Edmunds Long Term 2007 G35:
https://www.edmunds.com/infiniti/g35/20 ... road-test/
The top post speaks some negativity about the manual but the one directly after seems the opposite:
The G35S's Aichi Kikai-built manual transmission never confuses me about gate selection or gear engagement, and its totally mechanical feel is always a pleasure. If you understand that a shift lever is more than a funny arcade-style wand sticking out of the console, then you'll really appreciate the Infiniti G35S's transmission.
And by the way these are known to hold up to some big power.
But when discussing the clutch specifically, these words will sound eerily familiar:
Engineering Editor Jason Kavanagh aptly wrote, "The clutch action conspires to ruin the driving experience by making the driver's every gearchange feel like the first he's ever done." We found ourselves seemingly left with two choices. We could spare the clutch and stall the engine. Or we could slip the clutch and abuse it as we engaged the transmission, keeping the engine running and maintaining our pride as we accelerated away from stoplights. We did our best to split the difference.
It's crazy. Why is it so hard?? Didn't they complain about something similar in the MS3? You really have to drive all these cars. I don't find my V problematic and even that has been said to be difficult to drive smoothly so you really can't always go by what you read.
But maybe this is one reason manuals have sort of died. Still, a manual connected to a strong V6 or especially a V8 is fun in a way that an auto cannot be.
Fuel economy commentary:
Fuel economy over 20,268 miles averaged 20 mpg on premium fuel. Our highest and lowest recorded tanks were 26 mpg and 14 mpg, respectively.
Best Fuel Economy: 26.0 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 13.6 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 19.5 mpg
There is less mileage dynamic range between like this, a GTO, the MS3 and even the Camaro V6 when you look at the ratings. Maybe fuel economy is not really a driver here. Side note, everything is going to want premium fuel. Like everything we're talking about. Camaro LFX probably runs the best on 87 but I believe still prefers premium. Would have to look into that.
CTS content for fun:
Just as I was all set to not care about the car leaving, I had a glance at the window sticker - $37,400 including Premium Package and Navigation. For that price our car has a Bose stereo w/ hard drive, Bluetooth, real time traffic info for the nav system, sunroof, power memory for seats, mirrors and steering wheel, heated seats and one touch windows all around.
Here's where our Long Term 2008 CTS with DI comes in, it has similar features and is a similar kind of car only it's $9,000 MORE EXPENSIVE. I love our CTS but it's not $9,000 better than the G35. Granted the CTS has an $8,000 option package but that includes stuff like a Bose stereo w/ nav, XM traffic, heated leather seats, power tilt/telescope wheel, memory seats and an Ultra View sunroof.
I never realized what a bargain the G35 is. I don't think I properly appreciated the car. Now, I'm sorry it's leaving.
Extra bonus VQ engine content:
2007 Infiniti G35 Sport: Matsumura's V6
March 24, 2008
Motohiro Matsumara says the VQ35 V6 in the Infiniti G35 began as a kind of lucky guess and became a success by accident. He designed it, so he should know.
Nissan built Japan's first V6 in volume production for an automobile, and when it introduced the VG30 V6 in the 1984 300ZX, the company was so proud that it took journalists to the engine foundry to see the aluminum cylinder heads being cast. For Nissan, it was a big thing to break away from the inline-6 engine that had defined the company since the 1960s.
That's where Motohiro Matsumura comes in. When Nissan went to redesign its V6 for 1994, Matsumura was put in charge of the project. Ever since he had first arrived at the company, he had become something of an expert in forced-induction engines. He'd started with the little 1988 Nissan March's compound engine and then later worked on Nissan's turbocharged Group C V6 for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The VQ seemed like a big assignment to him at the time, though the senior Nissan engineers simply asked him to pay special attention to controlling noise and vibration in what would be one of the first all-aluminum V6 engines in volume production.
As Matsumura tells us, he decided that a soundly engineered structure is the best way to keep an aluminum engine from vibrating and making noise. So he just put his racing instincts to work, making sure the parts were rigid as well as lightweight. It was a lesson he'd learned with turbocharged engines. And because this V6's bones were sound, it became relatively easy to coax more horsepower out of it without compromising reliability. It seems so simple, doesn't it? That's what Matsumura says, anyway.
Some complain that the VQ's mechanical soul is way too apparent in the way it vibrates, but this is what makes it terrific. The G35's VQ35 revs cleanly from idle right to redline, and its throttle response is crisp and precise, so unlike other V6 engines that are either soggy, low-revving lumps like those from GM, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, or torqueless screamers like those from Chrysler and Honda.
Matsumura's lucky accident worked out for him, as he went on to develop the turbocharged version of the SR21 inline-4, became chief of Nissan's engine testing department, and just recently became the president of Nissan's engineering facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As for the VQ, it has been one of Ward's 10 Best Engines ever since the award was created 14 years ago.
Not too bad for a lucky guess.
General info on the redesigned 2007 (2nd gen):
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/infinit ... iti-g35-2/
I like that tech package. I bet the stereo is pretty good. Probably the best of all the cars we've been talking about.
Xenon headlamps and keyless entry and starting are standard; options include a technology package consisting of adaptive front lighting that steers into turns, a rearview camera, and intelligent cruise control with "preview braking" that primes the binders when the radar sensors think you're about to crash. A premium package, priced around $3200 and traditionally selected by about 60 percent of buyers, includes a sunroof, heated seats with driver memory, Homelink, and a Bose "Studio on Wheels" sound system. That new stereo might drive sales of the Premium package even higher. It utilizes an elaborate 24-bit Burr-Brown digital-audio converter to make two channels sound like a live concert or a surround-sound system, at least when played through 10 Bose speakers. Among the speakers are two 10-inch woofers in the front doors. By placing these woofers, along with three midrange speakers, and two tweeters ahead of the front-seat occupants, there's a clearer sense of facing a sound stage.
I think I posted this before. C&D Road Test of a 2007 manual trans:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a1 ... road-test/
MARK GILLIES
BMW casts a long shadow over every contender in the near-luxury segment. But the G35 now makes a fine case for itself against the 3-series, especially as it is likely to be cheaper. The G35 also brings up another comparison, to wit: Why on earth would one buy a Lexus IS350? The Lexus isn't appreciably quicker, doesn't look as good, and is a fairly anodyne driving experience, whereas the G35 is a very soulful machine. The Lexus has a more beautifully wrought interior than the G35's (much improved) cabin, but that's about its only advantage. In short, Infiniti does a much better job of being the Japanese luxury brand that makes cars we want to drive.
I don't want to overemphasize the car but just make the point that it really deserves to be on your list by the standards we've applied.