A mixed bag with the Infiniti G37

I have finally driven our long-termer, the Infiniti G37, and nicking it from Amit was easier than I thought. All I had to do was trick him into believing we had the love of his life, a Nissan GT-R, waiting for him outside. He ran off quicker than Usain Bolt. That left me about 9.58 seconds to grab the keys and hit the road before he got the joke.

Apart from chrome touches and 17in wheels, there isn't much else to grab your attention about the exterior. It's curvy and neat and doesn't offend. Or excite. The cream interior is off-set well by a mahogany trimmed dash, however, the four-door saloon's cockpit feels rather cramped. That's not to say it's not comfortable, it sure is. The eight-way power adjustable, perforated leather seats — with embroidered Infiniti logos — cool extremely quickly at the push of a button. But as Amit mentioned last week, finding that button is a bit of a problem because the designers have loaded the G37 with way too many, carelessly scattering them about.

For instance, the tiny trip reset switch sits awkwardly behind the left side of the steering wheel, out of reach. What's more, there are other buttons, some of them may be quite important, but I'll never know because they are hidden away under the steering column.

Start it up and the 3.7-litre V6 moans like a teenager getting out of bed. You'd be forgiven for popping the bonnet to make sure it actually has six cylinders. It sounds like a four-pot at best, but the rear-wheel drive G37 is no slouch. Packing 328bhp and 366Nm of torque, it offers good levels of performance and handles really well too. You can toss it around a bend at speed and there is hardly any body roll while the tyres grip the road with a vengeance. Fiddling around with the leather-coated paddle shifters brings out more power from the unit but sadly, the impressive engine still won't sing.

The G also stops abruptly enough, partly thanks to its decent 1,635kg weight, standard ABS and the clever Electronic Brake force Distribution. This adjusts the amount of braking applied to each wheel, reducing dive and producing even brake wear. It's got enough kit like sat-nav, rear camera and a superb Bose sound system to keep you interested.

Throw good performance and comfort into the mix and you have a neat family saloon on your hands.

Week 7

Facts

Driven by Imran

Start mileage 2,015km

Recent cost None

Average fuel economy 16-19mpg

Highs Nippy ride, cooling seats

Lows Feels cramped in the driver's seat

Week 6

Highs Easy to use Bluetooth system

Lows Important buttons are hidden away, out of sight

Week 5

Highs User friendly sat-nav

Lows Brake pedal feels a little soft

Week 4

Highs Space, fuel economy

Lows Doesn't have self-healing paint

Week 3

Highs Sensible, reliable

Lows Jerky manual shifts

Week 2

Highs AC, ride, handling

Lows Lacks emotion

Week 1

Highs Comfy ride, driving, edgy looks

Lows Engine drone