2003 Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe from North America - Comments

This car is amazing. Since it is new, nothing has really gone wrong. I find two minor faults.

Occasionally there is a high pitched, humming wind noise from the front of the sunroof when traveling over 90+mph or when driving into a head wind. It is not constant, and will come and go. The stereo can drown out the sound, but it is embarrassing when carrying passengers.

My fuel gauge does not seem accurate. The fuel cell holds twenty gallons of gas. If I'm averaging 20 miles per gallon, the gauge should indicate 1/2 full at 200 miles on the trip meter. Instead, It shows 1/4 to 1/3 of a tank and will remain this way for miles. Then, when the meter indicates that the tank is empty, there is still about 4 gallons of fuel in the tank.

The car handles great. I am a retired road racer so I really appreciate great handling vehicles.

This car has everything from performance to luxury. Not only does it get me from point A to point B in a hurry, I look good and am comfortable getting there.

The Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) is no fun, and only good when the roads are wet. If it is on, it will not allow the back end to break loose. However, the on/off button is easily within reach with your left hand.

The Brembo brakes are great.

My Dad is going to buy the car Infiniti G35 sport coupe, and I am trying to find what are the problems, or what is wrong with the car it after few months, I need information, If we are making the right choice an buying this car..

I will really help me, if you email me at Kmikek00@shaw.ca.

Thank you for your time.

Bye.

I recently looked at the G35 Sports Coupe. What beautiful car. I'm seriously thinking of getting this car. The only hesitation I have concerns driving in the snow. Would you have any reviews on how this car handles in the snow? I really love this car. Thanks.

Could someone comment on how their transmissions shift? I drove some Nissan before and they tend to be very smooth, almost don't have much mechanical feel, but hard to find gears sometimes. How's the G35 shifting? Pedal height and weight?

Your problem with the gas gauge is not an accident. The automaker adjusts the gauge with the "V" shape of the gas tank, and also adjusts for the irresponsibility of its drivers, to run the tank as low as possible before refueling. Great idea!

I have a 6-speed coupe (I just traded my 6spd sedan) in Montreal Canadian weather... had 10cm dumped last night and I was zipping past SUV's with OEM tires - thanks to the VDC. You have to be a complete idiot to make this car go out of control... not much idiots driving this type of car anyways. The gearbox gives a racing mechanical feel.. the way it should be - very inspiring.

I bought my g35 in 2003, and it is the best coupe I have ever had. I had a Porshe, a Corvette, and an Acura Integra, but this is the best. Mine is silver, but I think I am going to trade it in for an Athens blue coupe.

I have had a 2004 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6MT (what a mouthful) for the last 6 months. I'm currently stationed in Germany and I have been able to run notoriously twisty B-roads and no-speed-limit autobahns, as well as dry, wet, and snow environments. Here's what I've noticed:

Interior.

This car is really comfortable to drive in. Although it took me a while to sit in the seats without my lower back hurting, I now have no pain with hours of driving.

The quality of the materials is pretty good and my only gripe is that some of the plastics scratch easily. A less serious irritation is that I am also not a big fan of the peculiar stereo/HVAC button section, which seems like a sea of buttons (the 350Z’s layout seems simpler and better.) However, they are logically laid out and easy to operate.

Driving Impressions.

The first thing you will notice is that the clutch is pretty heavy. It will take about three weeks for your left leg to get used to the clutch’s resistance, but once it does you shouldn’t notice it anymore.

Heel-toe shifting is stupidly simple and really fun in this car.

At low speeds the G35 has an incredible amount of grip! Turn-in is pretty good and in dry weather it is really, really hard to get the car to spin uncontrollably. In the wet, however, it is really, really easy to kick the butt out and the VDC should be kept on. The snow isn’t too difficult for the G35 Coupe, but its low ride height makes it easy to get stuck in deep snow. In very deep snow you might find that the VDC is so intrusive that you ca not get the car moving up some uphill sections of road (with your butt constantly trying to shoot out.) But this experience is with ultra high performance all-season tires and winter tires will probably do better.

The G35 6MT’s less aggressive suspension (when compared to the 350Z Track) makes the car float a bit when cruising on the autobahn at 120+ MPH. But this suspension also makes bad roads tolerable.

If you a driving enthusiast then I will have to talk about the VDC, which is overly intrusive when it is turned on, giving you the impression that you are always just seconds away from catastrophe. It seems to predict that you could soon get yourself into trouble and intervene on your behalf by braking and abruptly reducing engine output. This made me think that the car was really unstable when I first drove the car because the VDC reacted so frequently and aggressively in every situation, even those that wouldn’t cause you to be worried. In reality, on a dry surface (and with the VDC off) the G35 is fairly neutral and, depending on how you interact with a corner, can either slightly under- or over-steer.

This engine has no problem accelerating the car out of corners with real addictive authority and can easily propel the car up to its electronically-limited top speed of 155 MPH. Fuel economy is pretty bad (18 MPH average in city driving), but that is because of the way I drive (aggressively all the time.) If I’m really good I can get about 20 MPG average on the autobahn (driving at about 90-100 MPH.)

The transmission is also pretty good, with well-chosen gear ratios, but its gates are more resistant than you would expect from a car of this caliber. You almost have to man-handle it to get the fastest results.

Is it Worth Buying?

I spent $35,500 for my used G35 Coupe 6MT, which is twice as much as I have spent on any car in my life and I do not regret it. I still feel like I lucked out and won the lottery. Fun-to-drive is the most important factor that I value in the car’s I buy and I still look for excuses to drive this car. I am always looking to do a milk-run or eat out for dinner so that I can experience driving my G35. Most importantly, this car still puts a very big grin on my face EVERY TIME I drive it.

How much is maintenance on the car? And how does the car do in snow?

The car is not good in snow. The VSD tends to keep the car from completely losing it, resulting in a 180°, but that same VSD won't let the rear wheels spin. I got stuck on a hill and had to back down and find an alternate route. Even after turning VSD off, and trying to get a running start, the car will not allow you to spin the rear wheels to assist in gaining the hill. The ignition cuts out, and I hear a zzzzzz sound from the rear - like something is slipping. After a few minutes of this, I began to smell something funny.

Don't plan to drive this car in the snow!!!

Get snow tires for your G35! It's a world of difference in the snow. Before I had all season tires and I was fish tailing everywhere. After getting snow tires.. no fish tailing.. I drove the Chicago local streets this past winter in a snow storm with no problem. I am not worried about snow this year with my G...