I just spent 48 hours with a new G35 (loaner). I know I posted about this car back when they first came out, and was kind of "on the fence" about it. I drove it as if I owned it (:D) and this one changed my thinking.
First of all, it's nearly as big inside as my Q. A tad narrower, but that's not the critical dimension. The back seats are actually roomier, and I love the recline feature in the rear. Great leather, and I like the clean dash design. The damn thing handles like a slot car, and the acceleration is astounding. Buttons/switches take some getting used to, but that's par for the course. More cubbies and nooks, which is important.
Minor gripes: The throttle tip-in is too abrupt. There's no "easing into" heavy acceleration with this car. The throttle is far from linear, as 1/2 pedal and WOT are very similar. The VDC is overly touchy. On a sweeping cloverleaf on dry pavement, it fought my efforts to go faster - I was FAR from breaking the tires loose, but yet it overrode my throttle input. THEN, all of a sudden, it decided to allow that much throttle, and it downshifted and lurched forward with a quickness - Somewhat startling, and I immediately turned that little feature to the OFF position. It's a PITA anyway. I don't know what Nissan was thinking when they decided to add the "autostick" feature, but it's a joke. The car does what it wants regardless of driver input. You'll get better performance just letting the automatic do its thing. Finally, the transmission seems to hunt (probably related to the non-linearity of the throttle) so I'd probably opt for the 6-speed.
What a riot to drive on the ragged edge. The car is just plain intuitive in its responsiveness. This thing could get me in some serious trouble if it were any quicker and sure-footed. I'm gonna drive a coupe and a 6-speed sedan next time I go to the dealer...
The real kicker: My wife was just ecstatic over this car, and that's a real compliment - She just does NOT like new cars. She actually wanted to know what the payment would be on the G if we got rid of the Q. This from a woman who was pissed when I got rid of my old Civic.
SOOOO, looks like I'll have the Q for 2 more years, then it's on to the G (UNLESS I can swing the cost of an M45 before then).
She wants a two-door G-35 instead of a wagon - loves the "looks and attention" she got from guys when she was driving the loaner! 