I had a great opportunity to drive this car once again, as a friend recently purchased one. He had a 1999 Nissan Altima and moved up to a G35c. He lent me the keys for quite sometime and yes, I drove his car like I drive any car. Like I stole it. First impressions, the car looks great in its silver color, that is what stands out, its a nice looking car with the 18s. It drove great stock, it WAS a 6-speed manual. The luxury is sorely missing.
Image
Well the car is a good looking car. But its a shame no one still knows what it is. The same girls that recognized the RX on cue, no one had any clue what this car was. And when they heard Infiniti, it drew blank stares. But it did get a lot of attention for its handsome looks. This coupe did not have the spoiler, which to my eyes is a plus. In driving it, this car got the same attention as the RX, which is odd. Maybe it was the silver color. You should hear my friend explain what an Infiniti is. He HAS to explain it. Nuff said.
7 out of 10 stars
Luxury
Coming from a 1999 Altima, I can see how you might think this is luxurious. Being one that knows what luxury is, well, I won't beat this dead horse too much. The interior was black, which helped. The leather was hard. The console had scratches on it. The orange gauges gave me the runs. Looking in the rear, its worse, the seats and rear look almost unfinished. Sigh. The radio was a drag too.
6 out of 10 stars
Performance
YEAH BABY!!! This car GOES. The manual shifts nicely, 0 to 60 in 6 flat according to my timing. 2nd and third gears are SWEET. It just feels very powerful, never underpowered. The car handles very well, like a smaller car. It takes street corners with no problem, merging with traffic, NO problem, its a GREAT drive. The ride is good too, it never felt harsh, credit the fatter than most cars sidewalls with its 18" tires.
9 out of 10 stars
Gas
After drving it, I had to put more gas in it. Fock. But I EXPECTED to do so, is a car that simply makes you want to DRIVE. Thus worse gas mileage. THing is, it got about 18 MPG, only 2 less than the RX but with much better performance.
8 out of 10 stars

Review/Conclusion
This car is a hoot to drive. And even 3 years later, still is a great car, which is really telling. This is what the Acura CL-S SHOULD HAVE been. Still, I sit INSIDE the car, and I could justify the interior if it SAID Nissan Skyline, but it says Infintii. So I expect more. Also, you can MOD this car, which is a BIG plus for people like you and me. Add in Infintii service which is pretty good and well, this car is still a winner!

Overall
8 out of 10 stars

 

Again, any questions, please ask.

 

I don't have a problem with that. Yes the interior material & design are my least favourite part of the car, but like you said in another thread, it IS a Nissan in Japan, & had they market it as a Nissan in N.America instead of Infiniti, I would still have bought it at the same price & pick it over the Z, not only do I like the exterior much more, but IMO it's actually a better value than the Z which is a Nissan. I would love for the G35c to have a TL like interior, but then they wouldn't be selling the car at the price they are charging now.

 

I fully expect the next G35 interior to really take some of the aspects of the M35/45. The 05 is improved and I am sure they will continue to do so.

And IMO, G35 over 350Z anytime, anyplace, almost a no-brainer, especially at the same price.

 

I agree, the G35C is far more of a better value than the 350z. A 2+2 coupe with luxury features is far more appealing to me in my opinion.

 

Good review Sick for once. But I still disagree on how bad you make the interior be. It's different and your just not use to it. Though I think the 05 seats are a bit more softer than the 04s and 03s.

 

Probably the biggest drawback for the coupe....especially in foul-weather areas....is the lack of its brother G35X sedan's AWD option. I talked to the Nissan reps at the Washington, D.C Auto Show about this......and pointed out that almost all of the necessary hardware has already been developed for the sedan. They might have to make some small differences in driveshaft length or half-shafts to compensate for the coupe's slightly different dimensions, but that would be a cinch.....and would not cost much at all.
When I asked why this has not yet been done ( the coupe has been in production almost as long as the sedan ) they agreed with me and said they could not come up with any real explanation why not. They also noted that I have not been the only one to ask this question.......a number of requests had been brought to them on this subject......and that they would take it back to Infiniti HQ in their after-show report. So...we'll wait and see if it eventually gets added to the coupe.

 

I personally don't want a AWD G35 coupe mainly because of the extra weight, the car is heavy enough already as it is. I live up a hill & there are only a few days of snow per year here, but it can be tricky to go up the hill in such circumstances for some cars. But I managed to get by with all-season tires so far. I was lucky last year I was away for vacation when the the snow came during Christmas.

 

You know what. I dont think there are any AWD coupes on the market right now. There was the Subaru Impreza Coupe back in the day and the SVX, but I cant recall anyone else making one. Ohh, and certain Audis did as well including the A4 Convertible, but thats about it. I guess there is not a strong enough market for that.

Nice review though. I always loved the G35 coupe. Outstanding design, but to me not all that great on the inside. It could be something I can live with though.

 

It seems to be around as quick as the 98-05 GS4 on the low end, but how did it feel compared to the GS4 on high-end driving? I've read a couple times on racing forum that GS4's that have encountered 350Z's said they were actually putting up a pretty good fight on the highway. I've gotten to thrash a GS4 a couple times, but have yet to drive one of these new nissan FM platforms.

I wish I had a bunch of friends with tight wips :-)

 

I was bracing myself for another Nissan-Infiniti vs. Toyota-Lexus bash-fest...

Nice review 1SickLex! Let's get you behind the wheel of a FX35 or FX45 and see what you think of those.

 

I can see it now.

Great power, great exterior styling, but terrible interior and its a Infiniti.

 

this is still a car i consider to be a good canidate for replacing the SC... whenever that day is.

 

Audi did and still makes them, including the A4 convertible, the S4 convertible and the TT. And don't forget Porsche 911, Bentley Continental GT, Lamborghini Gallardo, Murcielago and now the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, all of which are from VAG though. Plus what good are those when I can't afford any of them haha.

Just get a Celica All-Trac and be done with it.

 

When you say "RX" are you referring to the Lexus RX, Mazda RX, or something else?