My Second G is even better than my first

Two months ago I traded my 2003 G35 for a 2005 G35X. I had several reasons for getting rid of the first car (which I loved if you read my review) I was never a big fan of the interior quality, more importantly I had several very close calls in snowy weather.

There was so much I loved about my 03 that there wasn't any car I considered other than the 2005 G35X. In late December I bought a Diamond Graphite with Stone interior. I opted for the premium package and the navigation which is another thing I always regretted not having with my 03.

The previous reviews have more than covered the changes in the 2005 model, so instead of coving that again, I will indicate what was most important to me.

Inside:

First, the interior quality has been improved vastly. The quality and thickness of the leather is noticbly better. The driver seat now has better support for the lower back (IMHO). The dash materials seem to be of much better quality too. There is a new look for the gauges which looks more upscale than the older models. The radio and heat controls are new and use dials instead of the less traditional rocker switches on the older models.

Outside:

The hood and front end of the 05 are new and look more like the G35 Coupe. The new wheels are better looking and because of their design are a bit easier to clean. I also think Infiniti did some work on the break pads as they are throwing off much less dust than my 03. The paint is of higher quality now too. The 03 and 04 models had a big problem with chiping. Infiniti had little to say about this in the past other than that it was due to new enviromental regulation and there was nothing to do. Many people may not notice this, but for 2005 Infiniti started painting the side sills of the car the same color as the rest of the panels. this makes a big deal to me, because the previous treatment looked a little cheap for a car in this price range.

Mechanical:

I am a big fan of the 3.5L VQ engine in this car. The engine has won several awards, and is among the best V6s available for any car. It would be nice if Infiniti would make the V8 from the M45 and Q45 available for the G, but oh well. The only change to the engine for 2005 is some minor intake and exhaust changes. this is where the additional 20hp and 10 Ft/lb of torque came from. I drive my car pretty hard, so I do notice a difference, but most of the extra hp is wasted on the 4wd mechanicals which do rob a little power. I won't complain because the 4wd came in very handy during our recent snow storm. Other changes include a new software package for the tranny which you really can't notice unless you use the manumatic feature.

As was also mentioned, the intelligent key is really cool. You can just leave it in your pocket to unlock and start the car. It would have been nice to have a push button start, but they saved that for the new M45. The brakes are very good on this car, although they are slightly smaller than on the regular G to make room for the 4wd system.


Driving Experience: To make up for the weight and drag of the ATTESA 4WD system, Nissan engineers used slightly lower gear ratios on the G35X. This makes the car just about as fast off the line as a regular G35. The result also is that you get slightly lower fuel economy. Also, because this car is aimed at customers in bad climates, they include Bridgestone Turanza tires which are AWEFULL. They do ok on the snow, but on dry pavement they suck. For some reason, Infiniti feels the need to put terrible tires on the G35 and G35X while saving the good rubber (Michelin Pilot Sports) for the G35 Coupe. One thing that has been vastly improved is the exhaust note. My previous sedan had a pretty wimpy sounding exhaust for a car that much fun. That has been fixed on the 05. Infiniti has played around with the pre-muffler or resonator and found a beautiful note for this car. If I had one complaint about it, it's that the interior is too well sound proofed and you can't hear the wonderful engine and exhaust working away.


Other comments: I love now having heated seats. Too bad they don't get that warm! I've been in plenty of other cars where you could cook an egg on the heated seats, the G's dont'get that warm. The NAVI also does it's job very well. It always gets me where I'm going. The lack of a touch screen and voice activation are pretty stupid for a $2000 option. The engineers need to go drive an Acura RL or TL, or even a Honda Accord to see what a NAVI should be like. Don't take my nitpicking as a sign I don't like this car. It's the best package going in its class! I love it and will update this review as I find new things.