Just had my '08 G35x in the shop and they gave me an '09 G37x as a loaner. Thought I'd share some quick impressions from my short (2 day, 125 mile) experience. The things I didn't like were all minor and definitely not anything that would prevent me from buying another G.

- The power difference was noticeable. Right off the line seemed the same, but once it built some RPMs it was there.

- The extra gears were noticeable too, both good and bad (tradeoffs really).

The good: I don't know the ratios of the 7 speed versus my 5 speed, but it seemed like shorter gears allowed it to get to higher RPMs more quickly, which also seemed to help acceleration. Also, I noticed about 3-400 RPM less at 80 MPH than I'm used to, so less engine noise, better economy, etc.

The bad: Running less RPMs on the highway made the car seem a little sluggish when trying to accelerate moderately. It also seemed like on back roads, in the 30-45 mph range the transmission did a lot more "hunting" for the right gear than I'm used to. Enough to be a minor annoyance.

Other than that, there were some personal preference things:

The loaner had black interior whereas I have wheat. I liked the black leather and carpets as the wheat is harder to keep clean. The loaner was probably not as clean inside as my car, but looked cleaner, if you know what I mean.

I'm still not a huge fan of the aluminum interior trim. Too much contrast with the black, especially on the center console. Reminds me of the interior of my daughter's Altima. Granted, the Altima trim is plastic, but I don't think its good that the interior of a $40k car reminds me of a $22k car. I like the rosewood trim with the wheat and think it would look really nice with the black interior. IMO, wood should be standard except maybe on the coupe or models with the sport package.

And finally, it seemed like the plastic on the interior door handles and near the window switches was not as nice on the '09. Perhaps its just the plastic they used with the black interior, but the plastic in my car is smooth and "soft" to the touch. The same stuff in the '09 was rougher and felt lower quality or something. Put it this way, I wasn't looking for it, I noticed it by feel.

 

I'll chime in on this as I just had my car in as well (07) and was given an 09x as a loaner

I noticed the opposite. The car felt numb and slow off the line. Once up to speed, it feels more like mine but getting there was nowhere as exciting as it is in my car. Now, I have an 07 without the touchy throttle TSB so I know my car is twitchy, but that's just how I like it. Adding in the mods I have just improves the experience, so the loaner wasn't able to compete.

I agree. The MPG improvement was definitely there but I hate the extra gears. A new G would mean a 6MT for sure. Otherwise, it's a deal breaker for me.

I agree... I love my wood trim and don't care much for the Washi. I'd CF the interior if I had the Washi trim.

I was soooo happy to get my car back after a few days. I was approaching the dealer and had to u-turn to get back to the dealership's lot. Sitting there in traffic, seeing my car along side all the others, it just stands out. Getting out of the 09 and into my car was awesome. There is nothing on that 09 loaner that I miss.
My car has more power, a very sensitive throttle, makes a mean growl, has better suspension and tires & yes...lower mpg.

Oh... and I never noticed how much I used my paddles until I got out of my car and into one without them.
I kept reaching for them and they weren't there.

 

I personally haven't tested out the 09X, but the fact it has 7 gears spoils my appetite. That's a little too much shifting going on for my taste.

 

Dunno I tried the 2010 and they were fantastic in every way. Faster crispier shift. Nicer interior. Just better car to my opinion. But the 2010 got the upgraded interior.

 

I drive a 08 G35x and was in the same boat just this past weekend but I got to use the loaner for 4 days/700 miles. The loaner I was given was a G37x (probably an 09 since it had 12k miles). It definitely seemed a little bit stronger and had a different kind of growl to the engine (lower and a bit louder).

One thing I did notice was that the G37 wasn't as quiet when sitting inside. One time I thought I left the windows cracked open because I can hear the noises outside so clearly.