Possible M purchase

[biggie]

Next few months I'll probably be selling/trading my G35 coupe for bigger back seat car.

Set on M. Hopefully M45 or M37 as I don't want to go down in HP.

Anythings to look for on these cars that yall know of?

I notice very little difference in the sport package cars, what's the upside of sport?

Thanks

[EniGmA1987]

Sport has rear active steering. In my year it also came with the aluminum style trim and aluminum pedals, and the larger nicer looking rims.
Oh and almost forgot the "blacked out" headlights.

[biggie]

Did notice the pedals on some. But not huge differences I guess. Wheels probably the biggest change.

[Six_Legs]

If you shop around enough you can find a base model with certain upgrades on the options. My M is a base model but I do have the bigger sport wheels and HID protector headlights.

[Mjkkb2]

This will only apply to M37 Sport:
You get: sporty pedals, Paddle Shifters, 20" rims, sport front fascia, Big breaks, sport suspension, 4way Active Steer, sport seats

[vasekvi]

Sport has higher rate springs and shocks, blacked out headlights, aluminum interior trim in place of wood, blackhoused headlamps, rear active steering, unique stitching on the shifter and steering wheel, contrasting trim on the seats, more aggressive front seat bolstering with double stitched seams, the 19" wheels, and on the 08 and 09 have unique front and rear bumpers.

Oops, my apologies. I thought you were referring to the previous generation.

[Wangtang408]

The type S like M45S come with the "Aero Kit" on the 06/07, for the 08-10 comes with sports front and rear bumper a mentioned above.
If you are interested in the rear reclining seats on the M45, it is not available in the sports model due to rear active steering

[biggie]

Thanks for the replies. I'm looking at M45 and M37 mostly so both of those generations apply.

Do like the paddle shifter option on the M37, was hoping it was available on the M35/45.

I'm looking at a large range of years/models. I'm probably going to hope for well under 100k miles and around $20k or less. For M37 that going to be a longer wait, but I'm in no hurry to get rid of my G quite yet.

[Larz]

The opinions expressed by actual owners of the M45 and G37 models should naturally be considered higher than mine as I drive an M35, however I have driven the M45, M56, and new G37 in sport and non-sport trim and here are my thoughts:

If you're currently in a G class, you're already familiar with the noticeably stiffer ride than the non-sport M's. If that's what you fancy, stick with the sport model for your new M as well. The 19" spoprt wheels are a definite improvement in appearance over my standard 18's, but newer 20's seem a bit too large for a car this size (obviously I'm in the minority here).
I could tell no difference in the sport active steering at all 4 wheels (the rear wheel camber changes by 1 degree), but I seriously doubt Infiniti would have added it unless it really DOES do something.
The interior of the sport model used to come with extra stitching along the edges of the seats in a contrast colour which looked fabulous. The interior trim on the sport is simialr to your G class with metal in place of rosewood. The dash on the newer M37 has a double hump over the gauges which I don't fancy at all. However, it is a more sporty design than the single dash hump in the earlier models.
Lastly, the newer wavy body style is much less agressive / sporty then the previous generation and doesn't look all that different than most other brand sedans. I like the newest Q70L (the wavyness is reduced) over the current M-class, but the 06 /07 still has the most unique, most sporty body style to date in my opinion.

[pedsemdoc]

I think Larz gives some thoughtful opinions.

I like the front bumper style of the '08 Ms compared to the more boxy look of the '06-'07s and the "wavy" look that the '11 and up M37s have.
Many folks have done that mod to change the front end look of their older Ms.
However, there is an owner on another forum that has taken his M37 to a whole new level, there are some pics on the RavSpec website:
http://www.ravspec.com/archives/5715


I personally like the brushed aluminum interior trim, although some folks don't and others have even vinyl wrapped it or replaced it with their own darker aluminum trim themselves.

I love the low end torque of my V8 and the miniscule loss in mpg is worth it in my opinion, although no offense to my M35 brethren, the V6 is plenty powerful. Plus, all things considered the VQ engine may be a tad bit more reliable than the VK - I believe more have reported oil consumption issues with the V8 engine than the V6.
Although there are many of us that have NOT had any issues at all.

Plus, I think you get a 7-speed transmission with the M37 instead of a pretty antiquated 5-speed.

good luck with your hunt,

Craig

[TXT]

If i'm not mistaken and if my memory serves me right from watching a review for the 2007 M45 Sport back when the car was new (I think it was a Roadfly review on youtube), the transmission on the sport models is a little different ratio wise. It can also tell when you are driving spirited and will keep you in the same gear if you let go of the gas for a second or two, just in case you want to get back on it the car is already in gear. I might be completely wrong and this might apply to all models, sport or not.

[Larz]

Mine is not a sport and it, too, holds the gear momentarily and makes a nice throaty growl while doing it. I was told this is called 'rev-matching' and it's great when you use the manual shifter to up or down shift.