Infiniti G35

I have had an Infinity G35 Coupe for more than a year now, and I am not too happy with it. I have a lease and somehow I am stuck with it, otherwise I would have got rid of it. I think the way the car looks is good, the exterior design I mean. On the inside the whole dashboard could have used some better material than that cheap plastic that squeaks at every bump you drive over.

Now lets talk about performance. The car has some power (280 HP), but it does not feel like 280; maybe a few of the horses are sleeping or are dead. Mine is an automatic, and is probably losing a lot of power in the transmission. The engine struggles to move the car until it reaches 4000 rpm then you feel the car starting to move. When it comes to cornering it feels like you are driving a lot faster than you actually are. I have been going around the same corner doing the same speed, if not higher with a regular sedan, and it felt a lot smoother than the G35. If you are going around a sharp corner, first the nose dives down and then the back of the car starts to come around, making the traction control kick in which slows you down. Obviously, the weight distribution and a short wheelbase are the biggest factors in that. I have 19 inch wheels wrapped with Bridgestone Potenza, and still the car does not hold the road. Not to mention that the tyres cost from $300.00 for the front to $360.00 for the rear. I was lucky that I bought the insurance on the tyres when I leased the car. It cost me $300.00 for the entire length of the lease, because so far I have replaced six tyres that have cost in excess of $2000.00. I am sure that the insurance company is not very happy about it. I don't think they will ever offer the same coverage again. Those tyres are very good at gripping the road, and very good in the rain, but very weak when it comes to debris on the road. They are like magnets for nails and screws.

So far, I have got 26000 miles on the car, and I had to take it in twice for brakes. At 15000 miles the car started to shake very badly every time I used the brakes over 60 mph. I took it in and they changed the rotors. Now at 26000 miles the same thing again. Obviously the material used in those rotors is not very heat resistant because it warps easily. I also had to take it in twice for a rattling upper glove box. They did not put enough rubber cushioning on the first time.

Now the worst thing about this car is the gas mileage. Normal driving I get about 16 mpg - don't even think about when you like to speed a little, because you are looking at 14 mpg or less. The most I got out of a tank was one time that I was driving like an old grandma, and that was 330 miles for 17 gallons of fuel. I never went over 2500 rpm, and a lot of times I shifted in neutral to gain some miles from inertia. So forget the 18-26 mpg like it says on the sticker. On the highway, if you drive under 65 mph you may get about 17 mpg, but if you go above that speed forget it. Once you go over 3000 rpm you are looking at 15 mpg or less.

Basically, it's like paying the gas price of a huge V8 and getting the torque of a V6.

My conclusion - I will never buy or lease a G35 again, and I do not recommend it to anyone. It's got a lot of looks, but you are in for a big disappointment.

I was going to get an M3, but the monthly payments were too high, but when it comes to the bottom line, if I would have bought the M3 and sold it three years later, I would have spent the same amount of money as I am going to spend on the G35 lease. Basically, for the same amount of money, I could have had an M3, a much better ride, a really true sports car, not a sports car wannabe like the G35.

Good luck to all of you.

Brake dust isnt usually a bad thing, but on a good, clean looking car it can make it look kinda bad. Usually ceramic brakes will cure that. They are a little more expensive but they don't leave dust like the normal brakes do. The only downside really is that they squeak for about a month when they are new... but they are worth the extra cost.