Hi, I posted this in another area of the forum and got one response. I figure I can get some better ones here.

Hi. First I guess I will introduce myself. My name is Mike, I am a 16 year old M@$$hole. I have to admit as a member of Acurazine(05 anth/eb TL 5at Nav), we sometimes consider you the enemy, but maybe I will become one of the rare people to own(or have my parents owning) both a TL and G35.

Anyway, basically mom has a minivan which she is getting rid of in 6-8 months. The first car on my list is admittedly is the 07 MDX, but in all likelyhood that will be too expensive. Howerver, shes seems like she is more and more leaning towards a sedan as she says she would like something more like my fathers car, in fact she considered getting what he has with a 6 speed and possibly A-spec, but we decided we need at least one AWD vehicle as I don't have a truck yet and the winters here(newton, MA) are pretty harsh. I wouldn't have given much consideration the the previous gen G35 Sedan simply because I(though more my mother) don't find it to astheticly(sp?) pleasing, but I really like the the way the 07 looks. Anyway, I had a few questions which will probably be easier to answer if they are just listed:

1. How much of a price increase can be expected?
2. What is one generally able to get a G35(x specifically) for in regards to MSRP vs. Invoice. We would be getting it pretty much loaded minus sattelite radio(had it and didn't much care for it) with stock body, suspension, rims, etc.
3. When is the 07 expected to be released?
4. What are some features that can be expected? Acitve headlights, rear active steer, surround sound, etc?
5. How well does ATTESA(sp?) do in the real world? We get some pretty bad conditions in MA, and we live in a very hilly area.
6. How do you guys like the nav system? Our stock Alpine unit is as I understand generally considered a leader. what can be expected with the systems Infiniti uses?

Any other important things I should be aware of?

Thanks,

Mike

 

1. It's not known yet but I'm sure you can expect a couple thousand increase on the top end models.
2. If you are looking to get an 07 G35x, you will be paying MSRP for a while unless demand for the new model falls off the face of the earth. Any new or significantly refreshed model is going to command a premium during introduction and a while after.
3. Fall 2006.
4. Read the press release that can be found on http://www.infinitihelp.com and on this forum.
5. Nothing is perfect and you will still slide and wreck if you drive like an idiot. It pulls the car out of most snow conditions and will get you going but again, nothing is perfect. My mother drove my G35x in a heavy snow storm and she said it had the same amount of traction as her Chevy Avalanche in 4WD. Take that for what it's worth.
6. The navi used in 06 and under models are god awful. It's not terrible from an aesthetic standpoint but the usability and convenience of it sucks. If I had to do it all over again, I would NOT get the navi. That being said, the '07 gets the navi from the M which is the newest version of Infiniti's navi. I haven't used it yet so I couldn't tell you if it really is an improvement or not.

If you want a bargain, pick up a left over '06. Don't expect the car to be perfect... the G35x is a jack of many trades and does many, many things well but I don't find it to stand out in any one area (i.e. BMW = handling, Lexus = luxury). It's a good car and a great price. Buy it and enjoy. I have no regrets (except that navi)!

 

Thanks. We aren't big fans of the 06, especially the interior, and a RWD coupe(very sexy) is out of the question.

I kinda hoped infiniti had a good nav system, I figured they probably did. Threads constantly pop up on the Acura forums over the quality of the nav and everyone, me included, seems to love it. What is it that makes the current nav so terrible? Navigation is a neccesity on our next vehicle, and preferbly someting factory(or factory looking).

Thanks,

Mike

 

The current version 6.0+ isn't very accurate and it's not touch screen which can be a real pain in the *** when you need to access it quickly. There is also a nag screen when you first load it up each time that you have to agree to and it will not allow you to operate it while the car is in motion (even if you have a passenger). It also always takes the longest possible routes that are completely out of the way and I find the voice somewhat annoying. On the plus side it will tell you fuel economy, give you a bird's eye view of the area you are driving through including the streets around you and it can be hidden. In the 2007 model it is integrated into the dash similarly to the way Acura/Lexus do it and I believe it has XM RealTraffic which will inform you of traffic congestion and accidents so that you can avoid them. That being said, XM RealTraffic is still limited to major metro areas and I haven't seen much more improvement beyond that in the new navi features. I think it is still operated by a thumbstick/pad (not touch screen) and I don't think the voice recognition from the M made it into the G35. I'd have to re-read the press release to verify the above comments which I recommend you do but that's my thoughts on the navi.

Our '04 Accord navi is far, far better in every way.

 

Thanks. Maybe there will be a "blank" space on the dash on the non nav version that would allow an aftermarket install. Honda/Acura use Alpine systems, and you can purchase in dash kits from Alpine, so I am hoping that wouldn't be out of the question if we were to get this car.

Mike