As much as we love screaming horsepower, we understand the need for affordable rides with sensible engines, even in the luxury realm. Enter the Infiniti G25 sedan, a new addition to the G family making its debut at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The G25 will be identical to the G37 sedan in nearly every regard—same front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, same snappy styling, same competent chassis—but packs a less-powerful engine. It will be positioned as the entry-level Infiniti, providing a lower stepping stone into the brand.
The engine in question is a DOHC, 2.5-liter V-6 rated at 218 hp and 187 lb-ft of torque. A variant of Nissan’s VQ engine—which in 3.7-liter form powers the G37 and Nissan 370Z, among others—the 2.5-liter mill was previously found in the European Infiniti EX25 and the Chinese-market M25. There are no official fuel-economy ratings yet, but Infiniti tells us to expect an increase of about 1 mpg over the G37 sedan’s 19 mpg city/27 mpg highway. That’s a pretty disappointing number for such a dramatic power loss, but perhaps not as devastating as the news that the only transmission choice is a seven-speed automatic.
The power ratings are far below the 328 hp and 269 lb-ft offered by the big-brother G37 sedan, and lag slightly behind the 230 hp and 200 lb-ft offered by the inline-six in the BMW 328i. Still, the numbers are close enough to take on the 328i, just as the G37 offers power on par with BMW’s turbocharged 335i.
Thanks to: Car and Driver