Call 'em "sport", call 'em "luxury", or call 'em "performance" sedans, but whatever string of adjectives you use, one of the most satisfying segments of the new car market is that niche where solid construction, luxurious appointments, sports-car like performance, and common-sense practicality all come together at about the low $30K price point. It's a price point that I feel makes the cars a much smarter choice for most car buyers than the oversized, overweight, overpriced SUVs that have found far too much favor in the marketplace in recent years.

High gas prices hurt my pocketbook as much as everybody else's, but if they make a few people rethink the fundamental stupidity of the SUV platform, then I say, "Let those prices go up!" I shouldn't talk too loudly though, since I happen to also own one of those gas guzzling road hogs myself, but if I were to undo that purchase, I'd probably try to talk myself into enough common sense to buy something like the Infiniti G35.

Strange that I like the G35 so much, after all, Infiniti is the company that I usually talk down about, due mostly to their historically bizarre styling decisions and their frequently quirky implementations. That and the fact that I've usually seen Infiniti cars as coming up notably short on value when directly compared to their Lexus counterparts. Maybe you feel the same about the brand, maybe not...maybe you've always thought more along the lines of my current opinions about Infiniti.

Things change, and my esteem for Infiniti cars has been steadily going up over the past couple years, and cars like their 2007 G35 do a lot to underscore what Infiniti is doing right these days. No bones about it --- I like the new G35 sedans. I like its looks, I like riding in it and driving it, and I like most of the tradeoffs that Nissan has made in building a very good, very appealing family appropriate sedan that's still basically fun to drive.


Exterior Styling...
I have a kind of "love-hate" relationship with Infiniti styles in general. I hate the stupid Mickey Mouse gimmicks that Infiniti seems to love --- from the hideously ugly chrome oval door handles that have adorned some of their ugly models to the goofy looking analog clocks that dot every Infiniti dashboard you've ever seen. Yet, despite their wiggly goofiness, they at least have the guts to go their own way.

I have a different kind of "love-hate" relationship with Lexus and Acura styling. While both of those marquees have generally better looking cars than Infiniti, neither one seems to want to do their own thinking. Lexus blatantly rips off Mercedes-Benz styling with painful regularity, and Acura rips off BMW styling. At least Infiniti cars aren't generally mistaken for German sedans. I don't think so, anyway.

The Infiniti sure doesn't remind me of any German sedan, and it has enough distinctive edges to give its own look and flavor.

I read a magazine article about the 2007 G35 that raved about all the changes on this "re-designed" G35, but in my opinion, the basic look is pretty much unchanged from 2006. I see some differences in the grill and the tail --- mostly in the shape of lights, plus the back seat side windows are cut slightly different, but by and large, its' a re-design that manifests itself under the hood moreso than it does from the curb.

That's a good thing, in my opinion, since the 2006 G35 was basically a well-designed, attractive sedan, and the 2007 preserves most of what I liked about the '06 design. It's lines remind me more of large Lexus models --- like the pricey GS --- than of anything that's really in its more entry-level luxury class. Rounded edges, long, lean lines, and a somewhat bulbous look to the front end all conspire to give the car a more costly look than its very reasonable low $30s price tag might indicate.

The biggest advantage of the G35 over other performance oriented luxury sedans is obvious at a glance. Quite simply, this car is bigger and more spacious than its closest competitors from either Lexus or BMW, and it's also got noticeably better styling and more space than virtually anything else you're likely to pit against it one-on-one. The number back up the general impression. With an overall length of 187 inches and a 112.2 inch wheelbase, the Infiniti G35 is more car for the money. Of course, the question becomes whether that extra space is put to good use from the interior perspective.


Interior Comfort...
When I bought my Honda Pilot two years back, the number one reason my wife gave for vetoing my purchase of a BMW 3-series was back-seat space for the kids. Passenger space and comfort was the only real reason I didn't get the car I really wanted. Perhaps if my candidate "performance luxury sedan" had been the Infiniti G35, the argument wouldn't have been made. You see the G35 is noticeably more spacious inside than the flagship beemer, and it handily beats models like the Lexus IS350 --- which is probably the G35's closest competitor under the hood. In fact, the G35 gives you the kind of interior comfort that draw buyers to cars like the Lexus ES and the Cadillac CTS. Space and creature comforts are the reason.

The front seats on the Infiniti G35 are simply outstanding. I stand 6 feet tall, and my feet don't even really touch the pedals when I move the seat back all the way --- this is a car that will accommodate even quite a tall and gangly kind of physique. It's also a car that will cradle that physique in soft, supple, leather comfort while still providing outstanding lateral support.

Back seat passengers aren't neglected though. The back seat is also pretty darn spacious. Not just in terms of legroom, but also the space across and the height too. When I sit in back, I feel plenty of head room and I can't see as two good-sized adults would have any complaints riding in the back seat of this car, with the rear console pulled down and all. Of course Infiniti tells you this is a back seat for 3 passengers, and if they're kids, it would be, though two good-sized car seats would fit in there no problem-o. Space is good, comfort is great....but it's the interior features of this car that really make the interior stand apart from competitors.

Awhile back, I was doing a road trip with my sister. She and her husband snagged on a Saab 9-5 not too long ago. Real nice car, by the way, but sis seemed to have gone gah-gah over the XM satellite radio. Personally, I don't find satellite radio to be worth paying for --- but that's my opinion. The thing I'd go gah-gah over on the Infiniti G35 isn't any one particular option, it's the variety of options and the tolerance for accommodating YOU, the driver. Lots of cars have satellite radio these days, but most manufacturers have consumer-UNfriendly alliances with XM or Sirius, meaning YOU inherit THEIR excess baggage. Not so with Infiniti --- pony up the bucks for the premium stereo and you get a Bose system with YOUR option of either XM or Sirius, plus a flash memory reader and an onboard 9.5GB hard drive that can sock away up to 3,000 of your favorite MP3 tracks. Digital music on the roll, and rolled up your way. Gotta love it!


Power, Performance, and the Driving Experience...
The place the G35 really shines is on the road...particularly the straight road since the real performance strongpoint of the G35 is its raw power. There's really only one power plant available on the G35, and its a 3.5 litre V6 that kicks out 306 horsepower. A lot of folks go bonkers over the Lexus I350's power numbers, but if you want REAL bang for the buck, stack 'em up next to the Infiniti G35. The two cars have nearly identical powerplant numbers, and the G35 is a land rocket when that light turns green, ratcheting you up to 60 miles per hour in about 5 and half seconds. If "equivalent" isn't enough to sway your opinion, then look at who has more space, the better features, and the lower price tag to boot.

I love driving good solid, performance-oriented sedans, and my personal favorite in this market niche has, for many years, been the BMW 3-series. I think most people who truly love the driving experience will tell you that even despite the many excellent new cars in this segment, it's the BMW that truly sets the standard. While Infiniti does indeed outperform the BMW 3-series quite handily from a standing start, it's driving experience is really too tame and too "luxury car" to really appeal to the true driving enthusiast. Good as the car most certainly is, it's out of its league if you try to take it off the rule-straight track.

Steering and agility are very weak points on the Infiniti G35. I can't believe how ponderous and sluggish the car feels, particularly at lower speeds. While the wheel starts to feel responsive as the car gets up past 40mph, it has a weird disconnected kind of feel when just doing the parking space cruise through the mall lot. It's like the total antithesis of the way a truly great road handling motorcar feels. Let's call it the "anti-beemer". Some folks might like this kind of feel, but it's probably the number reason I'd pass right on by the G35 if I were buying a car just for me.

As far as ergonomics go, Infiniti has generally done their homework with a fairly intuitive, easy to use dash layout. It's far from perfect though. My biggest complaint centers on the "in your face" feel of their navigation system with its too-bright, too-big, and far too obnoxious feel. There's no getting away from it by not paying for the nav system, since Infiniti still puts the same screen in the same place...they just leave out the nav software and instead give you an "information console" that's still far too obnoxious.

I like the sleek brushed aluminum look of the dash, and the leather-clad gearshift knob feels as good as the thick, hefty leather-clad steering wheel. The steering is a bit busy with more controls than usual, but I suppose the generation raised on Playstation will love it. On earlier Infinitis, I always thought the analog clock looked hokey and misplaced....but I must be getting older because I actually like the way it looks on this car. (And besides, have you noticed other car companies having similar clocks on certain models??)

On the whole, the car is a good highway cruiser --- it's fast, smooth, and quiet and a comfortable vehicle to ride in or to drive. I don't like a lot of the gimmicks of the dashboard and I detest its lack of road feel and agility, but there's not denying the car's ability to excel on the kinds of roads that dominate most American driving.


Competitive Strengths and Weaknesses...
There's probably a dozen cars that a person considering the G35 should take a look at. Among these:
* Lexus IS350
* Lexus ES
* BMW 3-series
* Mercedes C-Class
* Volvo S60
* Saab 9-3
* Cadillac CTS

Consider the power, consider the usable space, consider the features, and compare the costs. It's that simple to see why the Infiniti G35 is such an excellent value. The G35 boasts similar power and performance specs as the IS350, but beats it hands down in term of interior space, creature features, and bang for the buck. I like the Lexus ES better in terms of feel, and it has a more refined interior space, but the G35 outperforms it handily. The BMW outclasses the G35 very easily in terms of its interior refinement, and its agility and handling are its bright spots compared to the soft, pudgy feel of the G35's steering ---- but again, the BMW will cost more. Mercedes has a nice feeling interior, but its styling is staid, and its interior space too confining once you've driven a G35. The Volvo also boasts its safety features and it boasts a more refined feel to it, despite sometimes questionable interior materials, less power and agility, and a higher price tag. The Cadillac has similar spaciousness to the G35, but it feels a bit less refined and less powerful than the G35. Competitive landscape, no doubt about it.

In my opinion, people with unstinting expectations for driving perfection should still opt for the BMW 3-series out of all these fine cars, but the average American driver who is looking for comfortable, feature-laden highway cruising would be VERY hard-pressed to find an all around better car than the Infiniti G35.


Bottom Line...
The 2007 Infiniti G35 is an excellent car that offers the most bang-for-the-buck of just about any sedan in the $30-35 K price range. It's shortcomings are mostly in its lack of interior refinement and its lack of appeal to the true sports sedan enthusiast. A powerful 306-hp engine is little compensation for sluggish steering and the limited availability of a true 6-speed transmission across the model line. The G35 is no car enthusiast's car, but it is an outstanding value for the average American driver.