hey
im thinking about buying a g35 sport 6mt, its between that and the acura tl type s. but i wanted to know how the clutch functioned in the car, i know ive heard some people complain about it. Do people still have trouble with after a month or so of driving the car. I think the g is a far superior car to the tl-s in many ways but this clutch thing is killing me, as i live in the nyc area and cant deal with a difficult car to drive.

 

no prob after a little time to get used to the engagement and the gas pedal. not dificult to drive at all. think of a as a continuing challenge helps . . .

 

the second time i test drove the 6mt 2 days ago it was alot better than the first, i really think if i do get the g instead of the 335 i will be getting the 6mt (not bad just high engagement)

 

G was my first MT and it took about a month for me to get used to the clutch.. You can always change it to a lightweight aftermarket one if you dont like it.. the post 04 models have a softer clutch than 03-04's as well

 

Relax, get the G. I live in Bklyn and faced the same TL-S / G choice. I take delivery of my 6MT this weekend from a dealer in NJ. We had dificulty locating a 6MT that wasn't fully loaded. Just wanted premium package and XM radio.

My wife and I test drove the a G35X at the dealer in NJ. But we drove home a demo 6MT over Memorial Day weekend--the dealer really wanted to sell the car. My wife hated the interior of the TL-S and its small trunk. So we didn't even test drive it. She loved the G's power, fuel capacity, handling and interior--lots of women seem to like it-- of the Sport 6MT. And on the test drive we both took to the clutch really quickly. By the time we were halfway over the Pulaski Skyway back to the city, my wife said she felt she owned the car. The clutch was no issue for her.

That said, every clutch type is different. This one is very long. And finding the high engagement point takes some adjustment. But shifts are short and crisp. We drove it through the Holland Tunnel (moderate to heavy traffic) through lower Manhattan and over the Bklyn Bridge and then around Bklyn over the weekend. So a good feel for city driving. I drove it back to the dealer in NJ and got a pretty good feel for some of what the car can do opened up on I 78

We've both been driving manual transmisions since the 70s, just coming out of a '97 Passat VR6 manual, so we're fairly "experienced" as Jimi Hendrix said. Perhaps this explains our ease of adjustment. But yes, most people adjust readily to the clutch or claim that it becomes smoother with wear. Others complain about difficulty of getting from 1st to 2nd gear. Surf the G35 forums and you'll get a feel for the prevailing views.

Test drive a 6MT. You'll love it. It's really the handling that distinguishes the G from the Acura. It's wide turning circle turned me off and is indicative of the Acura's handling. And with my Passat I'm quite used to front wheel drive, so that's not the issue for me with the Acura.

You should consider that you'll need winter tires on the 6MT up here in the northeast. This will be new for me.

 

I was in the same boat (hesitant regarding purchasing a 6MT because of the clutch). I've had the car for about 2-3 weeks and I'm quite comfortable with it. Just as a background, this is my 2nd manual transmission vehicle (the first was a 1992 acura integra, which I only drove for 1 year, 4 years ago). Needless to say, my manual transmission skills are faaaar from perfect.

Even with that, I do not have any regrets regarding the car. As everyone says, the clutch takes a little while to get use to, but even with my brief experience with a manual, I don't have any problems.

 

Have you considered a test drive?

 

thats all it took for me...i test drove the car for 10 mins and said 6mt all the way. BTW i live in brooklyn ny as well so its a lot of stop and go. Dont bother me one bit.