatic with manual shift capability and downshift rev matching. Rear-wheel drive is standard and the G37x has all-wheel-drive with a locking center differential.

Fuel Economy

Fuel-economy estimates for the 2013 Infiniti G37 sedan as rated by the EPA are:

• G37 sedan with 7-speed automatic transmission: 19/27/22 mpg (city/highway/combined)
• G37 sedan with 6-speed manual transmission: 17/25/20 mpg
• G37x sedan with 7-speed automatic transmission: 1/8/25/20 mpg

Safety

The 2013 Infiniti G37 sedan comes standard with the required safety features plus, front side air bags, curtain side airbags active front head restraints, electronic brakeforce distribution, and brake assist.

In rollover crash tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Infiniti G sedan received 5 stars (out of 5 stars). The G37 sedan has not been subjected to the government's frontal impact protection or side protection crash tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has only subjected the G37 to its rear crash protection test, in which it received a "Marginal" rating, the Institute's second lowest. It was not subjected to the moderate front overlap, small front overlap, side impact, and roof strength tests.

Technology

The G37 sedan is offered with the Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation System. It features real-time traffic and weather information, as well as a Zagat restaurant guide, through the SiriusXM subscription service. The system also comes with Bluetooth streaming audio and a 9.3-gigabyte hard drive to store music files. The system can be controlled through a central controller or voice commands.