2005 Infiniti G35 Test Drive

Couper Duper

The Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe is faster and handles better than the Audi TT or BMW 330Ci--and it costs about $5,000 to $10,000 less.

Performance

Nissan went all out to make sure the 350Z would drive like a genuine sports car. That involved taking the company's "FM" (front-mid) platform and building a chassis around it that would be exceedingly rigid. One way you can see the same effort in the G35 Sport Coupe is to pop the hood.

A double bulkhead (a second wall of metal) frames the engine, running from the windshield side of the engine bay at a 45-degree angle toward each strut tower. Unlike a strut tower brace that runs like a bridge over top of the engine between the left and right sides of the front suspension, the bulkhead eliminates not only side-to-side chassis flex but also fore and aft bending.

This design offers extraordinary steering feedback, especially on pitted and pocked road surfaces. Yes, getting just the right sporty feel in the G35 coupe took more than a good engine-bay/front suspension design (like dialing in just the right amount of hydraulic boost), but a very rigid structure is a great place to start.

And while we're on the subject, we should say that the G35 handles wonderfully. It's not as gritty as the Z, but its longer wheelbase actually helps pin the tail end a bit better, so there's more grip at the very edge of the performance window. You can push the G35 to that point very easily without much fear that you'll jump beyond the limits of grip without warning. The suspension, by the way, is the same as the one in the Z, with differences in calibration but not configuration.

Handling in the G35 Coupe is progressive, so that you can push the G35 coupe around tight turns, as we did in Marin County, Calif., and the worst result is mild understeer; gas the car out of such bends and occasionally you'll engage the standard stability or traction control, but this is dialed to not interfere too aggressively with impassioned driving.

Throttle response, whether in the automatic or the tight-shifting six-speed manual, is blistering. This is the same 3.5-liter V-6 you get in either the 350Z or the G35 sedan but with different tuning, so it produces slightly less horsepower than in the Z (280 hp versus 287 hp) and four fewer foot-pounds of torque (270 ft.-lbs. versus 274 ft.-lbs.). That's still up considerably from the 260 horsepower and torque figures of the G35 sedan, which is a good thing because the Sport Coupe is about 200 pounds heavier.

Numbers? It takes about six seconds to scoot the G35 coupe to 60 mph, as fast or faster than the competition in this segment (not as fast as the 350Z, however), but there's no contest from zero to 100 mph: The G35 coupe is faster. But that's with the manual transmission. If you want the automatic, you have to add some clicks to both times -- and there are other considerations as well.

Sure, you can toggle the autobox like a manual transmission, but shifts aren't as fast and, like in the G35 sedan, the selector won't allow a downshift that will engage a gear at higher than 4,500 rpm. That's too bad, because obviously you could make such a gear transfer in the manual. We do think this is a splendid automatic, one that would be very pleasing for sporty driving, but not one that lets you get every ounce of joy out of this car.

Meanwhile, the manual is excellent. It requires more effort than in some cars, such as the 3 series BMW gearbox, but it is precise and easy to use.