G37 Sedan Journey 4 wheel active steer option or not?

[MikeCRG]

I am beginning my research on the G37 and I have asked a dealer for some prices and I asked for a quote including the 4 wheel active steering option. He said a vehicle with this option would be an order only vehicle.

Is the reason for the "order only vehicle" because this is not a popular option? or he simply just did not have one on his lot?

Now what is the opinion about this option, is it worth it or not?

Can anyone describe the feeling of the car with and without it?

Pro's and Con's?

Thanks,

Mike

[Poyzinous]

It has to come that way from the factory. If the dealer doesn't order one with RAS, you cant get one. And unless you're going to drive at the track, its not necessary. It will give you quicker turn-in, sharper steering, funny feeling lane changing. If it was a $500 option, more people would get it.

[Kendahl]

This was discussed at some length when the G37 first came out. A search on "4 wheel steer" should find the posts.

Contrary to another reply, 4 wheel steering works better on the street than on the track. At high speed on a highway, it helps tame the rear end during an abrupt lane change. (Infiniti's web site may have a video of it in action.) At low speed, it tightens the steering ratio in a sharp corner so that you don't have to turn the wheel as far. On the track, the computer seems to have a hard time deciding which way to point the rear wheels. This makes handling squirrelly. (See one of Edmunds' G37 tests in 2008.)

I chose not to order 4 wheel steering. I don't like the idea of surrendering control of something as important as steering to a computer which can't be trusted to analyze the situation correctly. Neither did I order the technology package. It includes adaptive cruise control which will drop the throttle if it thinks you are too close to the car in front. Again, I need to be able to trust the car to do what I tell it, not what the computer thinks.

The only options on my 6MT car were premium and navigation. (The sport package is standard.) The premium package contains many luxury items which make the car more pleasant to spend time in. The navigation system is one of the better ones on the market. However, the real reason I bought it is the rear view camera. The view through a G37 coupe's rear window is terrible for backing up and the camera solves this neatly.

[Tampa G35 Sedan 6MT]

I can't wait to get to find one of these used and take it for a test drive... I want to know what it feels like to drive a 4WAS

If you get one you should do a write up of the difference between the two!

DJ

[pfarmer]

I chose not to order 4 wheel steering. I don't like the idea of surrendering control of something as important as steering to a computer which can't be trusted to analyze the situation correctly. Neither did I order the technology package. It includes adaptive cruise control which will drop the throttle if it thinks you are too close to the car in front. Again, I need to be able to trust the car to do what I tell it, not what the computer thinks.

With the technology package you also get the adaptive lighting with the intellegent cruise control.

I bought the package and I like it. The cruise control will drop the throttle and brake, but the idea is if you are approaching the car at too high of a rate of speed. I find it works fairly well with one exception, if you use it mainly on the freeway. If you use it on a two lane road it still works fine but has problems on corners that are tight enough to not allow it to see directly at the car in front. It doesn't seem to do anything nasty there, rather it ignores the situation. It will also ignore anything coming from the other lane. Keep in mind that Infiniti doesn't recommend its use in those situations. My biggest complaint is that it (and maybe this pertains to the normal cruise control as well) tries too hard to maintain speed and ends up hunting. Compared to my Chrysler it reacts quicker and to a greater degree to speed changes but ends up over and undershooting to a much greater degree.

The lights I also like, however I think the concept is flawed because it is mechanical. To me the ideal situation would be a series of smaller lights that fade in and out based on direction. It works best at lower speeds on tighter roads.

Perry