I am getting ready to PCS aka move (Yes, I am in the Army) to VA next month. I have been in talks with Charles Barker Infiniti for a few months and will be most likely purchasing a G37 sedan from them. My question is that them along with every other dealer only carry the AWD model; is AWD really a necessity up there? The only reason I have never considered it, is because of the lack of the sport tuned suspension. So please help me out; do I need AWD in VA or no? Also, what is the difference in the ride?

 

I wouldn't think you'd need AWD here. It doesn't snow like that and there aren't any mountains or hills.

 

I think its up to how well you drive. I live in Maine in in the winter my G is off the road but my winter dd is a front wheel drive sentra or a two wheel drive truck. Its much worse in Maine than it is in VA and im fine

 

I'm in nh, I have the rwd 6mt for a full time all season car, and I get around just fine

 

what part of VA are you relocating to? The winters arent as bad here as other places but of course since i am telling you this we would have snow....lol Most likely, you would not need AWD and if you plan on any type of modding especially rims/tires would be a bit more frustrating than non AWD since you would have to have all rims the same as opposed to doing a staggered setup....good luck with your purchase.

 

RWD with winter tires in Mass with no problems.

 

It also depends on your daily commute.
I offer any of you to swing by my house after a freezing rain storm to see if you can get out of my driveway.
I'll bet body parts on the answer being "no"

My X gets out, even when the driveway is a sheer sheet of ice. RWD will never do it.

For those in the city or those who take mostly main roads, RWD and snows is enough.
For me, unfortunately, it would never work.

I wish the X was available with a 6MT

 

I will be moving to the Newport News area. I have been there several times and it did snow one time, but it barely stayed on the ground long enough to make any difference. The one thing that bothers me is that I like the way the sports suspension feels vs the non-sport; which according to Infiniti.com, the X doesn't come with the sports suspension, just the wheels and some other additions.

 

So get the S and some good tires... you'll be fine.
I would have done the same if my commute allowed it.

 

Honestly, if you were looking for AWD in a sporty car, I probably wouldn't mess with the G. Depending on what your budget is, you should just go for an Evo or WRX/STI. They're less civilized, but at least their AWD with manual.

But like I said earlier, you don't need AWD in VA, especially southern VA. This weather's so inconsistent that if it does snow one day, the next day it might be 80 degrees. Besides, staggered rims look better than the same size all around.

 

Get the rwd...i didn't do much research b4 i got my G and went and got an X....i regret it i was too impatient. Now i'm finding it's gonna be costly to slam my baby

That was gonna be my 1st mod when i got a G, almost a yr later, my X still has gaps that will put Strahan's teeth to shame...the awd on the G is ****in negligeble imo, not like an STi/Evo awd like someone mentioned...so really whats the point? RWD is more fun anyways...snow and especially in the summer

 

Are you talking about your 04, or are you refferring to the 07+ design?
You think the AWD in the new G's is crap?

 

It's all about the tires, period. I've been driving a RWD G in the winter running Blizzaks for almost 6 years now with no issues. I'll take a RWD G with Blizzaks over a AWD with AS tires ANY DAY!!!!

 

I totally agree Shane. The A/S tires on the X are not affective enough to allow the AWD to shine in the snow. The G just has too much power for crappy tires in the snow.

 

Grabbed from another thread...

Road and Track Magazine tested the G35S vs the G35X. (07+)

Rear Drive vs. All-Wheel Drive: That Is the Question

For fun, we brought a rear-drive Infiniti G35 to our autocross and compared it with its all-wheel-drive G35x brother, in both wet and dry conditions with VDC yaw control switched off. We assumed the rear-driver would be quicker in the dry, given its ability to hang out its tail and help the driver tighten his line. But in the wet, we were confident the all-wheel-driver would have a tremendous advantage, hooking up better out of turns. Here's what we learned:

Well, we were wrong on one front, right on the other. Based on group average times on the dry autocross, the awd G35x proved itself faster, surprising us with its rear-biased manners and lapping nearly a second (0.9 sec.) quicker than the rear-drive G35. In the wet the G35x fared even better, 1.3 sec. quicker than the rear-drive G35.

Credit goes to the electronically controlled awd system, which maintains a rear-drive bias while endowing the car with improved stability. Don't get us wrong, the G35x still liked to hang its tail out, but the driver didn't need to be quite so careful with the throttle to keep the car's back end in check. In the rear-drive G35, the driver had to be far less aggressive with the throttle (and quicker with corrections) to post respectable times. Wet or dry, the awd G35x was far easier to drive quickly.