Infiniti G35
Win, Place or Show; This sports coupe is on the podium.
Second place is not a bad finish in most contests. In horse racing, it pays. In motor racing, you’re on the podium. And the Miss Universe runner-up, for example, would step up and wear the crown in the event that the current Miss Universe, for whatever reason, became unable to fulfill her role. So in the case of the 2003 North American Car of the Year award, if for any reason the Mini was unable to fulfill its duties the Infiniti G35 would step up and… Okay, that might be a bad analogy. But what we were going for is that owners of the Infiniti G35 who wrote to us have already declared their little coupe a winner.
At first glance, the Infiniti G35 is a beauty. Its sleek, sporty look makes it a real head turner. Owners used a lot of loving terms when describing their relationship with the coupe. Infiniti’s sport coupe is based on the same platform and features a lot of the same driving dynamics, including the powerful 3.5-liter V6, as the Nissan 350Z, the other finalist that came oh-so-close to wearing the coveted NACOTY crown this past year. The 350Z was also one of the other cars most often considered by Infiniti G35 buyers, along with the BMW 330ci, the Audi A4, Lexus GS 300 and Porsche Boxster.
But more than just a pretty face, the Infiniti G35 is impressive at both the track and on the street. The coupe hit 60 mph in less than six seconds. The Brembo brakes, standard on the coupes that feature the six-speed manual transmission, stopped the Infiniti G35 from 60 mph in 115 feet. That puts the coupe in the same category as the BMW Z4 (AW, June 23), which stopped in 110 feet, and the Porsche 911 (AW, Oct. 23, 2000), which held the previous AutoFile stopping record at 111 feet.
The Infiniti G35 responded quickly and easily to steering input, reaching 46 mph in our eight-turn, 490-foot slalom course. That comes in right below the 46.6-mph speed reached by the Z4.
We found the suspension exhibits good road isolation over bumps on the highway. Or maybe it was the choice of 18-inch Michelin Pilot Sports on the car we tested. On the freeway we found it has really good directional feel, and is “hands-off stable” with a solid, well-planted feel. Also with VDC on, and a little drizzle starting to fall, the Infiniti G35 got a little tail-out attitude that we found pleasantly manageable.
Owners report, and our time behind the wheel confirmed, that the Infiniti G35’s seats are extremely comfortable, and extended drive time didn’t cause any back problems.
The most frequent owner complaints centered around the interior center console, which some found cheap and plasticky, and others found simply too obtrusive. Others also noted that the radio buttons are small and annoying, and knobs and wheels are the preferred way to go. A few owners also complained about the lack of a center armrest on the six-speed version, but Infiniti took care of that with a midyear redesign for the Infiniti G35.
An additional small, sour note: Satellite radio, which was supposed to have been available, still isn’t. An Infiniti spokesman says they’re working on it, and looking into retrofitting systems into cars already sold. For some owners it wouldn’t matter if they had satellite radio or the ever-dependable Bose sound system, as they usually turn down those stereo sounds in order to hear the sweet rumble of the Infiniti G35 exhaust tone.
Most of the owners told us the buying experience was first-rate, and more than one gave kudos to dealers for not marking the car up past the manufacturer’s recommended price-a practice seen before with cars produced in limited numbers. A couple of owners also reported having to aggressively pursue the car beyond their local dealership. Of the 12,000 coupes available annually, approximately 15 percent come with the manual transmission. Some buyers were so certain that they wanted the six-speed manual transmission that they located the vehicle they wanted through an Internet search and paid to have it shipped to the local dealership.
With happy owners out there, and track numbers that tell the rest of the story, the Infiniti G35 looks like a winner to us.
