psychephylax

Must have been my lucky day again...I was originally supposed to fly to MIA and go scuba diving but the tropical storm kind of ruined those plans. So, I decided to modify my reservation and go from Monday to Friday and rent at IAD.

Showed up at Hertz, and asked them for "something nice". After some negotiating I got the G35 with a 9$ a day upgrade charge. First one I got had something wrong with sat. radio, it only tuned a few stations, not all of them. Went back, swapped it out for higher mileage one (~6800k) but with working sat radio.

Infiniti G35 Homepage -
Sedan - http://www.infiniti.com/content/0,,c...-12001,00.html
Couple - http://www.infiniti.com/content/0,,c...-12001,00.html

Some basic stats:
3.5-liter 24-valve V6
280 hp @ 6,200 RPM
270 lb-ft @ 4,800 RPM
Seating: 5
Booking Class: H

I had to drive over 300 miles, so this was a good endurance test. I came up with only one complaint. The driver's seat adjustment controls are in a weird/unique place on the right side of the seat by the center console. Because of this, that area of the seat is a bit harder than the rest of the seat which definitely started to hurt after a 5 hour drive. I was able to make this less annoying by taking the wallet out of my back pocket. Aside from that, I did not find anything else I did not like.

I'm not sure if they buy G35's with the convenience package, but mine did not come with one. So it lacked some of the things I expected, like auto headlights, bose stereo, dimming mirrors, dual climate controls...etc

The engine is the same one they use in the FX35 but I think the G35 has slightly better pickup for it weighs about 1200lb less than FX35. Because of the weight it's also a bit more fuel efficient. The gas tank has 20 gallon capacity. And I ran through about 38 gallons or so and the trip odometer is at about 915 miles. This equates to roughly to 24mpg. This car is definitely much more fuel efficient on the highway than in the city.

Driving this beast of a car is fun and I dare say...dangerous. I've caught myself way too many times looking down at the speedometer and seeing the arrow past the 85mph mark. One really has to excersize self control

Acceleration on this car is the best I've seen on any auto I've driven. Handling is very tight and sporty. Merging, passing and cornering are quite easy and fun. The suspension is good. The transmission is a 5 speed, manu-shift capable one. I found that this car loves hopping through gears if you drive with a heavy foot. Manual shifting solved that a bit. Turning radius is pretty tight. And the car is very maneuvarable.

The inside wasn't too shabby. Heated 2-stage leather seats, 4 way power adjustment on the driver side, 2 way power on the passenger side. A 12-v power outlet in the armrest for charging a cell phone. A number of cubby holes but the cup holders were in a bad position. They're between the gear shifter and the arm rest, so putting tall things forces you to move your arm somewhere else. The interior feels a bit snug, but in terms of leg room the Infiniti website says it's the same as FX (maybe lengthwise). One thing that annoyed me a bit was the lack of fuel economy and other maintenance statistics like tire pressure, miles to empty, oil life...etc I think those come in some of the packages. Trunk space was decent, it's no Towncar but it's no T-Bird either.

Overall, this was a sweet rig to drive. No major complaints whatsoever. Quality car to drive.

Tummy

I really like the 2005 G35, especially at the "bargain" price of the base model. The performance is similar to the BMW 330i, but at quite a bit less. Some of my initial gripes were fixed with the 05 refresh. Tilt/telescope steering wheel, backlit steering wheel audio / cruise controls, improved climate control usability, transmission rev matching...

Some things I still do not like...

VDC is too slow to react. Maybe it is not able to compensate for all the torque, but I've had the back end loose grip unexpectedly during quick maneuvers. Luckily there wasn't anyone nearby and I was able to regain control.

The rear seats still do not split/fold down. I think this is an Infiniti trend. The M35/45 is the same.

The base model does not have any way to display MPG, miles to empty, etc and that functionality only is available with the $2000 navigation package.

Sunroof not standard.

No bluetooth option.

Nissan's history of really poor crash test results. That might be changing though I'm still not convinced that these cars are much better.

SEA_Tigger

G35s are Class H, just like the Toyota Avalon and Kia Amanti.


I drove on SEA-PDX-SEA and I too found the seat controls inconvenient. Other than that, I pretty much agree with you. Nice machine.

RobotDoctor

I was going to post that but my connection locked up earlier. You bear me to it.

SpeedRicer

Had one last week at DFW, and I also agree. ^

IIRC, the seat controls are backward because the G35 was designed primarily for the Japanese market (aka the Nissan Skyline). Since the driver's seat was designed for the controls to be on the outside (for RHD in Japan), the controls are "backwards" for us in North America. This is the same reason why the stereo/HVAC knobs are also reversed in their placement.

Of course, I forget if the rental-spec sedans come with the best G35 feature of all, the crotch cushion for the driver...

flyupfrnt

The Sat. radio isnt working in this one either. Oh well.

There was a Kia Amanti in my spot, but i dont like Kia's so i negotiated the swap to a G35. $10 extra per day, works for me.

Junkie

RobotDoctor

Even with the seat controls where they are at, I like the G35 and will gladly take one anytime.

CApreppie

I think the G35 is a great car at a great price. The used market is particularly good since a lot were sold and Infiniti's don't hold their resale as well as other premium brands.

SpeedRicer

Nice review. ^

That's a fairly common complaint about the car -- the reason for that is because the car was primarily designed for the Japanese market (as the Nissan Skyline). Because of the right-hand-drive configuration, the driver's seat also has its controls on the right side, and the passenger's seat on the left -- which works for Japan since those sides are the respective outward sides. In the US-market car, these seats are reversed, so each ends up having their controls on the inner side of the seat, rather than the outer. And since the passenger seat has fewer controls than the driver's, it's much cheaper to "switch" the seats than to design another set of seats for the US market. If you look at some of the audio/HVAC controls (like the volume knob), they are also similarly "reversed" for the Japanese RHD driver. They don't call Nissan's CEO "Le Cost Killer" for nothing...

SpeedRicer

Infinitis (and some newer Nissans) as of late seem to have very good results, though all manufacturers nowadays are mostly putting out cars with high crash test scores (at least on the frontal tests):

http://www.hwysafety.org/vehicle_rat.../html/0307.htm

rebadc

This is my favorite car period.

I do like the air-conditioned seats on the lincoln LS but its a dog.

When I go to buy my choice will be from:

Audi A4
Infinity G-35
BMW 3 Series
Acura TL