It came down to G37x vs. S4 for me. I got scared of German reliability and talked myself into the G37x. I came from an '05 Accord V6 (great car BTW better in some respects than the G, especially the interior) so the G37x was an upgrade overall. I've had some issues (mega squeaky center console, clicking cowling around windshield, minor rattles, that luckily I've fixed myself) such that the only bothersome attribute is the lackluster 7AT performance. It's not bad I would say, and ~50% of the time I am manually shifting, so I cope. The S4 is a whole other league of car, and IMO completely worth the ~$15k premium. If only I could trust a S4 w/DSG for ~50,000 - 75,000 miles...

 

I see what you're getting at, now. You prefer a soft clutch and easy shifter. Yeah, not my thing at all. I want to feel what's going on.

No offense, man... different automotive values is all.

 

Rochester, I disagree. You can have soft and still have good pedal feel.

Some cars that i've test driven lately that fall into this category would be a focus st, a vw gti. The latter is a POS imo, and although has a very light clutch, has good feel. Not sure what an audi feels like.

 

The Audi clutch feels quite similar to the Golf GTI clutch. The Audi clutch is slightly heavier; overall feel and smoothness of engagement are similar.

 

No. I'd get a Q50.

 

Before I bought my G, I test drove a new A4 2.0T 6MT. The clutch and stick were so weak and simple, it just didn't feel like there was a reason for the manual transmission. It was... boring. Heck, the whole car was boring. Might as well sleep in the back seat and let my wife drive. I can only assume the S4 is better, but I've never driven a S4. After checking out the A4, there didn't seem much point.

Again, no offense intended when someone likes something I don't. I'll stop bashing the Audi now.

Carry on, guys.

 

^^Lol.. I have friends in the automotive repair business. Their nickname for audi is ouwie (like ouch and audi put together). My only point (regardless of mfg) is that if done correctly, you can have an easy pedal with great feel. Nissan dropped the ball on this one. One of these days I'll set foot into an audi & bmw shop to test drive some of their offerings.

It's not the simplest thing to engineer. Pedal mass and weight must be correct, correct spring tension, pivot angle, fulcrum point, etc. Of all the 6mt cars i've driven so far, I'd say I liked the clutch in the wrx the best. It seemed to have just the right amount of everything.

 

Ha ha!! Nice one! Nothing beats an imaginary test drive!

 

this is my second G. i had an 04 G35 6MT sedan. loved that car. tried to get my dad to buy it off me to keep it in the family, to no avail. very light too, compared to my 37 6MT sedan i now own. both cars have been great, and cost of ownership is very reasonable - with a small amount of effort routine maintenance is an easiy DIY. thus, of course i would consider another Infiniti product - just not another G37.

since Infiniti is ending the G line, 2013 is the last year for the 37. the 2013 G37 is essentially the same as the 09 i own. not enough advancement to make it worth my while. cosmetic changes only, which are subjective and not necessarily "improvements".

would i consider a Q50? not as it is being released for 2014. seems half-baked, IMO. let's see what the next-gen drivetrain technology looks like after the old 3.7L is replaced in '15 or '16(?). and of course, the 6MT would have to return. without that, i would not consider the Q50.

 

I bought and picked up my 2010 g37x black on black today with premium package and nav and put on about 50 miles. I LOVE THIS CAR. I don't know if it is because I was driving a POS for so long (an 02 wrx) but this car is fantastic. I thought my WRX was pretty quick but daaaamnnn the g37 is fast. I did suburban/highway driving and I was flying. The chasis is very composed and buttoned down when going 100 mph... you easily get there and don't even realize how fast you're going. When I was in my WRX at those speeds I knew it. The g37 is just so composed and the navigation is awesome as is the sound system. I know a lot people say there are better cars out there and I was thinking of an s4 but I'm happy I kept the 10K and stuck with japanese reliability...

So to answer the question, coming from someone who just bought one, and who really thought hard before committing to making monthly payments again (I owned the wrx for a long time) I am happy that I got this car. I thought the WRX was fun to drive but wow, the infiniti is amazing. No buyers remorse here. I would do it again.

 

For me, it's very simple. A bigger car is just a no-no personally. And since the q50 is bigger, it WILL be less sporty. There is no denying this. Bigger cars have ALWAYS been less sporty, (M35/45 vs G35/G37, 5-series vs 3 series, E90 3-series vs F30 3-series, M3 vs M5, and same will be for G37 vs Q50 etc etc). Heck, they're not even offering a manual in that car! Shows you the direction Infiniti is taking! No need for a test drive, my imaginary one will do just fine.

 

I think the q will get a manual eventually. And I'm glad you enjoyed your imaginary drive, please give us a detailed rundown of the q.

 

Q50 is bigger? It's 0.4" longer, 2.0" wider, 1" inch shorter, ~50 lbs lighter, and has identical F&R track and wheelbase, vs. the G37 sedan. Overall sounds like it's materially the same size.

 

Was going to say, have you seen the Q50 in person yet? It is literally the same size as a G... it is just a tich wider and it is lower.

 

I bought a new 2004 G37 Sedan. Drove it for 6 years and liked it so much that l I purchased a new G37 Sedan in 2010. If I had to do it over again, I'd buy another 2010 G37. It's the best car I've ever owned.

The 2004 G37 was a great driving car. Lots of torque. Great handing. Nice stopping power. However, the seating position was not as comfortable as the 2010. The 2004 electric seat controls were in an odd place that occasionally cramped my style on the right thigh. And it took a long time for my left leg to get comfortable leaning against the hard plastic of the passenger door. I almost bought a TL in 2004 because it was so much more comfortable.

Another issue I had with the 2004 was brake dust. It was impossible to keep those rims looking clean for long.

Infiniti solved all those problems by 2010.

In addition, the technology is outstanding. It's more commonplace now, but in 2010 it was pretty cool to stream Pandora from your I-Phone over the car's bluetooth and have it play through the car speakers. Try doing that with a 2010 BMW or Mercedes. Plus, I loaded over 200 albums into the car's hard drive and created several playlists. Add XM, and your music choices are endless.

The gas mileage is better. I got about 15 MPG in the 2004 (lots of city driving/short trips). I get about 16.5 MPG now, and that's with a heavy subwoofer in the trunk that probably costs me 1 MPG. Add in the bigger gas tank, and my trips to the gas station are significantly more infrequent now.

As for the automatic transmission, it's really a matter of personal choice. If you prefer a "BMW feel," the factory settings with fairly heavy engine braking are generally fine but for a few quirks. I chose to have the transmission reprogrammed. The car seems a lot more "free" now, which probably costs me a little at the gas tank

The only glitch I experienced was the AC. When new, it occasionally blew hot air at stops shortly after firing up the engine. Apparently, this issue was not uncommon, as there is a TSB to fix it. Since the fix, my AC has run perfectly. It blows very cold. I live in Houston and have never felt like I needed a ventilated front seat due to the heat.

I love the fact the 2010 G37 is so easy to work on. It's easy to change your own oil/oil filter. You should never pay for someone to change your engine air filters - they are a snap. The cabin air filter is a bit of a PITA, but can be done yourself.

The fact that this car is the first car I've ever owned with Navigation, XM radio, back up camera and sonar rear sensor warnings is just icing on the cake.

Would I do it again? Damn straight I would.