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The Infiniti’s combination of instant steering response, taut suspension, brawny brakes, and a hell-bent engine kept the stability control warning lamp winking. The G37S felt as if it left the road in its wake bruised and bleeding. The BMW exhibited a gentler touch with its lyrical approach to speed. Technically, the Infiniti should have the edge, thanks to superior horsepower, a more sophisticated front suspension, quicker steering, and stouter brakes, but the Bimmer knocks stats and specs in the ditch with the way it carves the road into savory, bite-size chunks. Instead of the Infiniti’s series of rapid reactions, the 335i’s moves all flow gracefully to make even mediocre drivers feel like road stars. Each mechanical bit is such an integral part of the whole that the BMW forms an exclusive alliance with the pavement. Car and asphalt gambol in a romantic embrace… the Infiniti G37S easily tops the value chart. Anyone seeking a passionate fling will be well served in this seat. Those more interested in a long-term relationship should dig several thousand dollars deeper into their wallets for the 335i. – Automobile

Reuters reports that Nissan has warned owners that its intelligent key can be rendered useless if placed in the same pocket as a cell phone. (For those of you who don’t know, this is Nissan’s version of the new generation of car keys that allow you to get into and start the car so long as the key is on your person). When your hotel room key forgets who you are, help is an elevator ride away – this might mean you’re forced to spend the night in a hotel.

No word on whether other brands’ similar keys are vulnerable but you might want to get into the habit of dedicating pockets.

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The internet is abuzz with speculation regarding the upcoming Skyline, but I’m wondering if they’ll be able to capture what made the car an icon all these years: the chassis’ unerring poise that can only come from a long evolutionary process. Will a V6 engined, FM platform based Skyline do the name justice or is this just more platform/badge engineering from cost-conscious Nissan?

After a series of half baked products with shoddy build quality, refinement, and dynamics, I hope they get this one right. They’ll certainly sell every one they make regardless.

A number of recent advancemens in automotive engineering are inspired by natural phenomena, the most recent we’ve heard of being Nissan’s pioneering paint that ‘heals’ itself when scratched.

We’ve been using this link for about a decade now to check:

sidewall (height) – Aesthetically you want at least twice the sidewall height as there is ‘gap’ between the fender and the top of the tire’s sidewall – any more and the car appears ‘lifted’ a la Infiniti G35x, E-class 4MATIC, etc. Translation: going to a lower profile may cause the car to look higher, meaning you’ll be tempted to change the springs, which most often requires you change the shocks, which may lead to your hating the way your car ends up feeling…)

difference (in circumference) – A positive change will effectively raise the car’s final drive ratio, slowing acceleration and responsiveness. A negative change has the opposite effect, helping the car accelerate quicker. (We’ve been able to tell a difference of less than 2%; don’t be surprised if you can too…)

UPDATE: Here is another calculator worth checking out…

As horsepower numbers climb ever upwards, we predict an increasng number of manufacturers will turn to all wheel drive.

As much as we advocate traction control to limit wheelspin or electronic stability control to prevent loss of control, both systems are subtractive – i.e. they use the brakes which can a) slow the car down and b) overcook the brakes.

The problem with all wheel drive is that – weight aside – it affects the steering: drive an original BMW X5 (constant 63:37 split) and an updated one with xDrive (rear drive until slip occurs) and you’ll feel the difference.

Now Ferrari is experimenting with a system that (like BMW’s xDrive or Infiniti’s Intelligent all wheel drive) will send power to the front wheels only when needed.

The system will only be engaged for short bursts and so should be seen more as a way to reduce power-on oversteer rather than to air winter traction, etc. We don’t expect it to replace the current traction or stability control systems, but it should reduce the number of times those systems will have to ‘subtract’ from the fun quotient…