I Bought a 2005 G35 Coupe. Would Somebody Please Wipe the Smile off my Face?

Last Thursday I picked up my brand spanking new 2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe and I haven't stopped smiling since. I was in the market for a sporty but comfortable car. I have always liked the look of the Nissan Z350, however the ride on that car is reputed to be too hard for Michigan's bumpy roads. This led me to look at the Z's "sister", the G35 Coupe.

Let's start with the specifications:

Trim: Exterior - Obsidian Black. Interior: Stone.

Extras:
- Premium Package (which gives you a sunroof with one-touch open and close, auto-dipping rear view mirror including Homelink to open your garage doors, uprated speakers and amplifier for the Bose stereo, plus electrically adjustable steering column). You cannot order Navigation without the Premium Package.

- Satellite Navigation.

- Aero Package (which not only looks nice but reduces lift to zero and reduces the drag coefficient to an outstanding 0.28).

- Sport-tuned Suspension Package including Viscous Limited Slip Differential and beautiful 5-spoke 19" forged aluminum wheels. You also get some colored stitching on your steering wheel to tell those "...in the know" that you bought the upgrade.

- Body-Colored Splash Guards.

Engine: 3.5 liter 24-valve V6 with variable valve timing.
Rear-wheel drive.
Horsepower: 280 @ 6,200 RPM
Torque: 270 lb-ft @ 4,800 RPM

Recommended fuel: Premium unleaded (OUCH!)

Brakes: Front/Rear 12.6-inch/12.1-inch ventilated discs with 4-wheel, 4-channel ABS

Fuel Consumption: Official - 18/26. So far over several hundred miles of mixed highway and town driving I am getting an average of 20. On the freeway I can getting 24 at 80mph, although I expect this to improve as the engine loosens up.

I left out some of the more tedious specs. If you want the whole picture, including specs for the manual transmission version, click here http://www.infiniti.com/content/model/ModelSpecifications/0,,75219,00.html or go to www.inifiti.com.

So what's it like?

Styling :
Personally I love it. This car gets "Ooohs" and "Aaahs" from all our friends. In particular the new (for 2005) 19" alloy wheels get loads of compliments. I didn't really want the spoiler on the trunk but it was already there and now I quite like the look. It is not over the top and does not spoil the look of the car. I must confess that I often crack open the door to the garage just to take another look, much to the amusement of my beloved.

Inside:
The stone leather interior is very well finished apart from very slight puckering of a couple of seams on the sides of the front seats which I will ask the dealer to look at for me next time it goes in. It looks great, as does the Aluminum trim on the center console, steering wheel and door handles. This is new for 2005, replacing the previous plastic moldings. A rosewood upgrade is available.

Fit and finish are extremely good. The materials used look and feel luxurious throughout.

The front seats are great, both supportive and very adjustable. I think they should be able to cope with both tall and short drivers.

The steering wheel has both tilt- and telescope-adjustment which is done using a small joystick-like switch on the side. This is a nice feature and is very easy to use.

In the back legroom is adequate, headroom is not, but then this is after all a sports Coupe. To get into the back you must first tilt the front seatback forward. You then push a small switch on the back of the seat and the seat moves forward. Once in the back (mind your head here), you press the button again and the seat automatically returns to its starting position.

If you are over 5 feet tall you will need to keep your head down or "scootch" down in the back to avoid hitting the rear window with your head. For taller passengers this seat is only really suitable for short trips.

The rear seat folds down to allow larger objects to fit in the trunk.

The trunk can accommodate two golf bags - there is even a helpful diagram inside the lid showing you how to fit them in! I don't think you could do it without this.

Equipment:
All the controls have a quality feel to them with the possible exception of the lights/ wiper control stalks. These feel a little lightweight for me but it's not a big deal.

The optional navigation system is a little dated but is functionally very good and easy to use. By dated I mean that it does not have a touch screen and is not voice activated. I tested the Acura TL a couple of times before choosing the G35 and that has a far more up-to-date system installed. Nevertheless this one functions well. It is very quick to acquire a satellite and has yet to make a mistake or frustrate me in any way. It can help you find the nearest French restaurant or ATM in just a few button presses.

It includes a trip computer function which shows time, average speed and distance, and also tracks fuel consumption. It even keeps a record of the last few tankfuls if you reset at each fill-up.

The Bose stereo is, well, OK. It is nowhere near as good as that in the Acura TL which is bang up to date with DVD Audio. The G's is easy to use and does have the capability to play mp3's which is great. In fact I'd say it's essential given that there is no way I can plug-in my iPod.

Pet Peeve of the day: WHY OH WHY don't $40,000 cars come with a ten-cent jack plug so that we can plug-in our mp3 players???

Anyway, as I said it's OK as a system, although I suspect an audiophile would immediately spend about $1500 on improved speakers and amplifier. That said, HiFi in a car is a very personal thing so please go and listen for yourself.

Driving It:
This is all very nice, Garry, I hear you say, but WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? This is the best part. It is incredibly rewarding to drive. I can liken the chassis responsiveness and stiffness to the Honda S2000 and I think it is better than the BMW 330.

It goes around corners like it is on rails, no doubt due in part to the low-profile Bridgestone Potenza performance tires. These come as standard with the suspension package and I really recommend that you pay the extra $1600 for this. It does make the ride firmer although for my wife and me it is acceptably comfortable. It means, however, that between now and next winter I need to save about $1500 for a set of all-season tires and another set of wheel rims. Never mind. To me, owning two sets of tires is like owning two pairs of shoes instead of one; they last twice as long.

Acceleration is startling, particularly from around 4000 rpm, but is controllable and very smooth. I have yet to take it above 5000rpm, and in fact I try to stay below 3500rpm (which is easier said than done!), as I am trying to break the engine in over the first 1300 or so miles. I did, however, explore the full range of engine speeds on a couple of demo cars and can attest that this engine is free-revving to the red line and beyond. I know, I'm a bad person.

The exhaust note is deliciously sporty without being intrusive and I have to confess that I have lowered the windows several times just to hear it.

The five-speed automatic transmission is so silky smooth and has a semi-automatic mode where you can choose your gear. This works very well indeed. Infiniti claims that the system monitors your driving habits and adjusts the gearchanges accordingly.

If you are interested in the manual version I did drive two of those when deciding what to go for. The manual has 298 horsepower compared to 280 in the auto, but the auto has 10 extra lb-ft of torque so the two actually feel very similar in performance terms. The manua costs a few hundred dollars more however it does come with the suspension package as standard.

The car is equipped with four-wheel antilock brakes (ABS) as well as traction control (TC) and vehicle stability control (VSC). When one of the driving wheels starts to slip, say, on a patch of snow, TC applies the appropriate brake to prevent that wheel from spinning, ensuring that the power is directed to the non-slipping wheel. The VSC system monitors the direction of travel of the car and automatically applies the brakes in any combination to help correct a skid. I have yet to try either of these out on this car, however I can confirm from other vehicles that these are both worthwhile systems, particularly in the winter.

The brakes are phenomenal. After our first emergency stop at a red light, my seventeen-year old daughter said that the car stopped better than she did. The brochure claims that the car has brake assist which applies full braking force in a panic stop, however I can find no mention of this in the manual.

On the passive safety side the car has dual-stage front air bags, side bags and side curtain airbags.

Totally subjectively, this feels like a very safe car to drive. Even the visibility is good for a coupe.

Last but not least, warranty. It comes with a 60,000 mile 4-year warranty which includes 24-hour roadside assistance.

I have to say that I love this car to bits. I know it is early days but all the indications are that me and my "G" will be together for many years to come.