All-Star: 2008 Infiniti G35/G37

By Preston Lerner





The Infiniti G is yin to the BMW 3-series' yang, and picking a winner between them - which is to say, choosing the best sport coupe/sedan in the world - is less about what the cars can do than it is about what their drivers want. For those partial to instant gratification, the Infiniti reigns supreme. The steering is sharper, the shift throws shorter, the suspension tauter, the engine peakier. The BMW is slightly more capable at the limit, but the G37 coupe and the G35 sedan feel a lot sportier getting there. Oh, and Teutonic cachet aside, these Japanese delicacies are the best bargains this side of all-you-can-eat sushi at Nobu.
The interior of the Infiniti is a pleasure dome featuring stylish aluminum trim, violet mood lighting, and French-stitched leather seats. But the car's willingness to get with the program is obvious the instant you punch the push-button starter and hear the feral growl pulsing out the bad-boy tailpipes. Nissan's VQ V-6 engine makes an impressive 306 hp in 3.5-liter sedan form and 330 ponies when stroked to 3.7 liters in the coupe.
Both cars ride on a new, stiffer version of the FM platform that underpinned the original G35 five years ago. Toss in the Sport package, with bolder wheels and tires, brawnier brakes, and an eager six-speed manual transmission, and you get a sexy beast that slices apexes like a sashimi knife and powers out of them like a typhoon.
Although the G37 is more powerful than the G35, it's heavier, too, so the difference in performance is negligible. Also, the revised sheetmetal has rejuvenated the once-dowdy sedan, which is now nearly as shapely as the coupe. So the toughest choice may no longer be between the Infiniti and the BMW. It's between the G37 and the G35.