Infiniti G35 New Owner Reports

runningmom

I don't even know if this should be part of another thread, but I'm so excited. We just brought home a fully loaded G35S 6-speed on a 2-year lease ostensibly for my husband, whose inherited 1986 Maxima wagon with 125K miles finally gave up the ghost (geez, they don't build transmissions like they used to).

What does this car have? The question is, what doesn't this car have? I am so happy you asked. Tech package(intelligent cruise control; adaptive front lighting; rear-view camera). Premium Package. Rear spoiler (didn't really want it, but it actually looks quite nice). Navigation package (touch screen; lane guidance; building footprint (huh?); real-time traffic info.; music hard drive with cd database; flash slot for playing mp3 files; xm radio). 4-wheel active steer package. Painted splash guards. Built-in espresso maker. Just kidding.

This is a phenomenal car. Our first real car,if you will, not counting my husband's 67 MGB, which has been sitting in our garage since our first child was born--and she's in college now. And the 76 Alfa he also came into the marriage with, which dissolved into a heap of rust, that, the indignity of it, we had to pay to have dusted away, I mean, hauled away.

So we are well overdue. I drive a 5-year old Outback--thank goodness--because we needed something to get us back and forth to the Infinity dealer.

I would be happy to answer any questions about this car and our lease. My husband is sitting in the other room so I can defer technical queries to him, which he will also be happy to answer when he takes a bathroom break from studying the heap o' manuals the height of our 15-year old the car came with.

p.s. I want to thank all the contributors to this site, which I've been reading during the last year and a half while we were deciding which car, which model to buy. And despite our dealer's reassurance, there was NO way we were going to get a red one!

pat

Congrats runningmom! Sounds like quite a ride - enjoy and keep us posted.

pat

I moved a post to a better discussion for the requested feedback. Here's the link: jmannix, "2007 Infiniti G35" #252, 8 Jan 2007 7:48 am.

factfinder

Cool, runningmom. The gals usually prefer the Acura TL. What was your deciding factor to get a G? Your husband? Thanks!

pat

Careful with them thar generalizations, sir! My observations do not support your statement.

runningmom

My husband really wanted to buy an Avalon but I convinced him otherwise. No, really. It was a very mutual decision to go with the Infiniti--combination of performance, look, styling, electronic toys, not necessarily in that order (in fact, if the coupe had been redesigned for 2007, we would have had to talk ourselves out of that). The AWD version was out because it felt way too "sedan"-like for me, although admittedly it had a safety-net kind of appeal.

Look, unless functionality is the prevailing motivation and performance being equal, why does anyone--male or female--choose the car they do? I believe it's how the car is marketed. The Lexus feels too smug. The BMW a relic. Our neighborhood teems with Saabs, Volvos. My friends with Priuses and Camry hybrids feel good about themselves. My husband's 21-year old Maxima even represented something--a frugal kind of snobbery, to be perfectly honest.

So in answer to your question about why as a woman I didn't want the Acura? Despite the fact it may have the capability to unload my groceries and put them away on the shelves, not to mention go really fast, the car itself didn't reasonate. Bottom line, it wasn't sexy enough and men don't have a monopoly on wanting that.

kd6aw1

Traded our faithful 2003 G35 for the new 2007 and both my wife and I love everything about our new one with nav and tech packages. The 2007 is improved in every way and the price was about the same even though it is so high tech and advanced when compared to the 2003. It goes like a race car and really blows the kids in their Hondas in to the weeds with no trouble. Hate to make them mad because I am 76 years old and I am sure the kids don't think an old guy should be allowed to beat them so easily, ha! Buy one you will like it!

pat

Congrats! Keep us posted.

cdnpinhead

My friends with Priuses and Camry hybrids feel good about themselves.

Well put -- if you're not a South Park fan (or are generally offended by it), you still might want to view the show they did on the hybrid car subject -- smugness is the theme. Sounds like you'd enjoy it.

You might be a victim of what I've been dealing with ("growing" through?) for a number of years: reverse snobbery -- I don't want to be associated with the "kind of people" who generally drive X.

Either way, sounds like you (plural) found a car that's good for you. Good for you!

The two main reasons the G isn't higher on my list are: 1) the sedan doesn't offer fold-down rear seats & the coupe's pass-through hole is pretty small -- I haul my bicycle everywhere, and need it to be inside & 2) the fuel mileage is significantly lower than some of the competition. I know -- if you can afford a car in this price range, why worry about a few mpg? Well, range for one. Besides which, overall efficiency is worthy in my world.

Enjoy!

kring5

I wouldn't count your # 2's comment in range as significant, the G35 has a 20gal tank, at 26mpg your going to go over 500 miles. it has a higher range then both the BMW 335 & the TL due to similar MPG with their tanks at 16/17 gal.

I ride a bike 4-5 days a week myself, and NONE of these cars are going to take a bike inside the car.. your looking at a SUV or mini-van right? your posting in the wrong forum if your not even looking at 4-dr sports sedans. your comment just doesn't make any sense... Besides you'd be crazy to take a $40K car with leather seating and cram in a greased up dirty bike with 300 teeth and sharp edges at every spot...

cdnpinhead

I'm happy to hear you're getting 26 mpg. I'd say that's pretty rare with the G's 3.5 litre engine, but you may be privy to better information than I.

My Lincoln LS takes the bike fine, and it wouldn't surprise me a bit if the BMW 3 will also. If not the sedan, then the sports wagon.

Thanks for sharing. Messages like yours are what make the internet such a pleasure.

sprinkler13

Well I finally pulled the trigger last night on a fully loaded G35 Sport. It's awesome. I didn't want/need all of the options, but since they were the only ones to accept the VPP plan and it was all they had with Navi, I didn't have much choice. However, with the deal, I suppose it's about the same as what a Journey with Nav would have cost without the VPP. Anyway...just in the drive home last night I noticed how much quieter it is compared to my 2003 G...and even with the sport suspension the ride is very smooth. It took everything in me not to push it too hard since it only had 9 miles on it when I got it...and it was also very easy to wind up over the speed limit since it didn't "seem" like I was going that fast. I was barely touching the pedal too, so I can't wait to really open it up. It also looks like I'll spend the weekend just trying to learn the basics of all the tech toys on this beast!!! Anyway, in my short time with the car, I'm very impressed and very happy.

simulacrum7

Just bought an 07 G35 Journey down here in Houston. I compared it to all the usual suspects. A big factor in choosing the G over the others was the size of the car. The back seat is much, much more comfortable in the Infiniti. Of course, I also loved the styling of the car -- inside and out. My only complaint thus far is poor integration for the ipod. The connetion in the armrest is good, but it lacks a level of practicality. For example, you cannot control the ipod through the car's controls, but the placement of the connections in the armrest means the ipod must either be closed inside the armrest or the armrest must be up so not to mash the cord. For me, a minor covenience feature, but when you spend this much money on a car . . . Fortunately that was not a dealbreaker for me.

ndisguys

Take a look at the drivers side front edge of the center console lid. It has a built in "cut out" that should let you run your Ipod cord through without crushing the cord.

bucanole

Well I just picked up a G35S Auto last night, Liquid Platinum, with Premium and XM and we love it. Beautiful car altogether, great ride, and superb instrument layout. I'm already playing with all the toys and finding some neat features such as the the voice activated Bluetooth. I have also run into some things that are inconveniences such as the intelligent key. While I love the push start feature I also find that you can't turn the car off and still have the instrumentation running, is there a way to continue running the stereo when the car is off?

Aside from this I love the car so far. We have not pushed it yet, but I'm getting anxious. I plan to give a real test around 1000 miles, but considering we are only getting about 18MPG right now, and we are babying it with mostly back road and highway driving. I don't plan to push it all that hard for fear of averaging about 10 MPG cause at the rate I am currently accelerating now versus what I will be doing once broken in, I don't look forward to filling it up every 3-4 days.

sprinkler13

Hey Buc...if you want to have the car "on" without the engine runing, you just have to push the button with your foot off the brake. If your foot is on the brake it will start, but if not, you can cycle it to ACC and then to ON and then back to the "off" position. The only problem (I think) is that you can't cycle backwards, so if the car is running, you have to push the button twice to get to the ACC position.

bucanole

yep figured that out this weekend with trial and error, thanks for the feedback.

I already have 250 on the car since Wednesday and I thought we were relatively conservative, I'm guessing that 10K a year I have on the lease is not going to hold up without some serious re-organizing.

Anyhow the car drives great and thinks just seem to get better the more we drive the car, the sound system seems to be breaking in (if you can actually do that, but it does sound better now) and MPG is getting a little better.

I don't like having two bluetooth phones linked to the car and even if the passenger is listed as primary 1 that the system overrides the driver. Having the stereo office while listening to the my wifes conversation with her mother is less than desireable. I guess the work around is to deny the linkup when getting in.

On another note a Mustang Owner drove my car this weekend and was blown away with the performance although I wasn't happy he jumped on it as hard as he did with only 250 miles under her belt.

frisconick

Congrats on the new car

sprinkler13

Well...if you still want to have the music on, you can just put the phone into handset mode. But I understand what you are saying...its kind of a pain to turn off the music completely, but I guess it comes with having the phone call go thru the stereo speakers...can't have it both ways. and good luck making 10k per year work. I never could...lol

py777

In other thread, someone have a weather stripping kept falling out issue. He/she described it as just brushing hand through the door weather stripping, it came out. Any other owner reporting this issue?

:confuse:

bucanole

Sprinkler that was a typo I actually got 12K a year, but I think I should have gotten 15K now that I think about it, O'well too late now right.

bs55

I read the manual and said that the key rings are color coded so you can distinguish between the 2 sets. Both key rings look the same to me. What does everyone elses look like? Same or Differnt?

sprinkler13

There is a slight difference in the color of the clasp. One is silver, and the other has a bit of a goldish tint. Hardly enough to really make them distinguishable IMO.

davehelm

Well I've had my 07 G35x for about a month now and I love it. I've got about 3,000 miles on it now and decided to take it out for a little run last night. I put it into manual mode around a series of very sharp s-curves and was all grins. Keeping the engine around 4-5K made a beautiful sound and the car just took off exiting the turn. This car is a blast to drive. It becomes extremely frustrating driving to and from work in traffic because I want to put my foot in it to feel the power. Gas mileage sux bad. I'm sure you can get decent mileage if you drive it like a camry but who wants to? My Sequoia gets as good mileage around town (17mpg) but highway is not too bad.

Couple of things I've noted about this vehicle:

I'ts had to accelerate only moderately. It either accelerates slowly or it wants to drop down 2 gears and scream.

I hate not having door guards to protect from dings. It would totally screw up the lines but I'm so paranoid it stresses me out.

My auto lights seem too sensitive even when adjusted all the way down. The headlights are coming on on cloudy days when I pass under a brige. I'm wondering if it could be the dark tint I had put on the windows.

I wish the bluetooth would pause playback on my cd's when I'm on the phone. The XM quality is poor. I have a little portable unit I keep on my boat and lakehouse and it sounds great. This system sounds muddy. I had the dealer install it; maybe the factory install is better.

These are all nits. I can't beleive Car and driver rated the BMW 328 higher given it's significant horsepower deficit. They wanted to compare it to real performance competitor the 335 but it was 10K more but even still they had to give the Bimmer the nod. I think the interior of the G is much more attractive and the quality of BMW has not been anything to brag about. They are also notorious for chewing up brake pads. Oh well enough Bimmer bashing. :shades:

scottm123

Just picked mine up last night... had 11 miles on it and it's already now has 113.

I have to agree with pretty much everything you have here.
The car WANTS to be driven.
Even with only 100 miles, I'm getting 21 MPG, but I'm also keeping it under 4k, which is no easy task.

I also worry about dings but I try to park on another planet whenever possible, to avoid these things.

The auto-lights are VERY sensitive, but I don't think window tint would help, unless your State laws allow windshield tinting, as the sensor is on the dash.
Some of the owners are tinting the sensor itself to make it less sensitive.
I'm not sure what I'm doing with that yet... still too new!

As for XM sound quality, I have an 06 Acura MDX with factory XM and is also sounds like crap... Muddy is the perfect description.
Sounds almost muffled.
I have a Sirius Sportster which sends it's signal to the car through FM and it's leaps and bounds better on sound quality.
I've also driven the TL and it also sounded very poor when listening to XM.

I started up the XM last night and again this morning, and I'm actually a little surprised at how well it sounded.
Granted, it's not a CD quality sound, but it's close and far better than FM.
I do wonder if your dealer installed option suffers in sound where the factory install doesn't, but I wouldn't understand why.

And, finally, Bluetooth calls do not pause the CD, as I found last night.
But, this is nothing for me, as the Acura didn't pause CDs when a call came in either, so I'm used to that.

Anyways... lovin the car!

pat

Congrats, Scott! You survived!! :P

scottm123

Barely

scottm123

And I gotta tell ya, as hard as that wait was, it was so worth it.
This is by far, the nicest car I have ever owned.

A complete joy to drive.

pat

Glad to hear it! Now go post some pics.

(HERE, not at that other place. :P :P )

jmannix

Got at lesast 700, still waiting to [pass the breakin period till I can let her fly. Had an '03 G35 and loved that but this is certainly like a whole other car. Even the silence of the windows and sunroof when opening and closing is something else. The rest of the car is extremely quiet too. Being a sport model, the seats are still something to get used to. Thought that they where a bit too snug when I purchased this model but last weekend drove a friend's Murano on a long trip and thought that I was going to fall out of those seats onto the floor..now I prefer the snuggier [?] S seats.
All in all a great car

scottm123

I got to the dealer at 5pm, and it was nice and sunny out.
Dealt with paperwork, financing and such, and went out to the car at 6:50 pm... still light out.
The salesman walked me through the goodies in the car and when we were done, it was 8:40 and pitch black out.

I took a few pics but it was just too dark.

Although the salesman asked me if I would like to pull inside for some pics, I thought that was "obsessed crazy car guy" like, so I thanked him, but passed on the offer.

I'll take some pics today after work and try to get them up tonight. :shades:

cdnpinhead

". . .it wants to drop down 2 gears and scream."

That's part of why some of us enjoy a manual transmission so much -- it shifts only when shifted. I know what you mean regarding Nissan drive-by-wire throttle response. My wife's Pathfinder is pretty digital if you're not really gentle/careful.

Congrats on the new car. Enjoy. (as if. . .)

davehelm

One other note - Learn from my mistakes.

Danger Manual shift mode: Unlike most other cars with the triptronic type manual shift mode this car will not automatically upshift if you forget what your doing and that is easy to do. (Btw the car sounds tight at 8500 rpm in 1st). While you are driving in manual mode in 5th and then stop the car will start in 1st gear. Did you forget you were in manual mode ops. Sh*t.

Also dont forget when you get back into auto; upshifting into neutral is not too impressive either.

This car should be more idot proof. A shift gate to protect neutral and automatic upshit in manual at 200 rpm over redline. Who needs to hold at above redline?

scottm123

I found that the shift moves very freely when in Manual mode, but requires a little more push when in Drive.

I haven't made that mistake.

kring5

Congrats on the new ride scottm123,

This will probably happen to you after you pass break-in period. I've done it 1/2 dozen times already, 2-3 times because i fogot I was in manual mode and 2-3 times because the care is so fast out of first that by the time I shift gears and the next gear catches I'm into 8000+ RPM.

With all that said, i DO NOT want them to change a thing! don't dumb down my car, let me get smarter, nothings worse then getting a sports car with grandpa-limitations. if you can't handle M mode, then put a little scotch tape on the console so you can't move the shifter over!

I'm not willing to test it again, but if anyone wants to give it a try, let me know. I think at 9000 RPM it will switch on it's own, I was stopped in first gear at the top of a hill and making a right turn, after coming out of the turn I wanted to give it a little gas, well the ground there was a little wet still and the tires broke loose so fast I think I went to 9000 because I took my foot off the gas and I saw the gear was now 2nd and just as I looked it went to 3rd but the car was still in M. I'm guessing that 9000 is the real limit on this engine where it becomes damaging so they have a failsafe that switches you to auto when you hit those high RPMs

davehelm

Problem is when your driving hard you want to snap it into gear and a little resistence is nothing.

scottm123

Very true guys... I'm still in my break-in period.
Temptation is driving me NUTS!

davehelm

I remember well. Now you haven't gone over 4K rpm yet have you? If you put it in DS mode (automatic) you have to be near dead not to go over.

I just ordered some Zaino stuff. Can't wait to caress her. My wife won't understand.

scottm123

Can't wait to caress her. My wife won't understand.

LOL, my wife doesn't get it either.

As for 4K rpms...
I've slipped once or twice, but not by much.
It's actually hard not to, the car just GOES!

I have the Ultimate Zaino kit but I have to wait for better weather before I can wash, clay, wash and caress.
Plus, I found yesterday, the dealer left a swirl mark on the rear of the car.
Zaino will fill and mask it, but I need to buff it out by hand, rather than just mask it.
I'm going to try and correct it myself, as I don't trust them anymore.
They said that if I can't get it out, they'll take care of it for me.
I was just avoiding the drive back down.
They're also over-nighting the splash guards they forgot to install.
Want something done right, do it yourself.
I never would have let them clean the car at all, but they needed to apply my 3M film.

(The brown "J" looking thing is just a lightpole reflection)

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davehelm

Looks like we have the same car...except for the swirls(sorry ) they look easy to get out. Mine is a G35x, same color and it looks like you have the wood trim as well. I had the film put on too. I'm not real happy with how far it comes up the nose.

I have never used the Zaino products before but your rants and a friend of mine convinced me. I ordered some of that new stuff they have that you don't buff off. I'm a little concerned about a polish you don't buff but hey it's Zaino right? I checked with them and they confirmed it would not hurt our urethane film.

What are you doing reading this you should be getting those miles worked off.

triple_7

Like I mentioned before, the Zaino stuff sounds amazing,thanks for mentioning it here. Im placing an order of their kit to use on my current car and have ready for my new G. Im also looking for the blue slate, prem nav and tire pack. not sure yet about splash guards. Car looks good with and without them.

I'm waiting on some finances to mature later this month but when i'm ready, I'm thinking of telling the dealer not to wash the car so i can "dawn" it and clay it in my own home. like scott123 stated: you want someting done right, you got to do it yourself.

scottm123

I'm not real happy with how far it comes up the nose.

I know what you mean, but you'll be happy the first time it protects you.
The guy who did mine did an absolutely awesome job, and my price of $695 is a bargain for the coverage I got.
That's considered "Extended Coverage" and it usually much more expensive.



Few coats of Zaino, keeping the edge clear of build-up, and you'll never even know the film is there.
Can't see it from here!
Money very well spent.

scottm123

I ordered some of that new stuff they have that you don't buff off.

I'm curious, what did you order?
Sounds like you're talking about the new Z-CS.
If that's what you ordered, keep me posted with your results... I haven't tried it yet.

Did you order anything else?
I suggest, if nothing else, claying the car.
It's new. Get any early contaminants caused by the shipping process off before you seal anything.

Being in MA, I'm dealing with the most horrible weather right now, but there's supposed to be a one day break on Saturday, which is going to be my Wash-Clay-Wash-Polish-Seal day.
I need to buff out my swirl, but I'll need a good amount of sunlight to determine if the problem is resolved.
Only then will I get my Zaino on there.
If I zaino first, it'll hide the swirl and not repair it.

davehelm

I ordered the triplets package which includes the Z-AIO the Z-CS and the Z-8 I also added the Z-5 and Z-7 car wash. I plan on claying the car with some clay I already had.

Last night after doing more reading on the Zaino's site I ordered the Z-2, because I'm not sure I need Z-5 on my new car, and some Z-6. I have driven the G for about 1.5 months now and have not waxed it because I was concerned that the paint had not fully cured. I also ordered the leather in a bottle for my wife's car(don't want to mess that new car smell in the G up)

I plan on using the Dawn, Z-7/clay,AIO,Z-2,Z-6,Z-2. then CZ and finally Z-8.

What do you think of the above?

scottm123

You need to order some ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator
They recommend that at least the first coat of Z2 must contain the accelerator in order for it to properly cure and adhere.

From the instructions:
For your initial application, enable Z-2 PRO™ by mixing with ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator as directed by the instructions included with ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator. It is critical that you use ZFX Flash Cure Accelerator with Z-2 PRO™ for the initial application, or if multiple layers are to be applied within a 24 hour time period.

I ended up ordering the Ultimate kit, just to be sure I had the essentials on hand.
I would like to make a second order soon, for plastic cleaner and the Z-CS

The Leather in a Bottle smells just like leather!
I also have not used it yet.
I've had new cars before, but the smell of the new G is different, like no other new car I've owned.
It's probably highly toxic, but I love the smell !!!

And, my whole garage smells like new G, not just the interior.

davehelm

I'm not sure that has been updated to reflect the use of Z-cs but am checking with Zaino to find out.

From the Z-CS FAQ's
Is ZFX required with Z-CS?
No. You may use Z-CS as the bond or base coat to the paint prior to an initial application of Z-2 or Z-5 PRO. You will not need ZFX if you're using Z-CS unless you decide to use ZFX with Z-2 or Z-5 PRO to accelerate cure time for multiple successive coats of Z-2 or Z-5 PRO

scottm123

How bout that... good find!

davehelm

Final answer from Sal (in bold)

Question
I have a new car. I bought the triplets(AIO, CS and Z-8) but then also bought Z-2 ,Z-6 and then ZFX.

I think I’m confused; I don’t think your website recommendations have fully implemented the CS solution throughout the guides.

Your instructions for the initial application of Z-2 say it is critical to use ZFX. Is this true if I am going to topcoat it with Z-CS?

ZFX not necessary if you top Z-2 with Z-cs



How would you recommend I use these products together? I’m thinking dawn, Clay, AIO, CS, Z-2 w/o ZFX, CS, and Z-8.

Dawn

Clay
Rewash
AIO
Z-2
Z-CS
Z-8

(He added a rewash and removed an application of Z-CS.)

scottm123

Yes, you always need to rewash after a clay job.
I sorta do both at the same time.

Wash the whole car.
Use one bucket of strong wash/water solution for clay lube.
I also have another bucket with micro-fiber wash mitt ready, with wash/water solution.

I clay a section, and then grab my mitt and wash it down, then rinse.
I then move on to the next section.

Just saves a little time is all.

You can dawn to get the car down to the clearcoat, but after claying, I do suggest using their carwash, or any other PH-Balanced wash.
Dawn freaks me out, and I only use it when starting a new base.

cdnpinhead

devoted to Zaino. Has it gone away?

As I recall, the "take care of your car" portion of Edmunds had two surface finish categories -- the Zaino one & the everything but Zaino one.

The Zaino zealots were hard-core, and I dropped off the board, but it sounds like there are a few people here who might enjoy it, if it still exists.

pat

Nope! You are thinking of Zaino Car Polishes/Products--Your Experiences (Part 2) and Store Bought Waxes Part II (No Zaino Posts).

The search features on the left are our friends. :P