2009 G37 Sedan AWD

All-wheel drive gives Infiniti’s sport sedan four-season performance

By Nina Russin

2009 Infiniti G37 Sedan

After living with the G37 sedan for the past week, I’ve decided that it shouldn’t be driven below eighty miles-per-hour. This isn’t to say that Infiniti’s sport sedan lacks handling finesse at lower speeds: rather, that eighty is the point at which the car’s inner beauty and beast emerge.

I’ve driven very few cars that stay glued to the pavement the way this one does. All-wheel drive makes the car weatherproof. But unlike some all-wheel drive systems, Infiniti’s active torque management doesn’t interfere with the sedan’s rear-wheel bias on dry roads.

Infinitis are their own animals, in part because of the front mid-ship layout which locates the engine behind the front axle. The automaker’s production models bear the fruit of extensive F-1 racing experience, with aerodynamic enhancements above and below the chassis.

Buyers who define sports car by the amount of growl out the exhaust, or the humpity, humpity, humpity a radical cam produces car at idle, won’t find the G37 very interesting. It isn’t a “race it on Sunday, run whiskey in it Sunday night,” kind of car.

But enthusiasts looking for a sport sedan as close to high-revving, open-wheel race cars as possible will feel right at home in the G37. It’s not exactly a wolf in sheep’s clothing; more like a tightly-wound snake with a very long reach. Read the rest of this entry »