My 2004 G35x is in the shop for some warranty work and Maint. So the dealership gave me a 2008G35x loaner and I thought I would give a little review of what I think.

2008 G
* I like the extra power and looks of the car but I do NOT like the way it rides. It feels stiff and does not ride as smooth as my 04. I like not having to pull the keys out of my pocket to unlock the car or start it. The interior is much more simple than my 04 but everything is opposite of my 04. Why couldn't Infiniti simplify the interior but keep the controls the same? I also love the dual exhaust but it sound horrible when you step on it. My 04 (stock exhaust) sounds much more clean. As for the "Fake" navigation screen in the 08, I am not impressed with that at all, its not very useful when it would be much more easy to have normal radio/ac controls. I also don't car for the gas pedal that is mounted to the floorboard, I like to keep my feet low, and press the bottom of the pedal, I cant do this with the 08.

* Over all it is a very nice car but I would not want to own one. I will stick with my 2004, Even tho it has less power, I like having a smoother ride and better driving experience with my car over the newer G35x. Although the extra power is awesome, and it looks great, its very uncomfortable to drive.

Just my .02

 

thx for sharing

 

Drove one today as well. Quieter and more refined, more power, but it's lost a bit of its 'character' compared to my 03. Still a great car, just a bit of a different beast.

 

I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum. Currently drive a new gen -'07 G35x, but got an '06 loaner the other day. While I was pleasantly surprised by the steering, and a few other nice aspects of the '06, I think the '07 is far nicer looking inside, more function (with the nav - I'm also not particularly impressed with the huge screen if you don't have the nav), feels significantly quicker, and is more, not less comfortable. I guess beauty is in the eye of the driver.

Cheers
T1328

 

I just traded in my 2003 G35 that I had for 6 years (and over 100k miles) for a 2008 G35x. I pretty much have to disagree with most of the OP's review. Of course, we are all entitled to our own opinions. While I loved my 03 G, the 07+ G's are just more refined, particularly the interior. However, I will admit that my 03 sounded better when accelerated hard compared to the 08. Also, while the 08 has a much better, smoother, more comfortable ride than the 03, the 03 felt more connected to the road. To me the 08 seems slightly less connected in terms of the feedback to the driver. That's not to say the 08 is any less capable in terms of handling, however. Maybe it's possible that having AWD (my old G wasn't AWD) is the reason for this. I don't know. I will agree about the gas pedal. It feels odd compared to most cars and there isn't much travel when you get on it.

IMO, the interior improvements in the 07+ G are significant. I really feel like I'm driving a relatively expensive luxury car now. I didn't hate the interior in my 03 G, but it wasn't anything special either.

And one last thing. I do like the styling of the 07+ G better than the 03-06. However, the 03-06's styling is more unique IMO.

 

A few bits to add from my side (now in '08 g35x - was in an '05 g35x before). The dashboard controls on this generation were switched because Infiniti finally broke down and converted the controls for a left-hand drive car (as opposed to the right-hand drive in Japan). Think about where the hazzard signal button is on the '03-'06 models - on the right side of the gear shift - you can't even see it when the car is in drive. The audio + temp/ac controls are both on the right side of the panel when they should properly be on the left side for a left side drive car.

I agree that the '08 model feels a bit less connected with the road than my '05. Almost like I have to anticipate what I want the car to do in a turn - not sure if anyone else feels this way.

 

I have to agree that in the previous gen x I drove as a loaner I felt more connected to the road but IMO the difference is negligible. But I didn't like interior, less power (didn't get the impression I could "puch it" when I needed to), ugly orange gauges - was much happier when I got back into my 07. There is more to a car than being connected to the road - if I wanted that, I would get a Miata or an A4.