My Search:

Before I get to the actual review, I just want to give some context as to what kind of car I am looking for in terms of needs and preferences. This was you'll have a better basis for how my opinion may or may not fit with your own.

With my lease on my Saab 9-3 up in a few months, I am finally getting out to test drive the myriad of cars that are on my list as possible replacements. The car I purchase (or lease) will be my primary means of getting back and forth to work in L.A. traffic. I don't need to carry many other people in the car, so I just need it to be comfortable up front and enough space in back to hold one (or both) of my kid's car seats in a pinch. This will not be our main family car - that's what we bought our Honda Odyssey for, after all.

I'd like a car with decent performance; although I won't be racing it anytime soon and I do live in southern CA, so fuel economy is somewhat important. As far as handling goes, I'm not the kind of driver who is looking for a car that feels "toss-able" or allows me to induce oversteer. I think the best word to describe the handling characteristics I'm looking for would be "confidence". I want a car that feels like it can handle anything I can throw at it and still stay below its limits. And I'm getting old enough that I'm also willing to give up some handling capability for a little smoother ride.

As far as interior goes, I'd like an upscale interior with comfortable seats with good support. I'd also like some advanced technology available such as Bluetooth and MP3/iPod integration. A navigation system is not necessary, nor is a super upscale 15 speaker sound package. And, as I said before, I don't need a large amount or rear seat space or a voluminous trunk.

The cars that I've selected to test drive for my search can be divided into three groupings:
Compact sport sedans including the Acura TL, Audi A4 3.2, BMW 330i, Infiniti G35, Lexus IS350, Mercedes C350, and the Volvo S60 R. Mid-sized sport sedans such as the Audi A6 3.2, Infiniti M35, and Lexus GS300. And a few other odds and ends such as the Mazda RX-8 and the Subaru Legacy GT (both mostly due to stellar reviews on this site) as well as the Infiniti FX35 (which I think is one of the best looking vehicles on the road). As you can see, I plan on enjoying this go-round of car shopping.

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Trim Levels:

The G35 sedan comes in three flavors: The base model with standard RWD and an automatic transmission, a '6MT' model which adds - you guessed it - a 6-speed manual transmission, and an "x" variant which also has an automatic transmission but adds all-wheel drive. Each trim has Infiniti's 3.5L V6 engine that produces 280 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque with the automatic and 298 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque with the manual. This review covers both the base G35 and the 6MT versions.

Exterior:

The success of the G35 since it was introduced in 2003 has definitely set the direction for the look of the rest of the Infiniti line-up. There is more than a passing resemblance between the G and the new M - the same arc to the roofline, the same shape to the grill, etc. The look is appealing but not necessarily extremely striking in a gotta-have-it kind of way. The adjective that most comes to my mind is "handsome". I like some of the styling elements such as the "catamaran"-style lines down the sides of the car, but from some angles the car looks a little pudgy and the back end could use a little more flair - I much prefer the rear styling on the new M in that regard.

Interior:

This is the area where the G35 has historically lagged behind its competitors, and I must admit that I am not overly fond of the interior design. The materials in the cabin have been upgraded from the G35's initial model years, but the overall design, aesthetically, is lacking. Even if the interior feels more upscale to the fingers, it still looks cheap - at least to my eyes.

Let's start with the aluminum trim accents. Honestly, I don't know if they're real or not but they certainly look fake to me. There's one slim strip that runs up the door handle and a small amount on the steering wheel that house the even cheaper looking switches/buttons for the radio and cruise control. The largest strip of aluminum trim runs down the entire center console, encasing the radio and climate controls as well as the shifter, be it automatic or manual. Here it works a little better for me, but the rest of the dash surrounding it, while ok to the touch, looks like cheap plastic. The G35 does have an available wood trim but, to me, it looks completely out of place in this car. Overall, I think that the interiors in the Acura TL and Subaru Legacy (two similarly priced cars) are both designed and executed in a more appealing manner.

The seats in the G35 are comfortable and supportive. The leather feels of good quality and the seats are easily adjusted to a good driving position. Also aiding in these adjustments are the telescoping steering wheel (which moves the instrument cluster with it) and the good view of the car's front inherent in the G35. I'd like to have a little thicker grip to the wheel, though (a failing that I found on all Infiniti's).

Many reviewers have complained about the orange colored gauges in the G35, but I really didn't mind them that much. I certainly preferred them to the neon blue & red gauges in the TL. I wish the needles spiked during start-up like on the M, but that would just be a nice touch. The center console’s display is the same orange hue and, although I wish it were a little closer to the console’s controls, that display looks fine to me as well. I especially like the analog clock - even if the execution in the M is better.

The majority of controls for climate, radio, door locks, windows, etc. are well laid out and intuitive to use. However, I wish that the door and window controls were a little easier to reach and I’d prefer a separate temperature adjustment for both climate zones rather than the G35’s single knob design.

To me, one of the G35’s strengths is its roominess in the back seat. There’s a good deal more room back there than most cars in this class – only the TL has a much. The rear seats in the G35 even recline a little. The trunk is very large for this class of car (almost as big as the M) and, although the rear seats don’t fold, there is a pass thru to the trunk area.

Performance/Handling:

With the horsepower (298/280) and torque (260/270) numbers that the G35 offers, combined with its 3500lb curb weight, its not surprising that this car accelerates quickly off the line. Zero-to-sixty times for the G35 are often in the sub-six second range and I have no reason to doubt that. Even with the automatic, acceleration is brisk. In fact, I think this is one of the smoothest autos I’ve sampled, especially for sport-sedan purposes. There’s a reason why Infiniti uses this same engine/transmission combo in the M and the FX – they work very well together.

Alas, I was not as happy with the manual transmission. Although both the shifter and clutch have short throws, they both require too much effort to operate. Although I’m more inclined towards a manual transmission, I’m not sure I’d be happy living with this much effort while winding my way through L.A. traffic.

On the road, the G35 feels well balanced and handles well. I think that perhaps a little more feedback would be better and I’d prefer a smaller turning radius, but I can’t really find too much to complain about in this area. Lean is minimal during turns and the car always felt like it was under control. The ride was firm, but I didn’t feel that it ever became jarring over road imperfections. Braking is very good.

Fuel Economy:

The G35 is rated at an EPA estimate 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway with the manual transmission. With the automatic that drops to 18/25 with the RWD base and even further to 17/24 if you get the AWD. These numbers put the G35 at the bottom of the class for fuel economy.

Reliability:

Infiniti’s in general have good reliability ratings and the G35 continues that. Although it is not as highly rated as the M or FX in terms of reliability, the G is still rated better than average.

Safety:

The G35 receives high marks in terms of IIHS front crash test ratings. There are no side test results available for the G35, but the M performed very well in side impact test and the G35 shares many of the same safety features. However, The entire Infiniti line-up fared very poorly in the IIHS rear impact tests. No NHTSA results are available.

Summary:

Overall, I was satisfied with the G35 if not quite as blown away as I had hoped. The so-so interior is a turn off. Also, the high-effort manual takes some of the shine off of having a better connection (transmission-wise) to that wonderful engine. A very good car that just falls short in a couple of areas for me.