Welcome to Clublexus! No hating on the Infiniti...the G37 was on my shortest of short lists and as such I test drove it several times in several different configurations to get a good feel for the car. Well, as lowrideraz said, *one* drive is all it took for me to decide the IS-F was the one I had been waiting for. I made a deal and pulled out the checkbook.

The way I normally drive I'm getting around 22 mpg in sport/manual mode on my daily commute (rural back roads, no traffic, few stops, occasional flings with the "loud pedal" ) and 25-26 mpg on the highway at 80 mph. And at 4000 miles on the odo the engine is still green. That's very hard to beat...outside of GM's LS motors...with the 416 hp you have on tap whenever you want it. When you don't want it the car will putter around town all day without a hiccup. You will however get a lot of stares. The ride is stiff but well-dampened and refinement is top-notch. I find the throttle/tranny too dampened and mushy in normal mode but then again so do most of the owners here.

Get the Ultrasonic Blue, you won't be disappointed.

 

I'm wondering how everyone in this thread is seeing massively increased mpg numbers. By mileage, my driving mix is 75% city/25% highway and my mpg is at 15.5mpg. Even at a 70mph cruise I don't do better than ~23mpg, and at a typical ~85mph it drops down to 20mpg.

 

I'm guessing I get around 15-16mpg in city driving, perhaps lower because I don't worry about driving efficiently or smoothly. My daily commute is a 23 mile (one way) rural route that is equivalent to a slow freeway drive, 50mph average. I could probably get a better number in normal/auto mode but I prefer sport/manual and since there aren't many stops it shouldn't matter much. In smooth-input highway driving I get a reasonably consistent 25mpg cruising @75-80mph. Based on fuel capacity and miles driven between fill-ups I have no reason to question these numbers.

Using my commute alone as a basis for comparison, I'm using *slightly* more fuel in the IS-F than in my modified 4G63 Eclipse, but for the available horsepower and every-other-damn-thing-being-better that's more than a wash.

Edit: Sorry for the hijack. Back on topic...

 

I was waiting for this when I read the first post.

 

Not really, A fully optioned G37 sedan (somewhere near the same equipment as an ISF) will sticker somewhere around $45K. The ISF stickers at a base of $56.6K. In my Book that's not half.

Lou

 

Not if you're doing 160 mph on the highway. You can literally watch the gas needle move...lmao.

Don't really care how much gas I'm burning when I'm enjoying my F.

Seriously though, the numbers being quoted here all seem pretty close.
15-18 mpg in the city and anywhere from 22-26 mpg for normal highway driving.

 

I have averaged 21.4 mpg for 16k miles primarily Beltway driving at speeds from stopped to 130 mph (mostly at 50-80).

 

Sticker on the base IS-F is $56xxx and fully loaded can go all the way up to $67k with radar cruise

 

I'm in the same boat as the OP. Currently driving a 2004 G35 coupe and it has been a great ride!!!! Test drove the F several months ago because I was looking for a sedan and the "F" fits the bill. Fast, great handling and great brakes. Handles better than my G. As of late, Infinti has released/midcycle the new G37 Sedan with the 7-spd auto trans. I had the opportunity to drive both the Sedan and coupe with the 7-speed auto and it was great!!! The new G37 sedan DEFINITELY has MORE power and the braking is that much better in the sports configuration. After test driving the NEW coupe and sedan, on par they are about the same, sedan may be a touch bit faster, yeah faster, it's 50lbs lighter than the coupe. The coupe's steering seems to be better weighted than the sedan, but the sedan still has some solid feed back, which is nice.

In this current economic climate ... cash is king. Consumers have some control over pricing structure and can get what they want. Is comparing the G37 sedan/coupe in the same class as the "F"...no. The "F" is more comparable to the likes of the "M3" or Mercedes.

Lexus has built a great car, I like what Infiniti has to offer and more than likely they will grow their M-sedans to compete with the "F" next year. My dealer has (3) 2009 "F" and he is willing to deal. Have to go over and see the options. IF I can negotiate a deal, then I'll be an "F"-owner, if not, then I will put in a special order and wait for the "F" to come ( yes I have some connections).

 

That's true, but it depends on how you price the cars. Hopefully the following information will help the OP. For example, Lexus is notorious for making base models special orders (Or not available at all), and the true base model is the one with the lowest package. So the true MSRP of the "base" IS-F is actually 62k. It's very misleading. Whereas I think Infiniti actually honors their pricing, so you will be able to find a G37s sedan for around 32k. So from this perspective, the price difference is almost double...

You don't see too many people cross shopping the G37 and IS-F, right? he he. I hope that Infiniti will someday come up with their own performance versions of the car. Like a G-typeR.. ha ha. I'd be all over it.

 

I'm jumping ship myself.... I have a loaded G37s and within 5k miles, the car started to deteriorate: From seat leather problems, to rattles, electronic and transmission problems (my personal favorite is the dropping out of gear and it's automatic).

I have my eye on an ISF and will be joining the ranks soon... I have previously owned 5 LexI and should NEVER have been talked into anything else (a relative did me in on this one)....

Lee

 

I came from an Infiniti FX35, the F is a step up

 

Having owned a G37 Sport (6speed: traded for Cayman S), I can tell you the F is getting similiar gas mileage if not a bit better. I too was suprised that the gas mileage was not better at first. I have seen up to 25 mpg on hwy with the F and usually average 20 mpg (wife's short commute).

When I drive it (a little spirited), we usually get about 18mpg. I'm sure if you drove all-out alot, like others mentioned, it would be lower still.

The biggest gripe I had was the shifting action and clutch (G37). It would always grind 2nd when it had not warmed up. I was so frustrated I usually skipped 2nd until the car warmed up. It was usually fine after that. It is a very nice car, but the "new" wore off pretty quick for me.

 

I personally think the fuel economy in this car is amazing. I had an 06 M45 and was averaging < 16.5MPG city/highway combined and a 20Gal tank, I could make it about 300miles at 90-100MPH and get there on empty. In the -F i can do the same thing, at slightly higher consistent speeds, I can actually get there and still have 1/8+ a tank of gas. The city mileage on the F is not where it shines, for me (lead foot) i hover around 14mpg.

 

LOL...I'm in the mkt for one of these and feel the same way...I say be happy with what you drive, life is too short...but, I can't help but think you will take an a$$ whippin on trade...one good thing is '09 G37's seem to be rather constrained as dealers try and sell off the '08 G35's, so if you act quickly, you may be able to sell privately to someone who doesn't want to wait and not take such a huge loss. Let us know how it turns out.

BTW, those who say the Lexus is almost twice as much the G37 sedan.... w/ sport, premium, nav (which is closest to how the ISF is normally configured) msrp is around 45K on the G.