After months of reading magazines & online reviews on the G35, I finally decided it was time to see what all the hype was about. Here are my impressions from my first test drives. (This is long, so grab a drink and pull up a comfortable chair).</p>



THE DEALER

I visited my local Infiniti dealer – Scott Infiniti in Lighthouse Point, South Florida. Other than greeting me when I entered, no one really paid any attention to me for about 20 minutes as I inspected every inch of the G35 floor model. It was Brilliant Silver w/ willow leather and premium package. The floor model also had a roof-mounted DVD player for rear seat passengers.</p>



Finally I went up and asked for assistance from a sales person. I was teamed up with Jimmy V. who ended up being very helpful and pleasant to deal with. After a few minutes of small talk, it was time for a test drive. I asked if they had any 6MTs available, and fortunately there was one on the lot. Off we went for a drive.</p>



NOTE: Scott Infiniti must have 50-70 G35s currently on the lot in every color all with and without spoilers, aerodynamic body kits & sunroofs. Contact them if seeking a G.</p>



COLORS: Before seeing all the available colors in person, my favorites where Silver, Platinum & White.

The color that least impressed me: Garnet Fire – turned to rust as darkness fell.

The color that most surprised me: Caribbean Blue – it looks awesome! Just don’t know if I’m brave enough to buy it.

The color that didn’t do much for me: Emerald Green. It looks real nice, but it didn’t scream buy me!

By 7pm, Silver & Platinum looked almost identical. It was hard to tell the difference in low light.

White looked great in all lighting conditions.

Black is black. Nice color, but a pain to keep clean and looking good at all times.</p>



CAR #1
Garnet Fire 6MT with Graphite interior, Sport Package, Sunroof, Premium Package & Rear Spoiler.</p>



SEATS: (3.5/5)

Just OK. I’m 6’3” tall, and it’s almost impossible for me to find seats that really fit my long torso. So far the tallest seats I’ve sat in are found in Volvos. Headrests on Volvo seats protect my entire head. Almost all other car seat headrests stop somewhere right in the middle. The car whose seats have the best range in terms of up/down, forward/back, angles etc. are found in 3 series BMWs. I never fail to find the perfect seating position when testing out BMWs.</p>



INTERIOR (4/5)

I expected a bit more luxury from a car that can cost $38,000 when fully loaded. The interior wasn’t bad, it just didn’t blow me away. There wasn’t much more opulence than can be found in a loaded Accord or TL. My boss drives a new Lexus ES300, and when I sit in his car I fell like I am riding in luxury. I didn’t quite get the same feeling in the G35. Gadgets such as DVD, GPS, dual climate etc. are lost on me because I always prefer cars that are true driving machines. Give me a sweet engine, manual transmission, excellent chassis and a well laid out dash & gauge package and I’m happy. But at the same time give me a supple leather interior and really nice seats.</p>



DRIVING EXPERIENCE (5/5)

The G is a true driving machine. The dealer drove first and immediately took the car up to about 70 and then rode the brakes. Boy did it stop smoothly and in a really short distance. It was now my turn. Having read numerous posts with complaints about the clutch being too tight, I expected the same. I was happily proven wrong. I found the clutch to be very smooth and easy to press. The gears shifted smoothly. I certainly got great sounding feedback from the engine & exhaust with the 6MT. I also read several posts with complaints about the Sport Package being too harsh. I found the car to handle very comfortably and smooth even when going over some fairly uneven roads.</p>



EXTERIOR (5/5)

After my drive, I took a long look at the car. Initially I though that I was sold on the idea of a rear spoiler. Having a chance to view Gs side-by-side, one w/ spoiler and one w/out I found that I actually like the clean lines w/out the spoiler. Then I looked at a car w/ Aerodynamic Body Kit next to one without. I love the look of the G w/ the Body Kit, but is it worth an extra $2,400? I’m not convinced just yet. Need to think this over a bit longer.</p>



CAR #2

Brilliant Silver (Auto Transmission) with Willow interior, Sport Package, Sunroof & Premium Package.</p>



INTERIOR (4/5)

With the 6MT, the armrest was much smaller and out of the way. On the automatic model the armrest is between the two front seats and is a bit large. Yes, the larger armrest can accommodate a lot more stuff, but it got in my way when using the manual shift mode. Another advantage with the 6MT interior – a real hand brake. The G35 with automatic has a foot operated parking break. As someone who always uses a parking break, I find the hand lever to be user-friendly.</p>



DRIVING EXPERIENCE (4/5)

The G35 with the automatic was not nearly as enjoyable or exciting as the 6MT. I found the automatic to be too slow to shift gears. Maybe it’s the adaptive learning system that needed time to reprogram for more spirited driving. In manual mode, I actually found it to be more work than using a true manual. I personally think the 6MT is the best option for this car.</p>



RECOMMENDATIONS:

Dear Infiniti, please make the following changes to the G35:
More upscale interior – Better wood; Real titanium/aluminum center console; Higher seat backs; Better range on the seats allowing really tall drivers to find a comfortable position while still being able to enjoy the sunroof; Replace the prop rood under the hood with hydraulic lifts – come on, this is almost a 40K car!</p>



CONCLUSION:

The G35 is a well-build, good looking, great handling car with lots of power, good poise and a great entry-level price. It just needs a bit more improvements in the interior’s functionality and luxury – after all we’re talking about an Infiniti. Few cars out there can touch the G35, especially at the base model price, but by the time options are added and the car’s price approaches $40,000, I expect a bit more. At 40k, there’s a lot of competition (Audi A4 3.0, BMW 330, Lexus ES 300, etc.) I personally wouldn’t mind paying 2-4k more for the base model if it included my recommendations for improvements.</p>



Will I buy the G? It’s still at the top of my list. I just need to return to the dealer for another test drive & then sit and then make the difficult decisions - What color? Packages? Spoiler or no Spoiler? Aero Body or no Aero Body?</p>