Drove the G35...comments
04-13-2002, 07:03 PM
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Racer
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Drove the G35...comments
While I'm not actually shopping for a G35, I am a big fan of sport sedans. I currently drive a 2001 GS430 and previously drove a 2000 Acura TL. The specs on the G35 are quite compelling so I thought I'd see how they pan out in practice.
Here's my take on the car:
Exterior - The jury's still out, and of course this is purely subjective. The car looks REALLY sharp from some angles, and kind of weird from others. In that respect, it's quite similar to my GS430. All in all my opinion is positive, but not strikingly so.
Interior - Kind of plain, but this is also subjective. I prefer a wood and leather interior, and unfortunately that's not available (the wood at least) with the sport suspension package. I don't know that the materials seemed that cheap to me (as many have stated). They were on par with the TL that I had but not up to snuff with my GS or the Q45. The interior space is pretty good, though...much better than the IS300/3-series and very similar to the GS4/TL (except for shoulder room).
Dash - My wife drives a Z3, so I'm already accustomed to red gauges. My personal preference is electroluminescent a la Lexus or the Q45, but this wouldn't be a deal killer for me.
Engine - Of course a 260HP/260lb-ft VQ is an amazing engine, but I was actually dismayed at how little power there seemed to be off the line. There was absolutely no sensation of being pushed back into your seat on WOT acceleration (I didn't try to brake stand or anything, of course, just normal push the go pedal to the floor). Once you're up to speed the engine feels nice, but the overall stoplight racing feel is pretty lacking. The manual tranny should fix this.
Transmission - In auto mode it's fine...pretty standard. The manuamatic mode has its pros and cons. A pro is that it doesn't auto-shift first to second like (almost?) every other implementation does. Another is that it bounces off the redline instead of shifting for you. However, I strongly prefer manumatics that automatically take you back to first gear when you come to a complete stop, and this one doesn't. I kept having to tap down three or four times to launch the way I wanted to.
Handling - This is where the car shines. It handles as well as just about any sport sedan I've driven, including the IS300 and 3-series. The steering is precise, the steering wheel just about the right size and thickness, and there's very little body roll. A little more side-bolstering on the driver's seat would have been nice, though
Gadgets - The single biggest shock to me is that the memory system only controls the seat, not the mirrors. That's almost self-defeating! I can't believe they have such a limited implementation. I also don't like the placement of the power seat controls. There's nothing at all intuitive about how to adjust the seat at a glance. Instead you have to experiment until you really know them. The redundant media controls on the steering wheel are nice, but they really stand out (in a negative way) against the steering wheel. The pop-up navigation system and dual-zone climate control are nice at this price point.
My opinion is generally positive. Were I looking for myself, there might be some deal killers in there, particularly the memory system leaving out mirrors (Someone PLEASE correct me if this was just a fault with the car I drove!!! The dealer confirmed the lack of memory for the mirrors, though). I'll be interested to drive the manual tranny version later this year. All in all this is a great entry by Infiniti in the entry-level sport sedan market.
Here's my take on the car:
Exterior - The jury's still out, and of course this is purely subjective. The car looks REALLY sharp from some angles, and kind of weird from others. In that respect, it's quite similar to my GS430. All in all my opinion is positive, but not strikingly so.
Interior - Kind of plain, but this is also subjective. I prefer a wood and leather interior, and unfortunately that's not available (the wood at least) with the sport suspension package. I don't know that the materials seemed that cheap to me (as many have stated). They were on par with the TL that I had but not up to snuff with my GS or the Q45. The interior space is pretty good, though...much better than the IS300/3-series and very similar to the GS4/TL (except for shoulder room).
Dash - My wife drives a Z3, so I'm already accustomed to red gauges. My personal preference is electroluminescent a la Lexus or the Q45, but this wouldn't be a deal killer for me.
Engine - Of course a 260HP/260lb-ft VQ is an amazing engine, but I was actually dismayed at how little power there seemed to be off the line. There was absolutely no sensation of being pushed back into your seat on WOT acceleration (I didn't try to brake stand or anything, of course, just normal push the go pedal to the floor). Once you're up to speed the engine feels nice, but the overall stoplight racing feel is pretty lacking. The manual tranny should fix this.
Transmission - In auto mode it's fine...pretty standard. The manuamatic mode has its pros and cons. A pro is that it doesn't auto-shift first to second like (almost?) every other implementation does. Another is that it bounces off the redline instead of shifting for you. However, I strongly prefer manumatics that automatically take you back to first gear when you come to a complete stop, and this one doesn't. I kept having to tap down three or four times to launch the way I wanted to.
Handling - This is where the car shines. It handles as well as just about any sport sedan I've driven, including the IS300 and 3-series. The steering is precise, the steering wheel just about the right size and thickness, and there's very little body roll. A little more side-bolstering on the driver's seat would have been nice, though
Gadgets - The single biggest shock to me is that the memory system only controls the seat, not the mirrors. That's almost self-defeating! I can't believe they have such a limited implementation. I also don't like the placement of the power seat controls. There's nothing at all intuitive about how to adjust the seat at a glance. Instead you have to experiment until you really know them. The redundant media controls on the steering wheel are nice, but they really stand out (in a negative way) against the steering wheel. The pop-up navigation system and dual-zone climate control are nice at this price point.
My opinion is generally positive. Were I looking for myself, there might be some deal killers in there, particularly the memory system leaving out mirrors (Someone PLEASE correct me if this was just a fault with the car I drove!!! The dealer confirmed the lack of memory for the mirrors, though). I'll be interested to drive the manual tranny version later this year. All in all this is a great entry by Infiniti in the entry-level sport sedan market.
04-13-2002, 07:52 PM
#3
O.G.
Great review!
BTW, I am also surprised at how many people complain about the power considering it's 260/260. I guess we are waiting for the manual. And we want the same kind of review as this one.
BTW, I am also surprised at how many people complain about the power considering it's 260/260. I guess we are waiting for the manual. And we want the same kind of review as this one.
04-13-2002, 08:16 PM
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memory
My wife's Lexus RX300 has only memory for the seats, not the mirrors. And it is not linked to the remotes. I agree with you - that defeats the purpose of the memory feature.
04-14-2002, 01:31 AM
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Re: memory
Originally posted by Ruski
My wife's Lexus RX300 has only memory for the seats, not the mirrors. And it is not linked to the remotes. I agree with you - that defeats the purpose of the memory feature.
My wife's Lexus RX300 has only memory for the seats, not the mirrors. And it is not linked to the remotes. I agree with you - that defeats the purpose of the memory feature.
Damn I truly wish I had memory just for the seats on my TL.
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