When we first drove Infiniti's new entry-level G25 sedan late last year, we found the car to be a mixed bag. While the G25 was far from a standout dynamically and was relatively light on luxury equipment, it did offer a few advantages over its more expensive G37 brother, namely a lower base price and a smoother V-6 engine. Our impressions remain largely the same after a full week behind the wheel and a trip to our testing facility, where we ran the usual gauntlet of acceleration, braking, and handling measurements.

Our tester, a Blue Slate 2011 G25 sedan with the optional Journey trim package, was about as well equipped as G25s come. As we previously mentioned, to further differentiate the G25 from the upwardly-mobile G37 sedan, Infiniti has chosen to forgo a fair amount of extra equipment that luxury car shoppers have come to appreciate. The G37's Premium, Technology, and Sport packages are unavailable to G25 buyers, meaning that paddle shifters, a 10-speaker Bose stereo, a limited-slip differential, 18-inch wheels, and even navigation are not offered with the budget-oriented car.

Still, our G25 came standard with 17-inch alloys, heated mirrors, eight-way adjustable power/heated seats, leather upholstery, dual-zone climate control, keyless ignition, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, auto headlights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, auto up/down windows, and a tilting/telescoping steering wheel. The only option to be found is the power sliding moonroof, at a $1000 premium. Add the obligatory destination fees and the G25 Journey rang in at $34,225. That's a couple grand shy of the G37 Journey's $36,275 entry fee and several hundred dollars shy of the Lexus IS 250's $34,690 base price, a car lacking several of the G25s options and with slightly less horsepower.
Visually, the G25 offers few concessions to the G37, with the same elegantly sporty good looks. Even the 17-inch wheels are the same items as on the G37 sedan, making the two cars nearly impossible to tell apart from each other from the outside, without looking at the rear trunk badge. Of course, a peek under the hood will also reveal some subtle differences. The G25's V-6 engine measures in at 2.5 liters and produces a modest 218-horsepower and 187 pound-feet of torque. That's down over 100 horsepower from the 3.7-liter configuration, but the G25 gains little weight advantages, still being saddled with the weight of a V-6.