Hello, I am considering purchasing a G37 convertible. I play alot of tennis and coach tennis as well so I normally have a large tennis bag and a basket of balls in the summer. I used to drive a BMW Z4 with a soft top so I always had room in the trunk for my tennis equipment. It doesn't appear I can even fit my tennis bag in the G37 trunk when the top is down. What do people do in the summer when they have equipment or even luggage for a summer getaway? I really dont want to leave valuable items in the back seat and have to put the top up and down every time I stop.

Thanks

herky, this will be a big issue for you and likely will lead you away from the G37Vert. The avail trunk space virtually disappears with the hardtop lowered in this car...sorry, it's the price we owners pay for having the BEST looking 4-seat convertible on the market.
The trunk has 10 cu-ft of space with the top UP (which is already small compared to other non-vert cars), and that space is reduced to a (laughable) 1.99 cu-ft with the top lowered. The ONLY things my wife keeps in the trunk with the top down are EMPTY, rolled up shopping bags and a blanket...that's it.

Now, on the positive side, the car looks and drives fantastic with the top up or down...the taught suspension is dialed-in perfectly, the engine is powerful and sounds great, the nav/entertainment system is top notch. But the ONE thing the engineers could not overcome is how to get a hardtop to disappear while still providing usable trunk space. If they had made the car longer in order to accommodate a golf bag, they would have spoiled its look completely.

So, what does this mean to you? Assume you have a hardtop with a trunk for when you need items back there. Assume you have a convertible when your day allows for things in the backseat. You will get less use and enjoyment out of the vert if you always have valuables you cannot leave unlocked.

...or go look at a BMW 3-series vert...that car has a useable trunk with the top stowed....but it looks like a BOX compared to our sexy G37's!

Thanks ATLcple. I have looked at the BMW 1 and 3 series vert's because of their trunk space, but you are correct. The G37 is a much better looking car, both inside and out. Have you ever seen anyone towing a small trailer with their G37 or heaven forbid a small luggage rack? I just think it would be a shame to have a great car like the G37 vert on a long road trip yet not be able to put the top down because of luggage.

To answer your tow/rack question: Look on this site a bit more. There is a recent thread about using a frame-mounted bike-rack on the G37, and by the sounds of it, a couple of owners HAVE successfully installed it and like how it works/looks.
IF it is an industry-standard class3-type of hitch, then it would have a square shaped mount for either a ball (for towing) or a class3-mountable bike rack, or flat rack for external luggage. Best part about that idea is that when you DON'T need to carry 3 days worth of stuff, you could remove the rack and leave it in your garage.

By the way, are you looking at a NEW G37 vert, or a USED one? I bought a 2010 G37 in Sep13 and got a great deal...and it still looks like a new car since the styling hasn't changed. The NAME changes as of 2014 to the Q60 convertible, but it is the same car (for the next few model years).

ATLcple I have another question for you. Is there a windscreen that also covers the back seat? I was speaking with a salesperson regarding the trunk issue and he said there is a back seat windscreen that covers the seats and locks. I havent seen that advertised anywhere. Have you heard anything?

herky,
Yes, of course like all other current luxury convertibles, the G37 has an (expensive) available factory screen. Referred to as the Wind Deflector, I hear it does a great job reducing noise AND buffeting. I am looking for a used example myself (from a lease owner who turned in his car, but wants to sell the screen).
The dealership charges over $500 for a new one ($535 or so) and EBay is only a bit lower. I read on this forum that at one point Ebay had several priced at $300, but I have not been able to find that price in late 2013.
FYI (because I can surmise what you are thinking) - the wind deflector is a hinged, two-piece unit that installs at four mounting points above the rear seats. Once the folded unit is in place, the top half can be raised to the upright position to provide the wind barrier. I DO NOT know how it locks in place (or even if it does)...or if it is easy to lock/unlock/remove to access stuff underneath. But that would kinda solve your problem, yes?
Once again, this site is a good resource for info. I know there are two threads (or more) about the wind deflectors and one guy even posted a video showing it being used (up and down) in his G. Just gotta wade through all the older posts when you have time.
Good luck, and again, are you looking to buy used or new? I am glad you still have the G37 on your short list.

Thanks again ATLcple. I will go through the site and look for the wind deflector posts. I am looking to purchase a used Infiniti or BMW. According to Consumer Reports the Infiniti rates higher in reliability than the BMW's do. However as we have been discussing the soft top BMW's have the trunk space advantage. With either car I will need snow tires as I live in the midwest. I had Blizzak's on a 2003 Lexus SC430 and it performed very well in the winter.

Like Herky, I too am looking to purchase a used infiniti g37 Convertible. I've found several 2010/2011s with 20K or less miles for around 30-35K. I'm looking at 2011, primarily because I hear those have the best working seat belts.

I'll be moving up from a pontiac solstice GXP. I've driven the g37 and they are comparable in both speed and handling. They're both great looking cars on the outside, but the Infiniti is just so much better on the inside.

trunk space is abysmal in both, but I figure with the infiniti, at least I have room in the backseat for groceries, or to cart my dogs to the vet if needed. And putting luggage in the back seat for the occasional road trip is fine by me. I've looked at other 4 seat convertibles and the infiniti is definitely the best looking and one of the most reliable. And besides, I doubt I could afford the maintenance costs on a bmw!

Edit to add - I'm hoping to make my purchase in January. Hopefully I'll be ready to purchase at the first of the year, then I just gotta find the right one.
Looking for either any color (other than Red) with Red Interior or blue w/ White interior. My two don't wants are Red Exterior and Black Interior.

ATLcple wrote:To answer your tow/rack question: Look on this site a bit more. There is a recent thread about using a frame-mounted bike-rack on the G37, and by the sounds of it, a couple of owners HAVE successfully installed it and like how it works/looks.

Would that work? When you retract the roof on the G37, the first thing that happens is the trunk lid flips backwards and extends beyond the rear of the car. Wouldn't a bike rack be in the way?

We were going through a similar evaluation process to others here, and came down to the BMW 335i and the G37. Trunk space, limited though it was on the BMW, was one factor where it had a minor advantage. After we discovered the spare tire space in the G37, that advantage pretty much evaporated for the BMW. Subjectively, the BMW 3 series convertible trunk space looks about the same as the G37 spare tire space. The only remaining advantage to the BMW is that this small area is accessible, to a degree, with the top down.

If trunk space is critical, the only hard top convertible I am familliar with that has a relatively decent amount is the MX-5 Miata.

MajorPain wrote:We were going through a similar evaluation process to others here, and came down to the BMW 335i and the G37. Trunk space, limited though it was on the BMW, was one factor where it had a minor advantage. After we discovered the spare tire space in the G37, that advantage pretty much evaporated for the BMW. Subjectively, the BMW 3 series convertible trunk space looks about the same as the G37 spare tire space. The only remaining advantage to the BMW is that this small area is accessible, to a degree, with the top down.

If trunk space is critical, the only hard top convertible I am familliar with that has a relatively decent amount is the MX-5 Miata.

Right, but comparing the miata to a car of this class makes no sense.

Sure I can store more in a miata trunk with the top down than I can in an infiniti, but with the Miata, I've got only room for 1 passenger. In the infiniti, I'll likely only have one passenger, and I can use the entire back seat as trunk space. I've gotta imagine the back seat space in the infiniti is larger than the top-down trunk space in a miata.

Put another way, I'm driving to St. Louis with my son in June. I'll use the spare tire space in the infiniti for some storage, but the back seat for everything else. I really doubt we'll be hurting for storage on this trip.
Yes, it helps if you have a wind deflector to cover the backseat, but I don't think that's critical.

I bought mine ('09) in January, and am absolutely loving it! I knew trunk space would be horrible, but was then pleasantly surprised that there is a decent amount of usable space in the compartment beneath the 'floor' of the trunk, where the emergency kit, manuals, etc are stored. It doesn't make it a great or even a good trunk, but it does make overall storage far better than I'd anticipated.

That space is not huge by any stretch, but it's not really inconvenient as anything that would block you from being easily able to access that compartment would also prevent you from putting the top down. I don't know exactly how many cubic feet of storage is available there, but I keep a basic tool kit, emergency supplies, a jacket, my pool cue (which in its case is about 1/2" too long to fit in the traditional space....), and a few other sundry items in it, and still have a tiny bit more room. While pulling those items out, the space still is not tall enough for any conventional suitcase, but could probably manage a fairly full garment bag.

you could install the net and can take advantage of the space the way I did, see photos:

Here is the make or break question for me:

Will golf clubs fit in the rear seat, preferably under the wind deflector? Measured from the bottom of my bag to the top of my driver, the distance is 48 inches. Some saving can be realized by taking the driver out of the bag.

Does anyone here have first-hand knowledge of whether that works?

OK, I know this is a bit of an older post but, just in case someone cares....
I agree with most everything here. Bummers are ugly as sin and I wouldn't own one.
However, If you want the best trunk space in a hardtop vert check out the Volvo C70. Good looking car, turbocharged 5 cylinder 2.5l engine. True they do not make them anymore but you can still get nearly new ones at a decent price.

The kicker is though, I just traded my 2010 Volvo C70 for a 2012 G37 S Vert. Although I will also admit that the trunk space in the G is not an issue for me.

I just bought a 2014 Q60 because I love the styling. That being said, I think the largest trunk in the class of 4 seater power hardtops is the Chrysler 200. I am selling my 2013 200S - which I don't think is any less luxurious than the Q60, mostly because I wanted something smaller and, as I said, I like the Q60 style.

With the top down, I was still able to put multiple pieces of luggage (carry on size) in the trunk and I think you could get a reasonable golf bag back there.

Of course the convertible is now discontinued, I think the latest model you can get is a 2014...