Ginikave's Review: 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan

[gniknave]

Forgot my camera, will post good pics tomorrow...

Infiniti debuted the first G35 sedan to the states in early 2002, followed by the G35 coupe a few months later. Automotive critics, and magazines quickly caught on. Eventually the general public caught on. Shortly thereafter the G35 Sedan & Coupe were awarded the 2003 Motor Trend Car of the Year.

Dispite all of the rave about this car, people still had their issues with it. Namely the interior. Not known to be one of Infiniti's strengths at the time, it was bashed for it's lack of a luxury touch for a car with a $30,000 plus price tag. The manual shift mode also had it's share of complaints. The delay from shift request to computer response drove some people nuts, to the point where if you wanted to do your own shifting, you'd better have a 6M/T (six-speed manual). The location of the power seat controls also annoyed those whom are wider in the hip area.

The G35 still has been one of the top cars in it's class since it's debut. Earning Consumer Reports "Recommended" ratings each year, in addition to being the best car in it's class at retaining it's value, not to mention that it's engine - Nissan's VQ35DE - has been one on the Ward's Best 10 Engines list for 12 straight years, going on 13.

However in order to stay ahead of the competition, the G35 was due for an update to it's now 4 year old design. Enter the 2007 G35 Sedan. My first impression was that with it's 'L' shaped tails and chrome decklid spoiler, it looked like a Toyota Avalon. It even seemed to borrow an 'S' which stood for 'Sport', from the Toyota Corolla S. I wasn't a fan of the wheels, and I thought the front end was a little "Out there".

Then I had a seat inside and started her up. When I heard the sound of the exhaust at startup, a similar tone to what you would hear from a G50 Q45 with an aftermarket exhaust, I knew this new G wasn't playing around. I revved the motor a few times and chuckled. Then I played around with the new multi-function menu which displays in between the guages. I was able to get my real time gas mileage readout by switching to the fuel menu. Then I reached to the right of my thigh to adjust the seat, NO MORE SEAT CONTROLS UNDER MY LEG! I adjusted the seat from the left side of the seat, where most every car has them. Not only could I adjust my seat back, I could adjust my lubar, the bolster, and my thigh area. I could even slide out the leg extention much like a BMW 3-Series.

I then drew my attention to the paddle shifters. I turned the wheel and was delighted to find that the shifters don't move with the wheel. This makes it easy to shift while turning because the shifters are about 6-inches in lenght each. I went to adjust my mirrors and was glad to find that they've removed the exterior mirrior knob from it's hiding spot behind the steering wheel, and placed it on the drivers door - much more user friendly. The audio controls were easy to adjust, and the sound system was out of this world.

The best part about everything was that between me starting the car, and making the final adjustment for me to be comfortable driving, was that only a minute and thirty seconds had elapsed. Everything is extremely user friendly. For this being the first time I sat in the car, it was a breeze to figure out what each button was for, and how to use it.

So it was time to take off. Unfortunately it was raining when I was driving, so there was no aggressive driving in the forecast, but I still planned to get a good feel for what this car was all about. I immediately went to manual shift mode when I took off. I found that the shifting was very precise. It met my every command right away. It even gave me a BMW SMG like jolt a few times when I was shifting under heavy acceleration. This brought a huge grin to my face.

I took a familiar route which is known to be a bit bumpy. Right away I was absolutely amazed at the smoothness of the ride. Still in manual mode, I managed to have to stop at three different stoplights, but was able to downshift my way to all of them without ever applying the brake until I needed to absolutelty stop. I then continued on still amazed at the amount of smoothness they managed to apply to a sports sedan.

I didn't get to take it on any curvy roads, but I made a few turns and was very confident in it's handling ability. There was little to no body roll, yet the suspension didn't feel harsh at any time what-so-ever. I also took a liking to the fact that there was no moment where the engine seemed to lag like it did in the previous G sedan.

I came back from my drive a bit sad that I had to get out of this gem. It was everything I didn't expect it to be, while also being everything else I expected it to be. I wasn't a fan of the styling, but after driving the car I could quickly learn to get over that. I do like that it doesn't seem to sit as tall as the previous G Sedan. It seems to have a wider track, a more sleek design, and the sexy curves of a supermodel walking the runway.

A lot of my coworkers said Infiniti had a chance to hit a homerun out of the park, but opted for the inside the park-er instead. I'd say they're right, but not in the same context. They already had a car that got plenty of good press. No need to make the dramatic change like they made with the M45, now M35/M45. With the changes they did make, they turned the G Sedan into a nearly perfect car. It just makes you wonder what they have in store for the new G35 Coupe when it debuts as a 2008 model.

2007 Infiniti G35 Price as tested: Approx. $38kPackage: Sport/Premium

Likes: Comfortable user friendly interior, muscular exhaust note, smooth but sporty ride, amount of car for the money, less plastic covering engine and two intakes, paddle shifters make you not miss a manual transmission too much.

Dislikes: Fuel mileage, still using 5 speed Auto keeps them a step behind the 3 Series

-Evan

[nchopp]

Very well-written, Evan! Great job.

[Dano]

Great Review and a good read!

-Dan

[NSR_s30]

Great review, written like a pro. Can't wait to see the pics.

[Jesda]

Did the price go up a couple grand? Nice review!

[szh]

Good review, Evan!

Z