I currently have an 03 G35 Coupe non-brembo and I love the car but I am looking for a sedan. At first I was contemplating on getting an IS350 but I looked at an 07 G35S with 38325 miles fully loaded. I was just wondering what everyones opinion is on the G35S as opposed to the 08 G35xS and such.

 

Well, if you want the AWD then go w/ the X but just upgrading to 07 would be nice. Sedan is just a better car. Also i feel that the IS350 is just a bit smaller.

 

I had a 2007 G35x and now a 2011 G37S 6MT. They are both equally great cars.

The important question to ask yourself is do you want/need AWD?

The X advantage is obvious. With snow tires n the winter it could drive effortlessly through 5" of snow. In the wet, it will hook up and take off like a dart.
The S handling is better, the feel from the road through the steering wheel is better. I really wanted to get back to a manual. Something I have almost always had for over 30 years.
I have good snow tires for the S and it is no trouble getting around in the Canadian winter. Not as good as the X but better than you might think.

Lexus also recently fail a front crash test for 'small overlap test' (poor rating) Link

 

Also if you want to mod the X, your limited on what you can do.

 

I have an 07 sedan sport and love it. I haven't had or driven an X, but have had a few AWD drive cars in the past and the RWD S is great for my needs. As others have mentioned, if you need AWD, then that is one thing but if you don't need it, there is more that can maybe go wrong or maybe more maintenance.

 

Where I live, the snow gets a little crazy and I would prefer AWD but I like the sportierness? of the S. I drove my G last winter and it actually handled it pretty well. I slapped on some yokohama IG20's on my stocks and it got around pretty good surprisingly.

Yes I watched the news on Lexus and a few other brands failing or having very poor ratings. I've been looking around for a sedan.. just trying to see what all my options are.

 

I live near Buffalo NY and we usually get pounded with snow during the winter months(Late Oct - April) My first 2 cars were FWD and I never had much of a problem navigating in the snow. However these cars were 4 cyl not a high powered v6 like the G sending the power to the rear. When I went car shopping AWD was a must have feature for me just for peace of mind(this is a very popular feature of the Gs in this area, we only have one Infiniti dealer, and I would say 90% on the lot are X models) I drove a few G35x models but what sold me on the xS were the seats, the thigh adjustment and side bolsters makes the car so comfortable for extended periods of driving. My dad just bought a 2010 M35x and I noticed the lack of leg support on a 1 1/2 hr drive and made me want to be driving my G instead!

Other than that, the xS isn't exactly the same as the RWD S. The xS doesn't get the sport brakes and I believe a smaller sway bar in the rear. It does get the sport bumper, the paddle shifters, and the 18" wheels. Also you need to change all 4 tires on an AWD vehicle at the same time and if you want to run rims at some point, you can't run a staggered setup on the rear.

I haven't driven a RWD G but the AWD one seems plenty "sporty" compared to the other cars in its class that I drove, IS250, C Class 4Matic. etc(again awd was a required feature). My G blows the doors off my buddy's 08 AWD CTS, and I have never had a problem running on RSX-S, 2003-2005 Mustangs or even a 2009 v6 mustang(i love the looks and reactions when a sedan rolls a coupe "sports" car lol). From posts from others, my understanding is the AWD is only active full time up until around 18/20mph, then if road conditions are ok, it drops to a full RWD platform. Coming from FWD to RWD was certainly a change I am happy with and I will never go back to a FWD vehicle.

Hope this helps your decision.

 

Sounds like you get serious snow in Edmonton. I would definitely opt for the AWD. It is plenty sporty enough. Infiniti AWD is RWD unless AWD is needed:

 

Edmonton typically has less annual snowfall than my area of Southern Ontario and your NE Ohio.
(Source - Environment Canada and NOAA)

 

In reality, the AWD is a RWD biased car (25:75 initial torque split) until one of the wheels lose traction then it can go to full 50:50. The X have similar performance numbers, but I think there is a test somewhere (Car and Driver?) that the X is faster especially when one of the tires starts to lose grip, for example when launching, pushing the car to its limits, or on a wet surface. The AWD gives you that reassurance despite the extra 200 lbs. Both are going to give you similar fuel economy anyways.

I have an X and it's sporty enough for me, even with the standard 17" and massive tire sidewalls. I admit, at times the little increase in ride height made me think I am driving a crossover.

 

My brother had a 04 Coupe non brembo and it was fine to drive in winter. My 07 G35x is way nicer to drive in winter. Like everyone else has said it's RWD biased so if your going around a corner and give it gas you can easily fling the rear end out. I find it fun but under normal driving you will never notice. The car does have a snow mode which I did use driving trough BC in February last year.

I like X but I do miss the 6 speed some times. I would consider getting a G35S and I'm sure it would be just as good in winter. But the AWD just adds a little more security that I like.