Infiniti Begins Winter Incentives Early

Last year, Infiniti’s Limited Engagement Winter Event offered some standard 0% financing deals throughout December. This year, Infiniti is reprising the deals, but doing so a month early. It’s offering 0% financing for 36 months on all remaining 2008 models.

Deals on 2008 models aren’t quite as beneficial for models like the FX and G35, both of which were redesigned significantly for the 2009 year, but on the EX — which was brand-new for 2008 and changed very little this year — a 0% deal on a 2008 is nearly as good as on a 2009.

For a full list of regional incentives, check out Cars.com’s Incentives Page.

Infiniti Prices G37 Sedan and Coupe

Dealers will have the latest G sedan and coupe on the morning after the presidential election, Nov. 5. We don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but if you’re feeling good about who won the presidency, why not consider the upgraded version of the already quite worthy G starting at $33,250, not including destination charges.

The biggest change comes to the sedan; it gets a 3.7-liter V-6 with 328 horsepower, which was featured in the 2008 coupe. Both get an upgrade on the transmission front, adapting the smooth seven-speed that we enjoyed in the new FX35 SUV.

The sedan continues to offer an all-wheel-drive model while the coupe gets all-wheel drive for the first time. Full pricing is below; both models start at $1,000 higher than last year. For the sedan, the price bump is really minimal, but many might wonder if the coupe’s new transmission is worth the cost.

First Look: 2009 Infiniti G37 Convertible

We told you about the new lineup of G37s last week, but this is the first look we’ve gotten at the new convertible to hit Infiniti. While the sedan and coupe will look basically the same as the 2009 models, the convertible seen here is completely new.

While most of the competition, like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, look good as convertibles, we’d almost say the G37 looks better as a convertible. With just one image to ponder we can’t say for sure, but we do know this: We want to see more.

Expect more images in the next few weeks.

2009 G37 Sedan, Convertible to Debut in L.A.

The 3.7-liter engine that breathes life into Infiniti’s G37 coupe will now power both the existing G sedan and an all-new retractable-hardtop convertible for the 2009 model year. Both will also be called G37 (no more G35 sedan) and debut at this year’s Los Angeles auto show in November.

The engine is rated at 328 hp for the sedan and 330 hp for the coupe and will be mated to a new seven-speed automatic transmission that we recently tested in the new FX35. A six-speed manual transmission will also be available.

The naming change for the sedan was expected, but — while it was rumored — the convertible is much bigger news for Infiniti. Besides the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 Cabriolet, there aren’t a lot of performance-oriented luxury droptops on the market, and there are certainly none from Acura or Lexus — and no, the SC does not count.

Reader Review of the Week: 2008 Infiniti G35

Some people say life is too short to buy the same car twice, but what if you really like that car? Don't you owe it to yourself and the company that built it to give the newest model a chance? What if it doesn't live up to its previous generation? These are the risks one takes, and CJ from Chicago can attest to that with a real-life example involving Infiniti G35 models from 2004 and 2008. Read his review and write your own here.

Cars.com Video Recap: 2009 Jaguar XF, 2008 Infiniti G35 and 2008 Nissan Pathfinder

Our regular readers probably already know this, but we’ve been producing a lot of new videos lately. So many, in fact, that writing a blog post about each one might be kind of a drag. From now on, we’re going to recap a bunch of new videos in a single post.

• 2009 Jaguar XF Overview: Kelsey Mays gives the skinny on the car that’s here to save Jaguar.
• 2009 Jaguar XF Tech Features: Check out the XF’s pop-up shifter and motorized A/C vents.
• 2008 Infiniti G35 Overview: Kelsey Mays explores why the G35 is a worthy 3 Series competitor.
• 2008 Infiniti G35 Performance: It’s fast, too.
• 2008 Nissan Pathfinder: David Thomas drives the now-V-8-equipped Pathfinder. Not a good time to put a V-8 in anything, especially an SUV.

Midsize Cars Improve in Side Crash Tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently concluded crash tests on seven midsize sedans and discovered that while they had improved in side crash tests, they still lacked enough head protection to earn top marks in rear crash tests.

Tested were the 2008 model year Chevrolet Malibu, Dodge Avenger, Infiniti G35, Kia Optima, Mitsubishi Galant (which was updated for the 2009 model year on sale now), Nissan Altima and Saturn Aura.

Only the Kia Optima did not earn the top score of “good” for side impact crash tests – it received the second highest nod, “acceptable.” However, the Optima was the only car in the test to receive a “good” score in rear crash tests.

The difficulty in scoring the top rank in rear tests involves head and neck protection for those rear-end collisions that produce whiplash. The IIHS claims that those types of accidents and injuries lead to losses of $8.5 billion annually. Most vehicles need to equip active head restraints to pass this test.

The Audi A3, A4, Honda Accord, Saab 9-3 and Subaru Legacy – with optional stability control – earned good ratings in all tests previously and earned the IIHS’ Top Safety Pick designation for midsize cars. 

A full chart of how the cars scored is below.

Honda Still on Top in U.S., Says Consumer Reports

For the second year in a row, Consumer Reports has named Honda the automaker selling the best vehicles in the U.S., based on factors ranging from reliability to vehicle comfort.

Toyota and Subaru ranked second and third, followed by BMW, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen. No domestic nameplate appeared on the list.

Mini, BMW, Infiniti Top Best Resale Value List

Our list of the cars, trucks and SUVs with the best resale value has just been updated, and a lot of familiar names top the list. When we break down resale values by segment, the Mini Cooper, Honda Accord, Infiniti G35/G37, BMW 5 Series and GMC Sierra/Chevy Silverado top their respective segments.

When you take a look at the top 10 resale values overall, it’s the Infiniti G35/G37, Jeep Wrangler and BMW 3 Series taking the top three spots, knocking the Mini Cooper off its previous No. 1 perch.

Which cars rank lowest? The Mazda B2300, Ford Ranger and Suzuki Forenza top that dubious list.

Check out the full rankings below. 

Best Car Resale Values by Class
Best Overall Car Resale Values
Worst Overall Car Resale Values

Navigation That Scores: Infiniti G35 Wins With Users

The navigation system offered in the Infiniti G35 is the highest-rated factory-installed system in terms of consumer satisfaction, according to J.D. Power and Associates, which surveyed more than 14,000 motorists who have a factory-installed system in their car.

The system in the Lexus IS 250/350 finished second, while the Acura TL’s was No. 3 in the rankings. The Infiniti G35 and Acura TL systems offer a choice of voice or touch-screen activation, while the Lexus offers voice activation only.

While voice activation is considered the most technologically advanced, it's not the method of choice for nav systems, said Mike Marshall, director of emerging automotive technologies for J.D. Power. He said touch-screen activation was the top choice for 64 percent of nav system users, while 24 percent preferred voice activation, 5 percent favored knob controls and 4 percent wanted to use buttons or dials.