The AT on the Coupe is very quirky due to the computer control. An AT Coupe that has been broken in per Infiniti's instructions absolutely will not accelerate. You mash the pedal and there's nothing there. I had to reset my car several times in order to clear that out. Now that I drive more aggressively (and usually in "manumatic" mode), I have the opposite problem: on several occassions my AT has downshifted on me with just gentle pressure on the pedal. This can be a bit frightening, especially if you're just trying to close the gap in congested traffic and the engine suddenly roars to life. I think that may be what some of the people who think the AT is faster are experiencing. Because of that quirk, the AT seems more exciting and (literally) out of control, but the only reason it's faster is because you probably wouldn't bother downshifting in the MT if you only want a small amount of acceleration. Obviously, the taller gearing and drivetrain loss have the usual effect when both cars are driven full out.

And the manumatic isn't slow once the computer is properly tuned, it just takes a mental adjustment. You have to think of that tap on the stick as initiating the entire shift process (i.e. first taking it out of gear) rather than putting it directly into the new gear. The other thing to remember is that you can leave the pedal to the floor while doing this without harming the clutch, unlike the MT. I think you need to aggressively powershift the MT in order to shift noticeably faster than the MM. You're just used to different sounds with the MT, and you're too busy moving your hands and feet to appreciate the delay, whereas with the MM you're tapping and waiting for it to do the rest.

-Jack
Obsidian '03 G35 Sports Coupe
Titanium '03 MX-5 Shinsen #532

 

I am very happy and impressed with how the AT works on this car. My car has 5500 mi. on it and I have never done an ECU reset. The car has great power and shifts great, always seeming to be in the right gear. As a matter of fact, the AT in this car is the first automatic that I have had that isn't eager to upshift. It seems to stay in gear precisely the right amount of time.
My prior car was a a BMW 540 (V8) and I feel my G coupe AT is just as fast. The guy who said the G feels like a 4 banger must have driven a car with a problem or he is just trying trash the G.
The debate about MT vs. AT on this board seems never ending. As has been pointed out numerous times, there is very little difference in quarter miles times, etc. between the two. For street driving the difference is of no consequence. It really comes down to personal preference.

 

Right, I had abosultely no interest in starting up another AT vs. MT thread, I simply wanted to know if anyone else out there felt the same way I do about the 6 speed (see my original post).

 

>uheenada (Newbie)
>10/09/03 06:08 PM

>... and AT g35 will murder 95 grand am anyday...

Well, duhhh! All I said was it was quicker OFF THE LINE (from a dead stop) than the 5AT I test drove, no matter which setting (D or manumatic) I was using; after about the first second or two, the G35 5AT would be showing my old Grand Am its tail lights.

2004 6MT (Silver/Willow), premium & aero packages

My old ride (I still miss her; put a lot of pride and joy into it): http://www.n-body.net/registry/john95ga/

 

So whats the point? Old VW Beeltes used to beat 427 Corvettes off the line in the 1960's. It doesn't mean a thing!

 

well i bet g35 will be FASTER FROM THE DEAD STOP than grand am... i believe g35coupe got zero lift thingy which front of the car won't lift don't matter how hard you smash the pedal... which you might feel as slow off the line... while grand am, if you smash little bit, it will lift front up so high that you will go like WOW WHAT A MASSIVE TORQUE!! and only cars that i get scared of are AWD from the dead start(exculding high level sports cars)

 

I like my G35c 6mt very much, b/b 6mt love it auto is good but not for me.