I just spent the holidays in Indiana (I live in Maryland) and I took my 2004 G35 Sedan. Since I only had the car for a little more than a month before the trip, it was quite an experience for us (wife, daughter, and myself). Here are a few things I learned.

1) I was really worried about the seat controls and leg pain issue, but I had no problem. I had a serious back surgery last November and I felt great after the 11-hour drive. I'm a large guy, but I watch my posture and I did not have any problems with leg pain or back pain.

2) The front passenger seat is nowhere near as comfortable as the driver's seat. It was the first time I had ever sat in the passenger seat (and probably the last) and I could not get comfortable at all.

3) The G loves the mountains!!! The roads were clear and the G and I had a love affair with the curves. My wife is still unhappy (I was well within responsible speeds since they were both in the vehicle). I just truly enjoyed the way it dove in and out of the corners. I'm sure that '04 TL did not like getting smoked though!

4) This is best vehicle I have ever had the pleasure of owning. Any lingering doubts about my decision were erased with this trip.

Just thought I would share a little about the drive. I averaged about 20 mpg most of the trip (of little consequence). I enjoyed showing my dad my new baby and giving him a taste of fine Japanese engineering (he is a devout GM man!).

 

I have had my G35 for less than a month. Still feeling it out. Wish I had the luxury of time to take a long trip such as yours. Short trips around town is not a great way to get to know a car.
I have a few things I have experienced with my car that I would like to present here for feedback:
1) I keep the tire pressure @ 30 as the manual suggested. Every cold morning, the low tire pressure warning goes off. This can be very annoying. I called the dealer & they suggested I raise the pressure to 32psi. This stopped the warning, but with the stiffer springs (aero/performance package), the ride suffers at the higher pressure. What IS the correct pressure? I live in So Cal, so snow is not common.

2) Is there any way to modify the shift process when using the manual gate? I would rather have the computer handle the shift from 1st to 2nd then pass control to the driver for the rest of the gears. Having driven manual cars all my life, I prefer the gate shifting method but always seem to be late on that first shift. I know this sounds silly, but anything is possible with computer modules.
I really do love my car & hope to become better aquanted with it in a few weeks.
Any feedback is more than welcome,
GB

 

Great posts. I am waiting to head out to the mountains. I probably will take one day off and head out the W.Va / Skyline area (I live in MD) just to play with the curves !!

Geezer, I agree on the shifting. I tend to leave it auto for accelarating hard from a stop - the auto seems to do a good job. On the other hand, when making say a left when I want to accelarate in 2'nd, I move the manumatic to second. That allows the auto to do the 1-2 shift, leaving the rest to me.

 

Where I am in NJ there's plenty of hills and curves. I'm still feeling out what I can do with this car and it hasn't let me down yet. My favorite is an S curve that I hit everyday to and from work. : )) 600 more miles to go for the break in period.

04 G35x/Brilliant Silver/Graphite/Premium/Wood trim

 

Xman-

How do you like the X? You have the #1 ride on my short list. The Volvo S60R is still in contention but the Nissans, A4's, TL, and 3 series have been eliminated. I'm still looking for performance numbers; How does it compare to the 6MT and 5AT? Can't find any posted numbers...

 

I love this car!!!

That being said, the subject of performance vs the RWD 5at and 6mt has been lightly debated here. I'm sure someone will test one on a dyno and track for numbers soon. What I can tell you is that based on specs the G35x is 300 lbs heavier than the RWD 5at sedan due to the drive system. There was a thread somewhere here about every 100lbs adding .1 sec to 0-60 or 1/4 time (?).

I test drove the RWD 5at before I ordered my X. Now that I've driven the car for about a month, my impression is that there is no big difference in acceleration or handling. There's my 2 cents.

Have you test driven one yet?

 

Bigred-

Glad that you had such a nice drive. I know that I love the long drives in my G. As a matter of fact when I travel with my brothers we fight about who gets to drive....not a problem in the past. The G really is a pleasue to drive. There is no fighting with the car because it really does exactly what you tell it to do.

 

I just got back from my trip to orlando, and I live in Kentucky. So, there are plenty curves and mountains. Especially when I took I-40 west from Columbia,SC to Ashville,NC. It was the most pleasurable trip I've ever had. The car is great in handling and performance. The auto did a really good job. My inlaws like the ride too. they didn't feel the curves et al. My wife seems to be jealous cuz she got 2002 maxima. Now, the car has 6300 miles on it. Great car.

Nothing Turns You On More Than The "hotGspot"

 

I know exactly what you mean. The day after I returned, I had to get into the wife's Explorer and go pick up the dog (110 pound Doberman!). That thing felt like a giant box on skis. The hardest part was the brakes. The G's brakes are so smooth, but I felt like I had to mash the Explorer's to get it to react. Of course, my wife is just the opposite. She complains about how touchy everything is in my car. I call that responsiveness!!!

Take care

BigRed

 

These brakes are the best I've ever had, they took some getting used to, still from time to time find myself pushing too hard, after 2.5 months, LOL! And, yes, this entire car is "responsive", LOL, too bad it doesn't have a "flying stone" warning light, we could probably avoid them too!


Brilliant Silver/Graphite '04 Sedan/5AT

 

Just got my latest issue of Motor Trend and they tested a G35X. 0-60 was 6.5 second(compared to 6.2 seconds for the rear wheel drive). Slalom times were comparable despite the G35X having all weather(less performance oriented)tires. Sounds like good numbers despite being 308 lbs heavier.
George