Long-Term Road Test
When Infiniti’s second-generation G35 arrived at our office for a short visit in the summer of 2006, it did not take long for the staff to begin lobbying for a long-term test car. Compared with the outgoing model, the 2007 G35 was dynamically superior, quicker, and easier on the eyes. In a road test in October 2006, we raised the big question: “Is this new G35 better than a 3-series?” The answer was no. In face-offs against the 3-series, the newest G was twice a runner-up. But would putting one through a 40,000-mile trial with a jury of lead-footed editors change our minds?
We ordered a G35 Sport 6MT dressed in Garnet Ember (that’s red) and upholstered in black leather. We opted for the Sport model, the only G sedan with a manual transmission. The base Sport cost $32,965 back in April 2007. Our inner glutton insisted we add the $2350 Premium package (including a sunroof, Bose stereo, heated front seats, and Bluetooth phone integration) and the $2100 Navigation package, bringing the cost to a hale and hearty $37,415. Still, that’s only $220 more than the base price of our long-term 2006 BMW 330i.
When the G35 arrived, it was thrown in among some serious long-term stablemates—an Audi S8, a Porsche Boxster S, and a Volkswagen GTI. For a while, our long-term 330i inhabited the sign-out slot directly below the G35’s on the office car board, so comparisons were inevitable.
The G drew early fire for its engine NVH and a stubborn shifter linked to a trigger-fast clutch takeup. That takeup is so on-off—going from disengaged to engaged amounts to maybe half an inch of total pedal travel—drivers were consistently stalling the vehicle. But its ride, looks, and raw power—306 horses—were much praised. For 2008, Infiniti addressed the clutch, transmission, and NVH issues, but we have to say that they are still par to the BMW’s birdie.
During the first 10,000 miles, the Infiniti left its home in Ann Arbor on trips to Virginia and Kentucky. Nearly everyone had kind words for the 16-way adjustable driver’s seat and the excellent shape, size, texture, and placement of the steering wheel. One staffer described the angle as “formula car–like.”
Another editor noted, “The drivetrain is a little buzzy, and the clackety gas pedal belies this car’s lack of final polish, but I really, really like this car. There isn’t a compromise to the ride and handling—the ride is stellar and the handling superb. The G35 is no 3-series, but it’s close enough.” That theme was repeated in the car’s logbook by other editors.
Our initial track tests were enviable. The G35 ripped to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and turned the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 102 mph (our initial 330i times were 5.6 to 60 and 14.4 in the quarter). Toward the end of our test, staffers suspected some areas of the G35 were bound for failure, that it just wouldn’t withstand the sort of abuse we consider normal, and the transmission was of particular concern. In the last 3000 miles, engaging first gear without grinding required a good dose of sensitivity training, particularly when the car was cold.
Nonetheless, after 364 days with us, final testing showed the car was quicker, both to 60 and in the quarter-mile blast—by 0.1 and 0.2 second, respectively. That made it the quickest G35 we’d ever tested. The stopping distance from 70 mph grew by only a yard (with no fade, to 160 feet), and lateral grip did not budge from the 0.89-g baseline.
