370gt Crossover

[Stuart McK]

Hi team.

I decided to move my 2005 V35 Coupe on (got tired of having a boot only big enough for a bunch of bananas) and bought a 2013 370GT Crossover - or the Infiniti EX37, depending on what side of the ocean you're on. I'm curious to know if anyone else here has decided to go the same way, or perhaps thinking to.

Very happy with the Crossover - I can actually put my whole mountain bike into the back - but I'm missing my coupe on the roundabouts... Also having issues with the dealer I bought it from (it's the first 2013 and it wasn't complied properly, and I'm having issues getting him to come good), so sadly my bonding experience has been impacted.

Happy to share specifics about the car if anyone is remotely interested.

[Burger]

I would like to hear more about your car. SAU does lack a bit when it comes to the crossovers.

[Guest]

Hi team.

I decided to move my 2005 V35 Coupe on (got tired of having a boot only big enough for a bunch of bananas) and bought a 2013 370GT Crossover - or the Infiniti EX37, depending on what side of the ocean you're on. I'm curious to know if anyone else here has decided to go the same way, or perhaps thinking to.

Very happy with the Crossover - I can actually put my whole mountain bike into the back - but I'm missing my coupe on the roundabouts... Also having issues with the dealer I bought it from (it's the first 2013 and it wasn't complied properly, and I'm having issues getting him to come good), so sadly my bonding experience has been impacted.

Happy to share specifics about the car if anyone is remotely interested.

Hi Stuart,

You'll find most people interested in V-Series Skylines will look at V36 Sedan's if they're after something more practical and larger than a V35 / V36 Coupe.

The Crossover's are definitely a different kind of beast compared to the Sedans. I've driven one and it's not my cup of tea... that being said, they look good and are well appointed, I just felt claustrophobic sitting in one, and had visibility issues with blind spots.

Purchasing a 2013 370GT Crossover is a pretty special thing though, as it's very very new! ...and super rare for Aus!

Good luck and I hope you find happiness in your new car

[AsM]

What issues did u have with compliance?

[talkiet]

I have a 2009 370GT Crossover here in NZ and it's incredible. I got the one with _ALL_ the toys (Radar cruise, lane departure warnings and avoidance, Intelligent Brake Assist, the birdseye (Aroundview) view camera system) type P package with Leather and heated seats etc.

I enjoy driving (one of my other cars is a Lotus 7 replica that I race a bit) and the crossover is exceptionally good for its size. Far far better than the RAV4 it replaced. Downsides?

I only got the RWD version - wish I had held out for the AWD... The RWD is _BAD_ on loose surfaces. Too much power, too little traction, too much weight and the VDC is overly aggressive.

It's not very big inside considering how large it is overall...

The front LCA bushes are a weak spot (actually weak on the V36s as well) and you can't get the bushes by themselves - it's new Lower Control Arms at $600 NZD each...

Apart from that I love it. It's fast, comfortable and got all the toys. I am still upset that the English conversion is a closely guarded secret hack that is clearly available but wildly overcharged for... I have learnt some of the Japanese instructions but would love an English conversion.

The 2013 models look even nicer - a few little upgrades but mostly in the trim (sunroof) and Blindspot warning type areas. Enjoy!

New Zealand is a lot easier to import and comply... I got mine from Japan and compliance was straightforward - no changes required although I replaced the battery and tyres after I took delivery.

Cheers - N

[V35_Paul]

I was going to get one.

Lots of pressure from family and friends saying i need a more practical car.

But screw them I got the coupe

[Stuart McK]

Hi guys. Thanks for your thoughts. And sorry for the book but...

I agree that the V35 Coupe was more fun to drive - my Series 2 had strut braces fitted (which is relatively unnecessary IMHO with the mid-engine design) and it was rock-solid through corners. I've owned a HR 32, HR33 and V35, but have to say that on the open road the V35 was a real stallion and my favourite. I've had it up to 190Klm in country Vic, and it was amazingly stable sitting on the road (except for the odd bump which put an air gap between rubber and road).

The downfall was it's seating and boot capacity. I had to hitch lifts with friends when taking my mountain bike anywhere, and needed to borrow my ex's RAV4 whenever I needed to drive big boxes anywhere. Plus people complained whenever they had to get into the back. Something had to change. I thought the best compromise was the Crossover - even though my daughter called it a 'Soccer Mum's car'. Hmm...

I looked around, saw the 2013 model (5,400 Klm on clock) at Nagoya Motors where I'd bought my V35 years earlier, and after many weeks thinking I put down a deposit. That's when the fun started. The car was their 'sample car' to get compliance, and even though they'd already had it for some months, it still took them another 16 weeks (after my deposit was locked in and my V35 traded) to finally get it complied. They had loaned me a Skyline sedan in the meantime, which was good, but the wait was way beyond what I was advised. After I finally got the car, I noted some fender damage and found that one of the fender skirts had been glued up. I raised this with Nagoya but 'nah, it was like that when you inspected it'. Well, it looked clean in photos I'd taken but I decided it wasn't worth trying to prove. Next was the rego - I was provided a registration notice which expired Oct 2016. Imagine my thrill when I went to transfer the NSW reg into the ACT to find it actually had only 3 months and it had expired days earlier. Further, the Motor Registry declared the compliance in error as it was missing a required child restraint anchor point and therefore unroadworthy. I had to sort it fast, as the car was out of rego. I contacted Nagoya at the Registry, left a message, but no return call. Contacted them the next day, they had heard the message, but they'd referred it to their engineer. I still hadn't heard from anyone by the following week, so I took the car to an auto engineer in Canberra who worked out how to do it by welding on a nut to the seat internals - solved. I had contacted Nagoya again to tell them I'd sort it and that they can reimburse me - I had agreement on the phone. Alex at Nagoya then comes into the game and gives me a run. He eventually advises that he'll confirm with his engineer and get back to me, but now he's gone quiet. So now I'm preparing for Small Claims Court...

So ASM, the compliance issue: a missing constraint is enough to declare the vehicle as unroadworthy. The rear seats are officially 3 seats - there are 3 seat belts and the car is declared to be a 5-seater. There were constraints for the left and right rear seats, but not the middle. The car cleared in Sydney on a technicality - if the rear seats folded down as a 50/50 configuration then a middle anchor point was not required, but as it folded down as a 60/40 configuration then all 3 seats could be used for a child capsule so therefore 3 constraints are required. The ADR does document this, so the ACT Registry were correct in their decision (confirmed by local compliance engineer).

Neil, everything you say is right. Mine has all the toys you mentioned, except for the sunroof and it's also RWD only. The car is a stallion too on the highway, although around town it feels like an SUV on the roundabouts and I don't like the decisions it makes with the 'adaptive gearing'. I need to find out how to retrain it, if I can. It came with Dunlop Sports 7000 tires, and I've managed to loose traction on front And rear a couple of times, so they will have to go. Cruise control is a bugger, as it is limited to 110 Klm as max (Jap-spec), and the gear change up/downs it makes are outrageous.

The car is very comfortable and well appointed with the (heated) leather seats. Rear seats can be dropped and taken back up via buttons in the front and rear of car (great for Soccer Mums, I suppose). Sound system is Bose of course, and phone can connect via bluetooth (which does drop out and reconnect often) or USB (very reliable). To Nagoya's credit (only time I'll say that), the menu was upgraded to English and the GPS to Australian maps. The space in the cargo area appears at first to be smaller than many, but with the seats down flat it's quite large (and my whole mountain bike will fit in without taking the wheel off - woohoo!). It doesn't come with a space-saver tire, but with a ContiMobilityKit (air compresser and bottle of goo).

So,

Likes: interior comfort, 'birds eye' view camera, exterior looks, good highway legs, cargo/rear seat space are a good compromise.

Dislikes: cruise control limitation, standard tire grip, gear changes currently OK if I was a 90 year old driving.

Unsure: radar cruise, handling (the higher seating position could be fooling me)

OK, I miss my coupe for the testosterone-exploding experience, but yes Paul, the Crossover is much more practical. Damn it!

Edited February 6, 2016 by Stuart McK

[talkiet]

[snip]

Cruise control is a bugger, as it is limited to 110 Klm as max (Jap-spec), and the gear change up/downs it makes are outrageous.

[snip] Sound system is Bose of course, and phone can connect via bluetooth (which does drop out and reconnect often) or USB (very reliable). To Nagoya's credit (only time I'll say that), the menu was upgraded to English and the GPS to Australian maps. [snip]

Yep - Cruise control frustrates me as well that it only goes to 110!... I hate to suggest you may not have noticed this but you do know that if you knock the selector right into tiptronic mode but don't then choose to use the tiptronic that it goes into a much sharper auto mode?

As for your final point - I'm gutted that there's clearly a software upgrade available for these units to convert from Japanese to English, and they are DEFINITELY a dodgy (copied / hacked) solution yet there are a very small number of places charging lunatic money for this... In NZ there's only one place (and it's a thousand K away in the other island) and they wanted $1600 last time I asked.

$1600 for a SW upgrade.

I'm sure the upgrade will escape into the wild the same day I buy my next car.

Cheers - N

[Stuart McK]

Hey Neil. I haven't noted the tiptronic trick, but then I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying that if I slip it into 'manual' then back to full auto, the changes are then sharper, or are you saying that the change is sharper when I'm using 'manual'?

Software upgrade - yeah, I was waiting for the hack to become available for my Series 2 V35 coupe, but by the time it did there was no point. For some reason I didn't discover the nav screen stopped coming up, and that's where the menu's were that I wanted converted. Regardless, I think the conversion cost then (about 2 years ago?) was ~$300-400 I think. $1,600? That's a rip off!

[talkiet]

Just flick it across from left to right and then DON'T use the tiptronic - it's already in a sports auto mode.

Cheers - N

[nickcorr]

I belive the V36 updates for English, are not a software update, like it was on the V/M35, but is actually replacement hardware, such as the screen and the brain, from an Infiniti so converting from JDM to global spec unit.

[Stuart McK]

Just flick it across from left to right and then DON'T use the tiptronic - it's already in a sports auto mode.

Cheers - N

Thanks Neil, but I believe that just keeps it in the same gear until I change up or down i.e. I'm driving a manual without the clutch. I'll check, but I distinctly recall doing that to overtake a car recently, got distracted by an oncoming, and realised that the car was creeping close to the redline...

[talkiet]

Thanks Neil, but I believe that just keeps it in the same gear until I change up or down i.e. I'm driving a manual without the clutch. I'll check, but I distinctly recall doing that to overtake a car recently, got distracted by an oncoming, and realised that the car was creeping close to the redline...

Hmmm... Perhaps yours is different. For mine there are definitely TWO auto modes. "D" and "DS"... Here's a photo... From top it's standard Auto mode (D), then Sports Auto (DS) when I flick the stick to the right, and then manual first gear (1M) when I push it forward once.

[nickcorr]

Same as my V36...

D bit sluggish..

DS, sharper, holds to the redline and cuts out 7th

Manual...

[The Max]

And don't forget the temporary manual mode as well - keep the stick in D but use the paddle shifters to temporarily shift down or up as required. After about seven seconds from the last paddle actuation, it reverts itself back to regular auto again.

Very handy for preparing to overtake or when it gets a mind of its own and decides to engine brake going down a steep hill.

[Stuart McK]

Hmmm... Perhaps yours is different. For mine there are definitely TWO auto modes. "D" and "DS"... Here's a photo... From top it's standard Auto mode (D), then Sports Auto (DS) when I flick the stick to the right, and then manual first gear (1M) when I push it forward once.

Thanks Neil and Tony. Yes - I missed that, and the photos helped me to see what I'm looking for. I was used to the gear shift in my coupe. Flicking the stick over would drop it down a gear and place it into full manual. I'll play with DS and D over the coming days to see the difference.

Oh, and no paddle shifters on the model I have.

Otherwise, I needed to transport some large boxes from interstate on Sunday, and just slid them into the back of the Crossover and I was away. I really miss the coupe, but...

Cheers.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Stuart McK

[The Max]

That's why I have a shitbox BA wagon. Throw all manner of large things in there (my drums) and not give a damn about how I abuse the interior (or exterior, for that matter).

[Stuart McK]

Just a Heads Up for those people considering a Skyline Cross-over. I notice that Nagoya Motors have a couple of new ones on the lot now. The compliance for those would be based on the compliance error which caught me out on my car's re-registration - their first ( the SUTI car).

Trust me in that they will do the minimum for you, if that. So if you Must buy from them, insist that THEY install the middle restraint on the rear seat Before you commit a down payment. Don't believe their insistance that it isn't required. Take a risk-based approach i.e. if I'm right, you're saved some money later...

[win4ever]

Hey all! Sorry for the long message, but great reading the messages thread from this post and happy to hear that by and large, every Crossover owner is enjoying their car! I agree with Stuart that it is definitely a compromise to have the Crossover over the coupe! I am basically committed now to this as I have already paid for a fully spec 2013 crossover (I imported myself through a dealer which means I get to view the daily auctions and choose the car I want which was quite fun) and will now start the process of selling my v36 coupe

Took the coupe out the other day to take some photos and had this real weird feeling of not wanting to let go (hence I have delayed listing the car up for sale for the last 2 days!) especially after seeing how great the car look in the photos I have taken!

Oh well, I guess it's just different stages of life and with the family needs a bigger priority, at least I am still staying in the Skyline family with the Crossover and just like everyone, I opted for the Crossover as I felt it is a perfect compromise and keeping the Mrs. happy that we are getting an SUV for the family while I still hopefully will retain most of the sportiness feeling of driving a coupe.... I opted to get a RWD version only as well as I don't do much off road and this one is a relatively new car (2013) had all the add-on goodies that I want except 4WD so decided to go with RWD.

I read quite a few reviews and watched quite a few reviews about the EX35/37/QX50 and it seems by and large the reviews are all raving about the sportiness of the car and the luxurious feel of the car. I believe this is probably one of the first car that Nissan is replicating everything it has on the Infiniti into the JDM version (not too sure) so I am pretty excited about getting to drive the car soon and enjoy the new toys that it comes with. I did read somewhere about the cruise control which seems to have abit of an issue when it's tailing a car in front so hopefully it won't be too bad.

Anyway, great to hear that there are a few Crossovers owner in the forum. Just quick question, anyone had any mechanical issue with the car so far? This will be my 3rd Skyline and the last 2 have been ultra reliable with no issues at all so hopefully that will continue on to the J50.

Hey Neil, where about are you base at in NZ? Are you down in the South Island? I think I have only ever seen 1 Crossover on the road here in Auckland (which is in a way quite nice too as you get abit more of the exclusivity driving the car pretty much like when i first got my v36 coupe) and I know there are a few base model ones up for sale in a few dealers but most are quite high on mileage and all do not have cruise control. Where did you get yours? Great to get one with all the additional toys eh! By the way, the photo you posted on the other post that I started looks AMAZING!!!

 

[talkiet]

Thanks for the comment on the photo - I was pretty happy with it but will take something nicer at a more attractive location at some stage.

There is a relatively common issue with all V36s and the front lower control arm bushes. APPARENTLY (confirmed from a suspension shop, Nissan in Chch and jp-carparts.com) you can't get just the bushes so you need to replace the entire LCAs. Expensive if it needs it (I think I paid about $1500?

I've also had the AC pump go kablooey and am waiting for someone to find a replacement - but that could happen on anything.

Regarding the cruise control - I have never had an issue with it using the radar following - but it's annoying that it won't go higher than an indicated 110kmh

And I'm based down in Chch...

 

Cheers  N