Last week I had two road trips planned for business travel so I rented a 2006 G35 Sedan AWD. The car was brand new when I picked it up from the Enterprise (6 miles on the odometer). I put about 850 miles on the car in four days. I drove it on the highway and in city traffic. I even took my family out one night just to see how much we would like it.

The G35 is just an amazing bargin for $33K incl. destination. You can get the G35 sedan loaded with everything but navi for invoice right now because the car has been out for so long. It's fast, handles great, has a real stability control turn off button, roomy back seat, and engine/exhaust sounds pretty cool.

I was impressed with interior quality and layout. Real aluminum trim around the radio and shifter. Aluminum trim is even used around the steering wheel controls. Seating positon was excellent and the rear seats recline. Road and wind noise were very low. However, just enough road noise was allowed to enter the cabin to remind me I was driving a sports sedan. I don' t want a super quiet sports sedan. MIne as well drive a Buick if I needed complete isolation from the road and wind noise. I also enjoyed being able to drive three adults comfortably to dinner one of the nights.

Thottle response was immediate and power was ample. Excellent mid-range power for real life driving. I hate have to rev the heck out of an engine just to get some power.

The rev matching downshifts of the auto transmission were superb. My favorite part of the G35 was the transmission. In manual mode is shifted quickly and crisply. Infiniti did a nice job on the auto tranny upgrades of 2005.

I don't know what else to say. I like the IS 350, but for the price and extra interior space, it's so hard to pass up the G35.

 

Good for you

 

good for you, if money is that big of an issue, buy a Maxima. You can probably get it for 26k.

on another note, I love my 250 AWD and wouldn't ever give it up for an Infiniti.

 

g35 sedan is absolutely boring.

 

Like they say: "Infiniti: Poor Man's Lexus"!jk

 

coworker of mine has a g35. After riding in my IS for few minutes, he said screw this Im trading in for a IS.

Not everyone is the same, but I dont know how you can think anything on the g35 is better than the IS except for speed. Sitting in a IS and then getting into a g35, felt like riding in a camry.

 

I don't own an IS or G35. Dunno, but the IS styling alone is just a killer. It turns heads where ever it goes and there is no denying it. It has such a strong and awesome presence with that muscular, high tail, low nose, squated stance. The only other car with the same elegance is the BMW E46 M3. G35 is now like an Accord or Camry on the road. The whole place is littered with G35 sedans and coupes being driven by respectable uncles, aunts, grandpas, grandmas and corporate types.

 

I sold my 2003.5 G35 sedan to upgrade to the IS350. I was actually going to buy a G35 coupe the same day the IS350 hit the showroom floor back in October. The Infiniti dealership didn't have any 2006 coupes on the lot that day so, my wife and I walked accross the street to Lexus. Once we saw and drove the IS350, we sold our G35 to Carmax. The interior of the Lexus is what really sold us...really no comparison between the IS350 and G35 in that respect. However, other than the brake noise/issues and interior rattles, the G35 was a good car and a good value. I can't believe you can rent them from Enterprise now a days. That being said, if a friend asked me to recommend a car in the $30k price range, I would say the G35 is hard to beat.

 

IF you can live with the Infiniti interior, then go for it. And yes, they are a dime a dozen on the highway.

 

Boy, tough crowd here. You are correct, the G35 is a terrific value. Performance wise, the G is great. Exterior wise, the sedan is, well, yuck IMHO. The coupe however looks great. But the. interior of the G pales in comparison to the new IS.

There is a big price difference, but I feel you get what you pay for with the IS350. But you're also comparing a car that is nearing the end of it's design cycle to a brand new model. When the G first arrived, it raised the bar in its segment. However, the new IS and new 3 series have raised it even higher.

 

My post isn't intended to state one car is better than the other. I've been lurking and posting on this board for month or two now so I figured I share some thoughts about why I think the G35 is a better purchase for me.

I expected some silly responses, but to totally discount the G35 is just crazy. I thought most of you were pretty intelligent car enthusiasts until I read the negative responses. The G35 is hands down an excellent value if you want RWD, speed, handling, luxury, and a useable rear seat. If you don't believe that, then you don't know very much about the IS 350's competition.

I've driven the IS 350. It's a great car, but for the extra cash over the G35 and small interior, it's not a good purchase for me. IMO, it didn't handle any better nor did if feel any quicker than the G35. The interior quality of the two is a wash. I prefer the exterior of the IS over the G35 because I think it looks more aggressive. I don't like the muted exhaust/engine noise of the IS. It's supposed to be a sports sedan, but Lexus made it way too quiet.

If I'm going to fork out $37 - $40K on a sports sedan, I'd get an '06 BMW 330i over the IS 350.

 

I have no problem with the G35 interior. Maybe my expectations just are not that high in terms of interior quality. I thought the leather felt great, real aluminum trim, and nice layout with good driver visability.

Yes, there are ton of G35's on the road. No doubt about it. I never for once second believed spending $30K or $40K on a car would make is rare and exclusive. There are also a ton of BMW 330i's, Audi A4's, and so on and so forth. If you really want to an exclusive car, then plan on spending a lot more than $40K. Lexus plans to sell 40,000 units of the new IS. Give it time, they will be everywhere.

 

Good for you, but what was the point of posting that you were getting a G35 in a Lexus forum? Go get it, be happy, and drive it around. Don't explain how you believe the G35 is a better valued car then the IS350. Everyone has difference of opinions, and you should've expected negative remarks, when this is a 250/350 forum. Good luck on getting the G35, and let's hope that you never have to confront a 350 on the tracks.

 

just so you know, the new G35 debuts next april at the new york auto show.

 

You do know the G35 is going to be replaced next year right??

Might not want to wait again for a new model, but its a suggestion.

I personally dont like the looks of the G35 sedan, kinda ugly looking to me, but cant deny that its a good performing car. Even though its an older model it can still hold its own and the used car market for this car is pretty strong. The interior and quality though is another story. Not good at all to me. But if thats what you want go ahead. I can understand why.