I just bought myself one of these babies last week and I'm
loving it. Here's some info in case you have a spare $30,000 laying around that you don't know what to do with (like me).
The
Infiniti G35 was introduced as a 2003 model in Infiniti's line-up. It competes directly with other sporty luxury cars such as the
BMW 330i, the
Lexus IS 300, the
Acura TL Type-S, the
Audi A4, and a number of other similar cars in the $30,000 - $40,000 range. The car won
Motor Trend's Car of the Year for 2003 and beat out 10 other cars in its class in a
Road & Track review (in the July 2002 issue, reprints available at an Infiniti dealship).
It is currently available in a four-door sports sedan model or two-door coupe. It is built on the same platform as the Nissan 350Z and Infiniti's new FX45 sport utility rocket. Both models have an awesome-sounding 3.5 liter V6 engine. The sedan delivers 260 hp (at 6,000 rpm) and 260 ft-lbs of torque (at 4,800 rpm). The coupe pumps out 280 hp (at 6,200 rpm) and 270 ft-lbs of torque (at 4,800 rpm). Both are available with either a 5-speed automatic transmission or a 6-speed manual transmission. As you would imagine for a car in this class, it doesn't get very outstanding gas mileage: an EPA-estimated 19 miles per gallon in the city and 26 on the highway.
The list of standard equipment on the G35 is really too long to mention here. Much more information can be found on Infiniti's web site (www.infiniti.com) along with pricing information and optional packages. It suffices to say that this car probably has everything you can think to throw in a car along with a bunch of stuff that you'll never use.
Now, you're probably asking: That all sounds great, but how does it drive?
Its pretty sweet, actually. My previous car was a 1997 Toyota Tercel (getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 horsepower). After owning the Tercel for close to six years I was getting used to its binary gas pedal and was looking forward to some luxury.
One of the very first things that you notice when driving this car (I've personally only ever driven the sedan, for what its worth) is that the brake pedal is VERY sensitive. Expect a few bone-jolting stops during the first few miles of in-town driving. In fact, even after 10 days, I'm still not quite used to it. Other than being too touchy, the car really can stop when you need to. Its anti-lock brakes (which I haven't tested yet) should help you maintain control of the car during heavy braking.
As far as the other pedal is concerned, the car is a blast on the open road. When I was taking my first test drive, the salesperson told me to, "Keep it under 80." I thought, "Heh... no problem. I never drive that fast." I was sure wrong about that! As soon as you press down on the gas, the car moves like a bat out of hell and before I knew it, I was pushing 80 miles per hour. The car drives very quiet, so other than the throaty growl of the engine, you really have no feeling for how fast the car is really moving. If you don't like fast cars, don't fret! This car is also very nice at the slow stuff, too.
All in all, its a huge step up for me in more ways than one, but I'm quite happy with my purchase. If you're curious, stop in at a dealer and take one for a test drive. I was very impressed with the people at the Infiniti dealership. They were very friendly and nice and weren't pushy in the slightest. Plus, they have free ice cream in their waiting room!