You can get the paddles installed. 09 sport wheels are nothing special anyway. So it all comes down to seats and bumpers. I presonally like the S but I would not stress it if I were you.

 

The sedan I bought is a G37 journey, rwd, 7 sp auto w/ rosewood & premium package, thats all.
I like it just fine. In fact I think I prefer the look of the rims over the rims of the S package. The performance wheel & tire upgrade (all 4 alike)would have been my preference, but the car did not have it.

I came from a modified 04 Sentra spec V which was fun, handled like crazy, but rode really rough. I figured that realistically there is not a very big need for all the "sport" hardware if you drive anywhere near normal behavior and never see a track.
The roads around here are getting worse all the time and a better ride wins over getting a much tighter suspension tune. That was a major motivation to upgrade vehicles. The G37 still handles very well for a "civilized" sedan.

I originally thought it might be nice to have the paddle shifters, but quite frankly the response time of the auto tranny to manual shift input is very slow anyway. This 7sp runs up to redline, downshifts during slowdowns, and pretty well mimics what a driver might do anyway. So under performance driving there is not a lot of advantage to rowing your own unless you just want to hold a gear when the road might make it advantageous. I figure the console shifter can manage.
For the automatic the paddles seem more psychological than anything.

If the automatic shifted like a VW's DSG, I would have insisted on them. But it doesn't. The auto's shifter manual input is more like click.... wait... for it.... shift.
Where if you just let the transmission do it for you they are quick and bang on under acceleration.

I didn't even consider the standard 6 sp, because I just came from a constant rowing exercise, and it gets old in traffic. I guess the cost for me just did not justify the upgrades, and in fact would have made the car rougher riding and more costly to keep. Being able to rotate tires is always good, and the "S" package's different tire sizes won't allow for that.

Lastly, I wanted the african rosewood trim. I find the washi metal to be too shiny and don't think it looks as classy by comparison. You cannot find rosewood packages on a "S".

When the car is paid for, I may get bored and put new rims and beefer rubber on all four corners. But for now, it suits me just fine.
There are not many roads around here where I would want the difference that the S package offers, and getting through traffic or out in front of it can be just as fun with what I bought for less money. The only thing I tend to miss is the rear view camera of the navi package.

I am probably a bit older than most here and being practical about it seems to make sense even if it isn't as much fun.

 

I actually like the side skirt of the sports package alot. Does anyone know if it's a dealer sold item? I've looked around online but couldn't find anything.

 

Ok, so this is my first post on here (been lurking and I'll make a stop by noob corner in a bit) BUT... I've been wondering for a while now:

09 G37 Journey 4dr. = $33,700 MSRP + Sport Package ($2,100) = Grand Total of $35,800

09 G37 Sport 6MT 4dr. = $34,250 MSRP

With the 6MT being equipped with all the same options (swap paddles for 6sp manual), why would you pay more? Or is there something I'm missing?

 

All 6MT 09 G37 come with Sport package as standard equipment.

 

That's my point, exactly. Why get a Journey w/Sport when you can just get the Sport cheaper??

 

The Journey will be an 7 speed auto, not a manual.
*** They don't offer a non-journey automatic equipped car w/ sport package.

If you want a standard trans and sport package then that is cheaper than the automatic w/ sport package.
It is understandable that the auto would be more expensive.

 

I purposely didnt get the xS because I found the sport seats to be a bit stiff and uncomfortable.

 

Today I test drove the G37 for the first time. I took out 3 different models to compare the drive.

1. G37s Sedan: Beautfiul car inside/out. The ride was a little rough though. A little more 'bumpy' then I expected from an Infiniti. I guess I compare everything to my GF's IS350.

2. G37x Sedan: Definately smoother ride, but i'm not a fan of the smaller wheels .

3. G37x Coupe: Best ride. I had fun with it . Not sure I could deal with the loss of legroom in the rear going to the coupe. Again I really love the 19" wheels on the S. The dealer did say he had a G37x Coupe in stock that was not a S but had the 19" wheels.

So i'm curious what how different the Sedan XS rides compared to the Sedan X. And how different the Coupe S drives compared to the Coupe X.

So many different lines its hard to pick a favorite.

 

luckily i found that the sport seats break in over a few weeks... they get very comfortable

 

+1, and too tight as well unless you weigh less than 200.

 

I test drove an x sedan the other week and an xS sedan today. I didn't notice much of a difference in the ride. Which to me is perfectly fine because I'm really not interested in having a harsher ride. The car is sporty enough to me with the stock suspension.

However, (at least in the US) the pricing of the sport package seems to be appropriately reduced for the X sedan to account for the lack of the bigger brakes and sports suspension. It's an $1100 (and that's msrp) upgrade to get the sport on an X sedan so for that amount I think it might be worth it just to get the bigger wheels.

I did not notice any ill effects from the sport seats during my test drive. I thought they felt more gripping but that was about it. However, just in case, I think I'll try sitting in a sports seat in the dealership next time so I can focus on what it feels like and be sure it won't be a problem for me.

 

Auto trans almost always cost more than manual!

 

I really wanted the VLSD and the wheels and the steering and the appearance package, but I did not want the extra harshness of the sport suspension or the sport seats....in retrospect, I could've easily swapped out for some good adjustable coilovers and dealt with the seats, so I regret not getting the sport package.

 

Correct that in Canada, the Sport vs Non-Sport is about $1800 for an apples to apples comparision.

What I'm worried about is the narrow-ness of the sport seats. My son thought they were a little narrow and might get cramped after awhile... I'm thinking the same thing. I'm not sure what they were thinking in not allowing the seats to extend even wider. I mean who would tighted that seat up even more?

What do you sport guys think, are the sport seats too narrrow?

I'm not a big guy but I'm wondering if I should go non-sport.