The 2010 Infiniti G37x: An All-Wheel Drive Alternative

Vancouver is, in nearly every way, a bubble. One of the most temperate cities found north of the 49th parallel and possessing of some of the most desirable urban scenery to be found, its nickname of “Hollywood North” is much deserved for more than just the city’s tie to the movie industry. It’s also landfall for many immigrants from Asia. Looking back through Vancouver’s history, there’s various points at which the Asian connection appears. Ranging from the historic Japanese fishing village currently known as Steveston to the current Indo-Canadian presence in Surrey, Vancouver’s status as a city of multicultural neighbourhoods has been repeatedly identified by statistics, researchers, and historical documents. But nothing can quite prepare the uninitiated for a trip through Richmond.

So predominantly Chinese that local PTA’s have been petitioning for a Mandarin immersion school to parallel the school board’s French immersion programs, walking through some areas of Richmond can have newcomers questioning if they’ve actually landed in Canada, or if they’ve fallen through some interdimensional gap and found themselves in a less-crowded version of Hong Kong. According to a 2006 census, 45% of Richmond’s residents listed Chinese as their ethnic background; vastly outstripping the just 9% of Richmondites that claimed to be Canadian in origin.

What all this means, for the gearheads and car buffs reading this, is that Richmond’s various overstuffed parking lots and driveways are nothing like those found elsewhere in the country. With the majority of its denizens emigrating from Hong Kong prior to the colony’s removal from the commonwealth, Richmond is dominated by the recognizable luxury brands from Europe and Asia that were so popular among the Hong Kong elite. Sit on a local patio long enough, and you’re liable to see everything from Ferrari Enzos and Lamborghini Reventons to Porsche 911 GT2s and Aston Martin DBS’… and everything in between. Stop by the local high school parking lot and you’ll find Audi R8s and Rolls Royce Phantoms with New Driver signs hanging in the back window, and more Lexus’ and Acuras than you can shake a stick at. But even in this automotive cornucopia, there’s one car that seems to have stolen a disproportionately large piece of the automotive pie: Infiniti’s G-class coupe.

And why not? After all, if you’re a young man looking for a classy sports coupe, it’s hard to do much better than Infiniti’s best-known product. Unchanged for 2011, the relatively recent revisions still look fantastic, from the long, sculpted headlights to the smooth, graceful curves of the car’s fender flares. There’s a lot of lineage here, and fans of the previous G35 couple will have a lot to lust after with the new model. From the shape of the taillights and rear fascia to the Japanese-translation Hoffmeister kink in the rear side glass, the car looks composed, and yet lithe at the same time.

Inside, that Japanese design language that lends itself to sheetmetal so nicely translates well into leather and interior trimmings. Each surface is well textured with impeccable attention to detail, and it comes as no surprise that the newest interiors are every bit as good as those sampled in previous tests of the G37, seeing barely anything has changed.  However, having stepped from the G37 into a similarly new 370Z, I can’t help but question the relatively small jump in luxuriousness from one to the other. Just slightly quieter and with a few more leather surfaces, it’s not the same leap that a Lexus represents over its Toyota brethren. However, while it’s easy to condemn Infiniti for not stepping up their game, to do so would be to discount the excellent interior possessed by the Nissan 370Z. Also, given the relatively small price differential between the two, perhaps it’s best to consider the Infiniti a four-seater variant of the 370Z, rather than a more luxurious alternative.

In fact, that perspective might be the single best way to look at this particular Infiniti G-coupe. Yes indeed, as a more practical version of Nissan’s enviable sports car, it is this, the Infiniti G37x that stands out amongst the Infiniti G-coupe lineup. Denoting the all-wheel drive system that resides aft of the 3.7 litre V6 powerplant, the existence of the x on the G37’s trunk isn’t necessarily new (it debuted alongside the rear-wheel drive variants of the new G-class coupe three years ago), but has been kept relatively quiet ever since.  Using the brand’s famous ATTESA-E-TS all-wheel drive system, the G37x trades some of its sports car-inspired zest for sure-footedness in all conditions; a real boon in the real world of rain-slicked roads and snow-capped mountains. A system that first appeared in the R32 Skyline GTR, the ATTESTA-E-TS system uses a series of clutch packs in the rear differential and center differential to distribute power between the front and rear wheels. However, being strictly rear-wheel drive based allows the system to handle more like a rear wheel drive car, with power redirection only occurring to correct for a lack of traction. In practice, the system is nearly transparent in operation with none of the understeer you’d expect of an all-wheel drive car, but steps in when the car begins to slide, pulling the nose through and getting everything back in line. Although rarely needed during my test period, I’d surmise that such a system would be in its element in a few weeks when the snow begins to settle, and could make for one incredibly fun unplowed parking lot drift car.

Which brings me to the one criticism I have about the G37x: its ride height. Now, I’m not sure if it does actually ride any higher than the standard G37, but with the puny little wheels and tall-profile tires its saddled with, the once-pretty couple bears the strongest resemblance to Nissan’s decidedly down-range Altima Coupe, and that’s not a compliment. Perhaps Infiniti designers thought North American buyers would appreciate an all-wheel drive sports coupe that looks as if it should have 4WD stickers plastered all over it, or perhaps they simply thought that an all-wheel drive sports coupe should fill the gap between sports car and the QX56 SUV, but the reality is that since its inception the G37x has been sorely hampered by its blandulous appearance. However, I’m happy to report that as of next year, G37x buyers will be able to remedy this issue through the inclusion of the Sport package in the G37x’s option list. Bringing with it a myriad of features including the lust-worthy 19” wheels and lower, performance-oriented suspension system, I suspect this change in the lineup should bring the G37x onto a few more buyers’ radar, and rightfully so.