Howdy all. Currently shopping for a G35(x) and new to the forum. I have two questions that I am hoping people might be able to help with.


1) AWD - I live in Seattle (long rainy and sometimes icy winter, some snow where I work in Redmond, and not sure how much driving I will do in the mountains during the winter going forward), and have driven a '99 Mazda Protege 5-speed for the past 8 years. I have had a couple of close calls in my Mazda, but luckily have never "needed" AWD. However, in looking around the local dealers for the exact car I want (exterior color, interior, packages, etc.), there are only AWD versions available here in Seattle. The closest Journey's with the colors and packages I am looking for are in California, and they quoted me an extra $800 for shipping the car north.

I have talked them down quite considerably on the prices, and it turns out there is about a $950 difference between the local G35x I can get versus the G35 Journey that needs to be shipped in.

I will never take my car to the track and don't drive Rally's (though it would be fun!), but I enjoy a sporty feel on the road, and do enjoy road trips. I've read reviews that say the G35x doesn't feel as sporty, or is more sluggish, etc. I am hoping you G35 Drivers can either verify those claims, or knock them down. Am I going to notice a difference in the handling and performance on the interstate, city, and mountain driving?


2) Navigation - I've read that certain aspects of the Navigation system cannot be used while the car is moving, for example finding Points of Interest, Gas Stations, Hospitals, Police Stations, etc. Is this true? If so, doesn't it defeat the purpose of having a navigation system to help us navigate while we are on the road, or are we really supposed to pull over on the side of the interstate to find POI's?

If this is true, are there any known workarounds to this? It just seems really pointless to spend $2k+ on a navigation system that cannot be used while the car is moving.


Any and all information you all can help me with would be much appreciated - thanks in advance!

 

1. AWD isn't necessary, but nice to have, especially with the power available.

The AWD is heavier.

2. You live in America. There have been lawsuits in the past, and because we are stupid enough to pay more attention to the nav than the road, there were accidents, and now, auto makers will disable functions while moving to protect themselves from lawsuits. This is similar to McDonalds getting sued for a woman spilling coffee on herself.

You can still access everything via voice commands; you just can't use manual controls while moving.

 

1) i was told that it was easier for them to move X models rather than Journey models for some reason....especially in places with cold climates. The AWD is pretty nice to have on the back burner...yeah its slightly heavier..but at the same time the car is mostly RWD until you need AWD....so its best of both worlds

2) the lockout IS kind of annoying sometimes. However its still worth having for a few reasons....a) its $1800 for navigation, a harddrive, reverse camera and voice control...thats a nice bundle right there....b) you can set your destination through voice control.

While you're moving...the system will only give u a list of the top most 5 points of intrest...which sometimes is handy and sometimes annoying. I wish they had a voice command for points of interest. However you can still change your destination through voice commands if you 1) have it in your address book....2) recent destination....3) know the address offhand

 

I have an X and it performs quite well. It is heavier comparitavly, but still boast the same specs as the regular g's. The suspension is different becuase the use of the AWD system makes the X sit higher. I would recommend dropping the car to obtain the more "sporty" feel.

 

I have the AWD model and it's equipped with Nav.

I'm very happy with the performance of both

 

I would say get the X. There is a difference. The X is better. Slightly heavier but barely any difference in a straight line. However in corners it will out perform the 2wd version. They did a race on a track and the x ran quicker lap times. Facts are facts.

 

Uh-oh... let the games begin!

 

Nooooooo



hahaha

Popcorn anybody?

tg

 

We also live in the Seattle area. We love our G35x for those snowy days. Get the X, you won't regret it up here!

 

Go Go X!! I love mine X too. nice to have.

 

even if you dont like teh nav system, the backup camera alone is worth the extra money, hands down! You'll wonder how you drove without one.

 

on the nav you can get into POI. push the enter button on the steering wheel and then scroll down to "nearby places" and all the selections come up for gas station,atm,resturant,ect. also you can press the the talk button and say "nearby places" and they will come up after you say the corrosponding number to the selection. try it out...

 

1. I live in DC but work for a Redmond based company and have often driven rentals in the rain in Seattle. I drive a G35x here, and I highly recommend it over the regular G35 for the climate in Seattle. It really is more than quick enough, and feels like a regular RWD car albeit a little heavier, until/unless you need the AWD. It handles snow and heavy rain incredibly well.

2. I agree with others that this package is worth it for the rear view camera (it's not just a camera - it has guides that tell you how close your are to the object behind you, and it is incredibly useful), but I must admit that I find the nav incredibly frustrating because of the limitations you mentioned. Yes, you can get to the first 5 entries in each category - ie. first 5 categories of POI's, first 5 POI's in each category etc., but I've actually had to stop at the side of the road a number of times to find a POI, and that really does make it pointless. I understand Mike's comment about the litigous society we live in, but this thing is even disabled for passengers. It wouldn't take much for them to figure out when a passenger is present, and enable it then. You may be interested in checking out www.kptechnologies.com because they have a module that disables the 'OK' button - ie. you don't have to hit OK every single time you start the car, and it also has some other features, which you may find interesting.

One other point I'll mention since you mentioned that you work in Redmond - the Bluetooth module on the G35 with Navi is different to the one without, and a lot worse than the one that doesn't have navi in terms of support for WM phones. I've tried many of them. None of the new HTC phones work with the navi model, and most others also don't work. For AT&T, the only WM phones that seem to work ok are the Moto Q9h, and Samsung Blackjack 2 (not that well in the Blackjack's case). So if bluetooth is very important to you, and you want to use Windows Mobile, you may want to consider getting the non-navi model, unless you happen to be ok with the Q9h...

Regards,
T1328

 

coming from WA (spokane) as well id rather have awd. although ive only driven the g in the snow twice (both freak snow storms in spring) i like having the option and the car is still plenty fast, granted my friends rwd trucks and cars did fine on most days with some good snow tires, my last car (4motion passat) was much better and helped me avoid the idiot drivers too

 

Another vote for the X.

Having the extra margin of safety with the awd far outweighs the minimal difference in performance.