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Infiniti G35 Sedan 2006 and earlier
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Comments
Owners & test drivers of G35 will hopefully post here what they're seeing on tach at 65 mph, 70 mph, 75, 80, and 85 mph. And the actual highway mileage they experience. While the purported EPA estimate has me wondering why it might only get 24 or 25 mpg on highway, thought some posters here had indicated decently low RPMs at highway speeds such that slightly higher real world highway fuel economy is achievable. (My 540i 6-speed turns over about 2,100 RPMs at 74 mph. She gets about 23.5-25.5 mpg on highway cruising. My wife's 323iA turns over about 2,600 RPMs at 74 mph and gets about 26-28 mpg on highway cruising.)
OTOH, my current car has an AMAZING turning radius, so I may have a skewed frame of reference...
For comparison:
BMW 5 series: 37.1
A4: 36.4
A6: 38.3
I35: 40
TL-S: 39.7 (How come the press don't point this out but pick on the I35?)
Well, that engine makes 200hp right? SOmething like that. When you use a high to displacemtn to make low amounts of power, it uses less gas. When you have a smaller engine tuned for more power, it uses more gas and thus one reason why the GM's hwy fuel economy is so good.
GM 3.8 V6 - 200hp (i believe) or 210
VQ 3.5 V6 - 260hp and 260lbs torque
in the Z, we may see this
VQ 3,5 V6 - 280-300hp and 260 ft lbs torque.
Also, I'm curious on allocations to various dealers. Just looking at the Grubbs Infiniti site, it looks like they are getting G35's in only 3 different trim levels. Allocation for each trim level is 27 cars (total of 71 cars in the initial allocation). Seems like a lot of cars for the first shot. I've heard a similar story from Roswell Infiniti here in Atl. They claim to be the highest volume Infiniti dealer in the country. Just wondering if allocations are the same for each dealer or is it decided by sales volume. The latter would make more sense.
baron.........., do you know if the traction control can be turned off completely?
7 more days
<http://biz.yahoo.com/fo/020304/0304flint_2.html>
BTW, I guess you own a Beech Baron, don't you?
But getting back to the rear seats not folding, I also would like to be able to transport my mountain bike. Since they don't fold down, I just hope the bike will be able to fit in the relatively larger 14.5 cu.ft trunk.
Just go to - http://www.thestar.com/news - and do a search for "Infiniti G35"
-juice
That's a suprise - he liked the G35's ride better than the Q45's!
"While Infiniti hopes BMW and Mercedes buyers will be drawn to the G35, on - going brand prejudice will probably mean that the Lexus IS 300 and Acura 3.2TL will be the G35's main competitors. As good as the Acura is, it probably stacks up closer to Infiniti's own front drive I35.
Which leaves the Lexus. With the possible exception of ultimate handling sharpness, the G35 clobbers the IS 300 , in power,space,features,interior trim quality and price.
I can't see Infiniti having any troubles turning the G35 into a major success."
I guess those soon to be full page adds in the Toronto Star can work wonders.
As far as G35/BMW, did I read you correctly that the G35 has more interior room than a 5 series?
I really don't follow BMW to closely however are your sure you didn't mean the 3 series?
Someone told me the new 5 series was much larger.
I'm not too crazy about the new 2002 Q45 design. It's too large! The original design of the Q45 is much nicer and very comtemporary looking. Too bad Lexus killed Infiniti Q45 back in the early 90's.
I saw a list where the EPA (IIRC) put the Ford Focus wagon in a size class above the 5 series wagon, FWIW.
-juice
I have driven the BMW 540I sport and was amazed. At $56,000 it should be.
BMW makes nice and good cars, but they are marketing gurus..They have done a great job.
I for one hope this new G ship takes them to the cleaners.
Bob
Unfortunately, I think market demand is winning out over engineering excellence. I read in a car mag (can't remember which one - C&D or R&T) that BMW is considering dropping the inline 6 in favor of a V6.
Mainly because BMW is finding it hard to meet space requirements against competitors smiliar V6-equipped products, and also difficulties with meeting crash requirements - since those inline 6 are so long, they are more likely to be damaged in a gead on collision compared to a V6 placed well back in the engine bay. IIRC, Car and Driver did a longterm test of a 328i (E46 model), where they were involved in a collision in the winter and the car slid into a fallen tree trunk or something. Total repair bill was more than $20k - more than 2/3 the price of the car - YIKES!!!
Bob
It's odd to see a car with such a long wheelbase and so little rear leg room (3 series).
-juice
-juice
Who knows, may be both will have the AWD option, not just the Infiniti. Heck, if Lexus can get away by selling a glorified Camry as a Lexus ES, I am sure there are plenty customers willing to do the same with the I35/Maxima. Afterall, the I35 has been the best-selling model that last couple of years. Nissan won't kill off the I35.
Hard to say. Nissan may have too much overlap, all 4 of these sedans will be about the same size. They're going to have some cannibalized sales.
-juice
Under his helm, we have already seen changes. Now, if only their advertisements could have more charisma, but not to become too weird.
I never replaced my Infiniti pads in 46,000 miles and five and a half years of driving. Maybe I don't use my brakes enough. I have noticed that my cars always seem to have a shortened front end. Maybe I should stop driving by braille.
The reason for the proliferation of V-6 is their compact nature and easy transverse installation for FWD. Inline sixes are the smoothest engine going with perfect primary and secondary balance. V-6s have a "rocking couple" and dynamically not well balanced, hence the need for balance shafts. But of all V-6s, the VQ is the smoooothest and best one going although Toyota, Audi and VWs have some pretty smooth V-6 powerplants. It is so well balanced, that when having fun, I use the rev limiter for shift points.
And I agree that the G will not likely pull in BMW and Mercedes buyers. Or people who must buy America. But people moving up from Honda, Toyota,and Mazda, etc. will look.
And Edmunds needs to update their comparison pages to include the G. They still show the I35 as a comparison to the BMW.
The G35 won virtually every category, and interior and trunk dimensions are of the G35, are all bigger than the 330i and 530i BMWs, except front shoulder room by .4 inches.
If you would like this Excel sheet, in either metric or US measure, feel free to e-mail me at: rparkins@infotel-systems.com. I also have some pictures from various sources, and seveal mag articles in .pdf format.
But I would question why you would put the Camry in that list. I drive a Camry right now, and the car is no where near the market segment the G35 is going after. And no, my Camry does not speak to me in a "sweet" voice - in fact, it has no soul - as exciting as watching paint dry. But my next car WILL be more exciting.
I test drove the G35 last Thursday and bought it the next day (delivery in 2 weeks). There was no dickering, it was MSRP or nothing, but they did give me a break on the price of an aftermarket spoiler when one becomes available (I didn't want the Aero Package because it comes with the sport suspension and the regular suspension is already like most other sport suspensions I've tried).
Even without the sport package, this car has virtually NO body lean in the fast curves. Torque is amazing, and the automatic is VERY responsive. I've been driving a stick all my life and I'd swear that the automatic shifts in a more sporty fashion than I can. If a manual were available, I'd still buy it, but I don't think that I'm going to miss it.
The Edmunds article really hits the mark with my impressions of the car. The interior is, uh, "ok", but pales to an Audi or a Lexus. I liken it more to a Celica with leather and a half-hearted dash of wood trim. Controls are logically placed and accessible, with LOTS of nooks and crannies for stashing things away. The seats are comfortable, but you can't raise/lower the passenger seat, which bugs my 5'2" wife. However, for my 5'10" frame, I felt a little high, even with the driver's seat fully lowered. No problem with head room though, tons of it.
The car comes with a bit more than the standard array of luxury amenities, but without as much attention to the little details like an Audi. However, all the stuff that I was interested in (and then some) was present and accounted for.
The stereo is good, but not quite what I expected for a Bose. Dual-zone climate control does appear to be "set it and forget it", a real plus. The Infiniti signature clock is poorly lit and hard to read at night. All other controls (including window controls) are lit, and the front looks like an amber airplane cockpit at night. The amber colour is not bad, and certainly not hard to read in the daytime as some articles have suggested. All the same, I'd prefer a different colour. The glove compartment is also a bit small. Cup holders look good and are in great locations, didn't get a chance to try them though.
One thing that surprised me was that the rear leg room was not as voluminous as the spec sheet would suggest. I've tested a number of cars by adjusting the driver's seat to where I want it and then sitting right behind it to check out the knee room. I measured a clearance of only about 1/2" from my knee to the back of the seat (with the rear seat in the non-recline position). This is on a par with the new Audi A4. I was expecting something in the order of at least 2 inches of clearance. Not really an issue for my family, but worth checking out if you have any 6+ footers in the family. Don't worry about head room in the back though, there's tons of it.
Now for performance all I can say is, "Wow!" You really feel the torque in this car. It will actually take some effort to do a simple family drive since the car really wants to "go". Cornering is effortless, with almost no body roll, even with the regular suspension. The VDC cuts in VERY fast, and saved me a couple of times in the test drive. We had a recent snowfall and I was able to see what the car would be like on snowy roads. With the fast acting traction control and VDC, the car handled quite admirably. With all that power, the traction control was often kicking in to cut wheel spin, but there was no fear of losing control. I'd recommend snow tires if you're in a hilly area. Your traction control will also have to work a lot less if you get them (giving you a smoother run since engine power won't be cutting in and out so much).
You can always turn off the VDC/traction control on those dry days for more fun. It's not really off, just lowered in sensitivity to only attempt to bail you out when you REALLY lose control. My take on the VDC is that it's VERY impressive. Expect more frequent brake jobs if you live in a winter climate though.
The exterior mirrors are NOT auto-dimming, but from what I've read, that's a good thing. I've read a number of complaints about exterior auto-dimming mirrors making it hard to determine how far a vehicle is away from you.
It does not appear that the Xenon headlights are self-levelling. They really do light up the area though. The halogens come on for high beams and are angled more upward, adding a yellow tinge to the blue light. Excellent range. Plan on still using high beams since the Xenons have a very sharp cutoff point.
Trunk space is ok, technically better than an Audi A4, but not by much, and the seats don't fold. You could get a couple of sets of golf clubs in there with a medium-sized suitcase and some "corner stuffers". I understand that there are also a couple of little storage hideaways under the floor cover (didn't check them out). Don't get this car if cargo is a regular concern for you.
Hurray! You get a full-size spare tire!
Styling is excellent. There's not a profile that I don't like. My 14-year old son's eyes popped out when he saw the car, even without the spoiler (his eyes were pushed to the back of his head when I gunned the accelerator).
If your wife wants to feel like a queen when getting into the family car, this is not the car for you (not without some serious customizing of interior trim). However, if you want a 4-door sports car with a small touch of class and a good bit of sex appeal, then this is the car for you. Personally, I have lots of other occasions where I can treat my wife like the queen she is to me.
I am assuming that all US dealers will have G35s to drive next Monday the 11th. Seems to be the concensus as to the first date of availability. Has anyone heard of anything different?
I had a chance to sit in one of the pre-production car and thought the rear leg room was quite good. Because of the large "hump" in the middle, the foot well is smaller than the FWD I35 though.
It would be nice though if that were the case!