Price as tested: $52,465
Baseball's opening day signals the unofficial beginning of spring. However, in the Midwest it is traditionally a miserable day with temperatures in the mid 40s and rain almost inevitable. As a fan of a certain team 90 miles to the north of Chicago, I snagged tickets to the opening day game on Monday, April 5 to watch the Milwaukee Brewers take on the Colorado Rockies.
As the day approached, the weather was unseasonably warm. With a hole in my test car schedule, I didn't know what I'd get. I had recently purchased a new Weber Q portable gas grille and it was my job to bring it to the tailgate party. With that in mind, I was hoping for a roomy SUV to hold the grille, some camping chairs, and all the other paraphernalia that you need for a proper tailgate party.
When I learned I'd be getting an Infiniti G37 convertible, I was torn. It would be sweet to drive a convertible with the top down in nice weather, but how the heck would I fit all the tailgating equipment in this car?
As a hardtop convertible, the G37 is a wonderful choice for Chicagoland because the hardtop does a better job of sealing out the elements during our 6-8 months of inclement weather than a traditional canvas top would. However, a folding hardtop also takes up much more space than a ragtop, which essentially renders the trunk useless when the top is down.
But I had a plan and I could make it work. Given that my grille was new and I had a shiny new cover for it, I put the cover on the rear seat to protect it, set the grille on top of the cover, and drove up to Milwaukee with the top down. I stopped by my buddy's place, put the top up, and loaded the trunk with the chairs, cooler, and other tailgating sundries. Now with the trunk and backseat loaded, we headed off for an afternoon of baseball revelry. We couldn't put the top down at this point for fear of crushing the items in the trunk.
Once we arrived at the ballpark, we unloaded the trunk, then put the top down so we could take the grille out of the backseat. A few brats, chips and peanuts later, it was time to watch the game. Unaccustomed to 80-degree opening days, I sat and baked in the sun for three hours, acquiring the season's first official sunburn. Chicago fans will be happy to know that the Brewers lost 5-3.
Reloading the car involved the reverse process. First, I had to take the top down to load the grille, then put it back up to load the trunk. It was a bit of a hassle to load and unload the car in this manner, but in the end it worked and I got to drive with the top down on my way to the unofficial beginning of Spring. Not a bad way to spend a Monday.
***
Before I go, I have a few notes to share about the G37 convertible. My tester was decked out to bring it to that $52K pricetag. The car starts at $44,350 well equipped. I am a bit disappointed that the car exhibits more cowl shake than I'd expected. It just isn't as rock solid as a BMW 3 Series convertible, and that hurts the handling. However, the car is still fun to drive, with high points being its quick, direct steering and the gusty but refined engine note from the willing 325-horsepower 3.7-liter V6. The interior is also finished like a luxury car should be, with an attractive design and soft-touch materials most everywhere you care to look. Bottom line, the G37 droptop is a beautiful, fun and luxurious car, but it doesn't quite live up to the sporty reputation set by its coupe and sedan sisters.
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LOL ... love the tailgaters dilemma ... had a similar issue with the porsche 911 carrera cabriolet. decided to go kyaking and had to cart the kyak to the lake. luckily it was perfect weather for top-down driving.
You're biggest mistake was going to a Brewers game.
Edit: Your, not you're.