My intention was to fete the 2010 Audi TTS, another fun-to-drive coupe with big power, smart handling and two useless rear seats. But that was before the 2010 Infiniti G37x sport sedan, the anniversary edition, all spiffed up, rolled into my driveway.

Truth is, I write about cars the way most people buy them, often with as much emotion as expertise. The global automobile industry is aware of that truth — emotion trumps expertise — in the real world of retail markets.

But car companies historically have catered to “buff books,” mostly magazines for self-proclaimed automotive “enthusiasts,” often single young men long on lust for the exotic cars displayed on magazine covers but short of the cash to buy even a single wheel on one of those super-fancy automobiles.

It is a business model that is fast fading in a world grown more practical but still desirous of a good drive in a fine, accessible automobile, which is why I immediately turned toward the 2010 Infiniti G37x sport sedan.

It is a pretty car, gifted with a sinewy, elegantly sculpted exterior. It catches the eye, plays with the heart, and offers four side doors and four real seats. There is a hatch in the rear that doesn’t appear to be a hatch, until it’s opened. It is substantially more of an “us” car than it is a “me” mobile.

When I was in my 20s and 30s, I was happy with a car that could carry me, and you, and not much else. But in my 60s, I no longer need nor want it. Instead, I want a fine car with finesse, one in which family and dear friends comfortably can come along for the drive. The 2010 Infiniti G37x — “x” denoting all-wheel drive — easily fills that need.

None of which is to say that the G37x is a frumpmobile. It comes with a 3.7-liter V-6 delivering a maximum 328 horsepower and 269 foot-pounds of torque. It is mature power. It is there when you absolutely need it. But it doesn’t make a nuisance of itself via fast, furious starts from green lights or loud, macho exhaust notes on quiet neighborhood streets.

Instead, it’s on long highway drives that you fall in love with Infiniti’s 3.7-liter V-6. It purrs in the dark of night on truck-laden Interstate 81, where too many truck drivers pay too little attention to the safety of motorists in smaller vehicles, frequently abandoning their assigned space in the right or middle lanes to tailgate motorists in the left.

My wife, Mary Anne, and I were on a return trip from deep in the Shenandoah Valley, moving along I-81 north, when we got trucked — tailgated by an 18-wheeler — yet again. We’d had enough. The road was clear ahead. I knew what was under the G37’s hood. I squeezed the accelerator, and … zoom! Goodbye, truck.

But the thrill was illusion. There were several 18-wheelers around the bend, speaking of which:

Rare is the automobile that steers as accurately, easily and intuitively as the G37x sedan. It is as if the car automatically senses bends, curves and corners. There are several technical reasons for this, including an optional, sporty, quick-steering ratio on the car used for this column. If you are buying the G37x, you’d be wise to get it with that option.

In fact, Nissan, maker of all things Infiniti, should standardize that quick-steering setup on all of its entry-level luxury cars. Doing that would boost prices a bit. But here’s betting that it would also boost the heck out of Nissan-Infiniti sales.

2010 Infiniti G37x Sedan

Base price: $36,050As tested: $43,715

Type: Front-engine, midsize, entry-level luxury car available as a sedan, coupe or convertible. The sedan and coupe are available with rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive

Engine: 3.7-liter, 24-valve V-6 that delivers 328 horsepower at 7,000 revolutions per minute and 269 foot-pounds of torque at 5,200 rpm. The engine is attached to a seven-speed transmission that can be shifted automatically or manually

Mileage: 26 miles per gallon (1 mpg better than the government-rated 25 mpg) in steady highway driving. But stop-and-go city driving was 16 mpg (2 mpg lower than the government’s rating)