2004 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6MT from North America - Comments

Gas tank valve overly sensitive; forces me to pump gas VERY slowly.

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 figure out how exactly 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.) 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 (below 70 MPH) 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 cannot 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 dedicated 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 executing tight turns on the autobahn at 120+ MPH (while straight-line cruising is rock solid.) But this suspension also makes bad roads more tolerable.

If you are 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.

The 3.5L V6 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 sometimes 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 at all. I still feel like I lucked out and won the lottery. Fun-to-drive is the most important factor that I value in the cars 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 Coupe. Most importantly, this car still puts a very big grin on my face EVERY TIME I drive it.

I was wondering how long I should expect my clutch to last? I currently have 40k on the car, and recently have noticed clutch hop when engaging 1st gear. Took it to the dealer and they say I need to replace it. Does this seem reasonable to you? My driving style is aggressive, but I really never pop the clutch or ride it. I do however down-shift quite often.

I've noticed that my clutch slips slightly if I engage the clutch at too high an RPM. This might be a design of the transmission. I don't know. But there are several aftermarket clutch kits that will probably fix the problem.

I guess needing clutches at 40,000 miles just goes with owning a Japanese car. My last stick-shift car (Dodge) had 240,000 miles on it with never a bolt turned on it except for 2 brake jobs and 2 timing belts. My 5-speed Mustang had 105,000 on it when I sold it. Never a problem with the clutch (or anything else) on it either. Kinda makes me wonder what you REALLY get for your $40,000. I'll take TWO Mustangs any day.

The japanese cars usually have low torque, high rev engines which increases the chance of not mathcing rev properly. maybe that's what increases clutch wear.

I really hate the VDC system on my 2004 G35 coupe, I can't even keep up with my brothers Integra type-R with it on.

I bought a 2006 G35MT in December 2005 and drive about 15,000/year. I noticed the clutch slipping when under hard acceleration from a dead stop, like getting on a freeway on-ramp. The dealer adjusted the clutch, but had to replace it at 12,000 miles telling me "not to accelerate until the clutch is fulling engaged". I have 30,000 miles on it now and have been driving it to eliminate slippage and today under hard acceleration it started slipping again; time for another clutch. I'll go aftermarket for a heavy duty one to see if that is better.

I just bought a used 04' G35 6MT. Have had it now for 2 months.

First thing I noticed is the clutch, as others have mentioned. Took a good 2 weeks to get used to.

Things I have noticed about the clutch;

1) The car prefers agressive high rev gear shifting. This hits gas mileage, but the exhaust makes it sound worse than it is. My wifes SUV auto, shifts around 3K RPM's.. in the G35.. shifting at 3K RPM's sounds like you are trying to race someone. But the car likes to shift around 3.5K or higher. so.. it sounds like you are racing at every stop light, it's kinda fun though once you get used it.

2) the car does not like accelerating and shifting at the same time.. it definitely prefers to fully shift into gear foot off the gas pedal and then engage... This specifically is what I think tends to wear out the clutch fast in this and many Japanese cars. This is also kind of fun once you get used to it.. cause you sort of launch forward when you hit the gas again after shifting.

Other things... the GPS is a little annoying that the screen is very hard to see in the day time. The engine rumble at idle is not quite as smooth as I would expect from a luxury version sports coupe. But again, it's kinda fun once you get used to it and realize it's a big rumbling engine.

Sound system could be better.. especially for a bose. But it does the job.

The seat belt is a little annoying as it is difficult to keep it from banging/scratching/knicking the door material every time you put it on and off.. you have to consiously be careful with it.

The back seat and trunk are both surprisingly roomy for a sports car.

I think mechanically the clutch is obviously the most glaring issue, but I think you just need to learn how it likes to be driven.

Overall, the car is a lot of fun to drive and beautifully designed.

I love driving manual.. and for cars like a G35, you should be driving manual.. but if you are dead set on a G35.. I would probably suggest going with the automatic unless you are an expierinced driver with Japanese manual transmissions.