After 500+ miles of pure city driving.. I took the G for a 540 mile roadtrip. I went to a business meeting in Atlanta.
I filled up before I left. Drove there and part way back on the same tank. I got 23.4 mpg which included traffic in Atlanta during the morning and evening rush hour. Not too bad for a green engine. I cruised at 75 - 80 most of the way.
The car was quiet and comfortable.
Somethings I noticed..
The cruise control gets jerky when going down hill at cruising speeds. It's not real smooth as it tries to cut power and then accel again.
The exhaust has a resonance peak at 2800 rpms under a load. You can hear some drone inside the cabin.. not too terrible.. but its there.
The car tracks real straight and is easy to steer down the road.
I find the car is quite rigid and tight.. but lacks that one piece feel going over rough roads at speed. I can understand why the BMW is chosen over the G in this area.
On the way home.. it rained HARD! I mean you couldn't even see.. had to slow way down.. but no problems with steering or handling. Even with ponding on the road.. the car went straight with no drama. Very secure feeling..
Great cruiser overall!

 

Nice write up after your road trip. I noticed the jerking going downhill with cruise control on as well. My 03 G didn't do that, but for some reason the 07s do. You got great fuel economy for a new engine, good stuff.

 

I wish it had another gear.. I see no reason why we can't cruise down the road doing 70 mph @ 1800 rpm or so.
In 5th gear.. 72 mph is 3000 rpm..

 

+1, I've been saying that for a few months now.

 

I agree. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if you saw a 6AT in the G for 08.

 

Having a 2007 G35, I should tell myself ahead of time "do not read the future 2008 G35 thread". I don't want to get "car upgrade-itis" for a few more years...

 

they could have used a taller 5th gear.. even 4th could have been the 1:1 and 5th the over-drive

 

Great sum up! Glad you made it back in one piece