| First Drive | Reading, England | Infiniti G37 Convertible |

Infiniti has finally arrived in the UK, Nissan's upmarket brand hoping to take the fight to the established premium players and fellow Japanese rival Lexus. Unlike Toyota's premium brand, Infiniti arrives in its boutique-style showrooms with a full range of cars including a saloon, a coupé, two SUVs and this G37 Convertible - a folding hard-top version of the highly regarded G37 Coupé.

In the Metal

It's a good looker the G37 Convertible, very similar in profile to its coupé relative. Being virtually the same proportionally that's hardly surprising, the Infiniti G37 Convertible sharing the closed car's subtle but alluring looks. Its neat, simple lines exhibit little of the visual aggression of some rivals, though that is not to say it's not a head turner - quite the opposite. Infiniti's stylists have won the war with the engineers too, the G37 Convertible managing to stow its folding hardtop away without a resultant big booty. That means in sunshine mode there's comedy levels of boot space - forget a golf bag, you might just about manage your putter - but there's always the rear seats if you need some luggage capacity when working on your tan.

Contrasting red leather and a full complement of equipment inside make it easy to fall for the G37 Convertible's charms. All that kit is housed in a dashboard that, while ultimately lacking the depth of quality and ease of use of an Audi's, does feel very well constructed.

What you get for your Money

Everything. In the Premium specification of the car under test it's more a case of what's missing. You'll struggle to find anything. Among the obvious alloy wheels, adaptive climate control, parking camera and xenon cornering headlights it's got oddities like trick self-healing paint that removes those light surface scratches that dull the shine of all cars in time. The hard drive entertainment system with the Bose speakers can hold 10Gb of music, and if you're peckish it also contains the Michelin Guide with restaurant reviews. Throw in your Infiniti 'account manager' back at the dealer to sort out any problems you might have and you're covered for everything. Oh and there's a 3.7-litre V6 with 316bhp driving the rear wheels through an optional seven-speed automatic gearbox, too.

Driving it

All that kit means the interior is festooned with more buttons than a pearly king and queen convention, but you can ignore most of them when you're actually driving. Instead it's better to drop the roof and enjoy the sound of that 3.7-litre V6. It's not loud, but there's a musicality to its exhaust note that means you end up using more of the automatic's seven gears than is really necessary. Leave it in drive and the auto does sometimes get muddled with all the gear choices, but it's more enjoyable to use the column-mounted paddles anyway. Tuneful exhaust aside the G37 Convertible isn't a sports car; it's quick sure - reaching 62mph in 6.4 seconds and a 155mph limited top speed - but it never goads you to push it as hard as you might its coupé sibling.

Some of that is inevitably down to the tremors that are apparent in the cabin, the Convertible not feeling as rigid as some of its rivals. It's an enjoyable drive regardless, with steering that's nicely weighted if a touch light on feel. Push a bit harder and the chassis reveal some talent, though if that's your thing buy the Coupé. If four-seat (at a push) drop-top driving in something that turns heads is more your bent then the G37 Convertible does a very good job indeed.

Worth Noting

Infiniti really is pushing to offer a unique service to its customers. Along with the account manager mentioned earlier, you'll be covered for breakdowns whether you're in your Infiniti or not. The showrooms are aiming to offer boutique hotel levels of hospitality and style and Infiniti itself suggests that its cars will remain a rare sight in the UK - and it's fine with that. The entire range is currently petrol powered only, which will inevitably hit sales, but there's a diesel in the pipeline for the SUVs and eventually the saloons.

Summary

Infiniti's new G37 Convertible is a good looking, extremely well equipped drop-top for those wanting something a bit different. The Premium model as standard costs just over £41,000, which is a bit more than something like an Audi A5 Cabriolet, but a good bit less than a BMW 6 Series drop-top. Neither of which can boast a folding hardtop or the Infiniti's standard level of kit - nor are they able to boast the newcomer's exclusiveness. That alone should be enough to ensure Infiniti attracts buyers to its expanding showroom network.