iTimmy

As promised, when I reached 1000 miles I would report my findings on my new 2007 G35X sedan. A few quick notes, I previously had a 2004 Acura TSX, 6MT non-nav - it had a comptech RSB, Icebox, DC Sport Header and K&N Air filter. The Infiniti is a G35X(which is AWD) with premium pack(which includes options such as the sunroof, boss Studio on wheels sound system and a few other basic options). The X model from infiniti is only available as an automatic with sport and manual shift mode(with rev. matched down shifts), this was my first automatic car since 2001, my previous 5 cars have been manual. I should also add that I drive roughly 30 different cars everyday and have done so for the past 9+ years, in addition to being in the automotive "industry" since I was 13 - but my most direct comparison will be with the TSX, because that is what I had the most time behind the wheel of for the last few years(42k miles worth). I had considered a 2004 G35, however, I didn't like the interior much and didn't think the performance alone was worth the premium in price over the TSX. Also cost of ownership was considered, the TSX was with out a doubt a cheaper car to own and drive then a G35 would have been.

Initial impressions... at the dealership I was really taken back by the seductive, yet conservative lines. The pictures I had seen really made the second generation G look like a face lift, when in fact in real life the difference are VERY noticeable, in particular when you have a first generation G near by. The interior is completely overhauled, and they did a superb job with it, I had my reservations about the washi aluminum trim inside, but upon seeing it I really liked it. All materials inside feel higher in quality then the previous gen. G and the design is fresh and classic(the clock brings a certain grey poupon feel to the car). I was suprised by the interior space, I was expecting it to feel huge inside, it does not, I don't think I have much more interior room then I did with the TSX. Another gripe I had right away was the size of the opening in the trunk, while the trunk is large, the opening to get stuff in it is not. It has not been an issue yet, but the car does not have folding rear seats, that will surely be an annoyance in the future. The first test drive left a very good taste in my mouth, I test drove a X model, but it is so hard to really tell how a car will be with just a single test drive. I did notice everything felt like it was in the "right" location, it was very easy to get used to and adjust to the location of all controls, and visiblity was superb. I negotiated the deal, I did not want a X model, however, they simply aren't getting many RWD models up here(they only had 2 due in all month and they were both already sold), so had the option to wait 12-16 weeks or they had a car in the color combo and options packages that I wanted only it was a X model - my impatience got the best of me. Picked the car up the Tuesday before Thanksgiving with 12 miles on. The whole dealership experience was OK, I like to work and move quickly, negotiating the deal took a hour longer then it should have, but the delivery of the car went very fast.

Driving my G... the ride home was fair, getting used to a new car at night is not the most optimal position to be in, though I do drive a lot of different cars so I adjust quickly. Upon arriving at home for the first time, I noticed a few things right away, first of all it smelled like my car was going to catch fire at any moment. And it fit in the garage with more room around it then my TSX had, I still have not looked to see if the G is smaller then the TSX but it would sure appear that way. The burning smell remained for the first 500 miles, not losing its intensity at all during that period, I posted something about this on the infiniti forum and other's were experiencing the same smell, and assured me it would go away, it did. Its only noticeable if I go for a particularly spirited drive and put the car in the garage right away, other wise its gone. The second day I had the G I went faster then I did in the previous 3 years of owning my acura, by accident. I was driving down the highway and someone was going slow, so I punched it and go around them to pass when I pass them I look down and am going 105, that's when I realized this car was not the TSX and I will need to be more careful! This car is soooo much faster then the TSX, not just 0-60 or to the 1/4 mile, but at speed it builds speed very quickly, and much smoother then the TSX. The G handles speed very well, probably too well. The steering wheel is amazing, its a good diameter, feels VERY good and looks good as well, steering feel is very heavy and maintains that feeling at speed, with the factory tires on it required constant pressure from your hands to keep the car tracking straight, with replacement tires you can drive with two fingers, but they get tired. With such heavy steering it makes knee driving VERY easy. Overall steering feedback is very good, the "feeling of the road" is transmitted as well as any car I've driven in this segment, it does make the TSX feel numb and almost cheap in the steering department. Now that I have some miles on the car I have driven quite spirited just to see what its capable of. With the VDC on, a slip light will flash on the dash when you accelerate rapidly and then it takes off like a rocket. The G35X is primarly RWD and only transfer's power to the front wheels when it senses a loss of traction at the rear wheels, at that point it will transfer power to any wheel as it sees fit to assure the best traction. There is also a snow button, which locks the AWD system on up to 12 MPH, which means no slipping and better chance of accelerating. The transmission is quite good as well, I don't like the sport mode because the shifts are very jerky and it will ride higher RPM's when cruising in any given gear then I like. The normal mode does not yield seamless shifts, but is pretty close and it seems to be good at picking the gear I would pick if it were a MT. The manual shift mode makes me feel rather pathetic when upshifting, it does not upshift fast, but does allow you more control over the car, the downshift mode on the other hand is a lot of fun. The rev-matched downshifts are inspiring and the note the exhaust makes is down right sublime when doing so. Speaking of the exhaust, it is a pleasant change from the super quiet TSX, its loud but not too loud unless your WOT, a lot of infiniti people complain its not louder, but I like it! Its got a bit of growl all the time but not enough to annoy me when driving on the highway, but when you go WOT its sound is VERY intoxicating. The handling is fair, while it offers good feedback and is very poised on the road, the X model does have a bit more body roll then I like, but it still handles the turns at the same speed the TSX did, it just rolls more. When a sway bar kit becomes available for the car it will probably be the only upgrade I would consider doing.

This and that... Intelligent key is great, I would never go back to a car that does not have this, it makes entering the car, exiting the car, starting the car and turning off the car a lot more convenient - it easily saves me 5-10 minutes a week. The Boss Studio on Wheels(SOW) is a marked improvement over the factory system in the TSX, it images better, and just overall is more resolute and detailed. Either freq. extreme is a touch rolled off and one would expect more bass slam with 10" subs in the front doors and a third sub in the rear deck, but it is still very enjoyable and has very low fatigue. Though some of the controls on the factory system are counter intuative until you find the right display for the 7" screen. For example to go from track 3 to 4 on a CD you have the press down, when logic would tell you up would bring you to the next track. When you are in the disc screen it makes more sense the tracks are listed from top to bottom, so going from track 3 to 4 is "down". There are auxiliary RCA audio and video inputs in the center console which makes adding an Ipod a breeze, however, there is a way to integrate an Ipod better which allows you to utilize the factory stereo controls to control the ipod and display the ipod's display in the standard 7" LCD display in the dash board of the car. This kit costs around $300 and is probably worth it to have integration and flexibility like it offers. The seats are amazing, offer a lot of adjustablity and the leather on them feels better then the TSX leather. Another odd complaint I had about the old G, was checking the engine oil, the dipstick was in a horrible spot and a pain in the ass to get back in the hole, not an issue on the new G - its right up front and VERY easy to get to. The car also has two engine air filter's, they are the same style as the previous model's air filter, though they are smaller. They are both the same filter and supply more air through dual throttle bodies. The under carriage is very clean and well laid out, there are a few oddities though. First of all the rear suspension is unique, it uses a coil spring inbetween upper and lower control arms, with a seperate shock/strut and then it has a 3 way multi-link as well... seems a bit excessive. I was expecting the transmission and transfer case to be the same unit, but they are clearly seperate and what really blows my mind is the car has a rear AND front driveshaft, it almost looks like an old 4x4 pick up truck style set-up, I just would have thought they would have done something more advanced then that. But at the end of the day it works, so I guess it doesn't matter, just not what I was expecting to see. Another complaint about the old G was needing to take the skid plate down to get to the oil filter, that is no longer an issue there is now a trap door to get the oil filter out.

Gripes... This car is not perfect, no car is. The power the engine produces comes with a price, and that is poor fuel economy, I am averaging about 20MPG per tank right now and the car requires premium, so its a 9MPG hit compared to what I averaged with the TSX. The stock tires left a lot to be desired, I put a set of Nokian WR's on for winter use(I know they are an all weather tire, but I wanted something that still handles good and I figured with AWD it wouldn't be an issue), even though I am using these tires for winter use, they are quieter and more well manored on the road, they are more responsive and made a marked improvement on how the car feels at speed. I will be hard pressed to put the Goodyear Eagle RS/A's back on even to wear them out this up and coming spring/summer. The SOW's by boss sound system seems to go from too quiet to too loud too quickly, it lacks the linearity I would like in a system to finally adjust the volume. The wipers also seem poorly engineered, the drivers side blade wipes fine as does the passenger side, though I would really like the driver's side blade to get closer to parellel with the A pillar. It leaves a large uncleaned section of window in the shape of a V from the A pillar. The heated seats are the worse heated seats I've ever had, they have a low and high setting, it takes them at least 10 minutes to start producing any heat and even then its minimal, I suspect infiniti will have a fix for this soon, because everyone is complaining about it. The driving lights are a joke, I can't tell if they are on or off, so I just leave them off, I am glad they were not a seperate option that I had paid for.

Overall I think the car is a large improvement over the previous generation, the gauges are easy to read, they are a more modern color, they have fixed all the complaints people had about the old G and then taken it to the next level. Its a much better car all around then the TSX is/was, and in the TSX's defense the G cost about $10k more and has over 100hp more(if you think about what it would cost to produce an extra 100hp on the TSX you'd be much better suited to just get the G!). Its a great riding, driving and feeling car that will really create some turmoil against its respected competetion. The X model is by far the hot seller up here in the North East and suspect it will be a great entry level sport/luxury car for daily driver use in this climate. At times I wish it had more sport and more luxury, but its tough to find a balance between those two to please everyone. So far I have no regrets.

fast-tl

Great writeup , and lucky you. I'm really on the fence about picking up an 06 TL or 06 G35 (the '07 is out of my budget right now), but I would LOVE an '07 G35. Thanks fro teh review. keep 'em coming.

CarForAllSeasons

Tireguy, was there an instructional DVD that came with the new G35?

West6MT

Good review, thanks for taking the time to write it up.

iTimmy

There was not, though I do not have navigation or the technology package, maybe one comes with either of the other packages to further explain how they work.

Will Y.

Good review!
I looked at both the '07 G35 and the '07 BMW 335 sedans on Friday while returning to work, just in case I was motivated to trade from my '05 TL. I thought it was just me-- I was surprised that the G35's interior seemed smaller than the TL's, particularly between the driver's door panel and the driveline tunnel. I didn't remember that being the case when I tested the '05 G35 and TL. Otherwise, the interior on the '07 G35 is a great improvement over the '05 G35, particularly as to the steering wheel and switches. The '07 335's interior without i-Drive seemed pretty austere, plain, etc., compared to the G35 (and TL), although the rear leg room is now acceptable.
Happy driving!

Infamous425

nice write up.

that burning smell is normal. the new bmw's have it also for the first xxxx miles until it wears off.

ive test drove both the AT and MT in the new G and i liked the AT a lot better. the MT had a lot of vibration in idle and the first 2 gears were very rough. 3rd gear on the vibration magically disappeared.

ostrich

I love the G35 too! It looks wonderful and I am sure it is much faster than MOST sedans, not just the TSX! LOL!

Anyway, with regard to your MPG, perhaps once you have broken in, it will improve a lot? Also, it sounds like you have been having fun with it too (i.e. heavy acceleration! LOL) so maybe that accounts partly for the not so great MPG?

If I am in the market for a car now, the G35 would definitely be high on my list! Actually, maybe it will just be one more year before I look for a new car, because by then I will have paid off my TSX and the warranty runs out too... :-)

BTW - I think the G35 is so much better looking than the M35/45!

Scrib

The VQ35 is not known for its fuel efficiencies. My G35 6MT would get 16mpg when I tooled around in the city.

Great motor. It just tends to run a bit on the thirsty side.

Ashburner

My fiance's '06 Maxima gets the same MPG as my '05 GTO.

GreenMonster

Great writeup Tim !!

Only problem is that it's making me want to check out the new G35c when it comes out now...

I'm getting about 23mpg w/ my CLS (combined highway with a little city), so I'm guessing that once you get around the 300hp mark you have to give up a little on the fuel ecomony...

Part of me always says I should be practical and get an ecomony car like a civic, but another part of my wants 300hp and RWD (ala mustang or G35). I guess a honda V6 is somewhere in the middle of the 2...

CarForAllSeasons

Bummer. I worked on the shoot for that and the M's. I live 3 blocks from a dealer...I should just walk in one day ask for one.

Dan

Saw it at the L.A. Auto Show. Nice, unless you need a trunk.

CarForAllSeasons

They had it I totally walked right by it thinking it was the current one.

Mokos23

Good write up Tireguy, now are you going to add any mods to the G35x?

Do you still think the little chrome strip in the back of the G35 looks out of place though?

iTimmy

The only mod I'd like to do are sway bars, larger diameter bars would help my main complaint in the handling department by reducing body roll.

The chrome piece doesn't bother me, my car is the light silver(liquid platinum) and it sort of blends in. As an added bonus the trunk requires a little force to close, so I just use that to drive her home, so I don't scratch the paint.

Mokos23

What about in terms of seat comfort and overall interior space, is the G35 a lot better and bigger than the TSX?

iTimmy

Much to my surprise the interior does not feel bigger then the TSX, there may be a little more room all around, but not enough to make a noticable difference... With that said, I never had any complaints about the TSX's interior room, I just expected it to be larger. The driveline tunnel seems to be very pronounced right down the center line of the car, it creates a cozy cockpit feel up front. I have not attempted getting road skull in the car yet, but think it will prove to be very difficult, between the tunnel and the shifter location it will take a lot of dedication on her part I will update you when I test that theory more completely

Seat comfort is great so far, the adjustments seem to allow you to really dial in your comfortable setting. The lumbar is power, which is a huge plus compared to the TSX's lumber lever. I have not taken this car on a long trip yet, probably the longest drive has been 80 miles, and with that drive there was no strain or fatigue at all. I do not have the sport seats, and feel the lateral support is good for even moderately spirited driving, and for cruising they are very comfortable. The leather is much higher quality then what is used on the TSX seats, still not the best, but a large improvement.

mrdeeno

I find it interesting that you are surprised there are 2 driveshafts for a RWD-based AWD car.

ALL RWD-based AWD cars have 2 driveshafts.

Only FWD-based AWD cars would have 1 driveshaft (and FWD only cars have no driveshaft).

iTimmy

I am just surprised they did not integrate it into the transmission, like audi does. You can also tell it is an after thought to create an AWD G, its not near as clean, in terms of its implementation, as the rest of the driveline/under carriage.

mrdeeno

Audi's are FWD-based cars - hence no front drive-shaft like other FWD-based AWD cars.

Again, ALL RWD-based AWD cars have 2 drive-shafts.

iTimmy

I know this, I was just expecting something slightly more advanced coming from a more advanced AWD system, like infiniti claims it is. With technology advancing at the rate it is and with the under carriage being as well groomed as it is, it stands out like a sore thumb, was the point I was trying to make.

mrdeeno

I think you are taking their "advanced" description a little too far. It's advanced in that it is a RWD car until it needs to divert power to the front wheels, but it's nowhere near advanced as an SH-AWD (which is FWD based) system.

And come to think of it, this AWD system most likely was an afterthought considering that most cars built on this platform are RWD only cars (350z, RWD G sedans and coupes, RWD M's). The system probably looks better on the FX though, but the FX is a lot higher vehicle with more room to "integrate" the AWD components better.

But I fail to see the connection between being technologically "advanced" and the undercarriage being "well groomed". A system can look 200 times more "well groomed" yet still be old-school technology, and an advanced system can looked "tacked on" and still more advanced in the way it diverts power to the front or rear wheels. For all we know, the "advancement" is contained in a little black box under the hood somewhere that makes the system perform the way it does.

Mokos23

Dang Tireguy, you must be tempted to speed even more in the G35 than the TSX.

Hope you can also include how they treated you at an Acura dealer vs. an Infiniti dealer. What color did you get again? For me, I would've gotten Blue Slate because it reminds me a lot of the Carbon Gray color of the TSX.

iTimmy

I wouldn't say I am tempted to speed more, its just that the car is much quicker and handles the speed so you really dont feel like your going fast.

My car is Liquid Platinum, which is the light silver color. I wanted something that blends in and didn't require much to keep clean.

Let me start off by saying I don't like dealerships, they are all thieving bastards, in my opinion. The sales side of things I liked Acura better, it took two 15 minute phone calls and then we had the deal nailed down, deposit taken and delivery date set, they were actually waiting two weeks for me to have time to come get the car, I was at the dealership for less then 30 minutes when I picked the car up. I liked the speed and fast pace the dealership operated at, they were on the same page I was and it went well. Service from Acura was not so good, but it was at a different dealership, the service department at my local dealership from acura was a JOKE, the good news is I only had to deal with them twice. Compared to my initial visit to the infiniti dealership, it took 3 hours to negotiate the deal and get the basics nailed down, they told me the car was due in any day... 2 weeks later it finally came in. It took about 20 minutes for delivery of the car including the last bit of paper work. If I could have bought my infiniti from the dealership I got my acura from I would have done so in a NY minute. I have no experience with the service department at infiniti, but like all sales people tell you the service department is best... yada yada yada... Time will tell, I just hope nothing breaks and I don't have to deal with them at all I will also add, even though I was at the acura dealership a shorter period of time, they offered my snacks and refreshments several times, infiniti offered NOTHING and I was there 3 hours and actually quite thirsty - I had to at one point go out to my car to have a drink of water. I suspect the experience will vary from dealership to dealership. I just happened to find an Acura dealership with a good sales department.

pimpin-tl

Don't you love that LS1/LS2 reving at 1200~ at 60-70 mph. Hehe. My Fbody 99 TA 6mt I had got like 27-28 on the highway! Was amazing.

F23A4

Good writeup. Like Fast-TL, I have been on the fence about trading the Maxima into an 06 G35X. (....decided against it as, I still do night find the 1G G35X to be any bigger step up than going into a loaded 07 Maxima 3.5SE.)

I had a chance to checkout the 2G G35 and IMHO it is the sweetest sedan at its price point. Too bad the interior space is too small for our needs. Looks like the Infiniti M35 will be the way to go for us...which will hopefully get the VQ35HR as well.

F23A4

...having a double overdrive tranny does a lot for getting 25mpg+ fuel economy.

mg7726

nice comparo. i had a chance to drive the car fully loaded from Park Ave Infiniti, and it's a nice ride. this 2nd gen is much better then the previous as my friend had a g35 and i hated it.

like you said, the power is there but it ain't going to get much better in terms of mpg. but overall i like then 2nd gen. and all the toys.

Newplay1

Nice write-up and don't lie you know you miss the beast aka TSX :p

iTimmy

Believe it or not there are a few little things I do miss, the adjustable center arm rest and that little groove that allows you to snake a wire out of the center arm rest storage is missed, in particular because the G has audio inputs in the center console and you can plug an ipod into it, however, to change tracks on the ipod the center console has to be open - PITA! With that said I am looking forward to getting that ipod integration that allows the factory stereo to control the ipod and display its contents on the 7" screen.

I had a chance to drive a 2006 TSX 6MT today, and it feels like a toy compared to the solid feel of the G. The steering and steering wheel on the G is superb!

tasdisr

Nice review! Thinking of giving my wife my 05 TL and buying an 07 G35x for myself. Has your mileage improved any with the car. Is your 20mpg average for a combination of city/highway?

GreenMonster

Tim, just curious, are you still rocking the oem tires ?? Not much snow around this year...

iTimmy

I am around 3500+/- miles now and am still sted fast averaging 20... which is not a bad thing from what I read on the G35driver forum. I suspect when spring gets here and the fuel mixture changes a bit I will be able to squeeze 22 or 23 out of it with a light foot. I complain almost daily about the fuel economy(I am a jew) but I certainly don't complain about a lack of power. I just cannot figure out why they did not put a 6 speed auto in this car, if it was running 2500RPM's at 65 it would still have plenty of torque to deal with hills and so on, and 25mpg+ would be the common place

iTimmy

Hey John! I replaced the OEM's with Nokian WR's, I wanted something that would offer me a bit of an edge in terms of winter traction, but did not want to sacrafice with horrible handling and road noise. So Nokian's all weather tire seemed the obvious choice for a "snow" tire for me... what's shocking is that the WR's handle better, track down the road straighter and ride quieter. I am not looking forward to taking these off in spring and putting the OE Goodyears back on.

I would really like to put a set of turanza LS-V's on the car, but I don't see me keeping it long enough to justify 3 set's of tires(let along with in owning the car for less then 6 months!). So unless I sell the Goodyears before spring I will continue to use them as my summer tires.

derrick

Nokian WR ... great choice if I do say so myself. It is reassuring to see that someone who works in the industry would select this tire. Guess you don't get too much snow in your area?

And thanks for the write-up. Nice to read great detail about new ownership of a car.

Street Spirit

Yeah - I put WR's on my mom's car as her year-round tires. I use Nokian's Hakkapelitas for snows.

Loseit

iTrader: (1)

i am putting this in my sig.
I love people who can laugh at themselves!!

pimpin-tl

6spd Autos are mainly for gas mileage and not performance. They wanted to keep the car performing well.

My 04 and 05 G35 both got around 21 city and 25 hwy.

Infamous425

IS350 has both