Per my post about a week ago, Circuit City did a real number on my Q. After spending about 5-6 hours trying to fix what was broke, they opted to have my local Infiniti dealership fix it.
So, the local dealership has had my Q since Tuesday of this week, trying to track down all the stuff that got fried during the installation of the remote starter. Luckily, the service guy took pitty on me and offered me a free loaner for the weekend.
So, until Monday afternoon, I have a G35x to kick around in. So far... it is a blast to drive in the snow!
I have a G35x to tool around in for the weekend
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ceningolmo
- Posts: 1763
- Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:37 pm
- Car: Silver 1991 Q45a & Green 1991 Q45a
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elwesso
- Posts: 30810
- Joined: Sun Feb 23, 2003 4:52 pm
- Car: 94 Infiniti Q45t 5 spd
2007 BMW M Coupe
2007 Infiniti G35 S 6MT - Location: Indiana
- Contact:
Re: I have a G35x to tool around in for the weekend (ceningolmo)
Please do me the favor and beat the crap out of it... if you dont, i will think less of you.
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ceningolmo
- Posts: 1763
- Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:37 pm
- Car: Silver 1991 Q45a & Green 1991 Q45a
Re: I have a G35x to tool around in for the weekend (elwesso)
The Auto/Stick thingy rules the world... this is my first experience with it. Umm... sideways on a slick surface, pushing through the gears without a clutch, automatic traction control and AWD system making the wheels lock on to the surface as you exit a turn... weeeeeeeeee.
You think anyone at the dealership will ask me questions if I return the car with 1000 more miles than when I took it?
You think anyone at the dealership will ask me questions if I return the car with 1000 more miles than when I took it?
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elwesso
- Posts: 30810
- Joined: Sun Feb 23, 2003 4:52 pm
- Car: 94 Infiniti Q45t 5 spd
2007 BMW M Coupe
2007 Infiniti G35 S 6MT - Location: Indiana
- Contact:
Re: (AZhitman)
better yet drive it down to TSU and ill review it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im dead serious, too!
Im dead serious, too!
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ceningolmo
- Posts: 1763
- Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:37 pm
- Car: Silver 1991 Q45a & Green 1991 Q45a
Re: (AZhitman)
I wouldn't mind in the least... in fact, I would rather enjoy it.
Does NICO have a standard format for this type of write up? I would want to make sure I am reviewing the features that users are most likely to want to know about. Obviously, in this case, the AWD feature would be important... but, I would want to make sure I properly put it through its paces.
Does NICO have a standard format for this type of write up? I would want to make sure I am reviewing the features that users are most likely to want to know about. Obviously, in this case, the AWD feature would be important... but, I would want to make sure I properly put it through its paces.
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ceningolmo
- Posts: 1763
- Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:37 pm
- Car: Silver 1991 Q45a & Green 1991 Q45a
Re: (elwesso)
My brother-in-law and I are talking about doing a little road trip tomorrow. If he and I can get away from the house for long enough to make the trip, we will head in your direction.
I will email you later today to let you know if we will be in your neighborhood.
I will email you later today to let you know if we will be in your neighborhood.
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elwesso
- Posts: 30810
- Joined: Sun Feb 23, 2003 4:52 pm
- Car: 94 Infiniti Q45t 5 spd
2007 BMW M Coupe
2007 Infiniti G35 S 6MT - Location: Indiana
- Contact:
Re: (ceningolmo)
if you want me to meet you somewhere let me know.....
As long as I dont have to see your Q im fine!!
As long as I dont have to see your Q im fine!!
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ceningolmo
- Posts: 1763
- Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 2:37 pm
- Car: Silver 1991 Q45a & Green 1991 Q45a
Re: (AZhitman)
My review of the G35x...
The car:2005 G35x. I had the car for the weekend as a loaner from the Infiniti dealership. From what I can tell, it was the "basic" model, though I am not sure what if anything else would have been needed.
Conditions of use:During the 3 days (Friday evening through Monday afternoon) that I had the car I had the chance to drive on dry and cold, wet and cold, heavy snow, packed snow, and icy roads.
Interior of the car:For comparisons sake, I drive a 91 Q. And, to be perfectly honest, I prefer the Q. Its not that the G35x isn't nice, but it does have that same level of luxury that the Q has...but, I suppose that is to be expected. The Q, even an older one, is designed as a flagship where as the G is more of small sports sedan. I am sure the G35 has been reviewed on its own by people far better at this than I am, so I won't bother droning on about what I liked and didn't like. I would say that I liked the modern/minimalist appearance of the interior.
Exterior of the car:You know what it looks like... besides, I am sure there are other better reviews that mine that would explain the positives/negatives. I can say that I am a big fan of the lights. HID was great, but just the overall look of the running lights, the clear lenses, and the turn signals is spiffy.
Performance:
Ok, here is the part of the review that is most relevant as it will deal with the AWD denoted by the x in G35x. I will break it in to a couple of sections.
Engine:Again, my biggest point of comparison is to my Q. And, the difference is significant. There were both positives and negatives but, again, I won't talk about them at length. I am sure the reviews of the G35 will give anyone a good idea of the sedans performance. I would say that I enjoyed the quick response that this engine provides. When compared to the slight lag I feel in the bigger Q, the smaller engine seems to react as quickly as I react. However, on the other side, I prefer the smooth feeling of power that comes from the V8 in the Q. In the G, I always felt like I was putting the engine at its edge... logically I know that the engine is designed to run and perform at a higher RPM, but when I step on the gas it feels a little more rough and a little more strained than what I am used to using.
Transmission:The main feature that I fell in love with on this car was the autostick feature. Having the option to be lazy and leave the car in automatic or move it to the "manual" setting and is great. When I want to cruise on the highway the car ran very comfortably and reacted quickly using the standard automatic setting. However, when I wanted to push the performance, I moved the stick over and start shifting clutchlessly. The beauty is having the ability to pick your shift points and feel like your an active participant in the way the car is performing. Obviously, the AWD feature is a huge part of the transmission as well... but, I will cover that in that next section.
Traction control and the AWD:The car is LOCKED to the pavement. It didn't matter what conditions I drove the car in, it performed like it was on dry ground. The AWD was noticeable though not obvious. During most driving I felt very little of the effects that the additional traction gave, but in hard driving conditions the additional pull from the front wheels becam evident. Put in combination with the traction control system, the car was as rock solid as anythign I have ever driven. To me, this has both positives and negatives.
On the positive side, the car is probably as safe as any car available. I don't know how it would react in an accident, but in terms of accident avoidance there is nothing else like it. Either someone else would have to blind side you, or you would have to intentionally run in to something. I now know why the dealership lends these out. I ran it wild on snowy back roads and wide open parking lots and the car always was under complete control. There was never any sense while "snow drifting" (thanks for the new vocab Wes) that I might have overshot my mark or that I might spin out of control. This was particularly true when I engaged the "Snow" feature on the traction control. This feature allowed me to push the accelerator all the way to the floor and the car would still accelerate mildly with nearly zero will slip.
This leads to my negative impressions. The cars traction control and AWD systems are programmed to be so effective as to become intrusive to the driving experience. In the hands of an inexperienced driver, I see this as a safety feature. In the hands of someone who wants to bring the car to the edge of its limits, it makes the car a bit unpredictable. I loved the AWD... I think I would have preferred that it was full time and not linked to a traction control system. The problem was that when I would push the car in snow or slippery conditions, it would immediately shut down any slip and pull the car back under control. It made drifting all but impossible. The only was I could get the car to "drift" was to put in it in an all out sideways slide, then steer back out of it when I reached the end of my corner. There was no way I could break the traction loose and then bring the car back under control on my own. Long before I could make the decision to begin slow down the spin on the tires the traction control system would immediately take power away from any wheels that were spinning. The effect is rock solid stability during normal driving, but it also sucked the fun out of pushing the car out to its edge.
Braking:This car has plenty of braking power, which further enhances my impression that it is the ultimate in accident avoidance. On dry pavement the brakes brought the car to a hault from 50MPH in a very short distance. I didn't measure how many feet it was, but I know that the car stopped a lot faster than my neck wanted my head to stop. The only complaint that I had about the braking was the ABS. Whenever the ABS system engaged, there was A LOT of feedback on the brake pedal. It was significant enough that it caused me to have to constantly reassert my pressure on the pedal.
Overall impression:I liked the car a lot. It accelerated very well, was rock solid at high speeds, had extremely short braking distances, and was super solid in cornering. If I were going to choose a car for my wife to drive the kids around in, it would be this one. It is still fun for her to drive, but there is basically no chance that it would ever get out of control. I would feel completely safe sending her out in to nearly any driving conditions. However, I don't know that it is exactly what I would want. Its fun to drive, and would act predicatbly while driving normally. However, I would rather have the opportunity to push the car out to its edge without it asserting control over my driving.
The car:2005 G35x. I had the car for the weekend as a loaner from the Infiniti dealership. From what I can tell, it was the "basic" model, though I am not sure what if anything else would have been needed.
Conditions of use:During the 3 days (Friday evening through Monday afternoon) that I had the car I had the chance to drive on dry and cold, wet and cold, heavy snow, packed snow, and icy roads.
Interior of the car:For comparisons sake, I drive a 91 Q. And, to be perfectly honest, I prefer the Q. Its not that the G35x isn't nice, but it does have that same level of luxury that the Q has...but, I suppose that is to be expected. The Q, even an older one, is designed as a flagship where as the G is more of small sports sedan. I am sure the G35 has been reviewed on its own by people far better at this than I am, so I won't bother droning on about what I liked and didn't like. I would say that I liked the modern/minimalist appearance of the interior.
Exterior of the car:You know what it looks like... besides, I am sure there are other better reviews that mine that would explain the positives/negatives. I can say that I am a big fan of the lights. HID was great, but just the overall look of the running lights, the clear lenses, and the turn signals is spiffy.
Performance:
Ok, here is the part of the review that is most relevant as it will deal with the AWD denoted by the x in G35x. I will break it in to a couple of sections.
Engine:Again, my biggest point of comparison is to my Q. And, the difference is significant. There were both positives and negatives but, again, I won't talk about them at length. I am sure the reviews of the G35 will give anyone a good idea of the sedans performance. I would say that I enjoyed the quick response that this engine provides. When compared to the slight lag I feel in the bigger Q, the smaller engine seems to react as quickly as I react. However, on the other side, I prefer the smooth feeling of power that comes from the V8 in the Q. In the G, I always felt like I was putting the engine at its edge... logically I know that the engine is designed to run and perform at a higher RPM, but when I step on the gas it feels a little more rough and a little more strained than what I am used to using.
Transmission:The main feature that I fell in love with on this car was the autostick feature. Having the option to be lazy and leave the car in automatic or move it to the "manual" setting and is great. When I want to cruise on the highway the car ran very comfortably and reacted quickly using the standard automatic setting. However, when I wanted to push the performance, I moved the stick over and start shifting clutchlessly. The beauty is having the ability to pick your shift points and feel like your an active participant in the way the car is performing. Obviously, the AWD feature is a huge part of the transmission as well... but, I will cover that in that next section.
Traction control and the AWD:The car is LOCKED to the pavement. It didn't matter what conditions I drove the car in, it performed like it was on dry ground. The AWD was noticeable though not obvious. During most driving I felt very little of the effects that the additional traction gave, but in hard driving conditions the additional pull from the front wheels becam evident. Put in combination with the traction control system, the car was as rock solid as anythign I have ever driven. To me, this has both positives and negatives.
On the positive side, the car is probably as safe as any car available. I don't know how it would react in an accident, but in terms of accident avoidance there is nothing else like it. Either someone else would have to blind side you, or you would have to intentionally run in to something. I now know why the dealership lends these out. I ran it wild on snowy back roads and wide open parking lots and the car always was under complete control. There was never any sense while "snow drifting" (thanks for the new vocab Wes) that I might have overshot my mark or that I might spin out of control. This was particularly true when I engaged the "Snow" feature on the traction control. This feature allowed me to push the accelerator all the way to the floor and the car would still accelerate mildly with nearly zero will slip.
This leads to my negative impressions. The cars traction control and AWD systems are programmed to be so effective as to become intrusive to the driving experience. In the hands of an inexperienced driver, I see this as a safety feature. In the hands of someone who wants to bring the car to the edge of its limits, it makes the car a bit unpredictable. I loved the AWD... I think I would have preferred that it was full time and not linked to a traction control system. The problem was that when I would push the car in snow or slippery conditions, it would immediately shut down any slip and pull the car back under control. It made drifting all but impossible. The only was I could get the car to "drift" was to put in it in an all out sideways slide, then steer back out of it when I reached the end of my corner. There was no way I could break the traction loose and then bring the car back under control on my own. Long before I could make the decision to begin slow down the spin on the tires the traction control system would immediately take power away from any wheels that were spinning. The effect is rock solid stability during normal driving, but it also sucked the fun out of pushing the car out to its edge.
Braking:This car has plenty of braking power, which further enhances my impression that it is the ultimate in accident avoidance. On dry pavement the brakes brought the car to a hault from 50MPH in a very short distance. I didn't measure how many feet it was, but I know that the car stopped a lot faster than my neck wanted my head to stop. The only complaint that I had about the braking was the ABS. Whenever the ABS system engaged, there was A LOT of feedback on the brake pedal. It was significant enough that it caused me to have to constantly reassert my pressure on the pedal.
Overall impression:I liked the car a lot. It accelerated very well, was rock solid at high speeds, had extremely short braking distances, and was super solid in cornering. If I were going to choose a car for my wife to drive the kids around in, it would be this one. It is still fun for her to drive, but there is basically no chance that it would ever get out of control. I would feel completely safe sending her out in to nearly any driving conditions. However, I don't know that it is exactly what I would want. Its fun to drive, and would act predicatbly while driving normally. However, I would rather have the opportunity to push the car out to its edge without it asserting control over my driving.
