In a move that seems a bit uncharacteristic for Nissan--especially given the company's history of not sending cars like the S15 Silvia and GT-R over to the U.S.--America will be the first market to get the company's all-new Skyline sports coupe. Of course, you must remember that not all Skylines are GT-Rs, and that the new Skyline we're getting is branded as an Infiniti, but hey--we'll take what we can get.
After the successful launch of the all-new G35 sedan, Infiniti is launching a more powerful two-door version of the car and is dubbing it a G37. As you can rightly guess by the two-larger number after the G, this latest recipient of "Skyline" badge swaps is bigger, badder and faster than the car it replaces, and it's sure to be the next hot thing in our scene.
So let's talk about that two-larger number for a minute: the 2008 Infiniti G37 comes powered by an all-new 3.7 liter VQ37VHR engine which, at 330 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque, is more powerful (and cleaner) than the still brand spankin' new VQ35HR found in the G35 sedan and '08 350Z. Transmission choices for this car are a slick-shifting six-speed manual and an old man Nads-approved five-speed auto. The new G coupe is built atop Nissan's FM platform--the same platform that underpins cars like the 350Z and, uh, the old G coupe. Like the Super Street staff on a case of Cialis, the new G's chassis enjoys a 45-percent increase in stiffness which, unlike our underperforming, artificially erect selves, actually improves the G's performance.
Covering this new engine and Viagra-stiff chassis is a two-door coupe that looks remarkably similar to the outgoing G--only not as pretty. We know that Infiniti is going for a bit of a "wave" theme here, but the G37 coupe looks like the slightly portlier sister of the slimmer and sexier G35 two door. It's like the G37 is a post Celebrity Fit Club Mia Tyler while the original G35 coupe is Liv. Based on looks alone, which one would you rather take home? Exactly.
The G37's larger-and-more-in-charge size does have a few benefits--namely, normal-sized humans can better fit inside the thing. Though on paper the new G Coupe's exterior and interior dimensions aren't all that different from those of the outgoing car, headroom (for front passengers, at least) has been increased to the point where we can sit comfortably in the driver's seat without the need to tilt our heads sideways.
It's not just the ability to sit upright like a real human being that makes the new G37's cabin a nice place to be. As much as we love the old G's looks, even we have to admit that its interior just wasn't up to snuff. Hard leather and acres of even harder plastic litter the original G's cabin; it's okay for a Nissan, but sub-par for a luxury brand hell-bent on taking on BMW.
With this latest generation of Gs, Infiniti finally has an interior that can legitimately be called "nice." The dash no longer looks brittle and is actually nice to touch; the comfy leather-wrapped seats have deep bolsters and are nicely supportive; the washi paper-inspired metal trim looks great and things overall are put together in such a way that the G's cockpit no longer looks like a Nissan interior wearing a cheap, rented prom tux. We can say with confidence that the G Coupe's interior is every bit as nice as that of the new 3 Series.