Should be easy to tell? I have seen the "S" badge on at least one non-"S" car, but it was obvious.
I would guess things like sport bucket seats, paddles and Akebono brakes would be easy ways to tell it's a true "S". Chances of it being fake after that are pretty slim.

 

Those are the big item, I ran vin just to make sure. I purchased my G with out test driving it or even seeing it.

 

Easiest way to tell for me if it's a sport is the bumper .Only a few people will do a 2010+ sport front bumper swap on their non s. And if you think they did, peep through the window and check for paddle shifters / sport seats.

Not gonna lie, I bought my S model without even knowing the benefits, and I'm happy I did. Shiet, the main reason why I'm happy is the bumper. The sport bumper versus the non sport bumper looks 100x Better in my personal opinion

 

Edit: Lol whoops. Forgot this is in the coupe section. I'm talking about the sedan bumpers . Heh

 

The easiest way to tell is look at the brakes/seats.

 

This. It's real and it matters, although not the kind of thing you can appreciate until you drive both side-by-side. OP, you're not going to upgrade your steering with aftermarket bolt-ons.

Get the S. And if you can find one, get a proper 6MT, then you'll know 100% that you've got the Sport Package. Besides, flappy paddles are kind of a joke on this car.

Some other advice... Coupe Sport seats are really, really tight. If you're a little guy, or you like a vise-like grip on your hips, then a Sport Coupe can be a pretty cool driving experience. But if you prioritize a comfortable cruise, maybe not.

 

I am no feather-weight but I do not find the sport seat to be confining.

 

Neither am I (dammit) and neither do I, but OP is talking about the Coupe.

Have you never driven a Coupe with Sport seats?

 

Yeah, they look similar, but the coupe seats are tighter fitting.

 

I did, once. Seven years ago, during a test drive.

 

Driver's seat is waaay tighter in the S coupe than S sedan.
I know because I own an S coupe, (although a mere automatic), and I have driven Rochester's MT S sedan on more than 1 occasion.
Why Infiniti thought they needed to be able to squeeze your *** even tighter in the coupe is beyond me.

 

Always check carefully..most dealers list as the sport, and ends up being a Journey..

 

Did the journey come in manual? The S also had that as an option...case in point I own an S coupe with 6MT. The suspension is a little tighter from what I have been told as well. I echo everyone else...hold out for a real model S

 

No, the Journey was an AT only. However if you got the Sport Package on the RWD Journey, it was identically equipped as the 6MT, just with a slushbox. The 6MT was its own sub-model out of three. Journey, AWD and the 6MT.

And then there was the IPL Coupe... so four, I suppose.

 

I miss the one time infiniti only offered the sports model in 6mt. That was respectable.