hi all,

i have an '03 G35 Sedan, brilliant silver, fully loaded with GPS. its only about 4 months old, but i recently was rear ended at a stoplight by an SUV at about 45mph. needless to say, its been in the shop for a while.

although the damage isnt too bad, im thinking about trading it in and getting an FX35 with Tech pkg. i do a lot of biking and am looking for a little more space but i dont want to sacrafice that G35 ride!

anybody else have experience in both of these cars, and if so what are your thoughts on the 'performance' difference between the 2?

thanks!

brad

Wow tough one.

I am sure there are not too many folks who had both.But all reviews of the FX seem to cenetr on description of it as "the sports sedan of SUV's".

Fred...:thumbup

Had G35 for few days and own FX35. G35 is much faster and that is all, FX35 has utility, looks and good persormance for SUV. I would not hesitate on trading

:ylsuper When my lease was up on my 2000 Lincoln LS Manual July 1, I naturally thought I would go to the next level which is the G35 six-speed sedan.But a couple things bothered me. One was the question of horsepower: "Why only 260?" Motor Trend felt it was the restrictive exhaust, and my friend at Magnaflow said that Nismo was contracting with them to make a better exhaust system.The second issue was the infamous traction control problem. The Solo 2 boys were complaining about what they thought was a VDC problem, specifically the inability to turn off VDC totally. Actually the problem is not VDC but BLSD. You have the same problem with the FX.But with the FX45 having the same 0-60 time as the G35 auto, and the prescence of all-wheel drive, the prospect of losing traction with just two wheel drive and having BLSD intervene is much less in the FX.Maybe I was tired of having sedans forever was a factor, and I really hated true SUV's for being too slow.So I got the 45 and am very happy. It's really a G35 on steroids. I just don't think the G35 Sedan is ready for prime time until the HP deficiency and BLSD problems are solved by the aftermarket. This will take time.Meanwhile, I've ordered my custom license plate: "X5 EATER" and I just love blowing off all the other SUV's.And I love the looks that get the looks. The FX takes the new rubber-necking award now that the H2 is old news.

stanny1 wrote::ylsuper When my lease was up on my 2000 Lincoln LS Manual July 1, I naturally thought I would go to the next level which is the G35 six-speed sedan.But a couple things bothered me. One was the question of horsepower: "Why only 260?" Motor Trend felt it was the restrictive exhaust, and my friend at Magnaflow said that Nismo was contracting with them to make a better exhaust system.The second issue was the infamous traction control problem. The Solo 2 boys were complaining about what they thought was a VDC problem, specifically the inability to turn off VDC totally. Actually the problem is not VDC but BLSD. You have the same problem with the FX.But with the FX45 having the same 0-60 time as the G35 auto, and the prescence of all-wheel drive, the prospect of losing traction with just two wheel drive and having BLSD intervene is much less in the FX.Maybe I was tired of having sedans forever was a factor, and I really hated true SUV's for being too slow.So I got the 45 and am very happy. It's really a G35 on steroids. I just don't think the G35 Sedan is ready for prime time until the HP deficiency and BLSD problems are solved by the aftermarket. This will take time.Meanwhile, I've ordered my custom license plate: "X5 EATER" and I just love blowing off all the other SUV's.And I love the looks that get the looks. The FX takes the new rubber-necking award now that the H2 is old news.

what are your thoughts on the FX35 vs the G35 Sedan? im kind of a performance guy myself and i still want to have that G35 acceleration and performance. is there a BIG difference in the G35 sedan vs. the FX35?

thanks

brad

Both the G35 and FX use the same FM platform (as does the 350Z and G35C), but the front suspension was changed from the G35's unequal length A-arms to the FX's struts to accomodate the width of the 45's V-8 and it's added weight, which necessitated a stiffer suspension setting. So the 45 has a popcorn-popper ride, and the 35's ride depends on the wheel size and whether you get Premium or Sport (RWD or AWD). If you go the 35 with 18", your cornering ability will be about .80g. If you go the 20" on either, you should be able to obtain .87g. The G35 scores about a .84-.85g rating.The AWD on either FX should help cornering ability while accelerating. In the G35, if you break the rear loose, the VDC and BLSD will shut you down. I've attacked corners with such force in my 45 that both systems complained and took the fun away.I hope the aftermarket finds a way to shut off BSLD (Brake Limited Slip Differential), but it is tied in with the ABS system, and just pulling a fuse won't work. The real solution is real LSD, but almost all the car manufacturers like the cheapness of using G sensors with the ABS instead of more costly real LSD hardware. However, the 350Z comes with a real LSD, and you could transplant that pumpkin into a G35 or G35C easily, but at a cost of $1500-2000 with labor.Acceleration figures are the big diffference between the G35 and FX series. The G35 Manual does about 5.8 0-60, and the G35 Auto does about 6.2.The FX35 does about 7.1 to 7.4, depending on whether it's the light RWD only or the heavier AWD model. The FX35 is heavier than the G35 to begin with, and acceleration is mostly a HP/weight ratio thing. It's also a transmission problem. An automatic absorbs a lot of torque compared to a stick, and all fast automatic cars have big, torquey engines.That's basically why I chose the 45, because despite the added weight of standard AWD and the V-8, it's 329 ft lbs of torque brings the acceleration figures up to equal the auto G35's. The FX will never equal some of the G35's dynamic qualities because of it's added mass and higher polar moment of inertia problems, but it is a unique vehicle that really defies classification.I still want my Manual G35, but I need to wait until the aftermarket gets the kinks out of the G35. Like my Lincoln LS Manual, the G35 is still an unfinished project. Both cars have/had potential, but their manufacturers dropped the ball near the end, and almost made them true performance machines. I keep wondering if there is some secret agreement somewhere that no one can make a BMW for less money. I know that Japan can. It's a matter of will and not capability or money. (I hope Infiniti VP/GM Mark McNabb reads this forum).

Stanny:

Great posts especially for a newbie :bowdown.

Fred...

Bthuss, Stannie, Gvitalik:

Welcome to our club!

Fred..:jazz:

Thanks, Team. My 45 has been at my Infiniti dealer here in San Diego for 11 days for the "Hatch Problem".She is supposed to be "hatched" tomorrow.I was probably the gunea pig as I was the 2nd hatch repair job ever for this dealer.I'll give you a full report ASAP.Being without an FX this long brings on terrible withdrawl pains.The free 2002 I-35 loaner helps. After taking my first drive with Nissan's ubiquitous V-6, I can see why it's such a great engine.Despite the I-35 being a luxo boat with the heavy feeling FWD front end, this thing hauls butt. I don't know what the 0-60 is, but this thing could easily blow away my old Lincoln LS Manual. It must be the most powerful 3.5 liter of all the mass-produced engines. No wonder it's been on the Ward's Best Engine list for like 12 years.

Just wanted to shed some light on the hatch problem. The top of the hatch with the high mounted brake light warps in the sun. I imagine this is much more of a problem with the darker colors (mine's black). When it warps, it will be higher than the roof when you open the hatch, and can damage the roof and the warped piece on the hatch. I'm waiting for my dealer to get the "tools" for the fix. I was just going to glue it down with super glue . Otherwise the FX is an amazing vehicle. I don't find the ride too firm, but I'm used to firm rides. I traded my E55 and ML430 for the FX45, and my other car is a 911 C4 Cab. I would highly recomend the FX, and get a 45 w/tech package if possible. It is just about as fast as the G35 auto and the handling is amazing for a vehicle this size. My only complaint is that it is too much fun to drive and I'm putting on a lot of miles (11K, purchased in March) ))ps - very informative posts stanny1rich

richardew wrote:Just wanted to shed some light on the hatch problem. The top of the hatch with the high mounted brake light warps in the sun. I imagine this is much more of a problem with the darker colors (mine's black). When it warps, it will be higher than the roof when you open the hatch, and can damage the roof and the warped piece on the hatch. I'm waiting for my dealer to get the "tools" for the fix. I was just going to glue it down with super glue . Otherwise the FX is an amazing vehicle. I don't find the ride too firm, but I'm used to firm rides. I traded my E55 and ML430 for the FX45, and my other car is a 911 C4 Cab. I would highly recomend the FX, and get a 45 w/tech package if possible. It is just about as fast as the G35 auto and the handling is amazing for a vehicle this size. My only complaint is that it is too much fun to drive and I'm putting on a lot of miles (11K, purchased in March) ))ps - very informative posts stanny1rich

well, its been a busy week but i got my old car back from the shop and the frame damage is killing me on resale value. i decided to take a bit of a hit and work a deal with the infiniti dealer for a trade on the g35 to an fx35. the fx45 would be too much cash for me with the fact that i lost all of my equity in the other auto. im going for a diminunition in value claim to try and get my losses back on the G.

needless to say, .... its a done deal and i am now a proud owner of a new FX35 with tech package in beautiful diamond graphite!

thanks everyone for all of the info. this car is a blast! i like it more than i did my G35 and i didnt think that was possible.

i will post some pics soon

thanks again everyone!