Though firmer than some in its segment — the Mercedes C-Class, for one — the G37 rides comfortably, especially given our test car's 18-inch wheels and lower-profile tires. Get on the interstate, and the suspension smoothes out the usual pitter-patter of rough lanes well, though extended sections of broken pavement can send the car into uncontrolled bouncing motions, from which it takes a moment to resettle. Rear-drive cars with the Sport Package or manual transmission employ even stiffer suspension tuning, which could worsen that tendency.

Vindication comes in the handling department, where the G37 performs as well as the venerable 3 Series. Infiniti markets the G's all-wheel drive — whose impossibly technical name is abbreviated ATTESA E-TS — as capable of providing rear-wheel-drive handling in dry conditions. It's true. Get onto a freeway cloverleaf or back-road sweeper, and the G seldom pushes wide; I found the tail as easy to slide out in our all-wheel-drive tester as it was in the last rear-drive G we evaluated.

Body roll was noticeable in our test car, but the firmer suspension on the rear-drive G37 Sport might mitigate this. The lean wasn't unnerving, and there was no wheel hop over midcorner bumps. Even without the car's optional quicker, 14.7:1 performance steering ratio, our test car had the sort of turn-in precision that allows you to sense — and react to — every degree of the car's rotation. Pushed hard, the C-Class and Audi A4 plow clumsily through corners. The G37 and 3 Series can easily perform four-wheel drifts.

Some may wish for more power-steering assist at low speeds, in the manner of the A4 or C-Class. At highway speeds, however, our test car settled in comfortably, requiring few corrections to stay on course. The tires — Dunlop Sport Maxx P225/50R18s all-seasons — kicked up modest road noise, but wind noise at 60 mph was low.

Our test car's brakes provided strong, linear deceleration with little brake fade. Should you want maximum stopping power, rear-drive G37s can have massive 14-inch front and 13.8-inch rear discs.