Car and Driver commented that the manumatic control is away from the driver, on the right side of the transmission shifter. Also, the AUTO button for the climate control is also on the right side of the climate control array, away from the driver.
Some other things seem a little odd and backwards. Is this because the car was orginally designed for the Japanese (right hand drive) market, and Infiniti saved money by leaving some of the controls as they were, rather than shifting them leftward for the convenience of left-hand drive operation?
I test drove the G35 and found there was considerable engine roar on acceleration. (I personally happen to like a silent engine, a la the Lexus ES300, but love everything else on sporty cars.) Does the engine quiet down once you hit cruising speed in town or on the highway?
According to the G35 road test in May Car & Driver the G35 has the quietest cabin of the current crop of mid-size sport sedans--"with the throttle to the floor or cruising down the highway." There they were comparing it to Lexus IS300 among others (Audi A4 3.0, BMW 330i, Cadillac CTS, Jaguar X-type 3.0, Lincoln LS, and Saab 9-3 Viggen). I found the car to be comfortably quiet at highway speeds and in normal driving. This car is almost a Jekyll and Hyde personality though. If you keep your foot out it is fairly sedate, but when you put your foot in it, it moves--but I'll admit you'll hear the engine wind up when you get past about 4500rpm. But based on how this car moves--what noise?
No, i have early pictures of the japanese skyline, so basically the right handed G35 which shows the shifter on the far side of the driver.
as far as i know, everything is mirrored in reagards to controls.
But, i was dissapointed to see the gas fillup hole to be on the passenger side. We have a maxima, QX4, accord and we had a pathfinder that we traded and they all have it on the driver side.
its no big deal really:) but there is hardly anything to complain about the car. so we start picking on some silly aspects that have no influence on how good the car is.
this car is a marvel of engineering, everything is well thought out and designed to near perfection for such a price (specially in canada).
Overall, I think the engine is fairly quiet but it does seem the faster you go, the quieter it is. Considering what I did to an ES300 when a kid tried to screw with me the other day, I'm not surprised you think the ES300 engine is quiet. ;-)
First, let me say that I test drove the G35 sedan, black with willow leather, wood, premium, and gold badges.
It was HOT. Unbelievable acceleration, couldn't believe how fast the speedo needle was advancing. Handled beautifully when I took some hard turns. A tiny bit of lean against the turn, but for a big car, I was really tremendously pleased with the handling. The 'nubs' at 10 and 2 on the wheel are choice. I liked the information display along the top of the dash. That was choice too.
But, I was concerned by the behavior of the manumatic. The shifts happened right when I pulled the lever, but I thought it was strange that it took it to '4' when I slid the shifter ofver to manu-mode. So, it downshifts even without hitting the down direction. That's weird. The other weird thing is when you're stopped and you slide it over, it says '4' too, even though it's in '1'. That, I found strange, and a little disconcerting. I drove an Audi A4 the next week and the 'tiptronic' manu-matic behaved exactly as I thought it should.
That is the ONLY problem I had with the car, I thought the interior was very nice, (as nice as the Audi in my opinion). Is it possible that a simple software patch could fix that weirdness with the manual shift mode?
I loved the G35 and would love to have one...is it true that an All Wheel Drive version is coming? That, and a fix for the manumatic bug could put me over the top. A beautiful, great handling and FAST car, worth the $30k+ without a doubt.
I've played with mine quite a bit. If you put it in "manual" it does go into 4th. If you're stopped, the manual still is in 4th, ie, it will still operate as an automatic until you get to fourth gear. You have to down shift, no matter whether or not you're stopped, to lower the gear and have it stay there. Otherwise, it just acts like a four speed automatic instead of a five. I have no idea why it's like this but once I got used to it, it wasn't a problem.
The behavior of the manumatic was discussed extensively a week or so ago. The bottom line is that the auto-setting to 4th is a safety precaution. Imagine loaning your car to your mother-in-law so she can run to the store (I,know, that's a stretch, but work with me here). She stops at the light and accidentally bumps the shifter into manumatic. If it's an A4 or other car that "gets it right" she's in for a real panic as she accelerates. If it's a G35 she probably doesn't even notice the no-no.
Car protectants are pretty much a rip-off. Even waxes and/or silicon-based and/or polymer polishes don't really help that much. The clear coat is already a polymer finish. All you are really doing is adding another temporary layer to let oxidize instead of the clear coat. And they do shine more than the clear coat. But if you are a shine freak, like me, try Zaino's, especially if your car is a dark color. Follow the directions exactly.
I pretty much always wax my car when I wash it. If you do it all the time and use a polymer wax, it really only adds about 20 minutes of work. If you do it every time, you do not have to be as careful about getting every part of the car, you can just pick it up the next time. This let's you go a lot faster.
The other reason for going to 4 is the most common use for the manual mode is a downshift to pass at highway speed. Rather than pushing the pedal hard to the floor it is easier to slide the shift to the side. When you are stopped you have time to downshift the car to first before the light changes.
The variable capacity muffler is what gives the Infiniti its two faced exaust note. Under acceleration the increase in back pressure opens a baffle that allows faster exaust flow and gives a wonderful sound. One crusing speed has been reached or at idle the baffle closes again giving quieter operation.
i looked at the righhanded skyling vs. left handed G35 pics again and the controls have not been converted as someone noted. However, the +/- part of the manumatic is on the far side of the driver in both cases (so its mirrored).
i looked at the righhanded skyling vs. left handed G35 pics again and the controls have not been converted as someone noted. However, the +/- part of the manumatic is on the far side of the driver in both cases (so its mirrored).
They're probably referring to kidlets in the car who want to show you their soda up close and personal...
I was a passenger in a brand new Audi A6 a few months back, and the owner's child, who was in the back seat with a coke that he was supposed to be "very careful with sweetie" flung the coke into the front because it was "not the right kind"
Talk about your syrupy stickiness EVERYWHERE! It was all across the dash, on the windshield, on the floors, on us...
Her response was "Oh honey! look what you've done! daddy is going to get mad!"
I was thinking the whole time... "Daddy is going to go to jail for what he is going to do to you!"
Oh my gosh...infanticide might visit my household if that ever transpired. Very careful and children are two concepts I never connect. Add in a car and liquid and trouble will surely follow.
That was my concern as well. No one else seemed to pick up on this or just didn't care. Supposedly, the hooks are there in our early model '03 G35s. I hardly think we're driving obsolete vehicles already. Anyway, none of the sales managers I have spoken to knew a lot about it as info has not yet hit the dealerships. PAUSE............... However, I just took a brief pause to call Mark McNabb. He is the VP & GM of Infiniti in Gardena, CA. His message said that he is traveling today so I left him a voice mail about it and asked him to get back to me. I'll post later when/if I get more info from him.
cyberdude2 - My salesman was the dealer's son and he said that Infiniti Communicator was something that Infiniti had dropped because, while people enjoyed having it "free" during the 1st year, they didn't sign up again after that when they had to pay for it. However, he hadn't heard about it.
I'm of mixed feelings about it. There are some features that I would like to have, but don't see paying yet another bill. If it were included in my payment I probably wouldn't notice it and would do it. Also, I already have a cell phone carrier (about 18 months left on a 24 month contract) and to have to use yet another carrier (who probably doesn't offer the "perks" such as free nationwide long-distance, 3000 night and weekend minutes, etc.) is a pain. If they used the existing carrier for the cell phone, that might be interesting. Will have to wait and see.
joeandcarol2 - So far as I know, all new vehicles have factory clearcoats that are part of the painting process. The clearcoat is basically another layer of paint with no pigments so that minor scratches, etc. do not (in theory) show up as much as those directly on the pigmented paint and it adds more "depth" and shine to the car.
Would appreciate it if someone could recommend a good soft car cover for the G35. I used Yahoo search engine and visited several car cover web sites, but the G35 does show up yet as having a cover available (I know they can be special ordered and tailored to the car, but would prefer not to go to that expense). I am looking for a soft breathable car cover, just to keep the dust off it after I wash it and store in the garage (OK, so I'm babying the G just a bit). Thanks!
I was going to post a direct link to the G35 accessories, but this board won't allow it (thinks it is a word longer than 115 characters). The G35 accessories are at the very bottom of the left menu...
Wonder which is best for San Diego. Summer temp. under 100 degrees and winter temp low of 40 degrees. Also manual says oil capacity with filter change is 5 quarts but maintenance log says 4.25 quarts, wonder which is correct? Am going to change to Mobil 1 at 1,000 miles. I sent e mail to Infiniti but sofar no answer. Used mobil 1 in 86 Maxima with no oil usage at 200,000 miles, must be good stuff!
Only 800 miles so I'm still babying it a bit but I'm also still smiling ear to ear. I can certainly appreciate the enthusiasm of some of the posts.
I have an emerald green with nav, premium, xenon, wood, etc. and I don't think I've ever been happier with a new car (not even my '68 4-4-2 but it was close). Performance and handling are exceptional (in my opinion) and I have found little to fault. I like the graphite/wood interior and have even decided I like the rear end. I wanted the aero spoiler but it came in without it. Now, I'm undecided if I'll have it put on.
One thing is for sure - the car is an attention getter. I've never had a car where more perfect strangers have come up and commented on how much they like the car. For those of us who were a little disappointed with the interior (I was one at first) most people who look at my car rave about the interior. Of course, the nav poping out of the dash really wows them. On the road, it's almost dangerous with all the people rubber-necking to get a look at it.
I know this wasn't a very objective review but I just wanted to share how much I enjoyed the car. Bang for the buck is hard to beat. Hope everyone else is enjoying their's.
jww551. I have had the same experience with my G. Strangers pull up along side me and ask me what model car I'm driving. A guy in one of the new Jag sports model (like the old XKE) gave me a thumbs up with a big smile as we passed in opposite directions. I was at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis last weekend and the valet parking my car couldn't wait to spin up the ramp with a big smile. Everyone who sees the inside of the car loves the interior (mine is leather with the titantium), and I like the simplicity and functionality of the inside. I like the short rear end (which many reviewers seem to diss). And everyone I have driven can't believe how much room there is inside (because for some reason it does not appear to be a big car due to the outside design). Have to be careful about gushing too much about this car, but if I can't do so on the G35 board, where? I am just getting used to the steering and brakes, tho. The brakes get better with each mile (I have about 700 miles on my G) and I'm finally getting the steering down, since it is so responsive just off center. But it works for me. Enjoy.
Anne Belec, the marketing guru for Lincoln said the "American Luxury" slogan wasn't working since it didn't differentiate Lincoln from other competitors so they will begin a new campaign with "Travelling Well" as the new slogan. She said the new voiceover will "help us establish that Lincoln is about not just the driver but everyone traveling in the vehicle. It's the entire experience - about style, comfort, elegance." What does that mean? Performance, safety, and quality are what sport sedan drivers demand. Her words seem directed toward the Town Car crowd: for those who want to be driven rather than for those who want to drive. All the current Lincoln LS owners are up in arms over this (including me). If this is really Lincoln's new direction then the G35 will inherit all those DRIVERS who seem to not be very essential to Lincoln any more, especially since many of us are seriously considering it already.
Check out the new G-35 2 door coupe on this website. What a striking design! And it's not just a 2 dr. version of the sedan. I'm waiting until fall when this is introduced. Infiniti is really re-defining the brand.
Japanese carmakers, led by a resurgent Nissan and a strong showing by Mitsubishi, continued to post sales increases even as industry-wide sales edged down 1.5 percent in March. Meanwhile, a continuing slump in fleet sales, particularly to rental-car companies and large commercial fleets, hurt General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group, which continued to lose ground to overseas rivals.
Ford said its sales dropped 11.7 percent; the Chrysler Group's sales fell 4 percent and GM's sales dropped 1.7 percent despite a good showing at the retail level. "Our retail sales were strong again in March and exceeded our expectations," added Bill Lovejoy, GM group vice president of North American sales.
Toyota, the largest Japanese brand, reported a 4.1 sales increase as it enjoyed its best March ever. Nissan, meanwhile, said its sales jumped nearly 15 percent on a strong showing by its new Altima. Mitsubishi reported a 23-percent sales increase. Honda, meanwhile, reported a modest 2.1 percent sales increase thanks to a 27.3-percent jump in truck sales. Hyundai, which announced on Tuesday that it would build a plant in Alabama, watched its sales climb 15 percent behind strong sales of the Santa Fe sport-ute.
I just got an e-mail from Infiniti that had a link that put me on the new G35 Coupe website. You guys may have already seen this but I haven't been on the Infiniti website for a couple of weeks. Just go to www.infiniti.com and click on "Future Models" up on top. Enjoy!!!
This car is hot!! Looks like a LSD will definitely be offered on the coupe.
Picked up our Emerald Green G35 last Thursday and imediatley took a two day trip from Seattle down to the Oregon coast avoiding I5 as much as possible. The back roads were just a ball to drive. The car sticks to the road like glue and it's nice to know that when you are going to pass a vehicle that you have plenty of power and acceleration to back you up. It was fun to run on the Interstate for awhile and watch all the cars give my pride and joy a real good looking over. One guy in a 330 started to go around me on the left, then he dropped back and got behind, then it was over to the right side and on by with a smile and a big thumbs up. I'm not the trend setter type but it is kind of a kick.
I only have one complaint and that is second hand. My wife is finding the passenger seat a bit uncomfortable, something about lacking lumbar support. I guess we'll end up taking it to an upholstery shop eventually. For the time being the old "give it a little time you will probably get used to it" is working. Since it was purchased as her car and she finds the drivers seat very comfortable I may also find myself riding shotgun more often than I'd like.
By the way I got about 19.6 mpg on the first tank which was mostly around town with occasional hops onto the freeway to demonstrate it's acceleration prowess to friends and family. The mileage on the trip to Oregon was 23.9 mpg. I wouldn't be surprised to get 27 mpg on an extended cruise control trip down the Interstate.
memphisslim1, the car cover from Infiniti for the G35 lists at $250. I bought a good 3-ply, dust free car cover from Pep Boys here in San Diego on sale for $58. It's made by Aerotech. From what I noticed, all of the manufacturers stick to the same sizing convention. The G35 is size D. Personal choice but I don't feel the need to advertise what is under the cover.
I will say the only thing I have been disappointed with regarding my new G35 is the mileage. I got 19.6 on my first tank but I was really changing the revs on the commute to and from work. The second tank I got 22 but was still varing the revs a bit but not as much. The third tank I got 21.6 using the cruise control more but cruising at 75-80mph. The last tank I got 22 again. The car has 1600 miles on it and I have finally decided the car will get the mileage it gets and just drive it!! It's more fun this way than trying to do Mobil Economy run type in town driving. It seems to be getting about the same again. Maybe it get 22 regardless of how you drive it.
I have heard it should improve after the motor completely breaks in after about 5K miles. It would be nice. For all I know the factory could actually put a special oil for break in as the initial fill. I guess I will see if it improves after the oil change at 3500 which ought to be in about a month...
I guess I am getting a bit tired of the pot shots at the interior of the G35. Interior tastes are individual but I would prefer more details than 'The interior looks like it belongs on a Yugo' generalities.
I find the interior to be restrained and functional. Is it the best interior out there? Yes and no. I like some of it better than the BMW 3 and A4. I like the feel of the controls of the A4 better. I like the center console better on the G35. I like the steering wheel controls a bit better on the BMW3 but the G35 is close there, there are not steering wheel controls on the A4. The cup holders of the G35 are better than either of the Germans. The center console is better on the G35. The dual climate control controls are better on the A4 however the actual climate control unit is better on the G35. The BMW sport seats blow both the A4 and G35 away. The standard seats I like the G35 as well as either of the other two. I actually LIKE the location of the seat controls. I think they might re-think the yellow-orange color of the instrumentation. While I don't find it displeasing the red of the Germans or the white of the I35 are both easier to read in the sun.
I just still don't see anything out there in this segment that I like a whole lot better.
I got crappy gas milege (aprox 17 miles/gal) with my first tank of gas, I was somewhat pissed that the dealer put 87 octane in the first fillup for my delivery!
My last 2 fill up has seem to be improving. I think the rating on the sticker is 19/26. I currently have about 600 miles on the car.
Btw: I have to confess that I have been a little overly aggressive in my driving because I'm excited. This car just beg to driven hard and I'm willing to oblige Can anyone recommend a good radar detector? I think I'm gonna need it!
They are pretty good. My wife's I30 has the halogens and they are MUCH brighter than those. Since Infiniti was trying to keep the price point down there is no adjustment so I suspect they are aimed a bit low to compensate for any load you might put in the back. The combination of Xenon lows and halogen highs really opens up the landscape at night. When you add in the fogs (second filament on the high beams) it gives a very complete coverage of the area in front and to the side of the vehicle path.
I have seen avi's of the BMW bi-Xenon setup and it is REALLY bright. They use one Xenon bulb and a mirror to re-aim part of the brilliance for the highs.
Pretty much every car sold today has clear coat. Really good polymer polishes last a long time (several months), especially if you live somewhere where it doesn't rain much. Consumer Reports has done tests before on waxes, and they really didn't even talk much about "protection", just shininess. They indicated that none of the polishes they tested lasted much longer than two months based on water beading. Unless you live somewhere or have a physical limitation that prevents you from occasionally waxing your car, I would shy away from the commercial protectants.
We are getting conflicting reports on gas mileage (some high, more low). Is everyone using odometer miles driven, number of gallons pumped to fill and then dividing? The NAV system computer may not give an accurate figure.
According Nissan (www.nissannews.com). Infinti has posted its best sales month in HISTORY. Spearheaded by the G35 all model sales went up (except for the Q45). To date Infiniti has sold 2,147 Gs.
Hi-beams are halogen so as not to blind on-coming drivers.
It is my understanding that the RL lamps are not brighter than the TL's but that the taper, slant, whatever, of the plastic lens cap is more vertical in the RL and diffuses the light less. The intensity of the light is the same. The projection depends on the projector lenses and the 'quality' of the lens cap. Or so I've been told.
Comments
Some other things seem a little odd and backwards. Is this because the car was orginally designed for the Japanese (right hand drive) market, and Infiniti saved money by leaving some of the controls as they were, rather than shifting them leftward for the convenience of left-hand drive operation?
According to the G35 road test in May Car & Driver the G35 has the quietest cabin of the current crop of mid-size sport sedans--"with the throttle to the floor or cruising down the highway." There they were comparing it to Lexus IS300 among others (Audi A4 3.0, BMW 330i, Cadillac CTS, Jaguar X-type 3.0, Lincoln LS, and Saab 9-3 Viggen). I found the car to be comfortably quiet at highway speeds and in normal driving. This car is almost a Jekyll and Hyde personality though. If you keep your foot out it is fairly sedate, but when you put your foot in it, it moves--but I'll admit you'll hear the engine wind up when you get past about 4500rpm. But based on how this car moves--what noise?
as far as i know, everything is mirrored in reagards to controls.
But, i was dissapointed to see the gas fillup hole to be on the passenger side. We have a maxima, QX4, accord and we had a pathfinder that we traded and they all have it on the driver side.
its no big deal really:) but there is hardly anything to complain about the car. so we start picking on some silly aspects that have no influence on how good the car is.
this car is a marvel of engineering, everything is well thought out and designed to near perfection for such a price (specially in canada).
let me say that I test drove the G35 sedan, black with willow leather, wood, premium, and gold badges.
It was HOT. Unbelievable acceleration, couldn't believe how fast the speedo needle was advancing. Handled beautifully when I took some hard turns. A tiny bit of lean against the turn, but for a big car, I was really tremendously pleased with the handling. The 'nubs' at 10 and 2 on the wheel are choice. I liked the information display along the top of the dash. That was choice too.
But, I was concerned by the behavior of the manumatic. The shifts happened right when I pulled the lever, but I thought it was strange that it took it to '4' when I slid the shifter ofver to manu-mode. So, it downshifts even without hitting the down direction. That's weird. The other weird thing is when you're stopped and you slide it over, it says '4' too, even though it's in '1'. That, I found strange, and a little disconcerting. I drove an Audi A4 the next week and the 'tiptronic' manu-matic behaved exactly as I thought it should.
That is the ONLY problem I had with the car, I thought the interior was very nice, (as nice as the Audi in my opinion). Is it possible that a simple software patch could fix that weirdness with the manual shift mode?
I loved the G35 and would love to have one...is it true that an All Wheel Drive version is coming? That, and a fix for the manumatic bug could put me over the top. A beautiful, great handling and FAST car, worth the $30k+ without a doubt.
Very impressive!
B_Dogg
I pretty much always wax my car when I wash it. If you do it all the time and use a polymer wax, it really only adds about 20 minutes of work. If you do it every time, you do not have to be as careful about getting every part of the car, you can just pick it up the next time. This let's you go a lot faster.
I dunno about that safety precaution explanation. Did Infiniti/Nissan ever give an 'official' explanantion for the behavior of the manumatic?
Don't get me wrong I love the car and it's very nearly flawless...
Was All Wheel Drive G35 just a rumor?
B_Dogg
The variable capacity muffler is what gives the Infiniti its two faced exaust note. Under acceleration the increase in back pressure opens a baffle that allows faster exaust flow and gives a wonderful sound. One crusing speed has been reached or at idle the baffle closes again giving quieter operation.
http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/roadtests/2002/may/200205_roadtest_g35.xml
Have fun,
cybersol
i looked at the righhanded skyling vs. left handed G35 pics again and the controls have not been converted as someone noted. However, the +/- part of the manumatic is on the far side of the driver in both cases (so its mirrored).
What sort of Neanderthal brings a drink into a car? Oh, the sort that not only has one open in a car but spills it too.
This ranks right up with all the stupid complaints about Audi/VW's cupholders...
i looked at the righhanded skyling vs. left handed G35 pics again and the controls have not been converted as someone noted. However, the +/- part of the manumatic is on the far side of the driver in both cases (so its mirrored).
I was a passenger in a brand new Audi A6 a few months back, and the owner's child, who was in the back seat with a coke that he was supposed to be "very careful with sweetie" flung the coke into the front because it was "not the right kind"
Talk about your syrupy stickiness EVERYWHERE! It was all across the dash, on the windshield, on the floors, on us...
Her response was "Oh honey! look what you've done! daddy is going to get mad!"
I was thinking the whole time... "Daddy is going to go to jail for what he is going to do to you!"
Yuk! it was a mess!
Faenor
PAUSE...............
However, I just took a brief pause to call Mark McNabb. He is the VP & GM of Infiniti in Gardena, CA. His message said that he is traveling today so I left him a voice mail about it and asked him to get back to me. I'll post later when/if I get more info from him.
Scott
Scott
I'm of mixed feelings about it. There are some features that I would like to have, but don't see paying yet another bill. If it were included in my payment I probably wouldn't notice it and would do it. Also, I already have a cell phone carrier (about 18 months left on a 24 month contract) and to have to use yet another carrier (who probably doesn't offer the "perks" such as free nationwide long-distance, 3000 night and weekend minutes, etc.) is a pain. If they used the existing carrier for the cell phone, that might be interesting. Will have to wait and see.
joeandcarol2 - So far as I know, all new vehicles have factory clearcoats that are part of the painting process. The clearcoat is basically another layer of paint with no pigments so that minor scratches, etc. do not (in theory) show up as much as those directly on the pigmented paint and it adds more "depth" and shine to the car.
Scott
Scott
I was going to post a direct link to the G35 accessories, but this board won't allow it (thinks it is a word longer than 115 characters). The G35 accessories are at the very bottom of the left menu...
Hope this helps...
Emathieu.
Summer temp. under 100 degrees and winter temp low of 40 degrees. Also manual says oil capacity with filter change is 5 quarts but maintenance log says 4.25 quarts, wonder which is correct? Am going to change to Mobil 1 at 1,000 miles. I sent e mail to Infiniti but sofar no answer. Used mobil 1 in 86 Maxima with no oil usage at 200,000 miles, must be good stuff!
Paul
El Cajon, CA.
I have an emerald green with nav, premium, xenon, wood, etc. and I don't think I've ever been happier with a new car (not even my '68 4-4-2 but it was close). Performance and handling are exceptional (in my opinion) and I have found little to fault. I like the graphite/wood interior and have even decided I like the rear end. I wanted the aero spoiler but it came in without it. Now, I'm undecided if I'll have it put on.
One thing is for sure - the car is an attention getter. I've never had a car where more perfect strangers have come up and commented on how much they like the car. For those of us who were a little disappointed with the interior (I was one at first) most people who look at my car rave about the interior. Of course, the nav poping out of the dash really wows them. On the road, it's almost dangerous with all the people rubber-necking to get a look at it.
I know this wasn't a very objective review but I just wanted to share how much I enjoyed the car. Bang for the buck is hard to beat. Hope everyone else is enjoying their's.
http://carpoint.msn.com/advice/news_4021046_6.asp?Pos=EditLead&src=Home
few parts from that article:
Japanese carmakers, led by a resurgent Nissan and a strong showing by Mitsubishi, continued to post sales increases even as industry-wide sales edged down 1.5 percent in March. Meanwhile, a continuing slump in fleet sales, particularly to rental-car companies and large commercial fleets, hurt General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler Group, which continued to lose ground to overseas rivals.
Ford said its sales dropped 11.7 percent; the Chrysler Group's sales fell 4 percent and GM's sales dropped 1.7 percent despite a good showing at the retail level. "Our retail sales were strong again in March and exceeded our expectations," added Bill Lovejoy, GM group vice president of North American sales.
Toyota, the largest Japanese brand, reported a 4.1 sales increase as it enjoyed its best March ever. Nissan, meanwhile, said its sales jumped nearly 15 percent on a strong showing by its new Altima. Mitsubishi reported a 23-percent sales increase. Honda, meanwhile, reported a modest 2.1 percent sales increase thanks to a 27.3-percent jump in truck sales. Hyundai, which announced on Tuesday that it would build a plant in Alabama, watched its sales climb 15 percent behind strong sales of the Santa Fe sport-ute.
------------------------
This car is hot!! Looks like a LSD will definitely be offered on the coupe.
I only have one complaint and that is second hand. My wife is finding the passenger seat a bit uncomfortable, something about lacking lumbar support. I guess we'll end up taking it to an upholstery shop eventually. For the time being the old "give it a little time you will probably get used to it" is working. Since it was purchased as her car and she finds the drivers seat very comfortable I may also find myself riding shotgun more often than I'd like.
By the way I got about 19.6 mpg on the first tank which was mostly around town with occasional hops onto the freeway to demonstrate it's acceleration prowess to friends and family. The mileage on the trip to Oregon was 23.9 mpg. I wouldn't be surprised to get 27 mpg on an extended cruise control trip down the Interstate.
I haven't seen/driven one yet, but I will.
Hope they can do something about that interior thing, assuming it's real. The I30 has a pretty good reputation in this regard.
Personal choice but I don't feel the need to advertise what is under the cover.
I have heard it should improve after the motor completely breaks in after about 5K miles. It would be nice. For all I know the factory could actually put a special oil for break in as the initial fill. I guess I will see if it improves after the oil change at 3500 which ought to be in about a month...
I find the interior to be restrained and functional. Is it the best interior out there? Yes and no. I like some of it better than the BMW 3 and A4. I like the feel of the controls of the A4 better. I like the center console better on the G35. I like the steering wheel controls a bit better on the BMW3 but the G35 is close there, there are not steering wheel controls on the A4. The cup holders of the G35 are better than either of the Germans. The center console is better on the G35. The dual climate control controls are better on the A4 however the actual climate control unit is better on the G35. The BMW sport seats blow both the A4 and G35 away. The standard seats I like the G35 as well as either of the other two. I actually LIKE the location of the seat controls. I think they might re-think the yellow-orange color of the instrumentation. While I don't find it displeasing the red of the Germans or the white of the I35 are both easier to read in the sun.
I just still don't see anything out there in this segment that I like a whole lot better.
My last 2 fill up has seem to be improving. I think the rating on the sticker is 19/26. I currently have about 600 miles on the car.
Btw: I have to confess that I have been a little overly aggressive in my driving because I'm excited. This car just beg to driven hard and I'm willing to oblige
Tony,
On the Acura board, someone commented that the Xenons on the TL aren't nearly as bright as on the RL. How do the G35's stack up?
I have seen avi's of the BMW bi-Xenon setup and it is REALLY bright. They use one Xenon bulb and a mirror to re-aim part of the brilliance for the highs.
here's the article:
http://www.nissannews.com/infiniti/news/products/reljanel2002042152918.shtml
Hi-beams are halogen so as not to blind on-coming drivers.
It is my understanding that the RL lamps are not brighter than the TL's but that the taper, slant, whatever, of the plastic lens cap is more vertical in the RL and diffuses the light less. The intensity of the light is the same. The projection depends on the projector lenses and the 'quality' of the lens cap. Or so I've been told.
Take care.
Joe W.