2005 Infiniti G35

jrock65

So a Premium 2005 G35 w/ Wood is $35,000 while a base TL is $33,500. A similarly equipped 330i is $42,000. The price gap between the G and the 330i has narrowed a wee bit.

I agree that the wood in the G doesn't look that sharp. Because of the layout of the interior, it almost looks like stuck-on aftermarket stuff.

I'ts hard to tell the quality of the wood from pictures though.

Does anyone know when the I35 is going the way of the dodo? It still sells about 1000 per month. Wonder if those potential sales will go to G35 or upcoming M35, or FWD cars like the TL and ES330.

lexusguy

I'm pretty sure there wont be an I35 for 2005. The old M45 has also been killed for '05. My guess is I35 buyers would probably look at the G35 with the wood trim...or buy an ES330.

rctennis3811

If any customer went into an Infiniti dealer looking for an I35, my bet is that the salesperson would show them the G35X.

lexusguy

The G is a much better car anyway. The I35 dated back to 2000, and Nissan's bone head idea of using a beam axle in back.

dogface5

"A Honda Accord doesnt have a better interior though."

as a matter of fact it actually does.

rqc

If you're looking for interior space, the G35 has a bigger interior than the BMW 5 series and probably every competitor.

If you're looking for the most comfortable seats, check out the Volvo S60R. Amazing. 300 HP, AWD, Brembo brakes, awesome handling. Or for a bit less, especially with current discounts, a S60 T5.

My friend has a 300C and loves it. Very fast, not a bad handling car, but not a high class interior.

lexusguy

S60 T5s basically dont exist anymore at dealers. Reason is the 2.5T is quicker off the line because of the T5's small 2.3L.

Dogface, still think so?

pisciotta

There is no better handling sedan period for the money, and no car drops anchor better then this car either! as far as interiors thats a personal choice! this is a great car. And theses numbers will improve with the extra horsepower and Torque 0-60 MPH - 6.1 Seconds
1/4 Mile - 14.7 Seconds
60-0 MPH - 111 Feet
Slalom MPH - 66.4 MPH

rctennis3811

LOL I was waiting for a question like this!

I used to drive a G35 until I was in an accident earlier this year. This summer, I was shopping for a 300 Touring but after driving the 300C I was hooked on all the power. 2 days later I bought a black 300C with every option except UConnect and the power moonroof.

The 300C is faster (obviously) off the line than the G35, but while it does handle quite well, it doesn't feel as nimble or quick-footed as the G. The interior is about the same. The G had great seats and perfect leather along with a beautiful Bose audio system and the 300C has great seats, nice leather, and a great Boston Acoustics audio system. One thing the 300 has is more rear legroom..but the G has reclining rear seats with adjustable headrests as opposed to the fixed ones on the 300. As for the 300 not having a high-class interior, that's not true - especially for the pricetag. The only cost cutting in the 300C is where the doors have soft plastic padding on the doors as opposed to leather and the bottom part of the dash being hard plastic. Other than that the seats are nice, the center stack is nice, and everything feels cozy....same goes for the G.

As for the S60R..that's also a great choice. Volvo is well-known for their constant best-in-class seats that provide exemplary comfort. Volvo is so dedicated to comfort that the 05 models have the next-generation Volvo seats --- that's right, Volvo makes generations of seats.

dogface5

I own a G35. My friend has an Accord. Fit and finish are leaps and bounds better on the $23k Accord.

Lexusguy, where did you get that interior pic of the Accord.....eBAY?

lexusguy

I'm going to assume its not an '05 then? I agree that the first gen G35 interior was pretty weak. This was a necessary evil, Ghosn did that to ALL Nissan interiors in order to help save the company. 350Z and Maxima and QX56 are still suffering the effects of it. G35 has significantly better for '05 though, better than an Accord.

rctennis3811

For an 04 G35, I'd have to say the Accord's interior is better in materials and quality. That's not at all saying the interior of the G is bad or noisy, but the Accord just feld more solid. But even with this "bad" interior that isn't up-to-par with an Accord, just look at what you're getting! The G35 has 260HP, RWD/AWD, actual TORQUE, luxury brand status, Infiniti dealership, and a fun-to-drive car that's selling really well.

Now for an 05 G35, I can't say if it's better than an Accord. Visually, I'll take the Accord's interior. But materials-wise, I'll have to wait until my local dealer has one in stock. From what we all know, the G's interior has been reworked with higher-quality materials and even further tightened for noise-reduction.

dogface5

I hope that the 05 is better (i'm trying to resist the coupe). I don't agree with the idea that putting low quality materials in any car is a necessary evil. Ghosn will probably admit that admist great success he made this important mistake, and is now realizing the effects (JD Power gave Quest, Armada lowest rating in their respective segments, 350Z sales are dropping, Quest sales are too low, Titan is not meeting sales expectations).

Nissan has always been known for making reliable fun cars. Unfortunately in the late 90s this image was overshadowed by uninspiring exterior designs, an exhaustingly long life cycle for most of its vehicles, and to top it off poor marketing. Infiniti, which consisted mainly of rebadged Nissan models sold in USA, suffered from these problems and some of its own. Ghosn was able to infuse the company with efficient mangement and brought much needed excitement to the product lineup (redesigned Altima, Titan, Armada, Quest, Murano, G35, FX, Z).

While these new models are selling far better than their predecessors, sales could be better. I believe that poor quality interior materials is a major factor why people buy Hondas and Toyotas over Nissans. Case in point: RX vs. FX, G35 vs. TL, Highlander vs. MO, Odyssey/Sienna vs. Quest, Sequoia vs. Armada.

Interior quality may not mean anything but most buyers believe that if a car has a high quality interior, it is likely to be put together well and will be reliable (this is not always the case but most people think so).

lexusguy

The Infiniti pictured vs. the Honda on the last page was the 05 coupe. Its still hardly the best in the segment, TL and A4 have much better interiors, but its much better. The center stack is real aluminum, and switch gear appears to be of much higher quality.

I dont believe it was Ghosn's intention to keep materials quality low. I think what Nissan needed was fat profit margins for awhile on their cars to make up for years of red ink, and an easy way to cost cut all that new product was to take it out of the interior. Now that Nissan is back on track, and infact selling more cars and making more money than Honda, they are starting to put money back in their interiors. The new M45 is the best example that Nissan is paying attention to interior quality, and all of their cars that have gotten midcycle updates recently, Altima and G35, have received major improvements. I think in another 5 years or so Nissan will be up with Honda, if not Toyota.

pisciotta

I own e55's m3's s4's the g35 is a great driving car for 33grand!! I cant believe people mention this car in the same sentence as honda accords it seems like you guys are into interiors rather then driving machines!! I buy cars for the way they drive and handle not the interiors! you want a great interior buy a rolls or jag or A8

dogface5

That is a pic of the sedan not the coupe. The coupe does not get intelligent key.

buckwheat

http://wardsauto.com/microsites/newsarticle.asp?mode=print&ne- wsarticleid=2733154&releaseid=&srid=10250&magazineid=- 1004&siteid=26

wibble

From the article;

"Nissan North America Inc.’s Infiniti luxury division’s ’05 G35 coupe begins at $32,400 for a 5-speed automatic model, a hike over the ’04 base price of $29,500."

This is a little mis-leading as the 2004 base car was a cloth model and the 2005 is leather. A more accurate comparison would have been the 2004 G35 Coupe leather at $31800 MSRP to the 2005 at $32400 giving an increase of $600.

gachan

This is the deal they told me about.

"We will require a $500 deposit check. The selling price of the car will be the Fleet Fair Market Value versus a max of $2000 over invoice (at the time you take possession of the car). This means if we are selling the 05s for less than $2000 over invoice (in the Fleet) we will honor the same with you."

Does this sound a good deal???

wibble

Coupe or Sedan? Auto or 6MT? If you're talking auto sedan then there will be better deals to be had in the next month or two.

gachan

It's for a 2005 G35 Coupe 6MT.

wibble

Looking at the low production figures on the 6MT coupe, I would take any discount offered.

bocatrip

The discounts are already beginning on even the manual coupes. Check around and do your homework. Many individuals are getting manual coupes pretty close to invoice ($800-$1,000 over) Some are doing better. Buy the last day of the month and remind the dealer of the 1.5% Infiniti holdback.

gachan

Wibble:

Are people getting the discounts on the 2005 G35 Coupe 6MT? or the 2004?

lexusguy

These are for 05 coupes. I dont think you can order an '04 anymore.

wibble

Holdback should not come into pricing at all. It is there to cover the cost of keeping a car on the lot. It also disappears over a period of 90 days. Also, a lot of dealers I work with will quite happily show the door to anyone who starts demanding part of the holdback.

wibble

Could you please let me know which dealerships are offering 2005 6MT coupes at $800 over invoice? I'm serious because I could buy them at that price and sell them on at full sticker all day long.

bicycle

Consumer Reports and others have noted a handling problems on prior year G35's. They have found that the handling of the car when going fast can cause the "tail to slide out unexpectantly." (Even with the stability control.)

I tried to call Infiniti about this problem but their customer service/tech support said they had not heard about it but doubted it is a problem. So I am still wondering if it has been addressed in the 2005. Does anyone know?

I speculate that the problem has to do with the unconventional 52/48 weight distribution. Does the AWD have this problem too?

Thanks.

rqc

"Consumer Reports and others have noted a handling problems on prior year G35's. They have found that the handling of the car when going fast can cause the "tail to slide out unexpectantly." (Even with the stability control.)"

Can you post some links to those statements? I haven't heard a single thing to that effect and although I don't own one, I've driven them quite a few times and hard enough to have stability control intervene and there was no chance I was anywhere near hanging the tail out, although that could have happened without stability control on.

lexusguy

"I tried to call Infiniti about this problem but their customer service/tech support said they had not heard about it but doubted it is a problem. So I am still wondering if it has been addressed in the 2005. Does anyone know?"

That wouldnt really be so much a problem as a "handling characteristic". When a car is pushed over the limit in a turn, most cars will understeer, where the car will continue on a foward path even though the front wheels are turned. Some cars like the G35 instead oversteer, where the back slides out. The G35 is hardly the only car to have this characteristic. RWD Porsches are notorious for it.

This is something that would show up on a race track, not the street.

snagiel

It's not difficult to induce understeer or oversteer on most cars, under the right conditions. The former is generally preferred for safety reasons, since it's easier to correct and recover from, which is why most manufacturers try to err on that side of the balance equation when configuring suspension and tire components.

But on powerful, rear-wheel drive cars, it's very easy to provoke throttle-induced oversteer when accelerating through a turn, which I suspect is what CR was talking about. On dry streets, the G35's meaty tires will hold on tenaciously, but on slick roads all that torque can lose its grip real fast. But I've found both the traction and stability control systems work well (although I'd prefer they allowed a little more wheelspin) in controlling the vehicle dynamics. The only time I've almost lost control entirely was when driving over semi-iced snow last year. The problem was more with the tires--summers only--rather than any design defects of the car.

rayainsw

I believe that this is the quote referred to:

“When pushed hard in a corner, lifting off the gas encourages the tail to slide out -- an effect that the standard stability-control system works hard to control. The G35's speed in the avoidance maneuver was high, but it wasn't completely predictable.”

- from their Road Test.

- Ray
Unsure if this would be an issue – as it does not state whether or not (with the stability control system ‘works hard’) the sliding tail is controlled . . .

smith1

The complaints about excessive/unpredictable oversteer seem to be mostly when stability control is turned off. Here's what Popular Mechanics said about it: "The Infiniti is docile in its handling as long as the stability control is helping. With it off, the G35 takes a skilled hand to drive hard. We found it to be very quick to oversteer when you're lifting off the throttle."

Another review says: "Accelerating out of a corner, the tail will react too eagerly on over-ambitious throttle applications, resulting in vast oversteer when the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) is turned off. The latter takes the fright off these experiences, parrying extreme situations in an unobtrusive, yet determined fashion, but still, the G35 lacks the ultimate balance of competitors like the BMW 3-series or Lexus IS300. Taking the competition's [smaller] size into account, this slight deficit is not a shame, though."

So I guess the bottom line is: keep the stability control turned on during aggressive driving.

kfhmail

hey,

Are the 2005 G35 for sale on dealer lots?

I checked the following and no dealership showed any in inventory:

Huntsville Alabama
Chattanooga TN
Nashville TN
Birmingham Al
and the Atlanta ones.

???

redz06

I have recently done a very rapid lane change at approximately 100 mph in my G35 sedan with standard suspension and stability was no problem. It is not a condition I would deliberately be in, but there was no issue and the car responded beautifully. I must admit, I did not lift off the accelerator. In fact, it was mashed solidly to the floor.

Consumer Reports should give this test a try in an older 911.

rqc

>"I have recently done a very rapid lane change at approximately 100 mph in my G35 sedan with standard suspension and stability was no problem. It is not a condition I would deliberately be in, but there was no issue and the car responded beautifully. I must admit, I did not lift off the accelerator. In fact, it was mashed solidly to the floor."

And did you lose the patrol car or are you writing this from jail?

lexusguy

Hahah. 100mph isnt jail time, just about a $300 ticket, depending on the posted limit. Ok maybe if it was 100 in a 25...

gold233790

Went yesterday to take a look at the '05's.

Slight improvement to the exterior. The front looks a little more high-end, and I like the more rounded rear with the small round taillights.

Lined an '04 and '05 up right next to each other, and I like the '05 a little better. Several thousand better? Not so sure. But I would be looking for a NAV, Premium, Wood, and XM setup- so the '04's would be scarce there.

Anyway, couldn't tell the difference in the ride. 20 hp increase is nice, but honestly couldn't tell much difference on city start-and-stop. Doubt it would be much more noticeable on a highway either.

With the rosewood trim, the vehicle we drove was certainly worthy of "luxury" status. Read on here that some find the interior "cheapish". Well, it's not Mercedes or even Audi. But....depends what you are looking for. I find the interior of a BMW boring, for instance.

redz06

Neither one, and my Valentine One was clear

lexusguy

G's interior for '05 is hardly a class leader, but its a massive improvement over '04, and makes IS300 look that much worse by comparison.

mono

I’m not surprised you didn’t feel the 20hp difference. While we won’t know for sure until we see dyno results and track times in the ¼ mile, I’m guessing most of the power gain for ’05 is in the high rpm range (excess of 6000 rpms.) It’s hard to detect power gains in the upper rpm band, but they will show up in dyno results and track times. The new G should post lower ¼ mile times. All of the engine changes outlined for ’05 equate to high rpm power gain. Remember, displacement is unchanged at 3.5L and I think gearing is unchanged as well. None the less, Infiniti has claimed 8% and 15% power gains for the auto and manual transmission G’s, so we should see a quicker car once the experts start performing their road tests.

I’m think the 6MT should be able to run 13.9’s in the ¼ mile with a good driver. It’s all in the launch because the power and weigh combination are right for high 13’s. I’m no expert, but I used to drag race mustangs and I can tell you that I’ve ran consistent 13.7’s with my 3400 lb Mustang GT. My car produced dyno results of 250 rwhp SAE corrected which equates to about 294 hp. at the flywheel if you assume a 15% power loss to the wheels with the manual transmission. If you assume a 15% power loss to the wheels on the new G, that should equate to about 250 rear wheel hp as well. And we already know the G weighs about 3400 lbs.

snagiel

"100mph isnt jail time..."

Not in VA. I saw a Fairfax County judge give someone a day in the big house to think about doing 95/55.

lexusguy

Well, VA is well known as a state you dont want to speed in. PA where I live isnt much better, though.

snagiel

Indeed, they're quite militant. Even at 75, you can't just pay a fine. You're "cordially invited" to explain yourself in court. Ask me how I know...

(If this thread is straying too far, I apologize, but at least I was driving my G when the above incident took place.)

lexusguy

Wow that is bad. I was hit for 90 in a 65 in PA, and all I got was a $220 ticket, no court time.

Kirstie_H

Back to the G35, folks.

thebigshow

Edmunds states Regular Unleaded under the Standard Features Section. (This would be a welcome surprise.) infinitihelp.com states that Premium Fuel is recommended. I can not find a requireemnt on the Infiniti website.

Does anyone know what type of fuel Infiniti officially requires for the 2005 G35? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

beanctr

Premium is no longer recommended but required for both the sedan and the coupe for 2005. See www.nissannews.com

lexusguy

I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by the Infiniti shop and test drive an '05 G35x today. It was silver with black leather and the wood interior. It actually looks much better in person than it did in pictures. Its not a glossy wood, but it still looks very nice. The other controls and materials seem much more upscale and substantial than the '03 coupe I drove. The driving was excellent. The sales guy said the gearing had been revised for '05, and it seemed like there was loads of torque down low. Fun!

celkan

The 2005 owners manual says that premium is recommended but not required for the sedan. For the coupe, premium is required.