I took my car back to the Chevy/Nissan dealer where I got my used G35 from because they told me the car hadn't been wrecked, but the rear bumper didn't match the paint of the rest of the car. I could only notice this in direct low horizon sunlight. They offered to repaint it to my liking and they gave me an 05 Legacy Outback wagon rental to drive. Overall it's a nice car and much nicer than my wife's 98 Legacy GT wagon. I thought my wife's GT was slow, this thing (250lbs heavier, same 165hp motor/tranny) is a complete dog. However, it does have a manual shift mode. To my amazement, the tranny shifts the instant you select the next gear, regardless if you're at part-throttle or WOT. There's no delay, ever. It also downshifts to the appropiate gear when slowing down or coming to a stop. My 03 G35's manumatic has a mind of it's own when you're at WOT and you have to shift at 6000rpms to catch a 6500rpm shift. It's sad that my sport/luxury sedan doesn't have the same shift capabilities as a $24K station wagon

I think an 05 Legacy GT (250hp turbo) wagon will be in my wife's future. The interior is really nice, the car is put together really well, and the ride is very quiet and smooth.

 

You have the old software. The 04 sedan has the instant manumatic you experienced in the Legacy GT (Just like the G35 coupe).

 

I think you definitely should investigate the miss-match of paint rather than just letting them to repaint the bumper. It could have very well been in an accident before

 

People with 5AT's and Gordon's wires are not having this issue. ;-)

 

Shifting is greatly improved with Gordon's GroundGear system, but the 2003's
still don't act like the 2004 and 2005 models. The 2003 always starts
out in fourth gear, does not downshift at a stop and does not hold the
selected gear. The 2005 I had a a loner the other day was GREAT! I think I am sold on the 2005s

 

I'm sure it was in some sort of accident because the paint doesn't match. I looked under the car and see no evidence of body work, new undercoating, etc. Bumper damage seems to be an all too common occurance with cars.

 

Even at WOT? My MM is pretty quick to respond at part-throttle, but at WOT it's a joke. I'm always reading about G owners, regardless of year, having to shift early in order to keep from hitting the rev limiter. Even if I don't tap the rev limiter on the shift in MM, more times than not the torque management system kicks in and slows the entry into the gear. The car seems to shift far better by itself. I'll probably try and convince my dealer to give me the updated TCM program, however a friend of mine was told it was $100 to do this to his 03 G35 which is BS.

 

You're right dave. There is a delay in all of the Gs. I was referring to him implying that his G does not downshift when coming to a stop. His G is a 2003 and they had a different TCU that was more of a gear limiter than a true manumatic. Mine manumatic does have a slight delay but I can usually self adjust for it. The coupe never had an upgrade to its TCU and since I have a 2004.5, mine isn't even upgradeable. I don't even think Technosquare has cracked it yet.

 

My 05 shifts when I shift. It doesn't have "lag" like my Maxima did. And, to make things better, the rev matching on the downshifts is an awesoem feature.

 

So true...Gord's 10-wire GG system just about eliminates the MM upshift delay!

...and btw - yes, the '04.5 and higher 5AT's MM mode now works correctly, like all the other Infiniti's MM. It automatically downshifts for you (if you don't) all the way down to 1st gear when going to a stop, so you always start out in MM from 1st gear. This is how it should act; not like that crazy 5AT Sedan's TCU prior to '04.5 which stayed in whichever gear you left it in and didn't go into MM until you hit that gear, whether it's 1st or 4th or 5th...just stupid. I feel bad for those who are stuck driving their cars with that crazy MM mode...if they forget to downshift all the way to 1st gear, they're basically in Auto until they hit that higher MM mode gear. What were those Infiniti engineers thinking on that one before they made it work like it should beginning in '04.5?

 

Why is it sad that Subaru (may) have a better manu-matic than the Infiniti? Subaru has been a elite rally car performer, and top notch AWD manufacturer for decades. They may not have the "bling-bling" that Infiniti, BMW, Acura, Audi, ect. do, but their cars are well engineered.

Frankly, if I were in the market for an AWD car/small suv, Subaru is about the only make I would consider. Sorry G-35x drivers, but I would have saved the dough and purchased either a Legacy sedan or an Outback. Just my opinion.

 

You know what's funny? The Legacy 2.5 turbos with the 5 speed autos use the same exact JATCO 5 speed auto as the G/M/Q does. The tranny in the NA 2.5s is a Subaru-built 4 speed auto.

I too will consider a 05+ Legacy GT wagon for my 98 Legacy GT replacement. It's a much nicer car than the 98. The interior fit and finish is top notch and Toyota-like. My biggest gripe is the driving position. It doesn't work well for a guy my size (6' 2" 185lbs). The orientation of the pedals-steering wheel-shifter-seat-armrest is all wrong for me to get truely comfortable. There's no way I'd be happy driving this car day in and day out. One the highway and with the cruise control on, I can get comfortable because my feet don't have to be on the pedals all the time, otherwise the postion I have to put my right foot at is taxing on my ankle and hip. I've got the seat all the way back too!!! It would be a great car for my wife though.

 

ive test driven the 05 legacy GT in both 5MT and 5AT, i find the response on the 5AT even worst then the 2003 G35 that i have. especially when there is boost kicking in, the car usually just go all the way up into redline once u have boost past 3500 RPM no matter when u shift.

 

I 2nd that motion...I thought that G's shifting was a lot more "on-point" and didn't hesitate like the GT's....plus, ouch the pain of getting in and out of the Legacy, but that's a whole another thread on that subject...

 

Dave, I might be able to explain your paint mismatch in two different ways. 1) Repainted by the Dealer when it came in on trade. This is totally normal as many cars come in with minor "parking" type scratches that become a selling issue down the road and will have to be done anyway. We used to have a guy come in twice a week to do ours at a cost of about $140 per bumper. Occasionally when one got done there would be a mismatch and we would have it done over to keep everybody happy. Actually, there should be a record of this being done (if they did it) on your car's R.O. (repair order) when it came in unless they bought it at a "closed" Nissan/Infiniti auction (lease returns). In that case, it would have been done by N/I and would be warranty issue . 2) The second thing is to check is something that I've noticed on many occasion, especially on Pearl White cars. Take a walk in your local Inf. Dealer's new car lot on a bright/sunny day. Take note of where the bumper butts up against the fender on the sunny side. There's a difference most of the time. I guess it's because of the different paint used for the flexible vs. metal surfaces You can also run a "carfax" which would show a history of any reported accident. In most states a dealer must tell you of ANY bodywork that was in excess of $500. Hope this helps JBX