I have been lurking here for a couple of weeks. My 5y/o son and I went to test drive the G35 coupe today and I was very impressed. I drove the 6MT and the 5AT. I will probably get the 5AT; I am tired of shifting in Tampa traffic. I am still deciding on color (IP/wheat,AB/wheat, Slate/wheat) but here is the breakdown I think I want:

5AT
Sport Tuned Suspension Pkg
Aero kit with spoiler (makes the car look much more aggressive)
Sunroof

I do not particularly want the Premium Pkg for the following reasons: I would probably never use the homelink or auto headlights. We have this on our Expedition and never use it.
The Base stereo sounds about as good as the Bose to my uncivilized ears. Dual zone climate control in a small coupe?! Certainly can do without that. we do use this function in our Expedition but that thing is cavernous inside.

The only 2 things I want from the Permium Pkg would be the sunroof and the auto dim rearview.

Just thought I would share and get your opinions. I will probably buy in August so I will continue to lurk and learn until then.

does the 05 AT kick as fast as the 6mt when you gun it?

The 5AT in the coupe is one of the best i have driven. Has good low end and shifts cleanly. In manumatic mode the upshifts are quick and sharp and the down shifts are almost exactly like a manual tranny(the rev matching feature helps alot here). Since I am getting a little too old for drag racing Mustangs stoplight to stoplight, the 5At has plenty of power for me.

Im only 22, but when I get my 06 G35 I want a manual, since I have never driven a Manual I wanna atleast say that I tried it.

You must realize the HP gain in the '05 compared to '03+ is only on the 6MT, if that is not an issue go for it and WELCOME to the G Family

Let your 5 y/o decide!!!! Goodluck!

Congrats on the soon to arrive G. L/Slate is nice, IP is another I'd buy in your climate.
Enjoy
C.

Lightforce,

Go for the manual. i'm 33 and have had roughly 12 cars. I seem to alternate between auto and stick every other car. I think I get tired of shifting and switch to auto and, by the time I am ready for another ride, I start to miss the shifting again.

By the way Lightforce, congrats on the ability to purchase a car of this caliber at your age.

Jimb05, what dealer are you planning on purchasing from? Lokey Infiniti in Clearwater will give you a GREAT deal (talking about $500 over invoice!) if you're a premier member of the Florida G35 Club. Check out this thread for more details and click on my sig to visit our club website.

All 3 colors are nice, although I have to say LS is the easiest to keep clean and a beautiful color. If you need pics of all 3 to help with your decision, let me know and I'll upload some.

While the 6MT may be a hair quicker, I've never read more posts about drivetrain noise and vibration, stubborn shifting, excessive noise from the clutch at high RPM, and grinding than I have about this 6MT. True, it's a directly linked transmission vice a cable linked unit, but damn.

I love the 5AT. I don't feel limited by it at all - to me it offers the best of both worlds. I'm not a drag racer or highway flyer, but I do use the manual mode about 60 percent of the time. It does everything I need. The upshifts have minimal lag, it holds gears like a manual (love third as I move thru traffic - very versatile) and the rev-matching downshifts are mega-cool.

I'm not ******* the 6MT or trying to start a pi$$ing contest - the guys who have them love them (or won't admit their disappointment). I read threads here everyday about how great the 6MT is and how it's faster and blah blah. Then I read two or three more about how the tranny sticks between the 1-2 shift, having to feather the clutch to make the tranny shift properly, how all the noise and vibes are 'normal' for a sports car. I don't think so. Do a search and read about problems with the manual, then read the posts about the problems with the 5AT.

You'll have a very hard time finding threads about problems with the 5AT. It's the same 5AT found in other cars pushing more torque so it's more than capable to handle the 280/270 our cars produce.

Again - understood about the guys who love to row their own - I'm over 40 and have owned my share of manuals. In this case I feel like I made the right choice. Nothing wrong with a 5AT that gets to 60 in around 6 seconds and thru the quarter at 14.5-ish right out of the box.

The 5AT is sweet. Go drive one and beat on it (just buy another car when you're done). You'll be digging it. If you're buying this car to outrun everything in sight and set records at the track you're looking at the wrong car.

The G (in any form) is a sweet, reasonably quick, comfortable high-speed cruiser. It's not a street car unless FI is in the equation.

Oh, and while they're rowing, you'll have your hand on your lady's leg..

The 04 sedan's 3.5-liter V6 is rated 260 horsepower at 6000 rpm, and 260 pounds-feet of torque at 4800 rpm.

The 04 coupe's engine is tuned for a little more power, 280 horsepower and 270 pounds-feet of torque.

The 05 5AT is rated at 280/270 vice 260/260 for the 04.

How do you figure the claimed ratings only apply to the 6MT?

Finiti35,

I am aware of the FGC-VPP at Lokey and I intend to purchase under this plan in August. I would lofe to see some high res pics of all three colors (unmodified if possible). Thanx in advance.

GeeWilikers,

I am going to buy the 5AT. It seems to be an excellent transmission and mates with the VQ engine very well.

Here are some pics of IP, LS, and AB for you to look at.

Finiti35,

Thanks for the pics. Damn all of them look great. I think i am currently drawn more towards the IP. It is just a classy color on a classy sporty car. AB is cool too. i haven't seen LB in person yet so I'll have to wait to form a real opinion.