Introduction
The car that we drove was a fully loaded Sports Sedan with leather model with Emerald Mist exterior and Willow interior. This specific car had a price around $36,400. This car had everything except the Sport and Aero packages. It included the Premium Package, Winter Package, DVD navigation system, HID xenon lights, moonroof, wood interior, Bose premium audio system, V-rated tires, and full size spare with matching alloy wheel.

Exterior
This is always something that is subjective, but we have no problem admitting that we really admire the styling of the G35. It has a very distinctive look from most angles, in particular the front and back. Our two favorite color combinations would be Emerald Mist/Graphite and Black Obsidian/Graphite, they both would look superb. Generally speaking, Brilliant Platinum and Desert Silver are great colors as well. We went to the dealer thinking we would like Garnet Red the most, and Emerald Mist the least, but our expectations were reversed upon seeing the cars. Emerald Mist is kind of a silver/green color similar in effect to BMW's Steel Blue Metallic in that is silver/blue. The seven cars that we looked at all had flawless panel fit on the outside and the doors opened and closed with great feel and precision. Also, there is just the right amount of chrome around the doors and door-handles, nothing that is too overly ornate in appearance. 

The G35 has a solid presence and appearance just like the S60 T5 and C320. It doesn’t have “committee styling” that seems like the trend that BMW is going towards and developing. Some of us think that adding the optional spoiler will in fact make the G35 look even better. Our overall consensus were that pictures do not really do this car justice. It is very impressive in real life.

Interior
The first impression that we got right when we sat inside of the car is that it has a very 'snug' feel like a drivers car should have. Although there is a 'snug' impression, the cabin feels larger than anything this class has to offer. The back seat legroom and space feels generous, especially with the rear seats reclined, a really nice bonus feature. The leather wrapped steering wheel is fairly small and has a nice thick feel and design to it. It takes a little while to get used to the steering wheel controls, but they work as intended without much fuss. A very nice feature of this car is that the gauge pod moves with the tilt steering wheel. Kudos to Infiniti for implementing this novel feature. There have been a few negative comments about the gauges, but we found them easy to read and the orange color did not bother us at all. Infiniti uses their ‘Fine-Vision’ optics for the gauges and they are pretty clear and bright in most lighting conditions. we am sure that they look really great at night. As far as the interior materials are concerned, they were good. In this regard, the G35 is much better than the IS300 and new Altima V-6 3.5 SE. 

We still think the G35 interior materials are one step below Audi, and a half step below BMW and Volvo, but half a step better than the Mercedes C320 and new Jag X-Type. The interior appears to be assembled well and during driving were completely rattle free. For example, the front seat tracks are well finished and have covering caps at the ends, something you won’t find in the new X-Type if our memory is correct. The controls for the Bose stereo and electronic climate system are easy to use and are within close reach. we liked the fact that the display for the ECC is at the top of the dash, in the drivers field of view for easy, quick glances. 

The auto up/down windows are quick in operation as is the moonroof. The seats are very comfortable being better than other Japanese cars, a little nicer than the Germans, but not as nice as class-leading Volvo seats. Their controls are easy to use once you get used to their location. The lever for the automatic transmission feels solid when moved through PNRD or into manual shift mode, but we didn't like the material used to cover shift-gate 'hole'. we spent a little time playing around with the Navigation System, and were impressed with the ‘Bird-View’ mode. The screen is very clear and is in a good field of view, but when it is ‘up’, it blocks the signature Infiniti clock unfortunately. It has some really nice features like oil change interval reminder, tire rotation reminder, average speed, distance, etc. The screen can also tilt, but we wish that is were a powered up/down screen like Volvo has, rather than manual up/down. Overall, we felt like it were a driver-oriented environment with understated design and neat functional touches thrown in for good measure.

Drivetrain
The 260 horsepower VQ35DE V-6 engine really needs no introduction, it is that good. At low speeds and light throttle application, it is very sublime and quiet. When driven in this manner, the 5-speed adaptive automatic quickly shifts through all the gears. The smoothness of this engine is very close to what is felt in the acclaimed BMW inline 6 engines, but much more powerful. Once you step on the throttle, the VQ comes alive and you get an almost instant rush of power. With 260 lb.ft of torque on tap, the engine never feels like it is running out of breath, and continues going strong in each gear. During full throttle applications, the automatic transmission will easily go past the 5,000 rpm mark. This engine sounds really great at full-tilt as well, a nice combination of deep oscillating tones. Of course the willingness to rev isn’t like a Honda S2000, but it is probably in the upper echelon of this class. While in ‘Drive’, you can definitely feel the reduction/retardation in power while the transmission is between shifts. This is something that people might not like, but it didn’t bother us too much.

The manual shift mode is unobtrusive and is fairly quick to respond, feeling like the usual 0.75-second pause. When in manual shift mode, the car never changed gears on its own and let us easily reach redline. It doesn’t feel as quick as Touchshift, but it does feel on par with Steptronic and Geartronic. From our brief experience, it had better response than Tiptronic, Sportshift, Selectshift, and Autostick. 

With the 350Z’s 6-speed manual transmission coming to the sedan and coupe this fall, it will be an unbeatable combination in this class. The overall impression is an excellent effort on a first generation series car and fights a noble effort against the competition

Handling
Having spent about 40 minutes with this car, we got a chance to take it up to 95 mph. At 85 mph the car cruises very easily, with revs in the 3,400 rpm range. One interesting aspect of this car is that during high-speed cruising, it ‘glides’ almost effortlessly. There seems to be very little friction/resistance with the wind, driveline, transmission, engine, and/or wheels/tires. This car isn’t Lexus ‘tomb-like’ quiet because you can hear a little road and wind noise, but this aspect gave us a more connected feel with the car and road. Besides the engine, one of the best aspects of this car is the suspension system. The suspension feels supple and composed with the right amount of spring and damping rates dialed in. The vertical ride motions are well controlled and there is minimal body roll during high speed cornering. The chassis feels rigid and tight overall, with good body composure. The car feels solidly built, very European in nature. During the time we test drove this car, we felt that the suspension system was better composed and sorted out in most general situations than both the class leading 3-Series and IS300. The G35 has a very neutral feel as far as weight distribution is concerned, it almost feels as if it is lighter in the front than the rear, but this isn’t the case. The Nissan chassis and suspension engineers really did their homework as far as this is concerned, with exceptional care. If the G35 impresses this much, we think the 350Z should live up to it's heritage namesake.

The steering feel in the G35 is probably the best that Infiniti has ever offered. The steering feels very close to a 2002 330i, A4 3.0, and IS300. Although its not as good as the once class leading '91-'98 E31 or '99-'00 E46 BMW 3-Series for instance. The nice thing about the G35’s steering system is that it is precise in response and seems to have a quick ratio dialed in. The last thing that we wanted to mention is that Infiniti’s VDC system does not seem as obtrusive as the BMW’s DSC III system. During evasive maneuvers and hard cornering launches, the VDC system did its magic without much notice or fuss. During on-throttle power oversteer around tight corners, you could feel VDC cutting playtime. This car only induces understeer at fairly high limits in this class of car, almost when the tires seem to run out of road adhesion. Dropped throttle during level driving and quick haul-downs provides nice body weight distribution transfers. This is in stark contrast to DSC III which you can feel cuts engine power obtrusively, especially during wheel slip. To make this the perfect 4-door drivers car in this class, Infiniti needs to give the steering a little less assist and less road isolation, but otherwise, the drive, suspension, and engine combination are first rate.

The new G35 sedan offers entry luxury sports sedan buyers an alternate to the softer and cushier I35 stable mate. For those looking for a bit more of an adrenaline rush, the G35 may not have the street credentials like a BMW 3-series right now but once the 6 speed manual and coupe versions arrive, we expect even some BMW owners will be visiting Infiniti showrooms.

-Drew X. Seaver




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About the author: Drew owns a 1994 Infiniti Q45a and moderates forums here at FreshAlloy.com. He also owns a 1995 Volvo 960 and moderates at SwedeSpeed.com