Short Take Road Test
Presuming you've already sifted through the bigger decisions—BMW 3-series? Mercedes C-class? Audi A4? Cadillac CTS?—and arrived at the Infiniti G35, let us confront the lesser included question: What's the difference between the rear-drive G35 and the all-wheel-drive G35x?
Let's go to multiple choice:
A. About $2500.
B. About 150 pounds.
C. Increased understeer.
D. All of the above.
The answer, of course, is all of the above. But before we get into specifics about the foregoing, here's another question: Do you really need all-wheel drive?
We ask because a rear-drive car with a good set of snow tires will perform better in winter conditions than an AWD car on performance or so-called summer tires. But if you live in a four-season climate, and all things are equal tire-wise, then yes, all-wheel drive is a definite plus.
On the other hand, if you perceive all-wheel drive as a performance enhancement, you're likely to be disappointed. In almost any sedan application you care to name, all-wheel drive adds mass—that 150 pounds noted under "B" above—and it either provokes or aggravates understeer, the tendency for the car to resist steering inputs as speeds increase.
Both generalizations apply to the G35x.
But we must also say that they apply less to this car than most others in its class. In fact, the effect of the additional mass on acceleration is measurable only at the track with our Racelogic VBOX test gear. In our first test in 2006 of the latest generation of this car, a Sport model with a six-speed manual transmission, the G35 hustled to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and continued on through the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 103 mph.
Our G35x tester, burdened with AWD and a five-speed automatic, blitzed to 60 in 5.4 seconds and the quarter-mile in 14.1 at 100 mph.
Similarly, that 2006 test car stopped from 70 mph in 160 feet, two feet better than the G35x. But the G35x recorded an identical number on the skidpad, where we measure maximum grip—0.87 g—even though the AWD car is equipped with Goodyear Eagle RS-A all-season tires, and the manual model wore Bridgestone Potenza performance rubber.
So, measurable distinctions, for sure, but they're essentially academic in everyday driving.
