The perforated leather seats are comfortable, and the standard eight-way driver's seat has air-adjustable lumbar support. The Sport Package, standard on the 6MT models, adds 14-way sport-styled seats with thigh extensions and power adjustable torso and thigh bolsters for the driver, with sporty steering-wheel stitching and aluminum pedals.
The three-spoke steering wheel is wrapped in hand-stitched perforated leather, with audio and cruise control buttons on its spokes. Optional paddle shifters for the automatic transmission are magnesium, and you can actually reach them with your fingers when your hands are placed at 10 and 2 o'clock on the steering wheel. That isn't the case with many cars, and we like the shift sequence, too. You pull back on the right paddle for upshifts, and on the left for downshifts.
The G37's gauges feature electroluminescent lighting: The needles glow red on a white-and-violet background. An easy-to-read information display shows useful trip functions like immediate or average fuel mileage, average speed, elapsed time, running distance and distance to empty, as well as outside air temperature, odometer, and warning displays.
The center stack falls from an LED screen that displays climate and audio data or navigation information. Audio and climate controls are conveniently located out in the open below the information screen, with our preferred layout of audio on top and climate below. The G37 Convertible comes standard with an adaptive climate control system that automatically adjusts airflow and fan speed based on top position and road speed.
The navigation system is controlled by a mouse-like knob below the screen, or by voice commands. The map offers a bird's-eye view, which gives a perception of distance by incorporating a horizon and, depending on the available mapping data, three-dimensional building footprints for the local surroundings. It's neat to look at, though many testers prefer the regular overhead view because it always keeps North up. The XM Satellite Radio system provides real-time traffic updates on the screen, where available.
The base sound system is competitive with that in any luxury sedan. The convertible comes with a standard feature that adjust sound levels for ambient noise when the top is down.
The upgrade Bose Studio On Wheels audio system delivers a sound that's richer, fuller, more intricate and crisper than any system we can recall in cars costing thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars more than the G37. We stepped directly from a G into a $100,000-plus European sports coupe with that marque's top-level sound system and could not distinguish a difference between the two. When it's equipped with the navigation system, the G37 adds a 9.3 gigabyte hard drive that will copy about 90 CDs in short order. You'll never have to carry CDs in this car, and the audio directory can access music by artist or type.
The front door pockets are small in all G37 models, half-taken by armrests, although each includes a hollow for a water bottle. There are also two big cupholders behind the shift lever. Further back, under the driver's elbow, the size of the compartment in the center console is reasonable, and there's another cupholder here.
Cubby storage includes a respectably sized glove box. The back side of each front seatback has a magazine pouch. Two cup holders pop out of the fold-down, rear seat center armrest, which also has a unique compartment masked by a Velcro-type flap on the right side.
Interior roominess is competitive for the class. The G37 Sedan's wide rear door openings leave room aplenty for legs, knees and feet when getting in and out of the back seat.
The Coupe is slightly different story. It doesn't offer much knee room in the rear seats, and the legroom stat of 29.8 inches is the lowest we've seen in a long time. The driveshaft hump runs high between the two rear seats, and there's a wide crack between the seatback and seat bottom that might be uncomfortable over the miles. Overall, the rear seat sends heavy reminders that this is a coupe, not a sedan. You might even think of it as a four-seat Nissan 370Z.
Rear seat space in the G37 Convertible is just as tight. Access in both Coupe and Convertible is at least eased by a power walk-in device with position memory. In both, the front seats move forward automatically at the touch of a button to allow passengers into the rear. The Convertible offers a rear wind deflector that helps reduce turbulence when the top is down.
With 13.5 cubic feet of trunk space, the G37 Sedan slightly surpasses competitors like the Lexus IS and BMW 3 Series in cargo volume. On the other hand, it falls well short of class leaders like the Audi A4 (17 cubic feet). The G37 Convertible, too, offers competitive trunk space, with 10.33 cubic feet. Of course, that space drops dramatically when the top is lowered under the rear deck, leaving only 1.99 cubic feet for bags or other stuff.
When it comesto trunk space, the Coupe fares worst of all, lagging just about all competitors with 7.4 cubic feet. A folding rear seat back improves things by allowing larger items to flow from the trunk into the passenger cabin, and it explains that notable crack between the back and bottom cushion when the rear seatback is upright. Next Page