2006 G35 Horsepower
Any resemblance you see between the stylish new Infiniti G35 coupe and Nissan's recently introduced 350Z is not just a coincidence. Under the skin, they're essentially the same car, yet these fraternal twins are expected to play distinct roles for owners whose priorities diverge along some important lines.
As the upscale division of Nissan, Infiniti needed its sportiest model to flaunt some genteel characteristics, provide a greater degree of comfort, and manifest its luxury attributes more intensely. The styling, too, was required to express a voguish elegance rather than the naked muscularity of the 350Z.
But if these were tough problems to overcome, you wouldn't know it. Our early exposure to the new model suggests the company has pretty much nailed it. Many of the writers at the G35's first outing, at the Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point International) in Sonoma, California, thought the car better-looking than its Z-badged brother. Certainly, the G35-sedan-derived rear end and taillight treatment are more easily accepted than the contentious planes of the Z-car's derrière.
The wheelbase is longer than the Z-car's by almost eight inches (equal to that of the G35 sedan), and the car itself is 12.6 inches longer (and about 200 pounds heavier). The added length was needed to accommodate the Infiniti's usable rear seats and a larger, eight-cubic-foot trunk (one more than the Z's), which is also mercifully free of the sports car's intrusive shock-tower bridging. In keeping with its somewhat more dignified role, the G35 two-door has had its suspension--otherwise identical to the 350Z's--calibrated to offer a softer ride.
But this is still a car based on chief vehicle engineer Kazutoshi Mizuno's FM (front midship) platform, and remember, Mizuno was head of Nissan's Le Mans and Group C racing programs before he became, well, an FM tuner at the Nissan Technical Center in Japan.
So we were confident the car would feel at home on a racetrack. Apparently, the Japanese engineers wanted to be sure and added oil coolers to the cars we drove, as well as conducting extensive brake tests beforehand. Infineon is a track that calls for pretty heavy brake use, for sure, but the massive Brembo discs and calipers peeking through the 18-inch alloy wheels included on the six-speed manual model looked well up to the task.
The base G35 coupe will be available with 17-inch wheels and a five-speed automatic transmission with a manual override. A sort-of touring version will offer an 18-inch wheel-and-tire package that comes standard on the six-speed manual cars we had at the track (where, we're sure you're dying to know, the cars worked extremely well).
Despite the long wheelbase and more-comfortable suspension calibrations, the G35 coupe has well-snubbed roll motions and very responsive steering, particularly on turn-in. Like its 350Z sibling, the car pushes into predictable understeer at the limit, with some power oversteer available at corner exits.
A limited-slip differential stops the inside wheel from smoking your corner exit power, and the car drives out of bends with plenty of traction. The Brembo brakes weren't smoking either at the end of our session, which signals generous thermal mass in the 12.8-inch-front and 12.7-inch-rear vented rotors.
Inside the car you find an interior remarkably similar to the one in the G35 sedan. Coincidence? Not when you have a brand image to maintain and want to provide a more mature and sophisticated environment than might be found in, say, a purer sports version of the same concept.
The seats are leather in the manual-transmission car, with a six-way power driver's seat, but the base automatic model will feature cloth. The equipment levels are fairly high, given the Infiniti logo on the hood, and the G-cars all get anti-lock brakes, brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution, and skid and traction controls.
That's just the chassis hardware. There's also automatic climate control; a 160-watt, six-speaker stereo with a cassette player and a six-disc CD changer; xenon headlights; and a security system. To the well-equipped three models, Infiniti adds packages. There's a Performance Tire & Wheel package; an Aero package that adds a rear spoiler and four underbody diffusers to eliminate rear lift and trim the car's drag coefficient from 0.29 to 0.28; and a Premium package that includes a sunroof, a 225-watt Bose sound system with eight speakers, dual-zone climate controls, auto on/off headlights, and a HomeLink transmitter.
Prices start at about 30 grand, according to guesstimates, and the options range could probably add five or six on top of that. That's not bad for a ritzy coupe made by a reliable manufacturer and purchased from a dealer organization reputed to treat customers well. Not to mention that it has 280 horsepower, killer good looks, an exhaust system that finally plays the 3.5-liter V-6's tune properly, and roadholding good enough to give even the driver slight carsickness on California Route 1 at Stinson Beach (where our managing editor once owned and operated a restaurant).
So, leave that Z-car for the boy racers. We got your sporty coupe right here.
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2+2-passenger, 2-door coupe
ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $30,000-$35,000
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, Nissan engine-control system with port fuel injection
Displacement: 213 cu in, 3498cc
Power (SAE net): 280 bhp @ 6200 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 270 lb-ft @ 4800 rpm
TRANSMISSIONS: 6-speed manual, 5-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 112.2 in Length: 182.2 in Width: 71.5 in Height: 54.8 in
Curb weight: 3400-3450 lb
C/D-ESTIMATED PERFORMANCE (6-SP MAN):
Zero to 60 mph 5.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph 14.6 sec
Standing 1/4-mile 14.4 sec @ 98 mph
Top speed (governor limited) 155 mph
PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city driving 19-20 mpg
EPA highway driving 26 mpg
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Source: https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15136550/infiniti-g35-coupe-first-drive-review/
