The 370Z Nismo? Too unrefined. The Porsche 911 Carrera S? Too expensive. The BMW 335is? Too common. Well then, you, sir, need to seat your posterior in the Monaco Red leather driver's seat of the new Infiniti IPL G Coupe, the car that marks the arrival of the new Infiniti Performance Line designation.
The vibrant crimson interior might be eye-catching, but it isn't the only tweak from the garden-variety G37S Coupe, the basis for the IPL G Coupe. Those 19-inch gunmetal gray split seven-spoke wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Potenza RE050A summer rubber are also unique to the IPL trim, as are the rear spoiler and IPL badge. Up front, the restyled air dam contains a deep, jutting chin spoiler with integrated fog lights, while out back two massive chrome exhaust tips exit underneath the rear fascia with its downturned lip. Front and rear are tied together with body-colored IPL side skirts in one of two available colors - Graphite Shadow or the IPL-exclusive Malbec Black. It's clear this is no ordinary G37.
According to Infiniti, the IPL designation is the direct result of customers and dealers asking for a little more sport than the S sport line currently offers. With that in mind, IPL models aim to increase not only power, but the entire driving experience. They possess unique styling and materials, along with suspension and brake revisions that match the IPL character. Still, Infiniti cautions that IPL shouldn't be compared to Mercedes-Benz' AMG program or BMW's M division. IPL is more mature and less aggressive than either of those factory speed shops.
To that end, the IPL G Coupe unquestionably takes performance a step further, but it doesn't get crazy about it the way tuners in Affalterbach would. The G37's 330-horse, 270-pound-foot 3.7-liter V-6 is capped with a IPL-badged engine cover and gets a very modest boost to 348 ponies and 276 pound-feet. The improvements come with a tweak of the ECU and a new IPL-exclusive high-flow crossover exhaust system with larger diameter tubing and a more efficient design that effectively reduces system backpressure by 30 percent. The side benefit, of course, is that the system takes on a throatier tone befitting a performance-tuned coupe.
While the IPL G Coupe's brakes, limited-slip differential and quick-steering rack are the same capable units found on the G37 S (four-piston front, two-piston rear), the suspension gets a retune with springs that are 20-percent stiffer in the front and 10-percent stiffer in the rear. The shocks' damping rates have also been calibrated specifically to the increased spring rates.
On the winding, grape-lined country roads of Northern California's Napa Valley, the IPL G Coupe feels much like Goldilocks' choice of porridge-not too hot, not too cold. Compared to the G37 S, the IPL-tuned coupe feels a little less rough, running to redline with increased intensity. Power gains feel more impressive than they likely are, thanks to the exhaust's improved vocal ability, which remains interesting but unobtrusive in normal driving. A conventional six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission are available, and each feels well-suited to the car, the latter offering magnesium paddle shifters.
