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Described by an Infiniti spokesman as "90%" of the car Europe will be offered next spring, the "test G37 saloon" certainly offered a decent ride and handling mix with none of the wallow or roll you might expect of a brand that has been cultivating the US market for the past 20 years. Suspension, steering feel and gear ratios have all been adjusted for Euro tastes, but it didn't feel any more special than current opposition, neither sportier than BMW nor more comfortable than Lexus or Jaguar.
The G37 also features a new seven-speed automatic gearbox option with paddleshift to improve fuel consumption that has been brought in for mainstream European markets, although with launch a year away, economy and emissions figures are not finalised.
Kick-down the accelerator and the 320PS 3.7-litre petrol unit gives a suitably sporty response, but it doesn't feel as rapid as that headline 320PS would suggest and didn't feel as agile as an equivalent high-powered BMW 3-series.
The paddleshifts behind the steering wheel feel a bit cheap too. "Perceived quality" is also on the list of Euro improvements so maybe come next April they might have been beefed up.
The G saloon and Coupe are the only two Infinitis with manual options - in this case a six-speed - that, alongside rear-wheel drive, reinforce its sporty aims. An all-wheel drive version will also be an option to take on Audi's A4 Quattro range.
Big promises are being made on everything from build quality to very high spec and exceptional dealer service, but until the G saloon gets its planned 3.0 V6 diesel in 2010, its UK business relevance will be muted. We'll have to wait until then to see if it can really swim with the big boys.
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