In dim lighting I find the EVF's electronic amplification of the scene to be very useful for composition and focus; again, it's not directly rangefinder-ish, but at least as usable; perhaps more useful in dim lighting than a non-amplified optical viewfinder.
So technically, the G1 is obviously NOT a rangefinder. But it exhibits many of the attributes of a rangefinder camera in terms of usage modes. It's a very capable, easy to use tool for creating photographic images discretely and quietly, all the while maintaining a high degree of quality.
Back to the topic, these are great points. Small, quiet, and doesn't bring attention to itself.