Infiniti G37 // Drop top goodness

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Twenty years is a long time to wait. In a trade as volatile as the car industry, twenty years is equal to about four new models, thousands of sales and a healthy profit. Twenty years is enough to attract a whole generation to your brand. Yet twenty years is the time it’s taken for Infiniti to release another convertible.

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The first (this G37 is only the second) was the M30 convertible, an awkward-looking soft-top based on a US-spec, Lego-square proportioned Nissan Leopard. With somewhat more solid 370Z underpinnings this time round, it has some clout. But there’s no shortage of dropheads to choose from right now, so how does it fare?

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Top up, from a distance and in a dark hue, it makes a good impression of being a coupe, the roof’s lines blending neatly with the A-pillars and the short overhang, low boot lid rear. It’s a looker right from the off. And top-down it continues to be a head-turner; a svelte, refreshing sight that stands apart from the latest premium stalwarts, the Audi A5 and Lexus IS-C.

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For your $60K, you get cooled seats, quality leather, a climate control system that adjusts fan rate with speed, front and rear parking sensors and – by far the highlight of the lot – the Bose Open Air sound system. Thirteen speakers, including some in the heardrest, that make for sharp, all-enveloping acoustics, even with the top down and the volume notched right up.

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To fold away that three-piece ‘clamshell’ metal hardtop takes 28 seconds. It isn’t the fastest out there, but it’s a thing of heavy duty engineering, and when overhead, insulates the cabin to whisper-quiet standards. The downside to that refinement – as usual –  is weight. And a lot of it, in this case. A-pillars back, the G37 has been re-engineered. There’s a floor brace on the transmission tunnel, strengthened door sills and multiple strengthening beams on the underside. The steel roof itself and its mechanism add to the load, so there are some revisions to the rear suspension. Driver included, it tips the scales at two tonnes – almost 200kg more than the coupe.

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At the front there’s the same 3.7-litre-V6 as the coupe and 370Z, delivered through a smooth seven-speed auto with magnesium paddles (shared with the Z) for interaction. In the convertible though, there’s seven less horsepower and a smidgen less torque, so with that extra weight it’s 0.5sec slower to 100kph.

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Driving wise, it’s mostly a mild-mannered affair at first, particularly in comparison to the taught 370Z Roadster (issue 043). Progress is swift but subdued, it pulls with vigour and a faint hum, there are few vibrations and the damping is noticeably more lenient, the ride less busy and more compliant over rough surfaces. It deals with the bumps admirably.

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On the whole, that bulk isn’t an issue. There’s the same controlled body movements, the same direct steering, the same responsive chassis and the same grip levels as the coupe. Push it and it responds, hunkering down onto the road. All those structural reinforcements do their job; the scuttle shakes and vibrations that you expect to come through the steering are rare.

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For about the other 20 per cent, physics take over, the softer setup comes through and the shifts in weight become pronounced. Understeer pervades. With the roof down, the weight shifted rearwards and near-perfect f:r weight balance disturbed, the front gives up sooner. Try to attack any corner at speed, and trail braking becomes a necessity, where it was previously an option. For the record, the 370Z Roadster has wider Bridgestones and fewer grip issues.

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But full-on hoonage isn’t the point here; outright speed nor sideways antics come naturally to the G37 Convertible (though it’s available on demand). Is it a GT? No. There’s (just) enough room in the rear to sit a teenager with the roof stored away, and you’ll only fit a couple of large Coke bottles in the boot, it’s that small. Even Infiniti admits practicality has been sacrificed for style.

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What the G37C is, is a smooth-but-accomplished cruiser that you can wring out when the fancy takes you. Treat is as such, and it’s then you begin to fully enjoy it.

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