Ready to pull the trigger--some final questions--mpg, RWD, trunk space

[evaine45]

So far I've tried the G37, Lexus I250, Honda Accord Coupe, BMW Z4, and Corvette and checked out but decided against the 350Z and Crossfire because of poor gas mileage. I love the Z4 but I've found the dealerships too arrogant to deal with. The G37 is GREAT, I like it as much as the Z4, and more than the others--but I have a couple of big concerns and want to know others' experiences.

1. Gas mileage--I've been reading these and other boards, as well as looking for data sites, and there seem to be a lot of people getting between 12-17 mpg, which is absolutely unacceptable to me. My driving is about 50/50 highway and heavy suburban traffic, and my daily commute is almost 60 miles RT. I'm probably spoiled with my Accord giving me 25-30 mpg. Anyone have any knowledge of WHY some folks get such bad mileage? Those of you who have accurate mileage figures based on distance between fillups rather than the dash readout, what are you getting?

2. RWD--I live in the northeast and this would have to be my daily driver. How realistic is that? It was my biggest concern about the Z4. If I bought the Accord or Lexus it wouldn't be a concern.

3. Trunk space--partially addressed by the back seat folding down, but isn't it a pain getting to your stuff then? I can't imagine crawling through the trunk to get to half my groceries.

I've also been following the prices paid and it looks like I can realistically expect to get this at invoice or slightly below. Anyone in the Philadelphia area care to comment? I learned I do qualify for VPP, which is a bit above invoice, but I guess I'm a bit cheap. Other goodies I can get the dealership to throw in for free? Any Infiniti-specific negotiating tips?

on the plus side, I love the way it handles, the interior is wonderfully plush and high tech, and the navi is the best I've seen as a built-in. It definitely wow'ed me, so now I have to get some facts about my concerns.

PLEASE POST! and tell me what your experiences have been!

[CYO44Baseball32]

So far I've tried the G37, Lexus I250, Honda Accord Coupe, BMW Z4, and Corvette and checked out but decided against the 350Z and Crossfire because of poor gas mileage. I love the Z4 but I've found the dealerships too arrogant to deal with. The G37 is GREAT, I like it as much as the Z4, and more than the others--but I have a couple of big concerns and want to know others' experiences.

1. Gas mileage--I've been reading these and other boards, as well as looking for data sites, and there seem to be a lot of people getting between 12-17 mpg, which is absolutely unacceptable to me. My driving is about 50/50 highway and heavy suburban traffic, and my daily commute is almost 60 miles RT. I'm probably spoiled with my Accord giving me 25-30 mpg. Anyone have any knowledge of WHY some folks get such bad mileage? Those of you who have accurate mileage figures based on distance between fillups rather than the dash readout, what are you getting?

2. RWD--I live in the northeast and this would have to be my daily driver. How realistic is that? It was my biggest concern about the Z4. If I bought the Accord or Lexus it wouldn't be a concern.

3. Trunk space--partially addressed by the back seat folding down, but isn't it a pain getting to your stuff then? I can't imagine crawling through the trunk to get to half my groceries.

I've also been following the prices paid and it looks like I can realistically expect to get this at invoice or slightly below. Anyone in the Philadelphia area care to comment? I learned I do qualify for VPP, which is a bit above invoice, but I guess I'm a bit cheap. Other goodies I can get the dealership to throw in for free? Any Infiniti-specific negotiating tips?

on the plus side, I love the way it handles, the interior is wonderfully plush and high tech, and the navi is the best I've seen as a built-in. It definitely wow'ed me, so now I have to get some facts about my concerns.

PLEASE POST! and tell me what your experiences have been!

Ok since no one has answer you yet I'll be the first:

Good choice on the G37 you'll enjoy it

1. Mostly depends on how hard you drive it. I will drive it hard at times and other I will just cruise with it. I've been getting 20 mpg lately (with HFC's and Intake) and I do alot of driving around 3 miles espcially when I go over to campus with all its speed bumps. I think you get better mileage as the engine breaks in also.

2. Unless the others are AWD then RWD shouldn't be that big of a concern. Not a fan of FWD so RWD ftw!!!

3. I always roll with my backseat down and the seat has a slight angle so the stuff stays in the truck. The only time my groceries will roll forward is if I have to stop hard and only if the item is on the heavier side.

I got a good deal on mine because it had no extra packages, I paid 37k when it first came out.

G/L on your choice and hope you get a G

[Magellan]

For my opinion on your questions:

1. I’ve been averaging around 18mpg in the city and up to 22 on the freeways, so perhaps you’re not going to get what you got with your Accord. Of course averages vary with the driver’s style. IMHO as the driver’s age goes down, so does the mileage. You may also note the G37, in addition to displaying the current mpg data on both the LCD and the nav screens as selected, can store mpg averages via a bar graph on the nav display, showing a bar for the last ten fill-ups.

2. Having had experience with both RWD and AWD, RWD is better by far, especially for a daily driver.

3. The trunk space is not that good. But by buying a coupe you should not expect much more. I try to avoid carrying around a lot of junk in my trunk and have had no trouble with routine items like groceries, average size boxes and a small toolbox (that I haven't had to use yet). And I haven’t yet had to fold the rear seats down. If you play golf though, you may have some trouble getting your clubs in.

Not living in Philadelphia (although I was born and raised there) it’s hard to say what the dealers are offering. But if you can buy a G37 for a bit less than invoice, I would grab it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy joining the club.

[RadMav]

Driving style truly determines mpg. Drive it the way it's fun to drive I'm getting around 12/14. Very torquey engine at low RPM's allows you to get into 5th at around 40 MPH MPG goes up alot 22 approx. Drive really conservatively on the freeway in 6th and I was able to get about 26MPG over a 30 mile trip. Average it all out you should be able to get 18-22 if you put in some HWY miles.

Anyway about it you'll love it.

I bought mine to drive! I think about MPG when the pump finally stops but as soon as you start it up MPG becomes secondary especially when you are looking at a wide open on ramp or a series of sweeping esses.

Enjoy! Good luck.

[G37 Man]

1.Whatever you do,do not get the G37S,they are not All Season tires and you will need them in the Philly area.

2. MPG is a result of driving habits,fast starts,high speeds will not do wonders for you.I would also caution you on the fact you cannot get away with regular gas on the G37 and with the price difference of anywhere to .20-.40 for 91 octane you might rethink if this is a big issue for you.saying all of that,I am seeing anywhere from 21-23 MPG driving a G37s of normal driving,meaning mixed Highway and city.

3. pricing,you should get a few quotes from different dealers 500-1000 over invoice is what I saw in NJ.

Saying all of that I love the G37s,but the car is not for everyone and your lifestyle will determine if it is right for you.

[John R]

The vast majority of my driving is in LA traffic on city streets, but I have to say my mileage so far has been pretty horrible. I've been unable to get better than 15.5 mpg on a tank so far. And I'm actually driving it very conservatively. If I drive slightly more aggressively, but not by any means hard, I get about 12 mpg.

I have seen it go above 20 mpg on the highway, but as soon as I hit a patch of traffic, it plummets.

[ObsidianGT]

The G37 is a fantastic buy. The only other car on your list that would hold better residual value would be the Honda.

Granted, I've only had the car for about a week but here is my experience with it so far:

That aside:

1) I'm getting 15 MPG pure city driving (mostly never over 50 MPH, lots of stop signs). I've filled up one time so far and yes there is a cool MPG log on the console. I'm fairly conservative with my driving but every once in awhile I gun it. I live near a mountain freeway pass and it's VERY difficult to hold-back. You other G37 owner's know what I mean I'm sure. LOL

2) I'm in sunny SoCal so I can't advise you properly on that, but I do hear that AWD is great for harsher weather (I cross shopped my G with a 2008 STI). AWD can give you a false sense of security, probably moreso than FWD does. But I can say that the G37 has lots of safety features. Despite being RWD, with VDC on it simply won't let me spin my tires, even in dirt. I think RWD is the better choice. Lateral control makes more sense in the front wheels with power in the rear. You also don't have to worry about FWD torque spin.

3) The trunk isn't very tall but it's pretty deep. Get a cargo net and you'll be fine with the groceries I think. Golf clubs may require the rear seats to go down.

4) I paid exactly $600 over invoice (I could have gone lower but I was feeling generous).

[jackdar]

I have had my G37S 6MT since August 31st of 2007. It has just shy of 10,000 miles on it. In the center (red) display, it shows that I have averaged 17.8 mpg (my commute is 19 miles each way of mostly surface streets). Just in the last two days I have focused on seeing how good I could do. In the larger (Nav) display, under the "Info" button is a Fuel Economy display that shows real-time mileage as well as a cumulative display (since the last reset). I have put on about 65 miles of city and hwy driving and its showing about 23mpg. With premium closing in on $4 here in the Philly area, four miles more per gallon times a 20 gallon tank means another 80 miles per tank and a savings (or 3.3 gallons less fuel). Not that I will maintain this focused effort, but it was interesting to see what an impact you could have with a minimum effort.