If the day ever comes when the sackcloth-and-ashes ethic has us scooting about in enclosed golf carts with lawn mower engines or electric motors, Nissan’s V-6 will be among the most-mourned casualties of the aggressive downsizing underway in the industry.

Widely used by Nissan and its Infiniti luxury line, the engine is sheer driving delight. You could put the V-6, its displacement now boosted to 3.7 liters from 3.5, into a dilapidated Yugo (redundant?) and wind up with a car more delightful than disappointing.

With joy, we report that a junkyard Yugo is not this week’s target. It is the revised, freshened, updated, tweaked — pick your industry jargon adjective — 2010 Infiniti G37 sedan.

While it doesn’t represent Infiniti’s latest thinking — the bigger M sedan, redesigned for 2011, does (and the 2011 will be featured in a future Test Drive) — the G hardly seems aged.

The spiffed-up G sedan and the sleeker two-door coupe went on sale in December. A convertible — sort of Infiniti’s take on the Nissan 370Z sports car — hit the market in February. Limited-production anniversary editions, marking the brand’s 40th year, are just arriving at dealers.

Changes for 2010 common to all the Gs: updated navigation system, instrument cluster, console, wood trim (now polished instead of matte). Specific to the G sedan: new schnoz and rump. The 3.7-liter V-6 went into the car in the 2009 model year. It’s a sweet engine. Aurally: grumble morphing into growl, becoming a roar as your right foot gets heavier. Dynamically: ummm, nice, transforming into yippee and thence to holy mother of all that’s good and pure, as your right sole hits the floor. Appealing at all speeds in all conditions. No need, as parents of yore said disparagingly, to “ram around” to enjoy. The boost to 3.7 liters brings horsepower up to 328 from 306 and adds an undetectable 1 pound-foot of torque, now 269. The change also boosts how fast you have to rev the engine to get those numbers. The seven-speed automatic mated to the 3.7 has more acceleration-oriented ratios in the lower gears, so responsiveness improves. And it has a more relaxed top gear for better highway mileage. Unfortunately, the seven-speed from time to time seemed a bit busy. Not hunting for the right gear. Rather, little motions and sensations giving the impression that lots of activity was occurring just to keep you at the desired speed in the desired gear. The vague busyness of the seven-speed was barely a bother, but the driving enthusiast drawn to the G in the first place would be the type to notice. Upshifts, especially under hard throttle, were swift, crisp and otherwise commendable. Downshifts, too. And the automatic will blip the throttle for you to make downshifts smooth, not jerky, just as you’d blip the gas driving a manual. Let’s just decide right here, right now: Seven speeds is too many, and eight is silly. Six, well executed, is the Goldilocks/Baby Bear number: just right.

The test car, a G37x (“x” meaning all-wheel drive) with more option packages than you might want, showed that Infiniti hasn’t compromised the snappy braking and crisp cornering that keep it among top-tier sports sedans. Steering was responsive but lacked perfect road feel. The AWD system was sure-footed in heavy rain and didn’t seem to detract from the car’s precise cornering, which AWD’s extra weight and power split sometimes can do.

And that back seat is unsuitable for long-legged or robust riders. Put somebody back there to see, don’t just eyeball it and guess. Subtle appeal: relative simplicity. No car really is simple nowadays, but G manages to avoid the type of needless complexity of BMW’s iDrive and copy-cat multilayered control systems. You can operate most G features without a guide and interpreter.

Honorable mention for the automatic transmission’s manual-shift mode. You want to stay in manual mode, yank the gearshift sideways, then tap forward or back to shift.You want to use manual only briefly — say in a tight corner when a downshift helps control the car — just finger-pull the steering-column shift paddle. Instant response. No need to move the gearshift lever first. After a few moments without using the paddles, the transmission reverts to conventional automatic operation. Will you prefer the G to, say, a BMW 3 Series or equivalent? Depends on your prejudices. But the G test car was immensely satisfying, a seeming no-brainer for buyers looking at that size and price range.

About the 2010 Infiniti G37

•What? Midcycle update of the brand’s best seller. Available with rear-wheel drive (RWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Available in four-door sedan, two-door coupe or convertible body style.

•When? Since December.

•Where? Made in Japan.

•Why? Frequent tweaks needed to stay competitive.

•How much? Sedan starts at $34,145 including $895 shipping. Coupe, convertible and 40th anniversary versions priced higher.

•How potent? 3.7-liter V-6 rated 328 horsepower at 7,000 rpm, 269 pounds-feet of torque at 5,200; six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission.

•How big? Not very, especially inside, though you’ll hear it called a midsize. G37 sedan is 187 inches long, 69.8 in. wide 57.2 in. tall (except AWD is 57.8 in.).

Weighs 3,605 to 3,807 lbs. Passenger space, 99 cubic feet (96.5 cu. ft. with sunroof). Trunk, 13.5 cu. ft. Turns in 35.4 ft. (RWD) or 36.1 ft. (AWD).

•How thirsty? Versions rated 17, 18 or 19 miles per gallon in town, 25 or 27 mpg on the highway, 20 or 22 mpg in combined city/highway driving.

Trip computer in AWD test car registered 17.4 mpg (5.75 gallons per 100 miles) in frisky suburban driving.

•Overall: Sweeter than ever for those OK with a tight fit.

About Grubbs Infiniti
Grubbs Infiniti is a DFW area Infiniti dealership that specializes in new and pre-owned Infinitis. Our pre-owned lot features not just Infinitis but a wide range of luxury vehicles. Let us know how we can help you. Located at 1661 West Airport Freeway, Euless, TX 76040. 817-318-1200. Grubbs Infiniti – Tarrant County’s Only Infiniti Dealer.

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