[Bret08]

So I’m giving my Bullitt a few days of R&R to give her a break and to make up for racking up so many miles in a short time.

Anyway I picked up a rental and rather than the normal mundane rental I was given a brand new Infiniti G35 sedan. At first I wasn’t that impressed as it seemed at first glance to be a BMW want-a-be, but thus far I have to say that it seems like a pretty refined vehicle on par or better than some of the European sedans I’ve driven.

I particularly like the handing and road feel. Unlike most (sorry to say) American sedans that feel vague and separated from the road – it has a surprisingly taunt and positive feel. But not so much as to be twitchy and harsh like is often the trade off with some vehicles.

Nope I’m looking forward to my drive to Yuma and will report back on my findings.

One thing for sure this isn’t your average Tarsus rental.

 

[Pronkie1]

My sister bought one earlier this year....She likes it alot... I told her she should have got the G37 coupe,but she said the next car will be "her" car, meaning they still need a family car.....She says she has to watch her speed....too easy to get going and not realize your speeding...

 

[Bret08]

Ok I hit the road this morning about 0-dark thirty (4AM) and I have to say that thus far I only have one complaint.

In the middle of nowhere - it gets pretty dark at night with 1/4 moon and to help with visibility I like to crank the dashboard lights way down because they don't need to be so bright. While this feature worked well - the issue turned out to be the G35's Status screen in the center of the console. It had an adjustment for brightness too - but cranked all the way down it still was annoyingly way too bright for my tastes.

Now obviously for city folks this wouldn't ever be an issue at all with there always being street lights and such. But for those of us nocturnal types or early risers who frequently drive at night on the rural highways & byways – it’s a bit of a pain in the rear. I swear I just wanted to turn it off.

Oh well that’s it for now – I’ve got’a get moving I’ve got another couple hundred miles and a few hours on a remote site before I will be back in an area where my laptops air-card will work.

I’ll check in later.

Bret

 

[gesner]

My brother has a 2006 G35 and I used to have a 2005 3-series. You're initial impression is correct, the G35 is a BMW want-a-be. The G will certainly out-perform the 3. But if you drive them back to back you will instantly understand why C&D picks the 3-series over the G.

 

[Bret08]

I haven't driven the current 3-series but I have been in a few and’ve always liked the breed. So what you say rings true.

As for the G35 – well I finally figured out how to shut off the display but can’t understand why it’s brightness feature doesn’t track with the dash & gauges dimmer. You’d think that even with two separate adjustments that they’d at least be able to be lowered to the same point without having to completely shut off the display. Another annoying thing about the display is once you’ve turned it off a little reminder keeps popping up every few minutes to remind you it’s “off” and how to turn it back on?

Anyway that aside the car is still pretty trick.

Looking at it next to other sedans in the parking lot – it’s really not all that large of a vehicle as it feels inside. Although it’s just a 4-passenger vehicle it is pretty roomy and despite a couple weird knob placements everything is pretty much at the driver’s fingertips & I like the overall ergonomic layout of the interior.

One of the coolest features IMHO is the drivers gauge “pod” – that actually moves up & down with the steering wheel, so the gauges are always in clear view. If you’ve ever sat in a Porsche 928 (I own one) you’ll immediately recognize the significance of this. But the G35’s steering wheel also telescopes in and out – something the old P-car never had.

Transmission is pretty mundane in normal “D” drive mode. But if you decide to use the “S” mode or try to manually use the sequential shifter. be prepared for a rather jerky experience. The throttle is so touchy in this mode and I found that the sequential shifter would probably need a little more stick time to get used to it – but just leaving it in the “S” mode is more than adequate for spirited driving.

Speaking of spirited driving – the seats are pretty comfortable and hold you firmly in place in the twisties. Car is firm & taunt in the corners and despite my best efforts I never felt like I was anywhere near the cars limits. However it’s pretty easy to hit the shifter when you’re flinging the car’s steering wheel around to “bump” accidentally the shifter into the sequential mode at an inappropriate time.

Back in the trunk – there’s plenty of space. In fact as a Mustang owner one of the first things you notice is how easy it is to load and remove items thanks to a large opening. This is probably one of my biggest peeves with all of our Mustangs over the years, but love cures all ills so I’ve more or less just lived with it. But I kind of like the idea of not having to completely unload the trunk to access that bag or item all the way in the back.

High Tech Stuff!

The keyless entry isn’t anything new – but I’ve always liked those key flops that you just keep in your pocket and you just walk up to the car an touch the driver’s or passenger’s door handle and “Presto-Change-O” all the doors unlock simultaneously. Likewise if you want to open the truck you just need to touch the trunk button too. Starting the car – if you wish to you can just touch the brake peddle and push a button and she starts right up. But if you wish there is a location where you can put the key-flop to the left of the steering wheel.

Also I have to admit that I still haven’t figured out how to operate the auto driver’s & passenger’s windows. I can’t figure out how to “crack” the windows just a little – it’s either all the way open or completely shut.

Oh well I've got to get an early start and a 15 hour day ahead of me so I'll check back in with some random thoughts later.

 

[DavidMidgley]

My brother has a 2006 G35 and I used to have a 2005 3-series. You're initial impression is correct, the G35 is a BMW want-a-be. The G will certainly out-perform the 3. But if you drive them back to back you will instantly understand why C&D picks the 3-series over the G.

I don't have to wonder about why C & D always picks the BMW. And it isn't because of all the ads they buy in the mag. The BMW is a complete and refined car with special features. The Asians have a bed of rolling features that are sort of complete and for the most part are very well done. As for the G35, it's typically Asian. Lots of features in a nice sedan. Very American in some respects, imo.

I also think the 3-series should be the benchmark for the next Mustang. I am talking quality of build, solidity, and features. Like a more usable trunk... just my $.02.

 

[Pronkie1]

Just drove my sister's car last night in a rainstorm....Drove from Bakersfield to Camarillo .....Needless to say, not bad at all....Sister was bummed out because a rock flew up and cracked the windshield.....Insurance will come out and fix it after the holiday .....Less than a year old and getting a new windshield........