Infiniti G35 Sedan

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00 from Infiniti Of Lisle Il

Year / Model Reviewed:
2008 G35xS

Summary:
I am in "break in mode" so I will address the non-performance aspects of the car. On my first tank which was 40% city driving, I averaged 22mpg. That included sitting at the Infiniti Dealer Idling for a good 15 minutes with the air conditioner on while our sales guy showed us everything about the Navi Audio system etc. I chose the AWD model as I live in the Chicago suburbs and Winters can be, well, less than RWD friendly. Options include the Navi, Premium, and Sport pkg. The only thing it does not have is the Tech package which included the adaptive headlights, a special seat belt mechanism, and adaptive cruise control. So far the car handles like a dream and is absolutely fun to drive. The only thing I don't like about it is the 6 disc CD changer in the trunk as you really don't need it. You can play from the cars hard drive after you record cd's to it. (Takes about 6 or 7 minutes to record a whole cd). You can also play from a compact Flash card (mp3's) and the internal cd player as well as full control of an IPOD without having to touch it. The Voice recognition is stellar. It can control just about everything except for climate control as they removed a lot of the functionality of that for the 2008 models. Aside from the overall initial mileage, I had two separate trips mostly highway miles that average 25.1mpg (27 mile trip) and 24.5mpg (37 mile trip). As I said, i'm in break in mode and aside from a couple of 3/4 pedal press accelerations, I have babied the car so far. It's a car that likes to be driven hard or soft and even when I am able to drive it hard, I probably will reserve those times to the ole, I know I can so that will take the place of the I will if you know what I mean with regards to flooring it type of starts and blow your doors off. LOL.
The vehicles comfort is outstanding, the seats grip you like a glove. The technology is wonderful. All four windows are one touch, that is so great not having to hold the other three after arriving waiting for them to go all the way up. My wife and I couldn't be happier so far and based on Infiniti's reputation (Nissans VQ series engine reliability) and the fact i'm coming off of driving a 1996 Nissan Maxima for 220,000 miles(and it's still going strong as we kept it) I am sure that this vehicle will be part of my family for many years to come. One side not. I will not mention other brands as the intent here is not to belittle anyone else. That said I will simply say that before you say that Infiniti just isn't as good as certain others, take a ride and see for yourself. It is thousands less for what I believe to be a much better all around vehicle.

Strengths:
Comfort, acceleration, tech toys, the list goes on and on.

Weaknesses:
None found so far.

Price Paid:  $34000.00 from Modern Infinity

Year / Model Reviewed:
2008 Infinity G35

Summary:
Very well made car. Fit/finish is first class inside and out. This car looks good and perform even better. My wife does most of the driving but I certainly enjoy my turn. The Nav system is a disappointment. Most features are locked while car is in motion. Any adjustment requires pulling off the road. The seats look/feel great but result in serious leg fatigue for myself and my wife on long trips. I would highly recommend this car if long trips and gas milage are not a concern.

Strengths:
Styling. Looks. Performance. Handling. Electronics. What more do you what?

Weaknesses:
Fuel mileage is becoming a weakness. 19 around town matches my SUV. Even weaker - 24-25 on highway. Nav system is worst I've used. Non-rotatable 18'' tires wear quickly on front. Seats induce heavy leg fatique on long trips. Noticable by both drivers of this car.

Similar Products Used:
Maxima. BMW 325

Price Paid:  $36450.00 from Willow Grove Infinit

Year / Model Reviewed:
2007 G35X all wheel drive

Summary:
I chose this car because I liked the way it looked, and it seemed less pretentious than a BMW 5 series (and less expensive), which had been my preferred choice. I've been noticing a lot of these on the road recently and I read all the maagazine reviews before I went to buy. I have the technology package, which has the Bose sound system but no navigation system.

I opted for the Lakeshore Blue (blue gray) and the wheat colored (very light) leather seating. I hope this was a good interior choice, as it looks nice clean but I am wondering how it will hold up through dogs, children, and my penchant for eating while driving.

Styled alloy wheels are very nice, classy and distincive without being too "bling bling". I hope that the low -profile tires don't cause me problems with potholes. An earlier VW GTI I had owned had a terrible habit of bending its wheels on a regular basis hitting normal potholes. The dealer offered $300 wheel/tire insurance (2 years) but I declined, willing to take my chances.

Strengths:
The acceleration is very nice, fifth gear automatic is great for highway driving which I do much of. Ride is supple and smooth, not too taught or harsh. Back seat room better than BMW. I like the keyless starting and the hands free phone via Bluetooth. Brakes are simply outstanding.

I am a person who buys a car and drives it for eight to ten years, and before I made this choice I wanted to be sure that I'd be able to live with this vehicle. I have always driven Honda Accords prior to this. So far I like it very much. I hope I was right.

Car is remarkably quiet at highway speeds... just unreal. It is so quiet and smooth that I have looked down in horror to see that I am going 90 MPH without realizing it.

Good headroom, even with sunroof. This is always a problem for me as I am very tall and my head typically hits the ceiling in cars with sunroofs. Partly it is because the seats are very adjustable for height and I can run mine all the way down to the bottom.

Weaknesses:
Several complaints that one wouldn't note till they have driven the car for a month or more. First, the display center for controlling the radio and climate is highly and unnecessarily complicated and not intuitive at all.

There are three completely different sets of buttons to control the sound system and two sets of buttons for the climate.. and I still can't figure them out completely, especially how to save stations in memory where I want them.

Very oddly, the switches to change stations (or CD tracks) operate exactly opposite to how they work on other cars and to me are counter-intuitive.

Satelite radio loses signal on backroads under trees, its sound quality is only "OK".

Hands free phone requires a long detailed read of the owners Manual and sitting in the driveway tinkering for an hour to use properly.

The overall sound quality of the Bose system is very good, but not excellent. The brochures advertise that there are two 10" subwoofers in the car, but I must conclude that they are not true subwoofere, as the midrange bass is overboosted and the lowest octaves of bass are totally missing. I have always installed a sub in my other cars, and this car is lacking in low end sound. On the other hand, midrange and highs are well imaged in the front.

The CD player does not pause when a call comes in over the audio system... this is really odd. A friend's Accura pauses the CD and even an MP3 player if attached till the call is done.

No IPod controls integrated. I am disappointed in this, but forgot to look before I bought it.

Gas mileage is not great, but I didn't expect it to be. I get a combined 20 MPG with 2/3 of my driving on interstates.

A few early fit and finish problems that I hope dealer will fix...passenger side airbag stays "OFF" unless passenger is over 150 lbs. That's not right. Sunroof spit a huge piece of its weatherstrip out into the car when I used it the third time. (at least it didn't blow up and away!)

Similar Products Used:
Honda Accord, Nissan Murano, BMW 5 series and 3 series, Accura TSX. I tend to rent high-end cars on business travel to see which ones I like... I can tell you that I have rented Volvos and Saabs that were OK but I wouldn't buy. I have rented high end Lincolns and Cadillacs, and have been disappointed in their cheapness inside. This makes me sad because I really would have preferred to buy an all-American car, but when spending this much money for a car one hopes to keep for over 100K miles, I couldn't justify it. I feel I have to apologize for this....

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Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.50 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $0.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
2007 G35x

Summary:
We just purchased the brand new 2007 G35x with all wheel drive. I was very surprised by the get up and go of this vehicle. With 306 horsepower in a small car, this car FLYS!. And did I mention the interior? Talk about luxury, the GPS and dashboard on this car is absolutly amazing. Also, the "Bose on Wheels" stereo system cannot be beaten. The sound is superb. The only thing I would change is the gas mileage. Right now it is getting 14 mpg on a V6! But that could be because the car only has 125 miles on it. Overall, great car!!

Strengths:
power, interior, overall luxury, and easy to drive.

Weaknesses:
small back seat, gas mileage for a V6

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.75 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $32000.00 from Zimbrick of Madison

Year / Model Reviewed:
2006 g35x

Summary:
Bad gas Mileage

Strengths:
Good Looks. Comfortable

Weaknesses:
Bad Gas Mileage. Seat memory is hard to set since it is up against door. Dealorship giving me run around with different excuses. Says it needs to break in at 15,000 miles before it gets better mileage. I do not buy that at all. Advertised at 25mpg on road, lucky to get 15.

Similar Products Used:
Lexus, Acura