To start off, I'm considering buying an 07 G35. I currently have an 05 Corvette convertible and a 2000 Chrysler 300M. Both great cars but it's time to get rid of the 300M. So, my options at this point are the new G35 and potentially the new 08 Cadillac CTS.

When I got in the G35 my immidiate impression was, wow, this car is solid. The inside is very nice and the seats are extremely comfortable. There were no noises whatsoever in the interior so again, very impressed. The layout is nice but the touch screen nav was a bit far away and I'm not crazy about the dial in front of it. The buttons just seem far away, although it does look cool. The steering wheel is tiny, I drove a top of the line with the manumatic and paddle shifts.

When I pulled out of the dealer I was shocked with how strong the engine pulled but was sort of shocked with how non linear the engagement was. I felt like I was slamming the gas on without really touching the gas pedal. My surprise comes from the fact that my Vette with 400 HP is very easy to drive without gunning it but when you want the power it's there. The G35 on the other hand felt like you had to restrain it. The engine, is very smooth, much better than the older models I've test driven. Handling was nice as well and the car has a very solid feel, again, I think it was more solid than the past model. The other thing that shocked me was it still rides stiffer than my Z51 Vette. Don't get me wrong, I really liked the car but was sort of surprised by how rough the ride was. I drove a BMW 3 series a while back and it felt smoother as well but I don't want a BMW.

I'm curious about what others thought about the new G35. Am I missing something with the abrupt acceleration and extra firm ride. Other than that I really liked the car.

 

I have not driven the new one but the older ones have always had a smooth ride IMO.

As for the abrupt acceleration I agree. The auto tranny loaners I have had in the past are touchy but you quickly get used to driving it. It may be the same way with your other cars but you have had them long enough to do the same.

 

Not to mention that the learning tranny has adjusted to everyone gunning the thing out of the dealer's lot so it wants to accelerate quickly. That can be reset after however.

 

masihman I have to agree...I own an '05 and it seems the same way. You just barely touch the gas and it seems like the car wants to scream up to 5k rpm. Doesn't feel like there is much difference between half throttle and stomping the pedal to the floor. I think Infiniti did this so they could keep the rpm's up on the engine to keep it in it's power band most of the time so it feels like it has more ***** than it actually does. The engine has absolutely no ***** at the low end...in fact off the line it won't even chirp the tires when floored and that's with traction control turned off! The 2nd to 3rd gear shift is also the most horrible feeling. If you're just cruising around town the shift from 2nd to 3rd in the 3k-4k rpm range makes you wonder if the driveshaft just hit the ground, and above that it's so hard it feels like you just got rear ended.

 

vdc off and on manumatic coming off a left hand turn about 3 mph roll...and then gunning the shiit out of it, my G spins the wheels with authority swinging the tail around...lots of fun...on the straights from a stop...it chirps only.

 

masihman,
Before I bought my G I test drove both the 2007 2.8 and 3.6 litre CTS's. Don't even bother with the 2.8 at all. The 3.6 had a nice feel (still not as powerful) but what upset me was the price for a prestty standard equipped car. The G35 even in its basic package had more features than the CTS. For me the only things better than the G were the GM warranty and the rear leg room is 3" more on the CTS.

 

Are you kidding if i turned off the traction control in my 03" g auto and stomped the gas I could light my tires up and my tires were still new. I don't know if i can do that with my new 07 because it only has 245 miles and i'm still breaking it.

 

Same issue with my 2005 as ronjeremy912. I have to be very careful how much pressure is put on the gas pedal from a start.

 

My '04 had plenty of low end power. I took many a young fool that thought the old guy in his "sedan" couldn't touch his coupe at a street light.

 

Yep, the ride of these cars is pretty firm with the Sport suspension. In 05, 18" rims became standard on the Sport package which further degraded the ride. From what I can tell, most 07s come with 18s standard now. When temps dip below 50 degrees, the ride gets even firmer. The extra firm ride of the Sport-equipped Gs has been a big complaint among the mags, but it does allow for some great handling. BMW is one of the few that can blend amazing handling with a good ride.......at least in the non-M cars. The M3s can be downright brutal.

The touchy gas pedal is another trait of the G35 autos and most later model Japanese cars. It's a throttle-by-wire issue and I believe it's done to make the car more responsive in the lower rpms. The 6MTs aren't as touchy which is nice, but I can't stand the throttle hang between the shifts. It's an emissions control that most throttle-by-wire cars employee now. At least the G/Zs throttle hang isn't as bad as most others.

 

With my G it depends on surface and temp. On the track, my G will barely chirp a tire with a 2,400rpm launch. On the street, in hot weather, and a launch off idle or ~2,000rpms, the car will barely chirp a tire. On the street in sub 80 degree weather I can get about 6 to 8 feet of rubber. In sub 50 degree weather, I can roast the tires so bad that I have to feather the throttle through most of 1st.

I find no issues with the lowend power of this car. I find it to be quite healthy and this is coming from a guy that use to own a lower 13-second Z28.

 

Yea and if I drive through an oil slick the car will spin the rear wheels too. Comeon guys.

 

I'm sorry you're G is a dog.

As I was coming home tonight (lower 40s, dry) and left my G in 1st on the entrance ramp and punched it at about 15mph, spun the tires enough to induce the slip light with a slight fish tail, and then a chirp into 2nd. It's far from the first time it's done this either.

Like I said before, it's all dependant on surface and temp.

 

Yeah, his G is a dog. After reading this last night I turned off the vdc this morning and stomped it from a light. It kicked sideways spun for a bit then hooked up and broke loose again at about 5k. This was on warm 245/40/18's

 

i have yet to drive the 07 automatic, so i'm not sure how they improved/modified compared to the older models. But if you get the manual tranny, i feel they made a large improvement on smoothness in engagement. Get the manual iMO