Infiniti G37 IPL Coupe: More is More

I'm an unabashed fan of Infiniti. They seem to "get" what enthusiasts want much more than their two primary competitors, namely Acura and Lexus.  All three of these Japanese-brand luxury channels have been slinging their wares in the 'states for 20+years now, but while Lexus continues to bark up the "I'm too rich for a Buick" tree and Acura continues to make cars that are - how do I put this nicely - difficult to look at, Infiniti is busy cranking out gorgeous cars on balanced rear wheel drive chassis with massive snarly engines and tons of horsepower for reasonable prices.

What they haven't had, until now, is an AMG or M-style performance division.  But when you consider that their cars accelerate faster and handle better than most everything they compete against, the necessity is questionable.  Still, up until now those wanting more oomph out of their Infiniti have pretty much needed to turn to aftermarket companies like Jim Wolf Technology, HKS, Stillen, or any of the other dozens of companies that have sprung up around the mighty VQ engine.

Nissan's finally decided to get in on the game, calling their performance subdivision IPL - for Infiniti Performance Line.  The first fruit of their labor is the Infiniti G37 IPL Coupe, which is a bit of a mouthful but easy to understand.  For those dreaming of a twin-turbo VQ powered Coupe with a 6-speed manual, LSD, 500 horsepower and rear wheel drive, sorry - you're still going to have to ring up HKS or Greddy for that.  Think more along the lines of Audi S-Line or Lexus F-Sport and you're getting there.

The IPL Coupe gets a mild power bump, with the 3.7L 24v V6 producing 348bhp and 276lb-ft of torque.  That's an increase of 18bhp (from 330) and 6lb-ft of torque.  The gain comes courtesy of a reprogrammed ECU (which brings the power peak up to an "are you serious?" 7400 rpm!) and the replacement of the Y-pipe crossover exhaust manifolds with true-dual exhaust pipes all the way to the tips.  Considering the G37 was already an extremely rapid car, this is more like icing on the cake rather than a whole new cake.  Still, more is... more.

In addition to the mild engine tweaks (c'mon, at least throw on a copy of JWT's excellent POP-Charger intake setup!), the IPL coupe gets a handful of other mechanical and aesthetic tweaks.  The suspension is stiffer (20% and 10% higher spring rates front and rear, respectively), the brakes get a more aggressive pad material, a viscous-type LSD is standard, and the 6-speed manual gets a short-throw linkage that's sure to grind the second-gear synchro down to nothing in a week.  If there's something seriously wrong with you, it's possible to order a G37 IPL coupe with a flappy-paddle 7-speed automatic gearbox, but don't.

Of course, the G37 didn't escape without a heavy-handed body kit consisting of an aggressive front fascia, rear bumper, and side sills.  There's a spoiler and some pretty massive 19" alloy wheels pushed out the corners to make the G look a little meaner.  Inside, the IPL gets it's own sport seats with adjustable thigh bolsters and lumbar support and snazzy red stitching.

No pricing for the IPL goodies has been announced yet, but judging by the OEM fit-and-finish of it all, it's probably not going to be cheap.  I'm wondering if Infiniti will be only selling it as a package, or if you can pick and choose?  I'd skip the chavvy bodykit and go with the engine, transmission, and suspension modifications - as the regular G37 is a much better looking package to me.  You could save the money from the body work for some good dampers and a nice intake setup!  Still, it's a great start.  Now, about that G37 Twin Turbo...