Infiniti G35 Coupe

gee35coupe

Is like saying Britney Spears is just some chick. The G35 is one of the most eye catching automobiles in years.

cding

Why do I keep reading repeated arguments?
Can we have arguments on less obvious facts or whatsoever? These discussions remind me of someone who likes to repeat stories.

bigorange30

with the G35 you actually get a better automobile for $8k less money. Look at it this way. Let's say the G35 reliability is worth an extra 10% or about $3K in value. This means you are really getting $11K more value in the G than the 330.

kdshapiro

You are making the assumption that G35=330i. Not quite the case, as the 3 series has garnered loads of awards. Seems like people understand there is a difference between the two cars and that difference is worth paying more for. In some cases people even opt for the 325 over the G35. Some people may not want to pay the difference, some people may even pass up the G35 for an Acura or Honda or Lexus. Whatever the case, people have their own definition of value, not yours and not mine.

bigorange30

I don't think so. Not even close. That would be another 33% better. It also depends on how much importance a person puts on the aspects that you call better on the BMW.

kdshapiro

You should go over the 3 series board and ask if people thing the 330i is 33% better or not. Or if they would rather have a 325 or a G35. Twoof1 if he's around can provide some insight.

Is a 540i is 66% better? It might be interesting to ask some other questions to get some perspective.

daschtick

Will the BMW-witnesses ever quit knocking on my door? I want to learn more about the "soulless" and "boring" G35 Coupe in this topic, but every time I look, a BMW preacher is at the alter. They sure are persistent, aren't they?

fedlawman

When I was shopping and test driving cars back in February, I was quoted $1500 over invoice for European delivery on a 3301.

So, a 330 coupe with premium and sport packages has an Euro invoice of $34,000. Add $1500 dealer profit, $1000 for a short trip to Germany, and subtract $500 for BMWCCA membership and you come up with a final price of $36,000.

A G35 6MT coupe with premium package sells at MSRP, which is $35,000.

So what's your flavour, Becks or Sapporo?

Personally, I like them both a lot and I haven't decided yet. Coupe/sedan, BMW/Infiniti...it's a touch choice.

bigorange30

This discussion is certainly helping to shape my opinion though.

sunilb

could we please stick to just the G35 here, and leave the BMW comparisons to that thread?

How are people's experiences with this car on long road trips?

Any regrets from actual owners?

Anything you'd like to see for the 2004 model?

sphinx99

"I don't think so. Not even close. That would be another 33% better. It also depends on how much importance a person puts on the aspects that you call better on the BMW."

I can't help but think that I'd agree with you, if it weren't for the fact that you're wrong. The 330Ci is exactly 39% better than the G35 coupe, making it (by far) the better value. Sorry...

bpraxis

Hello everyone and I was waiting for the 2004 to make a purchase decision. I am seeing on the internet in various chat rooms that the interior will be upgraded with nicer materials and maybe better color choices.

  Now if we can just get Infiniti to increase production so prices can come down. At the local Infinity dealership they are loaded to the gills with the new FX sport utility but no unsold coupes. I guess the new FX is not selling well.

  The new styling of BMW regarding the 7 and 5 series is not attractive to my eye. And I understand that BMW is already redesigning the 7 series after one year of production. If BMW makes the same mistake of Bangalizing the 3 series Infinity sales will skyrocket.

  A note to Infinity: Please offer more color choices for the interior and exterior for the coupe. A nice medium red matallic would be great and how about a fun color for the interior?

Mr_Shiftright

Hi Everybody,

Let's try to keep this topic on course. We have plenty of topics about reliability going on in both Maintenance & Repair and News & Views.

So, please, G35 subject matter only and let's leave BMW matters to their appropriate topics.

If I have to delete off-topic comments to get us back on course, then regrettably that's what I'll do from now on. You can all help by directing newcomers who want to talk Japanese vs. German reliablity to the appropriate boards or the search engine on the left of this page.

thank you

Shifty the Host

caramo

Haven't driven the G35 coupe yet. . . Visited the dealer, looked at them inside and out, and I like them. Interior looks fine to me. . .

I would wish for better exterior colors though. Why do they need two shades of gray? My preference would be a nice navy metallic or burgundy metallic. . . Either would be stunning on this car. It wouldn't kill me to get black or the current red though.

bigorange30

http://wallpapers.jbcarpages.com/Nissan/Skyline/Paper5/1024.php

It is a GTR concept version of the Nissan Skyline that is the G35 of Japan.

kdshapiro

It's ugly. Looks two much like a Corvette with non of the grace.

rangerben1

Need some wisdom from those who have gone before. I'm getting a black coupe, auto. trans. Should I chrome the wheels, to go with the black color? Benefits or problems either way? How about no chrome, but instead get the sports lperformance package? Is it correct that the wheels are "shinier" than the standard 17" wheels, ,although not as "bright" as the chromes? Benefits or negatives with the sports performance package? Thanks

jwilson1

Here I go again, disagreeing with kdshapiro! This picture has been around for awhile, but it's always been beautiful. The slight sharpening of the edges makes the whole design a little edgy ... maybe for my dream car: the G45 Coupe! ;-)

JW

bigorange30

http://community.webshots.com/photo/65044625/68191447QtzwxW

daschtick

That does look sharp....

markjenn

Looks like a slammed Mitsubishi Eclipse clone to me. To each his own ...

- Mark

Mr_Shiftright

My two cents is that it's typical Japanese kitschy styling, a design studio exercise meant to draw comments, here today gone tomorrow. It has a few interesting ideas, but as a whole car it's pretty tortured. It certainly doesn't improve the original IMO.

Less is more in car design, or else you get a Viper.

stebu

Are you referring to the GTR or the G35TT? I think the GTR is a mixed design bag. Personally, I like my sports cars a bit sleeker, not so militaristic looking. The G35TT on the other hand is just a tricked out Coupe. I love it's looks, but it seems too impractical given it's lack of road clearance.

merc1

I finally got to drive this car. I really like the V6's hairy chested power delivery and exhaust note. The driving position is nearly perfect, and if you get the "Willow" color interior you don't get all the silver-metallic looking trim, it's all beige instead, much better. The only things I'm not smitten with is the postion of the foot-operated parking brake and the sort of longish look to the wheelbase. Nissan could have also spent some money on the interior details, you get the feeling you're driving a car converted from rhd to lhd. Seat controls on the seat seem like a convience, but they're annoying after a while, as is the volume button on the RIGHT side of the radio. All the steering wheel switches look like 1980's Maxima. I hope Infiniti addresses some of these "details" for 2004, the car's engine/chassis and styling deserve better a better interior.

M

cheerioboy26

While I agree that Infiniti could (should?) have converted the temp control and colume control buttons to the driver's side, it's not as big a deal as you may think once you are an owner IMO. I NEVER use the volume button on the dash since I have a closer one on the steering wheel. And while occasionally adjust the cabin temperature, usually I just let the auto climate control take care of things.....

merc1

I'll buy that, but I look at the details on a car of this price. It just *feels* like a rush job.
Of the cars I drove the other day I wish I could put the Acura's interior in the G35 Coupe.

M

jwilson1

I don't know what the salesman told you, but the reason the silver console wasn't in the car was because it didn't have the 18" wheels. You can get the center console all black, too, if you order without the 6M and without the 18" wheel option.

JW

cheerioboy26

well, I don't think it was a rush job since it was introduced as the XVL concept in 2001, IIRC. Nissan/Infiniti has been criticized (or complimented, depending on how you view it) for spending the money on the driving experience and saving money on the interior, yielding a product that is very competitive in its class.

I noticed the same when I was car shopping, but it wasn't a deal breaker to me, and as I said is now less important than I thought it would be. Is the interior the best in class? No. It's just something to balance out against the car's other strengths.

merc1

The debut time of the concept doesn't really indicate how quickly the car's interior was put together or designed.

jwilson1,

I did have doubts about his knowledge, because he didn't have the hp right either. He kept saying 300hp for the Coupe and 280 for the Sedan. Would be nice if true.

M

daschtick

"My two cents is that it's typical Japanese kitschy styling..."

kitschy?

daschtick

Good review on the G35 Coupe, and I must say that I agree with your points about the placement of the power seat controls and parking brake (which I believe is only foot operated on automatics). I too like the driving position and "cockpit" feel.

I also was pleasantly surprised by the raw nature of the V6, especially the exhaust note. It reminds me a bit of my old Mustang 5.0 days.

I would love to buy this car, but I will unfortunately be in the market for a replacement family car for my wife next, but maybe in a few years.

bigorange30

The G35 may be my next sportscar.

jwilson1

so "Japanese Kitschy" as applied to a car suggests, maybe, a Hebrew Honda.

(Don't go there.)

JW

daschtick

I've never heard a man use that before, so I figured that maybe someone had been watching too much "Will & Grace".

habitat1

How useful is the back seat if you really need to carry 1-2 adults in the back? I've noticed that the listed rear leg room is 2" less than the 3-series coupe. That would seem to put it marginally above the category of "useless". But I'd like to hear form owners, as I have some doubt about the accuracy of leg room measurements.

Bigorange: I think you've been successully brainwashed by the Nissan marketing folks. Calling the G35 coupe a "sportscar" is perhaps more ambitious than their labeling my 435 pound LIGHTER 1995 Maxima SE a "four door sports car". I'm looking at possible replacements and based upon my positive Nissan experience will consider the G35 coupe if the rear seats are resonably useable. The G35 sedan is not a contender. The G35 coupe, by the way weighs about the same as a 4-door, 5 passenger BMW 530i sport, the current leader on my Maxima replacement list. If all you really need is a 2-seat sportscar, you might want to try a Honda S2000. It's fit my bill perfectly, but it's not too good for carting 2-3 business associates around.

bigorange30

It seems to me to be a combination of size, weight, power (hp and torque) and aerodynamic style. Whatever criteria you use the G35 coupe fits the definition. If you consider the Porsche 911, 1990 Corvette, 1990 Camaro, 1994 Dodge Stealth, 350Z or Ford Mustang sportscars just to name a few, then the G35 matches up nicely. Let's take the Porsche 911 for instance.

911/G35

Length: 175/182
Width: 72/72
Height: 51/55
Weight: 3361/3442
Seating Capacity: 4/4
Horsepower: 315/280
Torque: 273/270
# of cylinders 6/6

Do you not consider the 911 a sportscar?

jwilson1

Nice to see you back! I thought you'd disappeared because you'd bought your bimmer. If you're still having G thoughts, why not take a test drive?

My own answer to your question, by the way, is No. The back seat would be good for occasional use, not regular and not for keeping adults comfortable. For that purpose, your Maxima is much better.

The G35C, btw, is most accurately the 2+2 version of the 350Z. Sports car? I don't know. Like B/O says, it depends on your definition, and if your idea is that a "real" sports car is a dedicated 2-seater, and a sedan or passenger hauler is a 4 or 5-seater, then y ou need the additional category of 2+2 which has been useful since at least WWII to describe such cars as the 911, the XKE, the G35C, the Healy 3000, and so on.

JW

sphinx99

bigorange30 makes a valid point. If high weight establishes a cut-off for what is and is not a sports car, then more cars than the Infiniti G35 Coupe will have to suffer.

Here are some cars that weigh more than a 1995 Nissan Maxima and thusly heretofore may never again be referred to as a sports car:

Porsche 911 Turbo: NOT a sports car!
Acura NSX: NOT a sports car!
Aston Martin DB7 Vanquish: NOT even CLOSE to a sports car!
BMW M3: 400lbs heavier than a '95 Maxima, not a sports car
Corvette Z06: seats two yet weighs 100lbs more than 1995 Maximas and certain other selected sedans. Not a a sports car!
Lamborghini Murcielago: At 3600lbs, the Lambo is the epitome for what sports cars aren't?
Ferrari 360: It's relatively light, but my Prelude SH is lighter and everyone thinks that's too heavy to be called a sports car too. I guess Ferrari doesn't make a sports car either... oh well, don't tell shiftright!

Seriously, I don't have any problem calling the G35 Coupe a sports car, but I don't have a problem with someone saying its weight dictates that it can't be one either. But if 3000lbs is too heavy for a sports car, then be prepared to accept that there aren't many sports cars. Moreover, accept that the moment you give the S2000 a tank of gas then sit yourself in the driver's seat, it too becomes a 3000lb porkmobile and therefore loses any claim on the word "sport". Add a passenger to a S2000 and its weight approaches that of an Infiniti G35 coupe.

kdshapiro

And then let's add the 330ci to the "list" of sportcars. Since by some accounts there are some performance measurements of the 330ci that beat the G35C. It is a coupe, it has two seats in the back and it has 6 cylinders and it's marginally lighter than the G35C.

Actually there is a thread in News and Views entitled: "What does it take to make a car sporty" that addresses this very same question.

bigorange30

is that it doesn't have aerodynamic style. Its too boxy to be considered a sportscar. Its front end is too flat. Now, there are some cars that have a flat front that make up for it in the other areas like the Mustang. It has a flat front but has more power to make up for it. The Z8 is the real BMW sportscar. The M3 could also be justified on most of the criteria.

kdshapiro

I'm not sure "boxy" or coefficient of drag has ever been one of the criteria. The 330ci while not as sleek as an egg, which I'm glad of, is a fairly smooth vehicle. The Mustang SVT with the 460hp S/C engine, does 0-60 in 5 secs of less, is fairly boxy wouldn't be considered a sports car either. Neither would the 'Vette.

bigorange30

The 'vette is not. The 'vette certainly has an aerodynamic shap with a sharp pointed front. The Mustang's power, as I said certainly makes up for its boxy shape. The power overcomes the high air drag. The shape of the car is a criteria when you begin to look at lower power V6 engines with a little weight.

gee35coupe

When you make your criteria. I mean a Ferrari may be heavier than a Prelude but have 2.5 times as much power.

That would rectify that problem. Cars with a certain amount of power to weight along with a certain body type equals sports car.

kdshapiro

I don't consider the 'Vette to be that aerodynamic. Pointed front has little to do with it IMO. But power to weight is also a good factor. So is top-speed. So is performance, where performance takes top priority over form and function. Like vehicles built with the new Chrysler 5.7 Hemi. Let's face it, there is no pure sport's car concept any more than there is a pure SUV concept. Biggest problem is the manufacturers have a tough time to define a pure sports car, especially when measured through the eyes of yester-year.

hsdgshr

Can anyone give me feedback on the G35's handling in the snow. Love the look and performance but am concerned about rear wheel drive in the snow
(and slick conditions).

habitat1

Jwilson: No, I haven't replaced my Maxima yet. Darn thing keeps running too well. And, as I indicated, the top contender is the 530i "sports sedan", with 4 doors. However, a business friend of mine recently purchased a 330ci and has had little trouble with carting around business associates on an occasional basis. Given that I am not sure how I will like the new E60 5-series, I may also consider the 3-series and its competitors, if the space is reasonably sufficient for occasional use. Probably less than 5% of my Maxima miles have been with 1-3 adults in the rear seats. I drove the G35 coupe with automatic and was only moderately impressed, but I am reserving final judgement for a six-speed.

Bigorange: On the G35 coupe question of "is it or isn't it" a "sports car", my point might have been taken the wrong way. I think the G35 coupe has better attributes as a "sports coupe" than the 350Z does as a "sports car". The compromises that make cars like the G35 coupe and 330ci more versitile as "coupes" are acceptable trade-offs in my book.

Weight is only one factor affecting handling and performance and I apologize if I appear to be using 3,000 lbs as the gauntlet past which sports cars do not exist. That's clearly not the case. I'd be more than happy to have a 3,068 lb, 400 hp, 7,900 rpm Ferrari 360 adorning my driveway. The 3,045 lb, 200 hp FWD Prelude? No thanks. It's a fine specimen of Honda engineering, but no 60/40 balanced FWD coupe is going to get labeled as a sports car by me, ATTS and other technology notwithstanding. The 3,250+ lb fixed roof 2-seat 6,500 rpm 350Z? No thanks again. I have no reason to believe that Nissan doesn't have the ability to build a 2,800 lb fixed roof sports car with a 7,500 rpm engine. Except that they want to use every part in their manufacturing bins for at least 3+ models and their 3.5 liter V6 in everything from trucks and SUV's to a not-so-light weight and not-so-nimble sports car. That may be O.K. for the G35, not a 240Z spiritual reincarnation. Just my opinion.

By the way, the 911 C2 weighs 2,960 lbs, not the 3,300+ claimed in a previous post.

blacktalon

Sure, Nissan could build a 2800 lb fixed-roof coupe with with a 7500 RPM redline It would cost $40K. Would you buy it for that price?

fedlawman

To me, a sports car is not about specifications, it's about purpose...the driving. Driving dynamics come first, and nothing is added which might unduly dilute the driving experience.

The G35 and 3 series are both GT's in my book because they have TCS, VSC, and EBD (acronyms are great for safety and expanding the performance envelope, but they dilute the driving experience). They are also plush, refined, luxurious, and comfortable due to noise control measures, dual-zone climate control, power/heated seats with memory, etc.

Even the Corvette, Ferrari, NSX, etc. are GT cars in my book because, although they offer ridiculous levels of performance, they are also comfortable highway cruisers with all the goodies.

Highly subjective, I know...

bigorange30

#1243 and others: I went by my Infiniti dealership yesterday and sat in an looked over the coupe. I just wanted all of you to know that there IS unequivocally a VDC cutoff button on the dash to the lower left of the steering wheel. I was surpised by that since so many here have said there wasn't. I am not sure where you guys got that.

cdnpinhead

there isn't a VDC cutoff button, it's that the button doesn't completely cut off the VDC. It "mostly" disables the VDC, which many performance drivers consider a poor substitute. When driving for fun or maximum performance (4-wheel drift, steering with the accelerator), Nissan VDC still becomes intrusive, even when switched off, or so I've been told.

Please let us know if you have new information to the effect that the VDC is completely disabled by the button that you found on dash.