Driving an FX35 for the week... IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES!
#1
07-20-2009, 09:43 PM
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 1,112
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Driving an FX35 for the week... IN THE COLORADO ROCKIES!
So I'm on vacation in Colorado (currently in copper mountain) and picked up an FX35 rental car. They had G37's, but there's so little luggage space we went for an '09 FX. I'll start out by saying it's amazing to be able to sync my iPhone, use my StealthCord, use XM etc. in the car. It's so similar to the G, it just feels so comfortable and natural.
The FX drives SO well, it really does drive just as well as the G does under normal conditions. It is a bit stiffer than the G though, as many mags have noted on the FX50S - it bumps a lot over rough pavement. It's super comfortable inside, has the backup cam which is pretty cool, and it has the heated and COOLED seats - which are great in theory but don't really work all that well (and are kind of noisy). One strange feature, it has a dial that goes from 0-3 and gives 4 different heights for the headlights...I'm not really sure why you would need 4 settings for the headlights - maybe one low and one middle, then you've got high beams but oh well. And why do they get a 180mph speedo!!!
Now the only problem (other than that hideous nose) is that I'm currently 10,000 feet up.... this thing has no power what-so-ever. Adding to the misery is the 7AT. I'm not kidding - in 5, 6, or 7th gear cruising on the highway at 65 I can put my foot down and LITERALLY nothing happens. I've had trouble just keeping the car at speed in 6th and 7th gear. However, on level road cruising the FX gets close to 25mpg. To pass I have to drop ALL the way down to about third before I get any power. It's sad how much loss you get due to the altitude, the engine struggles to breath up here - I've seen so many cars broken down on the side of the road, I can't imagine how little econobox 4-bangers make it up and down these mountains, I'm struggling for power out of a 300-horse V6.
Summing up my little rant
- the FX is an awesome car. If I wanted an SUV this thing is badass. Super comfy inside, tons of gadgets even without any packages other than AWD, and it drives SO damn well. It's just so ugly up front and needs better wheels. Other than that, it's a great fun rental.
I guess I should've posted in the FX sections... but I feel like there's noone lurking there much - so here's my comparisons with a G
The FX drives SO well, it really does drive just as well as the G does under normal conditions. It is a bit stiffer than the G though, as many mags have noted on the FX50S - it bumps a lot over rough pavement. It's super comfortable inside, has the backup cam which is pretty cool, and it has the heated and COOLED seats - which are great in theory but don't really work all that well (and are kind of noisy). One strange feature, it has a dial that goes from 0-3 and gives 4 different heights for the headlights...I'm not really sure why you would need 4 settings for the headlights - maybe one low and one middle, then you've got high beams but oh well. And why do they get a 180mph speedo!!!
Now the only problem (other than that hideous nose) is that I'm currently 10,000 feet up.... this thing has no power what-so-ever. Adding to the misery is the 7AT. I'm not kidding - in 5, 6, or 7th gear cruising on the highway at 65 I can put my foot down and LITERALLY nothing happens. I've had trouble just keeping the car at speed in 6th and 7th gear. However, on level road cruising the FX gets close to 25mpg. To pass I have to drop ALL the way down to about third before I get any power. It's sad how much loss you get due to the altitude, the engine struggles to breath up here - I've seen so many cars broken down on the side of the road, I can't imagine how little econobox 4-bangers make it up and down these mountains, I'm struggling for power out of a 300-horse V6.
Summing up my little rant
- the FX is an awesome car. If I wanted an SUV this thing is badass. Super comfy inside, tons of gadgets even without any packages other than AWD, and it drives SO damn well. It's just so ugly up front and needs better wheels. Other than that, it's a great fun rental. I guess I should've posted in the FX sections... but I feel like there's noone lurking there much - so here's my comparisons with a G
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Jiggerjuice
Brakes & Suspension
9
10-05-2015 02:33 PM
