Overview & Reviews

Infiniti was adrift for more than a decade, trying to establish itself in a crowded luxury scene filled with established players that enjoyed years of pedigree and consumer recognition. With a lineup of staid sedans and rebadged Nissan SUVs, there were few products to help the brand get noticed. That all changed with the G, a car that established Infiniti's current penchant for creating cars that are fun to drive, packed with high-tech features and priced lower than their competitors.

In addition to the G sedan and coupe, Infiniti saw fit to cover all the market's bases and eventually brought out a convertible version. Blessed with a retractable-hardtop design, the G convertible offers the quiet comfort of a coupe when the top is up and the exhilaration of a convertible when it's automatically stowed beneath the trunk lid. But there are a couple of serious penalties paid for this luxury. Besides being about 450 pounds heavier than the coupe, its backseat is nearly useless with the top raised and the trunk is nearly useless with it lowered. Because of these practical concerns, we don't think quite as highly of the G convertible as we do of its coupe and sedan siblings.

Note that this model essentially continued on with a new name, the Q60 convertible. It is covered in a separate review.

Used Infiniti G Convertible Models
The Infiniti G convertible was produced from 2009 through 2013. It features a retractable hardtop roof, seats four people and was offered as a single G37 model. Trim levels initially consisted of base and Sport, which were later joined by the IPL (Infiniti Performance Line) for 2013.

All G convertibles are powered by a 3.7-liter V6. In the base and Sport trims it sends either 325 or 330 horsepower (for '13) to the rear wheels. In the IPL, it was tweaked to crank out 343 hp. The base G and IPL came with a seven-speed automatic transmission featuring manual paddle-shift control and rev-matched downshifts. The Sport came exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission.

Standard feature highlights included xenon headlights, keyless ignition/entry, automatic climate control, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a rearview camera, Bluetooth and an iPod interface. Besides its bigger wheels and brakes, summer tires, quicker steering and sport seats, the G37 Sport also included parking sensors, a power-adjustable tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a navigation system, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity and a Bose stereo. In addition to its more powerful engine, the loaded IPL featured a sport exhaust, more aggressive suspension tuning and aerodynamic styling enhancements.

The Infiniti G Convertible offers user-friendly controls, excellent build quality and a handsome design -- the latter highlighted by such items as the car's leather-accented magnesium paddle shifters and aluminum (or optional wood) accents. The Bose audio system, complete with seat-mounted speakers, is excellent.

The front seats are comfortable and well-bolstered, while the available sport-styled seats offer even more aggressive bolstering (though they may be a bit too snug for larger drivers). The backseat is essentially useless for normal-sized adults, as is the G's trunk. When the hardtop is lowered, cargo capacity shrinks to a minuscule 2 cubic feet, which should be enough space for a tissue box and not much more.

In reviews, we found that the G Convertible serves up thrilling acceleration, though we weren't enamored with the engine's somewhat coarse noises at higher engine speeds. On the move, this well-sorted Infiniti attacks curves with aggression and precision, yet it remains poised and compliant when driven over broken pavement. The only real downside is the car's weight, as it saps some of the car's potential compared to the lighter G Coupe, or Nissan's Z Roadster.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 7 of 7.00

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  Beautiful Car - Terrible in the Snow - 2011 Infiniti G CONVERTIBLE
  By nicki20975 - February 5 - 1:53 am

  I bought this car in August 2011. I loved it until winter got here. I live in Chicago and was leary since I have never owned a RWD car previously. I learned my lesson the hard way. I "drove" in the snow last week for the first time and was literally not able to control the car. I had to pull over and have someone come and pick me up. I proceeded to trade it in the next day for the G37X (AWD) sedan which I love and is equally fun to drive. If you live in a warm climate or only plan to drive this car in the summer than its a fantastic car. If you live somewhere with bad winters, go with the G37X and you will not be disappointed. Just make sure it has a sun roof...

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  G37, Amazing car, till it starts giving you a trouble - 2011 Infiniti G CONVERTIBLE
  By anoopa - May 20 - 12:08 am

  Issue with this car: the convertible feature is very delicate. My experience dictates that once the roof starts giving any kind of trouble (and chances are it will, multiple customers reporting issues), there is very little a user or the company can do. I am struggling with multiple roof issues for past 2 years, including rattling noise (now it makes noise even driving on interstates with perfect roads), irritating alarms, false coding on the sensors, timing disturbances of the motor mechanics etc. Its literally one after another. Contacted DOM service, and Infiniti consumer affairs, no real success. Seems like its a new technology for Infiniti and needs significant improvements.

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  G 37 Convert. What a ride - 2013 Infiniti G CONVERTIBLE
  By Dave - June 19 - 2:54 am

  Great acceleration, sexy sound, rides soft and smooth, sleek lookin great electronics, nav. works great climate control seats are great here in FL. No problems at all with maintenence, electronics are great. No trunk room when top is down. Nice trunk space with top up. Its a head turner. Dave

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  Great car, stylish, comfortable and fun to drive - 2013 Infiniti G CONVERTIBLE
  By Craig Howell - January 1 - 7:08 am

  Bought a 3 years old CPO model with 26k miles, might as well be brand new, no wear or issues and a great dealership for support if I need it. Very quiet with the top up or down, no rattles or rough ride, and with the top down it could not be better. I am a big guy so the mid section area left to right when driving is a little tight, but workable. The engines performance is great and I like the sound as well, but it does get a little rougher in the upper rev ranges. My other car is a Lexus GS350 and the Lexus engine is much more sophisticated, but no more powerful. This is a very upscale car and does everything well. It has next to no trunk storage (the back seat area can hold lots of groceries if you need it), but thats not what it was built for! You cant go muddin in it either, so get over it. Its a fun sporty car for the weekend, not a commuter or road warrior. Plenty of those out there if you need one...

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  Best Performance luxury convertible available under $60K - 2011 Infiniti G CONVERTIBLE
  By steve_dallas1 - July 22 - 11:48 am

  This is our second Infiniti G model; we had a 2009 sedan as well. This car has it all, great looks, great performance, the best warranty around. Acceleration and cornering cant be matched. We have never had to take in either of our Infinitis for anything other than normal service.

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  SKYLAR - 2013 Infiniti G CONVERTIBLE
  By David Noma - May 7 - 6:33 am

  Beautiful convertible smooth ride a real eye catcher

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  Fun Ride - 2013 Infiniti G CONVERTIBLE
  By Infinity convert - April 7 - 4:43 am

  I bought my 2013 G37 convertible last year with under 10,000 miles. This is my third hard top convertible and I love it. Its true, the trunk space is non-existent when the top is down and really not much when the top is up either but I didnt buy it for the trunk space. The back seat can be utilized if really needed for a very short ride but works best for groceries if the top is down. I use this car for my daily 20 mile commute with no complaints. I love the sound of the engine, and surprised about the reviews lamenting it. I was worried initially but my husband and I have fun driving it on the interstate, not sure what the issue was in the formal review. Maintenance has been great, much cheaper than my VW EOS. If you want a sporty, quick accelerating fun car to drive, this could be it!