Its raining but I'm driving the snot outta it....also throwing a bar-b-que...So far I really like it, they did a great job on this car. Detailed review to come.

 

Look forward to your impressions.

 

If the weather is that bad, I hope you got a G35X AWD.....it will hold a wet road a lot better than the RWD model.

I'm looking forward to your report too. I looked at and test-drove a RWD G35 4-door when it first came out in 2002, but I wasn't with CL then...it will be interesting to see your take on the new one....and how it compares with the M35X I reviewed last year.

 

Looking forward to this review..

 

To: 1SICKREVIEW
Fr: bitkahntwait!

 

When is the review going to be released Mr. 1SICKLEX?

 

to sum it up

Infiniti < Lexus.

 

Is it faster than your GS?

 

Post some pics. I want to see how this car looks out of the magazines.

 

Wow, well here goes. Pics are uploading as I type this..

2007 G35 sedan base model.

I threw a bar-b-que today but it actually ended up POURING (think Evans Almighty) most of the night....I have a bud who had Nissan Altima (3 generations ago) and hooked it up. He graduated and got into some $$$ and moved up to a G35c manual, which I reviewed here
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...ht=1sickreview

Outside the exterior and lack of image, its a fantastic car, IMO. I mean it left me impressed.

So he arrives and says "you might want to check this out" and pulls out the key. Its a nice key, it does feel nice and heavy and seems luxurious....Good start!


We walk to the car and its a big car for this class. I had my GS in the garage (and tons of cars in the driveway) so I could not take side by side shots. But this car seems as big as the 2GS. So you are getting a lot of car for the money. The exterior does nothing for me, sorry. Its not ugly or anything and IMO it better looking that the first gen but to me its awkward in proportions and details. The trunk is very short from the side but its not pulled off successfully. The chrome window surround is huge. With the stock 17s, the car looks unbalanced. I do like the new Infiniti grill, much more styled instead of some plain chrome horizontal slots like the rest of the lineup (and like to much of the competition).


Luxury
Wow, Infiniti has come a LOOOOONG way. I really like the interior. The design flows very well. THe gauges are huge, very easy to read and clearly a page out of Lexus book, instead of the ridiculous orange, we get white electroluminescent gauges with a nice blue hue. I loved them, made me feel I was not looking at a Nissan and something better. The high NAV screen is perfect to see out of and in a GREAT position. The Aluminum trim is nice to look at and nice to touch, very impressed. They did a great job with how it wraps around the interior. The interior was black and I am 6'5 240 and it did NOT feel small. The seats offered more bolstering than my GS but I still didn't feel very comfortable in them (maybe I need to lay off the bar-b-que, lol)
Again, there is a nice blue lighting hue on the center console. The Infiniti clock is there as well. The gearknob is nice with aluminum trim down the middle. The Plastics were not fantastic but were not bad, nothing IMO to really complain about. The steering wheel has controls for the radio etc and looks 100% better than the last generation. The steering wheel is not automatic but manual to move. IMO, this interior left a very positive impression.
Overall 9 out of 10

Performance
ALA Lexus you press down the brake and push the button to start (and turn off) the car. Mind you its raining, it is a loaner, my friend knows me so I drive it like I stole it still. Had the VSC (or whatever they call it) kick in a few times and it successfully got me out of TROUBLE. The car out the box clearly feels like a better handling car than a stock 2GS, barely better than a 3GS and IMO the 2IS feels as solid in low speeds. You would honestly have to be some sort of nut to tell the difference between the 3GS/2IS/G35. I think that is good on Infinit's part, it feels like a very solid car. I think that means Lexus is indeed getting sportier as well. At high speeds of over 60mph, the car moved where I wanted it to but IMO, it felt a bit tail heavy. Maybe it was the rain or maybe I just didn't want to drive too hard and wreck the loaner.
Steering-
IMO, the first 1/4 turning of the wheel is very very light and then WHAM, it gets to be very very heavy. When it gets to be heavy, it is very good, the car turns where you want and its seamless. I did find it to be more communicative than a 3GS or 2IS but again, not a huge difference. I liked the steering, felt great for a stock non sport model. Great job.
-Brakes-
Felt strong and solid and confidence inspiring. Tapping the brake was very responsive. Great job again.
-Acceleration-
Ahhhh, this car is fast! IMO easily just as fast as a 2GS 430 (my car) and tons of power in the midrange. I looked at the redline and I want to say it was like 7500 RPM!!! Very very sporty. Thing is, it didn't feel any faster than my friends G35c, the last gen. Not like thats a bad thing, both cars are very fast. When I used manu-matic, I hit redline much faster than I thought, especially if we were talking and I was not paying full attention. It was fun. Of note, its scary how fast the IS 350 is b/c I felt it was a step slower than the IS 350. Which leads me to believe the 335 must be nuts to not be a "M" car.
-Exhaust/Engine sound-
It sounded, IMO pretty bad inside. Like Nissan engineers could not decide do they want it to sound like last time or mute it some. I did not like it. You also heard the engine underful throttle and it sounded course. Needs an aftermarket exhaust to make it sound better. Even if you are not into that kinda stuff, it wasn't good to me.
-Tranny-
Not going to totally beat up the tranny, it is a loaner car but it was loud and course and sometimes the 5 speed auto/manu-matic shifted perfectly, sometimes it felt like driving an 18 wheeler. Weird. When it was smooth, it was fantastic. I also used the manu-matic gears, sliding the gearknob over and like the 2GS you see the gear you are in on the gauges.
Overall
8 out of 10 stars

Gas Mileage
This is a more important factor in today's world and it has a high power V-6 and is fun to drive and is a 5 speed manual. Don't expect anything great.

Image
Even taking my Lexus head out my own *** this car/brand sadly is still missing tons of it. This does not take anything away from the cars merits but to OWN it, it leaves me sorely lacking.
My sister comes out and says "what is that"?
I reply "its a G35".
"What is that"? (mind you she is not oblivious to cars)
It is a loaner car. The Infiniti dealer has a tasteless giant advertising sign on both front doors. This feels like a luxury car but for me I need the car to do the talking. I don't want to give 30 minute tutorials to people on why I chose this car over a tier I brand. Some people like this clearly, some people might be tired of the usual BMW,Benz, Lexus. Not me. I like the fast the Germans have been there (heritage) and I like the fact I am confident in what Lexus continues to do and go. With the Q45 discontinued and a cute ute (EX) coming, it just leaves me cold as a brand.
6 out of 10 stars

Review/Conclusion
So after driving the snot out of the car and really liking it, I get out and my friends says "I'm going to get you to switch sides"! I respond with "its going to take a lot". Honestly speaking (REALTALK) to the average person, this car simply doesn't fail on anything and should exceed most people's expectations. To the enthusiast, it pushes the right buttons as a driver's car but leaves a little lacking on subjective issues (styling/image). When you look at the base price of $32k, this is clearly the best value in class. It is the BEST BUY in this class. When you add options put up against the IS 350/335 heavyweights, its right there with them but I feat the more this car costs, the more that image and badge is going to hurt.


So here is something that is going to shock the internet world.

Subjective rankings aside,this is the best car overall for the money. If you had to buy one sedan at under $35,000, this my friends would be it.
Space
Luxury
Speed
Handling
Reliable
Good Dealer service
Trunk Room
Technology

Overall, I cannot think of a better package for the price.

 

Sorry, the pics came out like crap b/c of the rain.
I think the interior in black is SUPERB

If you like at the first pic, you can see the loaner script on the side of the car.

 

I like your review. I agree with you in many aspects, while the car isn't as nice (IMO) as an IS350 or 335i, one needs to remind themselves of the price, once you do, you think wow this car is a bargain!

Of course, I have to throw my BMW "perspective" into this. The first time I drove the 335i was right after I test drove an E46 M3. In fact, I didn't know much about the 335i, I was set on buying the E46 M3, until the salesman convinced me to get the 335i. I was like WOW this thing is fast. From the short stop light to stop light, it felt FASTER than the E46 M3 (see: torque). Okay, back to talking about the G35. Carry on.

One thing I totally agree on is the exterior. Infiniti managed to make the G3x somewhat distinctive, but the sedan doesn't do anything for a lot of people. I do think this one looks much better than the old one, but it still has a ways to go.

 

What? An infiniti that 1sicklex likes? Blasphemy!!

I really enjoyed the review. I'm glad infiniti up'ed the scale on the interior. My buddy had the 06 G35C and I absolutely hated the interior quality.

but like the 1st gen, this will sell, since it's virtually the same car .

 

Nice review and I gotta agree....it's the best value in it's class. That in itself is it's biggest negative. That means it's at the bottom of it's class in some respect. I am a G35 and Infiniti fan though. This car will sell because many Americans are looking for quality at the cheapest price they can get. The car is quality and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg....just an arm.

 

Let me get mine in before the 2IS crowd gets here lol............Nice review the G35 Sedan is a well put together package for the price. Wish it was dry so you could really get to test it.