L.A. Auto Show: Infiniti’s new sun king
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In the war film ‘Three Kings’ starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and rapper Ice Cube, there’s an early scene in which soldiers debate whether Infiniti makes a convertible. Ice Cube’s character says Infiniti “has one coming” while Wahlberg’s disagrees. Since the film takes place in 1991 Iraq, just after the Gulf War has ended, it’s Ice Cube who is correct: he’s referring to Infiniti’s short-lived (1991 & 1992) M30 convertible. Its conversion from an M30 coupe was a simple affair that amounted to little more than hacking off the roof and throwing in a few hundred pounds of structural reinforcement.
Ah, how times change.
Making its world debut on Wednesday was the 2009 Infiniti G37 convertible. Much more than a hack job, this unit features a three-piece retracting hardtop, much like a certain competitor from Munich, and more recently, much like Lexus’ release of its hard-topped IS 250/350.
Infiniti’s Product Manager Randy Fior says the design studio penned the drop-top with California in mind, and even tested it on our very own PCH. Golden State customers said they wanted the convertible to look like a coupe with the top up, and Infiniti had good reason to agree, as the coupe is a sharp-looking car from any angle.
For the most part, Infiniti succeeded. Though the trunk lines differ from the coupe (to accommodate aforementioned roof-folding), the overall shape of the back quarter of the car looks very much like the original: clean, modern and congruent with the rest of the exterior. What the designers were able to avoid, and something of which the hands behind the new Lexus IS convertible should take note, is what we’ll call the ‘Sebring effect.’ That is, the unfortunate trunk circumstance illustrated by the latest iteration of Chrysler’s Sebring convertible, whose trunk looks heavy and obtuse and wails to those caught behind it in traffic “Yes, I conceal an entire folding roof, stop staring.”
Moving our topless friend is the same new 3.7-liter V6 that you’ll find in the 2009 G37 hardtop sedan, and is good for 325 horsepower. Drivers will be able to choose from a 7-speed automatic (seasoned with goodies like a manual-shift mode; Downshift Rev Matching; DS mode, which uses an algorithm to adapt to your driving style; and Adaptive Shift Control) or they can row their own boat with the 6-speed manual tranny.
Curb weight jumps a bit, thanks to the folding roof bits and the reinforcements. All told, the hardtop G37 convertible stands at 4095 lbs., up 325 lbs. from the hardtop G37’s and about 150 lbs. more than a similarly equipped BMW 335i convertible. What this does for handling remains to be seen, though it’s worth noting that our own Dan Neil thought the fixed-roof version moved well, despite its heft.
Whether the lifespan of this Infiniti convertible lives up to the brand’s moniker remains to be seen, but the company is surely hoping Southern California buyers are among the first to make it a popular addition to their garages.
-- David Undercoffler
Photos by David Undercoffler / Los Angeles Times