2005 Infiniti G35 - Getting 15 more HP

[Blue]

My buddy just picked up a black on black G35 coupe last Friday. Nice car, fast & tight. The interior, although very nice, reminds me too much of my neighbor's 350Z. Too much plastic is used on the large center console & on up to the dash. The Z's nearly vertical flash of plastic on the interior door grabs is odd too. My buddy got the wheel upgrade/sport package (not sure what the G's package designations are) and the center console is a silver color - looks too much like plastic. The dealer has a sweet black on black with chrome 20's on the showroom floor - they installed black "carbon fiber" trim and it looks nice - way better than the other plastic stuff. Another gripe I have is the cutoff while in steptronic mode. If you push the redline, the car jumps all over the place as the engine cuts out. Why not just program it to smoothly upshift for you, like in the BMW? All in all, it's a nice car, but I'll keep my BMW 325 for now. Next will be an M3 and then forgetabout the G35. Car & Driver has an interesting comparison of $35k luxury sedans...Infiniti has the clipped article plastered all over their dealership. The G35 Sedan scored 211 (first place) to the BMW 325i's 208 (second place). But the BMW took all the points in driving & handling.

And speaking of the 350Z, yesterday my neighbor & I ran 330 miles in a big loop out of Phoenix and up north. That little car is hot, but I was right on his bumper in the twisties. Sure, he could out-accelerate me out of the turns, but when it came to breaking and cornering, the BMW easily held it's own. There were a few occasions when I would have easily passed him if I had a few of those 100 horses he has over me. I was also getting carsick just watching him constantly bump up & down. But on the straightaways, he was up to 135 in no time while I was still lumbering to 120 after shifting out of 4th.

 

[MrElussive]

Blue, the G35C doesn't upshift in manual mode because it's trying to be as true to a manual transmission as it can be. When you floor it in regular Drive, the car upshifts a few hundred rpm's before redline, but in manual mode, the transmission gives you full control of upshifts so that you can perform those redline shifts for maximum acceleration.

I think the aluminum-look trim looks pretty good, doesn't really look cheap to me. It's more about if it suits your taste than it is about "cheapness". Personally, I love it and some of my friends love it and if you enjoy it you don't really see the cheapness of it, but I have some other friends who don't like it at all. To each his/her own, I say...the only downside to the interior trim is that it scratches very easily.
Some people say the car should have wood trim on the interior, but I don't think that would even look good. The whole theme of the interior is elegant and classy with a modern influence (which is much like Infiniti's whole concept for their cars) and I think it achieves this goal very well.

 

[Blue]

well.....I didn't necessarily say it looked "cheap"....just too "plasticky" (permit me to invent a word). I don't like the aluminum/titanium trim in the BMWs either - it's obviously not Al or Ti....it's plastic. I don't like the myrtle wood in mine either, for that matter. I've decided on gloss black because...well....it's obviously black plastic rather than pretending to be metal or wood. (I'm a scientist, I have a problem with the little details ) There's just so much of it on that huge center hump in the G35.

I see what you're saying about not upshifting in manual mode, but if it were really trying to be true to a manual, wouldn't it just let you rev it into oblivion?

 

[MrElussive]

Blue, there is no doubt that the look of the G35 interior is "cheap" for some, and the material is plastic and it truly is probably cheap...as I mentioned before it scratches very easily. But the wood trim in BMW's really is real wood trim. They even grow the trees in their own plantations (Mercedes does this, also).

And as for true manuals, you can't even over-rev those anymore. The rev limiter is there to stop you from abusing the engine. The only way you can over-rev a manual is if you're going a fast speed and you downshift to the wrong gear (i.e. you're going 75 and you downshift to 2nd)...then, there is no rev limiter to save your ass. I believe some of us call this the "money shift" because once you make that shift it's going to cost you a whole lot of money to fix your ruined engine (warranty doesn't cover driver error).

 

[Blue]

But the wood trim in BMW's really is real wood trim. They even grow the trees in their own plantations (Mercedes does this, also).

are you sure? I would swear that the wood in my 325 is plastic...

And as for true manuals, you can't even over-rev those anymore. The rev limiter is there to stop you from abusing the engine. The only way you can over-rev a manual is if you're going a fast speed and you downshift to the wrong gear (i.e. you're going 75 and you downshift to 2nd)...then, there is no rev limiter to save your ass. I believe some of us call this the "money shift" because once you make that shift it's going to cost you a whole lot of money to fix your ruined engine (warranty doesn't cover driver error).

if they'll let you blow it on the downshift, why not the upshift? the money shift....LOL!

 

[HornyHornet]

How come we are comparing the G35 to the 325i/ci? Isnt it more comparable to the 330i/ci. I know about the C&D review too. It still puzzles me that they to put up a 325i instead of the 330i. I figure if the 325i got second place with 208 points (3 less than G35), that should be pretty darn good for the most under powered engine of all the vehicles tested (3rd fastest too).

 

[Tom]

How come we are comparing the G35 to the 325i/ci? Isnt it more comparable to the 330i/ci. I know about the C&D review too. It still puzzles me that they to put up a 325i instead of the 330i. I figure if the 325i got second place with 208 points (3 less than G35), that should be pretty darn good for the most under powered engine of all the vehicles tested (3rd fastest too).

That's because they take price into consideration as well. A comparable equipped 330ci would be well over $40k.

 

[HornyHornet]

That's because they take price into consideration as well. A comparable equipped 330ci would be well over $40k.

Ah, I see. Biggest bang for the buck I guess. In reality, the G is definitely a better bargain. I still am impressed that the little 184hp 325i got really close to first place. I guess all in all, C&D is saying that BMWs are nice...but cost to damn much.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

Ah, I see. Biggest bang for the buck I guess. In reality, the G is definitely a better bargain. I still am impressed that the little 184hp 325i got really close to first place. I guess all in all, C&D is saying that BMWs are nice...but cost to damn much.

If BMW costs too much look at Mercedes prices, comparably equipped models and some which arguably are inferior models in the class cost even more than BMW. It must be the Mercedes "nameplate premium", which BMW charges as well and thus accounts for the expensive 325i in comparison with the G.

 

[MrElussive]

HornyHornet, the G35 is a good initial value, but when I was choosing my car, it made more economic sense to get a 330Ci (at first I really wanted a 330Ci). Both cars fully loaded, the G35C 6MT is $37K and the 330Ci 6-speed is $45K. But the BMW has a more luxurious (more expensive) interior. Also, BMW gives you free maintenance for 4 years/50K miles or whatever...that consists of oil changes, basic maintenance, wiper blades, and brakes. The G35C doesn't get this at all, and needs an oil change every 3,750 miles ($36 at the dealership, not bad) and need some more major things at every 10K or 15K miles. Plus, the Brembo brakes on the G35C 6MT cost around $1,000 to replace and you can't just resurface the rotors or anything. Once the pads wear down, the rotors are gone too.
Most importantly, BMW has a better resale value than Infiniti. The 330Ci has a 60-65% residual value after 3 years, whereas the Infiniti has a projected residual value of 50-51% after 3 years (hasn't been out for 3 years, so it's only a "projected" value, but it's a carefully-made value). My car is leased and because of this lower residual value, my $37K G35C 6MT costs $630 per month, but the $45K 330Ci was right in the same area, based on the same terms of $0 down, 36K miles, 36 month lease, taxes included.
So as you can see, it makes more sense (economically) to get the BMW and the juicy $7K MSRP difference is only marginal when you consider residual value and maintenance for both cars. Obviously, C&D does not really take this into account.

And I agree, the 325i did do extremely well considering it was the under-powered car of the group. The thing is that the I6 engine is just so amazing...it's small for good fuel economy, but has so much torque throughout the rev band and is just so utterly smooth, even at redline.

 

[Tom]

Well put Emile and I completely agree.

 

[Blue]

here's the article:

http://www.caranddriver.com/article.asp?section_id=15&article_id=7785&page_number=1

of course, Infiniti clipped out the details about the other cars and only prints out the highlights of the G35 for their marketing matierials.

No wonder why....here's the info on the 2nd place BMW 325i
Highs: Balance, poise, refinement, communication.
Lows: Modest engine power.
The Verdict: More power would make this car the winner.

 

[MrElussive]

Yeah, my local Infiniti dealership does the same thing. They have only the G35 portion of the C&D article all over their freaking dealership. I've seen Audi do this also. BMW doesn't do it because they don't need to...they already know they kick ass.

 

[HornyHornet]

I see the bigger picture. Thanks Mr. E. True cost to own advantadge goes to BMW. And yes, I was very surprised with the smooth power this beautiful engine produces. I likie...a lot.

 

[Bryan330i]

The resale value is a good point. When I looked at the G35's the lease payments were very close to the 330i even with the price difference. And the maintenance is obviously a vital consideration. Nevertheless, I still like the G35 and may have a difficult time deciding between the 325 and the G35. If the power was a bit closer between the two I would go with the BMW for sure.

 

[tool fan]

Blue, Mr. E is is correct, if the BMW says that it is wood, It is wood. I cannot Mr. E knows of the plantations of the trees. The reason being (from what I was told) is that Poplar, Maple and Birch are all actually very expensive trees to harvest, just because of the amount of knots in the wood (thats what gives it such a unique finish) there for going out on the "economy" to harvest trees for the wood would jack the price up of your Bimmer a few THOUSAND dollars. So Merc and Bimmer both SHARE a couple of plantations. Mr. E, did you know that the same company that frabricates and finishes the wood for BMW also does it for Mercedes? That is why alot of times the quality between these two car giants interiors is indistinguishable. I just learned that myself .......yesterday!!!

 

[MrElussive]

tool fan, that was very interesting! !!! I remember because when the new Mercedes C-Class first came out, in their brochure they explained how they make the wood trim out of trees from their own plantations. Weird fact for a car brochure, huh?