I know it's a pipe-dream, but with the crap winter weather here in Toronto I'm really not doing well in all situations with my RWD G, even with decent snowies on.

When my lease is up in '10 I'll be looking at the G37 Sedan. Now the real question is...

Do I sacrifice my love for RWD-hoonage and the urge to row-my-own (gears), and get a 7AT G37xS?

Has anyone made this switch and regretted it? Is anyone happy making this switch?

I'm really thinking I'll miss my 6MT, and the odd peel-off-the-line RWD burnout, but I can't help but wonder if the switch will be a good thing.

 

PS - Let's not make this a RWD-with-proper snow tires vs. AWD debate. There's too many of those already. I'll be using snowies whether I get RWD or AWD.

 

I'm in the same boat. Would love to go AWD this time around but am really debating giving up on the manual, even with the 7AT being a pretty good transmission.

I'm interested to see how many people, if any, regretted going to the automatic only to get the AWD. Not talking about people who were neutral on auto vs manual to begin with.

 

Came out of an `06 G35 6MT and into a G37xS a few weeks ago. Do I miss the MT? Sometimes but not really now that I have had the car for a while. And that says quite a bit since I have never owned a non-MT car in my life. The shifts of the 7AT are very quick and crisp, particularly at WOT (not quite DSG quick but very impressive) as well as unobtrusive when cruising. This tranny is definitely not a typical slushbox. Paddle shifters provide the means for a very engaging drive when desired.

AWD transforms the car in the snow. Night and day vs the G35 6MT. Full disclosure - I did not have snows.

Am I happy making the switch? Yes. I find myself driving in DS using the paddles 90% of the time, always with a grin on my face. There certainly are trade-offs in transmission control but the addition of AWD combined with a really good 7 speed mated to a great engine do the trick for me. While there is nothing like rowing your own gears, this AT is about as engaging as it gets. I did test drive (multiple times) an `08 R32 and `09 A3 with DSG. That transmission is the real deal if you don't want a 3rd pedal.

Go test drive a G37xS and let us know your thoughts.

 

All of my previous cars have been manual ('95 toyota tercel, '98 integra gs-r, '02 Lexus IS300) and I was worried about missing the stick when I bought my '07 G35S. I did at first but got used to it after about 6 months and am perfectly happy. Enough so that I'd do it all over again .

The RWD to AWD thing though, I'm not sure i'd give up. The AWD adds weight and loses fuel economy (not much, but given that I'm trying to be greener, and how relatively thirsty the G is, anything counts). If I felt that AWD was significantly safer or had alot more to offer than RWD, i'd weight it against the fuel economy loss, but with snow tires on my '07 I don't really see the point of needing AWD, so I'm likely to remain with RWD in the future if I stick with the G.

Only way I'd probably consider an AWD now would be if I was considering a car that would otherwise be FWD (say an acura TL or Audi A4) or looking at a car that would otherwise be only available in AWD (WRX STi or Evo).

 

FYI - From my limited experience with my G37xS to date, there is definitely a huge RWD bias in the G37xS (I do realize this is by design). I can actually hang the rear end of the new car out respectfully before the AWD kicks in upon strong throttle on. And once the AWD engages, I can straighten my line beautifully for the next corner. Seems quite effective. With limited track time, I am curious if this might actually improve times. Any thoughts? Perhaps a new thread is in order...

 

I currently attend a school in a snowy area. Couple of my friends drive RWD and with some dedicated snow tires it should be fine. Secondly, manual is better : D so stick to it!

 

I for one have never truly driven a manual (except for one time; A3). I have always wanted a manual car as well. But having said so, I ended up going with the 5AT 07 G35x a year and a half ago. Mostly cuz of the bad winters we get here in Canada. I live in London, so its far worst since its in a snow belt (compared to Toronto).

I have never gotten stuck. EVER. Even with stock all seasons. The G performs very well in the winter. I now run Blizzaks on my stock 17's.

So for the winter.. your all set. But mind you, as a result of the rear wheel drive bias of the car, if you gas too much on a turn, the car will still oversteer and the rear will slip out. Having said so... I guess thats good. In context of what you want.. having a RWD feel.. even though its truly an AWD.

The car is very sporty nonetheless. Its gonna be slightly different coming from a 6MT but I think you'll be happy with it. Best of both worlds. Sporty and will do well in our winter climates. Put the car in DS and you'll love it.

 

Yesterday's storm in the snow belt region of western NY was a real test of my 05 6mt, but we managed to get through it okay. I'm running Dunlop M3 winter performance tires and I'm on the 3rd winter with them. As equipped I do okay in snow up to 10"- less if its heavy stuff. Had trouble yesterday with the heavy stuff over icy surfaces.

The key is to keep a full tank of gas, keep moving, and turn the traction control off in the deep stuff. Also be careful where you park. Park so as to take the advantage of gravity to help get you moving again.

Even if you're in a snowy area most driving is done on plowed and or bare roads so a 6mt is a good all around choice as long as you use some common sense. If conditions are really bad- don't drive.

 

The key is to keep a full tank of gas, keep moving, and turn the traction control off in the deep stuff. Also be careful where you park. Park so as to take the advantage of gravity to help get you moving again.

Just the same stuff I had to think about with my '06 6MT. Now I simply start the car and go when the driving gets bad. No more thinking about how, where, when etc., I just drive through it all.

Now, when all you 6MTs out there are having a blast with throttle-on oversteer drifts this summer, I might be whistling a different tune...

 

That's exactly my dilemma...

Do I give up summer-hoonage (which I l-o-v-e) so that I don't have to think about all those little frustrations--which AWD negates--in the winter?

Getting stuck in my own driveway this morning, when my rears (shod in snow-tires) fell into a snowy rut, is adding fuel to the switch-to-AWD fire for sure...

I suppose I should just go test-drive a G37xS and a G37 6MT and see...

 

You can still have summer hoonage in the AWD, trust me- the fronts bite hard coming out of a corner The only thing that you will miss is the ability to roast or slip the rears, I have awd and can still kick the rear out a lil w/ vdc off. If you live in a sow climate, currently have rwd and even think about awd then get awd. I've never regretted it and I only have the 5at, 7at would def seal the deal for me.

 

I've owned several AWD vehicles in the past;
Live north of the GTA (lots of snow)
& with my current situation, It'd very difficult to give up the RWD 6MT... I Love it!!

However....
I have a F-150 pickup when it's really crappy (RWD as well).
And my time is flexible...
If it's really bad, I work from home (like yesterday).
& my wife has an AWD for those 'got to get out' situations.

Having owned an AWD, the one thing I really miss,
is the traction when pulling out to merge into traffic.
If the G was my only car & I had to be out in the white schite;

YES, I'd definitely make the switch to an X

 

I'm kinda in the same boat.

I've owned an AWD car before, but it had a 5MT tranny (Eagle Talon TSi AWD). My wife has an AWD CR-V (5MT, FWIW) which does get me out of the tough junk, and I can work from home if I want. My real problem is giving up my beloved 6MT in trade for AWD.

If Infiniti offered the G37x with 6MT this would be a non-issue...

*cough* BMW *cough* Audi *cough* [too bad those are overpriced]