The IPL line is the Infiniti brand's foray into a higher-performance niche. This car's V6 engine is familiar enough—you've seen it in Z cars and non-IPL G coupes—but it's uprated from the base models, tweaked by IPL to gain 18 horsepower. It's a good platform, too: The front/rear weight distribution ticks in at 51/49.
Appropriately enough, IPL stands for "Infiniti Performance Line," which makes it a little awkward to spell the whole name out: It's the Infiniti Infiniti Performance Line G Convertible. But we're not here to criticize its naming convention, we're drivers. Who cares what it says on the side if the thing is a hoot to hoon?
Well, is it? Read the counterpoints to find out.
Other staff views
Alan Cesar
SuperDork
For a while, this car is fun. The paddle shifters are entertaining and the trans is reasonably quick to change gear, so you can actually enjoy the drive even without 3 pedals and an H-pattern stick. It's even good around corners in spite of its two-ton ticket on the scales. The headrest-mounted Bose speakers sound great. Lowering the convertible top is an entertaining ballet of flaps and electric motors.
But then reality sets in. Bring a couple friends on a trip and crank the stereo, and your back-seat passengers will be disappointed—those headrest-mounted speakers are only on the front seats, and there are no other speakers in the car. The front seats get great tunes, but the back seat, not so much.
Dropping the top also obliterates cargo space. Want to carry more than a purse? It's either riding in the back seat or you're leaving the cabin closed. And as with most of the rear-drive Nissan and Infiniti line, the car looks spectacular for what you might expect of the price—and then you actually look at the sticker. I think they tend to price about $10,000 to $20,000 too high, and this one's no exception.
Marjorie Suddard
General Manager
Although the Infiniti IPL G tried to bell-and-whistle me into believing it was a luxury car, the rough-around-the edges engine, high amounts of road noise and generally unpleasant NVH characteristics soon alerted me that I was driving a gussied-up Nissan. I know they get mad love from certain sectors of the automotive community, but I don't care for these FM platform cars, which include the 350Z, and never really have. They remind me of old Camaros, and not in a good way--more the mullet way. Even if I were a fan, there are certainly smarter ways to get into one. I'd start by buying a 350Z and pocketing the extra cash.
David S. Wallens
Editorial Director
First off, no, it's not a competitor for the Miata. Boxster or Corvette? Maybe.
Basically, this is what I'd call a sport-luxo-covertible--you know, a cruiser. In that light, can't hate it. In fact, that class of car goes with the automatic box.
Here's what you're getting in that class:
Top-down motoring. Yep, the Infiniti delivers.
Power: Bragging right are important here. Is it quick? Definitely quick enough. The transmission is way better in the S mode, too--snappier shifts and less likely to get bogged down in sixth. Decent downshifts, too.
Quiet and comfortable: With the top up, I thought it was pretty quiet. There's some tire noise, though, and that engine can seem a little thrashy. A coupe it is not.
Convenience features: This kind of car trades super-power seats for that last tenth on track. When you're out cruising the strip, which is more important?
Carrying room: Here it doesn't excel. Yes, it's a 2+2, but that doesn't mean there's much carrying room. In fact, the trunk almost disappears when the top is down. It's not as bad as the Solstice/Sky, but it's no Miata or S2000, either.
For the record, I'm a fan of the G-coupe--make mine a manual coupe, though.
Comments
The IPL line is the Infiniti brand's foray into a higher-performance niche. This car's V6 engine is familiar enough—you've seen it in Z cars and non-IPL G coupes—but it's uprated from the base models, tweaked by IPL to gain 18 horsepower. It's a good platform, too: The front/rear weight distribution ticks in at 51/49.
Appropriately enough, IPL stands for "Infiniti Performance Line," which makes it a little awkward to spell the whole name out: It's the Infiniti Infiniti Performance Line G Convertible. But we're not here to criticize its naming convention, we're drivers. Who cares what it says on the side if the thing is a hoot to hoon?
Well, is it? Read the counterpoints to find out.
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