Hey guys, just wanted to say hello. I just picked up a Slate Blue G35x yesterday. It's actually my wife's car and I'll be driving it for two months until we turn in her '04 TL.

We're really a Honda / Acura family and we owned about 25 Honda / Acura cars over the years including many Accords, CRXs, Odysseys, and an NSX. My wife's last car, the 2004 TL 6spd Navi has been our favorite sedan we’ve ever owned and we’re sad to see it go. Fact of the matter is we wanted to buy another Acura but there’s nothing right now that gets us excited. The only car is a TL-S but I don’t feel like driving the same basic car for another 3 years. With that said the G35 fit the bill and has AWD which is a help in the NJ mountains.

I’d like to post some of my first impression with the hopes that someone may comment on my dislikes and possibly offer suggestions.

Likes:
Keyless operation
AWD
Power is great, feels slightly faster than my TL 6spd. Not much faster than I thought but that’s probably due to the G being heavier and not have a 6spd
XM NAV traffic
Handles more like a rear drive sedan, no more under-steer and torque steer.
Distance sensing cruise control
Funky swivel headlights
Rear camera
CF reader (also on my dislike list)
Hard Drive (also on my dislike list)
Auto up on all the windows
Telescoping wheel

Dislikes (compared to my ’04 TL):
No AWD with 6spd!!!!!!!!!!!
Smaller trunk (I can’t fit a double stroller)
Navi is hands down more difficult to use with a smaller screen set too far back for the touch screen to be useful. The functionality is so much better on the TL, unless you have used the Acura one you won’t understand
Your home address in the phone book can be displayed without entering a password (very bad for valet parking)
CF reader / XM / radio / changer can’t record to the hard drive!!!!!!! I need to use the single slot cd player and even that will have to be in CDA format, not mp3.
Bluetooth phone doesn’t announce the incoming phone number, it just rings.
Interior is narrower
Back seat headroom is not as good
225 tires as opposed to beefier 235s on TL
No Brembo brakes (even on the sport)
Front seats don’t match???? I know the driver seat has more support but why not make the passenger the same way??

It may seem like I favor the TL but I really don’t swing one way or another. They both are just different cars, they both have their good and bad points. Fact is I just couldn’t buy another TL after driving one since ’04. Plus by the time this lease is up the TL will be redesigned. Who knows maybe I’ll now bounce back and forth between redesigns

My question for you guys is I’m looking for a hack or fix for the following shortcomings that are definitely software related:
I want to record music to the hard drive from more sources (flash card, XM, etc)
I’m looking to be able to use the video screen when the car in not in park.
Phone number to be announced when a call is coming in.
I want the car to lock the doors automatically when I walk away with the smart key in my pocket.