I got my '04 AT sedan back in March and it is totally stock. I am writing this for any potential new G35 buyers out there who are trying to decide if they want this car. I am in no way sorry that I chose the G35.
First, the plusses:
Good looks: It didn't come from the same cookie factory that many other cars came from. The interior is not cluttered with a lot of useless bells and whistles. In fact, it's pretty simple and straightforward.
Comfort: I have spent hours in this car and never feel uncomfortable. Seats give good support on cornering and I really like the location of the adjusment switches. Heater, A/C, defroster, Audio all work great.
Service: My experience so far has been good (Harte Infinity-Hartford)
Performance: This is the tranistional gray area into the minus column. The engine sounds really sweet on acceleration. The car corners great, doesn't nose-dive on hard breaking, and gets good mileage (21/26 on 87 Octane) for the power, which is plenty for most people. In fact, I have to watch it on the highway since once it gets going, this car wants to take off.
This leads to the minuses:
Performance: The car accelerates excellently from a dead stop but if the transmission needs to downshift (to pass or shoot into a hole in traffic), there is a noticeable lag. I found this downright dangerous when stuck in Brooklyn traffic recently. I almost got rear-ended a couple of times while waiting for the power to kick in. Are there any opinions out there as to what might be the problem? (I don't think it's the driver but am open to the possibility)
Comfort:As nice as the engine sounds, I also get treated to a lot of road noise (possibly the Turanzas).
Finish: I see what some of you have said about the paintjob. I was surprised to notice for the first time that the coat on the hood seems thin in one area. you could say that it can't be that bad if I, a fairly observant person, took this long to notice it. You're right, but it's still there and I'll see if the dealer will do something about it.

In my opinion, if you want a drivers car that is also very practical, definitely consider this car. If you want a luxurious, soft-riding car with lots of WOW, look elsewhere.

Any thoughts on the downshifting issue would be greatly appreciated.

 

if u use 91 octane, the lag/bog might go away... the engine is ment to have a minimum of 89 for the autmatic tranny i believe. my 2005 requires 91 octane...

others more knowledgeable will weigh in i'm sure.

 

If you are running 87 octane, then you are probably loosing power. The engine has a knock sensor that automatically detunes the engine if you are running too low of an octane. It would also help to manually shift the car into a lower gear when you really need it. Most auto trannies are not designed for performance and want to hold onto a high gear for mpg's. I have the same problem with my wife's Maxima.

I've had my 05 6mt for a few months now and experienced most of the pro's and con's other G35 drivers have already noted. I have the creaks and rattles - mostly from the windows and the shifter boot trim. I plan on getting these addressed at the dealer at some point. The radio and climate controls are not that easy to use but you get used to it. The storage compartments are kind of funky IMO. There are several here and there but they are all small. I find it hard to find the right place to store my crap. Loose items bang around a lot and seem to make more noise than usual. The biggest negative for me has been the base radio. As I spend more time with it playing more of my music, I realize it sucks. It sounds good at times but really bad other times.

On the plus side, I feel like the transmission and clutch have broken in and it is easier to get smoother shifts. Some of that may be myself getting used to the tricky clutch but I think it's a little of both. I have not had any paint problems or any discomfort in the driving seat. The AC works great and cools the cabin in no time even when it's super hot. The biggest plus is that I never get tired of driving this thing. I get kind of bummed out when I get home from work because I want to keep driving.

 

Thanks for the input. I've got nothing to lose by boosting the octane on my next fill-up.
And, Jaw, you're assesments of the car are right. Especially the part about downshifting manually (I think). There are times when I miss the direct connection to the drive trane that a MT gives you. But, MAN this old left knee is happy when I'm in traffic and don't have to clutch!
Thanks again, guys

 

That's why they call the AT a slushbox. There will always be delay.

The 87 octane is fine. Don't let anyone tell you differently. Infiniti recommends higher octane, but they don't require it. Big difference. If you were truly losing power from running 87 octane, then your fuel economy would also suffer. Less power from the engine would require more fuel usage...

At the 21/26 MPG you've indicated, I don't think the 87 octane is causing any problems.

If you are constantly driving your engine hard, then I would recommend at least 89 octane. The ECU will pull timing and degrade power during aggressive power demands IF it senses knock. However, by the 21/26 MPG you've indicated, you can't be driving your car very hard. For normal driving, 87 octane is fine.

 

I don't agree with your logic. The G35 has a compression ration of 10.3:1 and that's about as high as you can go on pump gas w/o fancy fuel injection technology. For that reason alone, you need high octane fuel. A low octane fuel will ignite too early. Sure, under normal driving, the cpu can retard the timing and still run smooth but why would you want to do that just to save a few bucks? Respect your G and feed her right.

 

I can vouch for the seat comfort. I recently drive for 16 hours down highway one on the CA coast. (well, minus 2 hours for lunch in Montery & dinner in Santa Barbara
My body finally started to break down between the 14th and 15th hour. My Bimmers were good road cars but never went much longer than 10 hours.
I guess if the seat switches didnt bother me then, they never will.

 

If i'm going to be weaving in and out of traffic, I put my AT in Manumatic and downshift a couple gears to get the revs up. Once the revs are ready to roll, you can easily swap lanes with no delay.

 

Is that a Duster in your avatar? I thought it was a Cuda.

 

we do have cases of people coming in due to putting in 87 octane and getting the engine pinging but also because they don't stay on top of their oil changes every 3750 miles

 

Gordgees grounding gear is what you need. Engine response is quickened.

 

Respect your car and feed it what it needs to stay a top performer

 

Nope. Here are few examples of car with significantly higher compression ratios than the G35...

2005 Acura TL - 11.0/1
2006 Lexus IS350 - 11.8/1
2005 Honda S2000 - 11.1/1
2005 BMW M3 - 11.5/1
2006 BMW M5 - 12.0/1
2005 Corvette 10.9/1

These all run on pump gas. The G35 compression ratio is really not that high.
Infiniti recommends higher octane simply to minimize consumer complaints about the very occasional engine pinging. The oil compaines also appreciate this recommendation (i.e. more profit to be made). I'd bet the cars listed above REQUIRE higher octane. Again, big difference between the words "require" and "recommend".

 

You might be right. Those are some crazy high compression ratios - 12:1??!! I would like to know how they are getting such high compression ratios on pump gas. I've heard of direct fuel injection or something like that where there is precise control over fuel delivery which allows higher compression. My thinking comes from American muscle V8's where 10:1 is as high as you can go on pump gas. In the old days with high octane leaded gas, they ran compressions like you listed. I still think anything over 10:1 is high and needs higher octane fuel than the typical 8.5:1. Higher octane fuel is out there for a reason and I don't think it's about higher profit. It costs more to make so obviously it's more expensive. If anything, I bet they make the most money on the cheap stuff because that is what most people buy.

 

Holy crap!
This car is amazing! I just bought a 2004 G35x, black/black with the Bose system.
I am not into really fancy gadgets and such so this car fits perfect. It is sleek, classy and tracks beautifully.

It has 7600 miles on it.
What do people recommend me stay on top of as far as maintenance?

thanks.