Review: 3 weeks, first 1000 miles completed
#1
11-26-2005, 02:04 AM
Review: 3 weeks, first 1000 miles completed (with lots of pics)
I picked up my '06 5AT BO Sedan on November 3rd and today I just crossed 1000 miles, so I figured I'd do a little mini-review. I live in NorCal, commute about 10-12 miles/day and have been enjoying some scenic drives. I bought the car with the Premium Package, Aero, Sport and Nav. Basically everything but satellite radio and I got it for 300-400 over invoice.
When I went to pick up the G, I noticed a long scratch in the driver's side door trim that wasn't there when I inspected the car two days earlier. The dealer offered to fix it for free and immediately placed an order for the part. I went through the walk-through with my salesman and I was itching to go and get this car on the road. I had Clear Armor (similar to Clear Bra) installed prior to delivery so I wouldn't have to worry about any chips. The car was swirl free and very sharp. I drove it off the lot with a grin that returns to my face every time I sit in the car. Within 2-3 hours of picking up the car, something ricocheted off the driver's side door but I thought nothing of it until the next day. I discovered a tiny chip in the paint, about the size of half a tic tac. What everyone says about the g's paint is true, it's extremely fragile and I'm glad I got the Clear Armor, but I'm worried about areas that are not covered.
I've been paying close attention to the break-in period restrictions, and outside of one rev up last week to 5000 rpms, I've been sticking to the rules. I've been seeing 16-18mpg on the three tanks I've put in the car so far. It took some getting used to for keeping the car from jerking out of a stop since the gas pedal is more sensitive than my old '01 4cyl accord.
The car overall is a dream. Smooth steering, great handling, superb road noise control, nice exhaust note so you are reminded of the power at your beck and call, and a comfortable fit inside. The new navigation system is ridiculously useful and easy to use. I use it very frequently in spite of having lived in the area for six years. The screen is very clear and sharp (even through the plastic cover that I just took off today) and the directions have been flawless so far. Bluetooth has been pretty good so far too with the exception of not recording a single friend's name properly (her name is Youn, short, monosyllabic). I love not having to deal with the phone or keys while being in the car. All this stuff blows away my friends, which is a nice added bonus. The interior on the '06 does not feel cheap by any means and the aluminum trims are pretty nice with the graphite interior. The quality of the leather is good too and I hope it holds up for years to come.
It took me a while to understand how the "Auto" feature worked for climate control. It was baffling me as to why certain temperatures caused air to come from the upper vents, while other temps caused air to come from the lower vents, but it makes sense now. When the car determines it needs to warm the ambient temperature, air comes from the lower vents (heat rises) and vice versa for cooling the ambient temperature. I love the heated seats when I get into my car to head to work in the morning (yes even here in California). I've been toying with the seat adjustments and the lumbar support to find just the right fit. I've decided that having a wallet in my back pocket worsens the situation so I switched to a slim front pocket wallet and that's helped the seating situation. I suppose if the seats were 1-2" wider, it would be a non-issue, but the seats are still comfortable as they are. I also miss the extra console/storage space in the front cabin that my honda had for storing stuff like cd's, gf's miscellanious stuff, etc.
I've read about people's complaints about the bose sound system and I can't say that I have similar issues. Perhaps I don't have a finely tuned ear, but the sound quality of the system, at least to the level I listen to it (19-20 on the volume setting) is pretty good. I like the sub in the back and I frequently put the windows down and turn up the system a bit when I'm cruising around. The RDS feature for the radio isn't working (yet) but I think there's some setting I need to adjust for that.
The car's performance is great. Of course, I can't test the acceleration from a standstill, given the breakin requirements, but the engine is silky smooth. Hills are climbed effortlessly, passing on the freeways is without thought. I had a loaner sedan when I got the door trim piece fixed and I just mashed on the pedal to get a feel for what I would see out of my own car. I like! I've been playing around with the manumatic and I like it a lot and I think I'l like it even more when the rev limits are gone.
I have all the new car oddities like parking REALLY far away from everything, considering whether I should even go somewhere based on parking availability, getting the car detailed twice in 3 weeks, etc. I'm not sure when, if ever, these will wear off, but I want to keep it as new as possible for as long as possible. I'm also an obsessive reader of g35driver.com now. I check the site for new posts several times a day.
In addition to having the trim fixed, I found a squeaking sound coming from the cup holder area which the dealer fixed. I'm noticing that it's back just a few days from getting it "fixed" by the dealer, so I'll have them take another look at it when I get the oil changed around 1200miles. I also had a squeaky driver's side window whenever I put the window down (but not when I put it up strangely) which they resolved with some grease.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. It is definitely been a dream of mine since I was 15 to get a fun sporty sedan after I fell in love with the m5 and I finally have it after shopping around and looking at the G, the IS350 and the TL. Money can't buy happiness, no doubt, but it feels so good to sit down in this car and take it out for a spin
before the tint:
after the tint (20% rear, 35% front llumar ATR metallic tint):
When I went to pick up the G, I noticed a long scratch in the driver's side door trim that wasn't there when I inspected the car two days earlier. The dealer offered to fix it for free and immediately placed an order for the part. I went through the walk-through with my salesman and I was itching to go and get this car on the road. I had Clear Armor (similar to Clear Bra) installed prior to delivery so I wouldn't have to worry about any chips. The car was swirl free and very sharp. I drove it off the lot with a grin that returns to my face every time I sit in the car. Within 2-3 hours of picking up the car, something ricocheted off the driver's side door but I thought nothing of it until the next day. I discovered a tiny chip in the paint, about the size of half a tic tac. What everyone says about the g's paint is true, it's extremely fragile and I'm glad I got the Clear Armor, but I'm worried about areas that are not covered.
I've been paying close attention to the break-in period restrictions, and outside of one rev up last week to 5000 rpms, I've been sticking to the rules. I've been seeing 16-18mpg on the three tanks I've put in the car so far. It took some getting used to for keeping the car from jerking out of a stop since the gas pedal is more sensitive than my old '01 4cyl accord.
The car overall is a dream. Smooth steering, great handling, superb road noise control, nice exhaust note so you are reminded of the power at your beck and call, and a comfortable fit inside. The new navigation system is ridiculously useful and easy to use. I use it very frequently in spite of having lived in the area for six years. The screen is very clear and sharp (even through the plastic cover that I just took off today) and the directions have been flawless so far. Bluetooth has been pretty good so far too with the exception of not recording a single friend's name properly (her name is Youn, short, monosyllabic). I love not having to deal with the phone or keys while being in the car. All this stuff blows away my friends, which is a nice added bonus. The interior on the '06 does not feel cheap by any means and the aluminum trims are pretty nice with the graphite interior. The quality of the leather is good too and I hope it holds up for years to come.
It took me a while to understand how the "Auto" feature worked for climate control. It was baffling me as to why certain temperatures caused air to come from the upper vents, while other temps caused air to come from the lower vents, but it makes sense now. When the car determines it needs to warm the ambient temperature, air comes from the lower vents (heat rises) and vice versa for cooling the ambient temperature. I love the heated seats when I get into my car to head to work in the morning (yes even here in California). I've been toying with the seat adjustments and the lumbar support to find just the right fit. I've decided that having a wallet in my back pocket worsens the situation so I switched to a slim front pocket wallet and that's helped the seating situation. I suppose if the seats were 1-2" wider, it would be a non-issue, but the seats are still comfortable as they are. I also miss the extra console/storage space in the front cabin that my honda had for storing stuff like cd's, gf's miscellanious stuff, etc.
I've read about people's complaints about the bose sound system and I can't say that I have similar issues. Perhaps I don't have a finely tuned ear, but the sound quality of the system, at least to the level I listen to it (19-20 on the volume setting) is pretty good. I like the sub in the back and I frequently put the windows down and turn up the system a bit when I'm cruising around. The RDS feature for the radio isn't working (yet) but I think there's some setting I need to adjust for that.
The car's performance is great. Of course, I can't test the acceleration from a standstill, given the breakin requirements, but the engine is silky smooth. Hills are climbed effortlessly, passing on the freeways is without thought. I had a loaner sedan when I got the door trim piece fixed and I just mashed on the pedal to get a feel for what I would see out of my own car. I like! I've been playing around with the manumatic and I like it a lot and I think I'l like it even more when the rev limits are gone.
I have all the new car oddities like parking REALLY far away from everything, considering whether I should even go somewhere based on parking availability, getting the car detailed twice in 3 weeks, etc. I'm not sure when, if ever, these will wear off, but I want to keep it as new as possible for as long as possible. I'm also an obsessive reader of g35driver.com now. I check the site for new posts several times a day.
In addition to having the trim fixed, I found a squeaking sound coming from the cup holder area which the dealer fixed. I'm noticing that it's back just a few days from getting it "fixed" by the dealer, so I'll have them take another look at it when I get the oil changed around 1200miles. I also had a squeaky driver's side window whenever I put the window down (but not when I put it up strangely) which they resolved with some grease.
Overall, I'm very satisfied with my purchase. It is definitely been a dream of mine since I was 15 to get a fun sporty sedan after I fell in love with the m5 and I finally have it after shopping around and looking at the G, the IS350 and the TL. Money can't buy happiness, no doubt, but it feels so good to sit down in this car and take it out for a spin
before the tint:
after the tint (20% rear, 35% front llumar ATR metallic tint):
Last edited by absolutg; 11-26-2005 at 04:18 AM.
#2
11-26-2005, 02:43 AM
Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 245
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#4
11-26-2005, 12:57 PM
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: San Antonio, TX
Posts: 2,092
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#5
11-26-2005, 01:01 PM
#7
11-26-2005, 01:43 PM
Originally Posted by perry05G35
Very Shiney I almost forgot what dark Gs look like I never see them here in Hawaii. Get the front lip to finish off your areo package and replace the factory sidemarkers. ATR tint is that simular to ceramic and V Block?
I'll have to look into the front lip for the '06 and clear corners are up next month. I'm just waiting for all the finances to settle down
do you know where I can get that lip from?
Last edited by absolutg; 11-26-2005 at 01:48 PM.
Trending Topics
#8
11-27-2005, 09:18 AM
#9
11-28-2005, 02:53 PM
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Toronto
Posts: 296
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by absolutg
...old '01 4cyl accord.
Hehe. We just passed 2000 miles on our '06, and our other car is a '00 4cyl Accord. I didn't like the G's gas pedal at first either, but now that I'm used to, it feels a lot more controllable. From looking at dyno graphs, I think the G makes more power at 3000rpm than the Accord does, period. LOL.
Our Bose is already starting to blow. Won't read CDs properly.
#11
11-28-2005, 03:54 PM
Very good review. I feel the same after slowly putting on 1500 miles on my 05. I've been wanting one ever since they came out and still feel very fortunate to be able to own one. I still try to park it away from everyone and try my best to keep it clean. Driving it is much more fun now that I don't worry about the revs. Speed limits become very annoying.
The way Nissan designed the climate controls still baffle me. It's like you only have 75% control over what it is doing. During the summer, I just had the AC on so I didn't need to mess with it much. Now, the weather goes from cold to hot everyday and it's frustrating having to jack with the climate controls every time I get in the car. Most of the time, I just want it to blow outside temp air but that is not always easy. When the temp is below 60 outside, the car will blow warm air whether you like it or not.
The way Nissan designed the climate controls still baffle me. It's like you only have 75% control over what it is doing. During the summer, I just had the AC on so I didn't need to mess with it much. Now, the weather goes from cold to hot everyday and it's frustrating having to jack with the climate controls every time I get in the car. Most of the time, I just want it to blow outside temp air but that is not always easy. When the temp is below 60 outside, the car will blow warm air whether you like it or not.
#14
11-29-2005, 01:25 AM
#15
11-29-2005, 02:38 AM
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
she's a beauty. as I am approaching the two month mark in my 03' I could only imagine the restraint you are feeling during the break-in process, as I got mine with 42K on it and I've put almost 2k on it since I got it. the first few days were the hardest, I didn't go anywhere w/out flooring it off the line, and still tweak it a bit when the wife isn't in the car. I like the rims on the 06's I have those plain 5 spokes on my 03 they aren't bad, but I'd rather have the chrome ones.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
poktanG35
Engine - Exhaust
23
10-26-2015 03:32 AM