Infiniti G35 Coupe

greddygtr

I just saw a G35C yesterday in a parking lot and the owner was revving up the engine a little bit before pulling away. Wow that car has a great sound. I'm not sure if it's just the dual exhaust or maybe some other changes but the coupe sounds much more aggressive than the sedan to me. It definitely sounds much better than the e46 M3's, which remind me of one of those Civics with a tin can exhaust.

caramo

And life is too short!

I admit my car buying habits aren't the most economical (nor my travel bug, for that matter).

But if I kick off tomorrow, I've had a ton of fun. I may not typically eat dessert first, since my odds of dying mid-forkful are minimal, but I don't want to be one of those sad scrimpers who economize and save and end up in the grave or too ravaged by age or illness to fully enjoy the bounties of life, be they cars, fine dining and travel, or whatever.

I get pleasure out of my daily commute because of the car I drive. I appreciate being relatively secure in the knowledge that I'll get where I need to be on a daily basis without worries about getting stranded because of something wrong with my car, and I'll enjoy the journey to boot.

I'm still having fun with the brute power of my Z28, but when that gets mundane, I will most likely be checking into the G35c as soon as I get to a roughly breakeven point on my payoff. I figure I'll always have a car payment, and I can live with that as long as I enjoy the vehicle I drive. I can't see making monthly payments on mere transportation, an automotive "appliance", so to speak. If driving isn't fun, I'd hate writing that check every month.

blueguydotcom

My wife has a 2002 BMW 325Ci, which is a fabulous car. But, I am considering the G35 just to be different. Why the heck should we have two BMWs when we can have variety in two fine cars? We still have her '97 Integra GS to drive for real fun.

Um, maybe I misread that but a 325ci and a G35c will destroy aN Integra GS in the real fun category. They beat the GS in every possible way...speed, style, handling, braking, etc. Baffled.

markjenn

Most dealers will take an order for a base G35c at $32.5K. No, it's not a true "stripper" but most of the stuff it has is fairly performance-oriented (six-speed, Brembos, 18-inch wheels, xenons, etc.) so you get good performance value for your money. It also includes leather which I'd prefer not to have, but most folks probably view this as a bonus. This car is a hell of a deal.

If you want to buy from stock, it's harder, but certainly not impossible, to find G35c's in stock with just the premium package for about $35K. This adds the sunroof, upgraded stereo, and a couple other things. Looking at dealer inventories, my impression was that about half the cars out there are $37K-$38K loaded models with nav and the other half were prem package cars.

If all of us walk in and order base G35c MT cars, leaving the loaded models on the lot, maybe Nissan and the dealers will get the message and start making options optional.

- Mark

oldprofessor

I certainly realize that I could have done better moneywise over the years by driving the few really reliable cars I've had until they either quit or got to the point of costing too much in repairs to keep on the road. Also, I know all about depreciation and the cost of ownership. That said, I still like to trade every few years b/c (1) I like new cars and (2) we can afford it. I live in a really small town, and it would be sensible for my wife and me to have just one car, as we generally go the same places. Still, there are two slots in the carport, and I like them to be filled with the newest in automotive inventiveness. For many years, my wife and I kept our cars for a decade or more before trading, but that was when we had young children and lots more expenses than we have today. As the old saying goes, "you can't take it with you," so I plan to be driving new machines till I've used it all up.

nerd

You're absolutely right. The 325Ci and the G35 will beat the GS in all performance categories.

But, we like the GS for zipping around town on Friday nights and weekends. We're mid-50s empty nesters, and our friends just can't believe that we still like driving it - with a manual transmission, no less. Even our six-year-old grandson thinks it's cool. And, beyond the enjoyment, this car has been 100% reliable since my wife bought it new. Not even a light bulb has failed. I just hope her BMW proves to be as reliable.

As I mentioned, I am considering the G35 just to be different. I am looking forward to test driving one. I have never owned a Nissan product, but I know several guys who have had Nissan trucks for years and would not consider another brand because they are so reliable.

blueguydotcom

gotcha. Integras are nimble, fun little cars. I considered buying one (a GS-R) in 97 but in San Diego they were (and still are) far too common for my tastes. Nice cars though.

And yes, Nissans are quite reliable. I've owned them in the past and I look forward to moving back to the Nissan/Infiniti brand soon.

jwilson1

I think of transmissions pretty much like you seem to, rebezera, which is to say that I prefer the manual in all circumstances except a traffic jam.

I took my test drive in the G35c, however, with an automatic. Very smooth. Good shift points. The manual function lets y ou ride the revs way up -- redline according to some articles -- and the transmission responds to the shifts as fast, I think, as I could shift it by myself.

So, am I going to get an auto? Nope. In this car more than in most I'd really miss the manual. The car wants a clutch, and so do I.

With that in mind, I hasten to add that I respect the right of adult purchasers of the car to disagree and to choose differently. In America, everyone has and equal opportunity to be wrong! ;-)

JW

djasonw

Does anyone know if there will be a limitation on the number of coupes Nissan brings into the US? I would assume they'd ramp up production to meet demand (like most Japanese car manufacturers do). I will be interested in the coupe if they make it AWD. I can live with the so, so interior (at least distinguish it from the sedan!). I'd only get 17" wheels with a good high performance all year tire. Then you'd have a car that would be extremely reliable and a good alternative to an Audi.

gambit293

Using the Infiniti website's search-dealer- inventory feature, I've been keeping an eye on the number of G35coupes at my local dealership here in central Ohio.

According to the website, there are 19 coupes. Is there actually a surplus here? This number has stayed the same for a while so I wonder if they just don't bother to update their data.

kcappleman

I have driven all four within the last week. The type-s was a good car but lacked the soul. The bmw is still an awesome machine but I preferred the G35c. especially at a $7,000 difference. If you need to carry 4 adults, the G35sedan is the way to go. The backseat is much better than the bmw. The G35c is very limited in front and rear headroom. If you are tall I would wait for a coupe without the sunroof. I found the manumatic tranny to be excellent. Unless you do drive your car at 9/10th ALL of the time you do not need the manual. I did not find the brakes to be overgrabby and I think that the vsd will keep the coupe on the road unless you are driving in a blizzard. I will buy mine after the madness calms down.

hoverdrive

I posted this fact in the G35 Sedan forum as well. Motortrend has both the coupe and the sedan as winners.

hoverdrive

cab7

Can anyone share their purchase experience and cost for the G35 Coupe in the Boston area?

cheerioboy26

Infiniti has said they will ship 12,000 coupes in the first year. AWD is rumored for both the sedan and coupe in the 2005 MY.

kcappleman

Granted the MY2005 is a long ways away, but share your source with us, where did you hear the AWD drive rumor?

esbrock

While in Seattle this past week, I happened across a ivory pearl G35c driving north on I5. The car looked uber-classy. My wife, who is not a car buff at all and who has been giving me a hard time about buying this car, was really impressed. She even grabbed hold of the steering wheel and drove so I could take a really long look. This car looks so sweet in white that she even wanted to go to the dealer and check one out on our vacation. So forget the diamond grahite and the red, ivory pearl is the color for me.

cheerioboy26

it's coming from user dfw_infiniti at freshalloy.com. He's a reliable "source" but also an emmployee at Grubbs Infiniti. He might be a manager but I'm not sure about that...

jwilson1

It's also been mentioned several times in driver reviews via various unnamed sources. I hope it comes but the rumors are not at a terribly trustworthy stage, though dfw_infiniti always gives pretty objective info and has been right on several other items.

JW

carsrule

I live in the greater New York City area. I saw the G35 coupe at the auto show and must admit I was taken by the car. My lease was ending on my BMW Z3 in December and I decided to order a black 6sp with premium and aero in beginning or October. I consulted sales people at the two closest dealerships and one wanted a $1000 deposit and the other wanted a $500 deposit to place an order. The deposits were refundable pending "MSRP" or "market conditions" if I didn't like the price. (I did not need the car as a replacement for the Z3 as it was our third car, so I figured to get the car mid January. I choose the dealer with the $500 deposit.
As it got closer to the time to surrender my BMW and after reading about all the speculation in this chat forum I wanted specific information about price and delivery date. At the time I paid the deposit I had informed the salesman I would buy or lease another BMW if the price were to be above sticker. He assured me that ordered vehicles would not be above MSRP.
I tried to contact my salesman the day before Thanksgiving and I could not reach him (he was ostensibly with customers) and he did not respond to my message on his voice mail. At the end of the day I called the dealership and asked a manager for the price and expected arrival date and he said he would get back to me. He didn't.
On Friday (after Thanksgiving) I called the dealership again and my salesman was off. I spoke with another manager and was informed that he would check and get back to me. Three hours later, without receiving a reply, I phoned the dealership again. I spoke to the manager again and he explained that its so busy he hadn't had a chance to look into the matter but he would definitely get back to me. I returned home to find a message from the manager telling me he had the information I was seeking. I was asked the call him the next morning.
I decided to drive into the dealership which is 50 miles from my home to have a face to face discussion. My salesman greeted me with an effusive apology, explaining that he had left early on Wednesday and did not check his voice mail. He informed me that the price was 34 plus thousand.
That didn't ring true based on calls to other dealers, so I said "...with the aero package?". He replied, "Oh your car has aero...?" (like we were taking about two different cars). I'll check. He returned and quoted me exactly sticker and informed me that was the best he could do. I accepted that and asked for the delivery date. He said I would have get that information from the manager who wasn't in as he drove someone to the airport, but I could be sure that I would receive the date for delivery later that day. I drove home and awaited the call. Three hours later I was informed that I would be getting their "very next" 6sp sometime in March. I was to say the least not happy with this news. I felt that I was being played. They explained their allocations had been cut, etc., etc., etc...but there was a cancelled order with stick that I could have right now for around $37,000. I said I didn't want a car with navigation and he said did not have navigation the car was selling for $1500 over sticker because they had it on the lot. The salesman said he was in my corner and wanted to sell the car and he would see what he could do. I immediately called the other dealership and contacted a salesman that I had chatted with earlier and was able to purchase the car I wanted in brilliant silver for sticker (with window tinting at dealers cost)for a Jan. 19 delivery. I called the original dealership and cancelled my order. I await the outcome with tempered optimism.
I hope this information sheds some light on inquiries about purchasing.

prodmngr

I'm with you ESBrock.....I was unsure about which color, but ordered an Ivory Pearl which is being delivered tomorrow! Was supposed to be in Sat, but they had a delay. I agree, it looks very cool in this color.

cdnpinhead

Aren't car dealers wonderful?

Wouldn't you love to order a car on the internet and pick it up at a manufacturer's place of business? Equipped exactly as you want it to be?

Just asking.

markjenn

I think your experience is, unfortunately, fairly typical.

Many dealerships have very liberal policies towards accepting refundable deposits to get you "locked in" to them in some way, but they basically forgot about people on the list as long as they feel they can sell cars to higher profit customers just walking in. My guess is that they pegged you early-on for a MSRP or under customer and they judge the market is MSRP+ for the next few months, so why give you a car for MSRP if they have people willing to pay more?

Good luck with the new deal but I'd withhold judgement until you get it delivered. Someone may walk into that dealership between now and Jan 19 willing to pay more than you're paying and you'll just play the game again.

- Mark

bpraxis

Hello everyone and happy holiday.

I have had leather and cloth and living in Florida my preference is cloth.

How badly will I do when I sell a G35 coupe with cloth and no moonroof?

Does anyone know if black cloth is available with pearl white?

Thankyou for your input.

markjenn

Car salesman like to push you into option packages with horror stories about poor resale, but there are lots of people out there (like me) who look for cars with cloth seats and no moonroof, so I wouldn't worry about it. (A few years back, I ordered a M3 with no moonroof and the salesman said I was making a big mistake as nobody would buy it when I was ready to sell - it took me a grand total of a day to sell it four years later.) Sure, you won't get as much for the car, but you spent less to begin with, so net-net, you'll probably come out ahead. Buy the car for yourself, not the next owner.

Cloth interior is available only on the auto version - all the manual tranny models come with leather.

I would avoid weird color combos. You can't go wrong with white exterior and black interior. (Infiniti's web site should shown you whether this is buildable.) And some colors wear better than others - dark colors are harder to keep clean and show scratches more easily.

- Mark

djasonw

are just plain slime. They've never had a hit on their hands and they just don't know how to respond! I can't wait until Nissan starts oversupplying these puppies and then see the dealers cry foul. Yeah right!!! It also happens with German marques too... try and buy an M3 for sticker price!! Even though the G35c is rough around the edges it will definitely be nice to get one when it has AWD (let's pray). I have all the patience in the world.

I DON'T DO MSPR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

obiwankenobi1

I don't do MSPR OR MSRP!!!!!

;-)

harnett

Someone asked about buying a G35 coupe in Boston. For several months I had a deposit on two different coupes at two different dealers. When the first car arrived, the price was MSRP. I didn't like the way I was treated, I couldn't see the car cleaned up or drive it, so I passed. I did get my deposit back. The car at the second dealer is suppose to arrive on Dec. 8 and the price is MSRP, however, I believe I'm getting better service. Orders taken now won't be in until April or May, so I believe I will pull the trigger and purchase this car, even though I hate paying MSRP. However, we live in a world of supply and demand!

neo_gtrw

Even at MSRP, G35 coupe is still a great deal. It may take a year before you can get a substantial discount.
I don't mind paying MSRP buying a hot car if the dealer treats me right.

jwilson1

Inskip in Warwick (RI) is giving a Feb/Mar delivery date -- or do you know something I don't?

Where are you dealing?

JW

bpraxis

Thankyou very much for your articulate response regarding resale value for cloth interior.

I went to the web site and unfortunately the only cloth interior color is willow.

The willow color will show every bit of dirt, smudge, grease from dirty shoes, etc.

A note to Infinity: Please consider offering a black cloth interior.

lsc

I think Infiniti is figuring that most people will opt for the leather. They probably produce cloth interior G35 in very small numbers so they figured they make just one color to save some money.

Also, based on the November sales where the coupe actually outsold the sedan, it looks like the coupe will be in very high demand for a little while at least.

jwilson1

I would think it's available so Nissan can advertise "under $30000."

JW

bjbird2

For what it's worth, if it hasn't been posted here already, Motor Trend just named the G-35 coupe and sedan "Car of the year"!
Competition included the BMW 7 series.

blueguydotcom

not exactly with very impressive previous "winners"

kdshapiro

Not necessarily the most reliable, most popular, best looking, most expensive, least expensive, biggest market share, the fastest, highest horsepower etc.

The G35 is certainly unique. Upon reflection maybe it's better not to be car of the year.

jwilson1

afty

It can't hurt to win an award, right? Even if the award doesn't mean a whole lot.

mariner7

Until recently (and I dont know when), MT had two awards: the COTY for domestic cars, and import COTY. So the famous X car was a coty winner. With 2020 hindsight, which domestic car would retroactively deserve the award? All I could come up with was the Corvette every decade, and the G1 Taurus. MT didn't err in awarding coty, there just weren't many worthy entries, and they had to give it to someone. The domestics eligible this year are in total CTS, Viper, TownCar, Marauder, Ion. I exclude the Vibe as being really a Toyota. CTS probably wouldve won, but imo it has some serious flaws and is far from an assured success in 5 yrs.

Most winners of import coty have been very worthy: Prelude, ZX, RX7, Accord, probably Lexus LS and 3er. So its quite a honor for the G to win. This year their 19 foreign entries, and I count Gs/c, Accord s/c, Mini reg/s as only three. There will be foreign dominance of the award for the forseeable future. And the current coty is actually only a continuation of the import variety.

greddygtr

I saw a red G35C today and it was absolutely stunning. The car actually seemed to slow down traffic as many drivers were taking a long look at it. Kudos to Infiniti for noticing the drab color choices from the G35 sedan and adding some more interesting colors to the coupe lineup.

clpurnell

I think the 300 deserved it. It is a terrific car but the the dealers are horrible. It also did 2 or 3 yrs on car & drivers 10 Best. The "G" should be proud of it's win it is a very good car and a great value.

rayainsw

For anyone that does not ordinarily buy a Sunday newspaper (and might be interested) my Atlanta paper included a large (2.5 X 4.0 feet?) poster of a red G35C . . .
Just f.y.i.
- Ray
Who would like to test drive one soon . . .

cdnpinhead

it's nice to see you're monitoring what's going on here. I'm still driving my LS manual and wish they hadn't discontinued the manual with the new improved engines for '03.

Either way, how do you think your VW W-engine-mobile compares to the G-car?

birdman579

The January issue of Automobile declares the Z as the Automobile of the Year. In the article, its stated, "the swing-out door on the center console (due to be replaced by another design soon)..." I assume this is the same console as in the G35 coupe? If so, could this "redesign" also include the needed center armrest? Any other details floating around? C'mon Infiniti/Nissan, Lexus fixed their lack of an armrest in the IS300, you can do the same in the G35!

rayainsw

280 HP G35C sounds interesting - and in addition to the 260 to 280 HP jump, I hear (!) that the Coupe has a more interesting exhaust note than the Sedan.

The W8 and G35 are very different (though I did drive 2 G35 Sedans before I decided. One big difference is the behavior of the man-u-matic trans. function. The Tiptronic in many VWs (as well as Audis and Porches) comes (much) closer to my ideal of combining the good points of an automatic with the good points of a manual.

I intend to drive a Coupe when I have time. And I am curious if the trans. behavior is the same as the Sedan.

Cheers,
- Ray
Who can no longer drive a manual trans. - and therefore probably cares much more than most about man-u-matic behavior issues . . .

jwilson1

The door on the Z is on the front-top of the dash, pretty much where the digital readouts are for the coupe: it covers the nav. unit when the option is there. Very flimsy. The armrest issue -- which doesn't bother me at all, by the way, so I hope when they add it that they make it optional -- is also seen as a problem by some in the Z, but that's sure to be more of a redesign than a replacement and may have to wait till next year.

Several of the mags have commented on the armrest -- as usual I disagree -- but the latest Car & Driver is the only one I recall that hasn't liked the exhaust note. Makes me wonder: about the reviewer, not the car.

JW

afty

Car and Driver seems to have an issue with the exhaust note of the VQ engine in general. They also complain about it in the G35 Coupe review in the January issue.

stanny1

Ever since I saw my first G35, I targeted two changes if and when I buy a MTX G35.
First, the exhaust system. A RWD "V" engine should have a true dual exhaust.
I imagine that many aftermarket companies will supply a rear lower valance with the cutouts.
Magnaflow and Borla will surely develop a true dual system with an "X-Box" to increase torque. Second, I think Infiniti is behind the times by putting the battery up high on the passenger side. This is not optimum.
So said battery will find it's way into the trunk. A little secret is that Summit Racing sells a complete battery location kit for an unbelievable low price (try to buy the cable alone for the price of the kit).
Batteries in engine compartments have only one advantage: low cost for the car manufacturer. There are many disadvantages. Same with front wheel drive.
I can live with the G's other quirks.
And no, I don't care if the stock exhaust is aerodynamic. Rear spoilers are a joke at highway speeds
Rear spoilers are about as effective as adding chrome wheels. Just added weight.

jwilson1

For a minute, I thought you were a hardened street racer. But if a spoiler doesn't make sense at "highway speeds" (I agree), then what is the use of a "true" dual exhaust? (BTW, a couple of posters on freshalloy have already made a stab at an exhaust change and seem to have lowered the hp.) I'd be interested myself if you can show a performance improvement as a result.

And with the battery in the trunk, don't you need a device to vent the battery fumes outside of the trunk, ala the Miata? This also requires a gel battery, as I recall, which can get pretty expensive as the cranking power moves up the ladder. However, I agree it would be nice to move a bit of that weight to the passenger side rear.

JW

stanny1

I haven't been under the G to see how the left and right pipes are configured.
Can anyone tell us if, where and when the two pipes merge? How many resonators and mufflers are there? Is there a crossover or balance pipe? Do both exhaust tips come out of a common muffler or resonator?
Inquiring minds need to know.

rayainsw

There is a pretty good, detailed pic of the coupe's system in the COTY MT.
- Ray