Nissan's Hot Little Luxury Sedan

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Up Front

The people at Infiniti are very confident that the Infiniti G35 Sport sedan can hold its own against the best in the world. So, when a company spokesman learned I had test-driven BMW's new 328i and 335i and loved them [see BusinessWeek.com, 10/17/06, "BMW's Super Coupe"], his immediate response was, "We'd like you to drive the G35, too. We think it's very competitive."



It's no surprise that Infiniti is touting the virtues of the G35. Sales of the four-door, rear-wheel-drive G35 sedan, which was completely redesigned for '07, rose 60% in the first quarter of this year, to 15,323 units. The hot little sedan from Nissan's (NSANY) luxury division accounted for nearly two-thirds of Infiniti's total U.S. car sales in the quarter. With a newly redesigned '08 Coupe--dubbed the G37 after its big, 3.7-liter engine--scheduled to hit showrooms this fall, the two sister models will soon totally dominate Inifiniti's car sales.



Just about all the G35's major rivals are doing well, too. Sales of the new BMW 3 Series models were up 19.5% in the first quarter of this year, to 33,191. DaimlerChrysler's (DCX) Mercedes-Benz C-Class sales jumped 23.1%, to 12,282 units, in the quarter, and Audi A4 sales were up 5.9%, to 10,022 units.



Only one major entry in the segment is struggling. Combined sales of the Lexus IS 250 and IS 350 fell 8.2% in the first quarter, to 12,409 units. That's a bit of a shocker, considering that Toyota (TM) recently announced it had passed General Motors (GM) to become the world's biggest automaker, and almost every other model with a Toyota, Lexus, or Scion nameplate on it is selling well.



Which of the entry-level sporty luxury cars is best? Making that call is a little like trying to decide whether the nation's best barbecue comes from Missouri, Texas, Tennessee--or none of the above. You can start a fight just by venturing an opinion. But my feeling is that the G35 comes in second to the new Bimmers.



For the '07 model year, at least, you have two very different Infiniti models to choose from--the four-door G35 sedan or the two-door coupe. The '07 G35 Coupe's sales plummeted 41.4%, to 2,991 units, in the first quarter, as buyers started to anticipate the arrival this fall of the sexy, redesigned '08 G37. The '07 G35 Coupe is largely unchanged from the previous version of the car. It shares a platform with the Nissan 350Z sports car and starts at $34,165 with a five-speed automatic and $34,765 with a stick shift.



Meanwhile, the redesigned '07 G35 sedan is a big improvement over the previous version of that car. Its 306-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 is more powerful than the engine in the previous G35 sedan [and than the current Coupe's 275-hp V6]. Also, styling has been improved, the interior upgraded, and the chassis stiffened to make the car's handling even sharper than before.



The '07 G35 sedan comes in five trim levels. The base model, which is only available with a five-speed automatic transmission, starts at $32,150. It includes standard equipment such as power front seats, leather upholstery, keyless entry, a CD player, and power windows, doors, and mirrors.



Moving up, there are two versions of the car that only come with an automatic transmission. The Journey, which starts at $32,600, adds a six-CD changer and dual-zone climate control to the base model's standard features. From there, you can move up to the X style [$34,650], which is similar to the Journey but has all-wheel drive and heated front seats.



There are also sporty versions of the G35 sedan with either a six-speed manual transmission [$32,950] or an automatic [$34,150]. For the extra money, you get a firmer, sport-tuned suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, a limited slip differential, and a sportier steering wheel and front seats.

For a luxury car, extras are reasonably priced. Sirius (SIRI) or XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) costs $300; a sunroof, $1,000; a technology package that includes a backup monitor, adaptive headlights, and an intelligent cruise control system goes for $1,100; four-wheel active steering, $1,500; and a navigation system costs $1,800. There's also a premium package that includes everything from the sunroof to auto-dimming rearview mirrors and a super-fancy Bose sound system that goes for $2,100. African rosewood interior trim costs an extra $450.



Safety gear--such as traction and stability control, four-wheel antilock brakes, active head restraints, seat belt pre-tensioners, and front, side, and head airbags--is standard on all versions of the G35.



The G35 sedan with a manual transmission is rated to get 19 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway [26 mpg on the highway with the automatic and 25 mpg with all-wheel drive]. However, in 201 miles of mixed driving, I only got 19 mpg. Premium gasoline is recommended.



Behind the Wheel

To my eye, the G35 sedan is a beautiful car. It has an understated European look--like a cross between a Jaguar and a Mercedes--without appearing too generic. The slightly bulbous sculpted headlights and taillights add a touch of distinctiveness to the design. And the wishbone-shaped double spokes in the alloy wheels on the G35 Sport are not only distinctive but gorgeous.



The G35 is very fast. I clocked my test G35 Sport with a stick shift at 5.5 seconds in accelerating from 0 to 60 miles per hour. That makes it slower than the BMW 335i, which I clocked in under 5 seconds, and the Lexus IS 350, which I clocked in as little as 5.2 seconds [see BusinessWeek.com, 9/6/06, "2006 Lexus IS 350"]. But the G35 is a little faster than the BMW 328i, which jumped from 0 to 60 in about 6 seconds in my tests.



What the G35 doesn't quite have is BMW-style handling. The Infiniti's sport-tuned suspension is very stiff, and the car grips the road tightly when you throw it into the curves on winding back roads. No complaints there. But one of the big appeals of BMW's 3Series sedans and coupes is how responsive the steering is and the way they transmit road-feel to the driver's hands. The Infiniti's steering seems heavier, and you don't feel the same connection to the road.



At 109 inches, the G35 is longer than any of its main rivals [nearly 9 inches longer than the BMW 335i], but it isn't a lot more spacious inside. The G35 has a couple more inches of head- and legroom up front than the BMW and a slightly larger trunk. Space in the backseat is about the same, which is to say it's tight for a tall adult. The G35's rear seat won't hold three adults comfortably on longer drives, especially if any of them is over 6 feet tall.



The interior is well-designed but, as with the BMW 3 Series, not especially luxurious. The leather upholstery is impeccably made, and the aluminum trim has a subtle surface pattern that resembles hand-made paper. The knobs and instrument gauges are nice-looking, with crimson needles on the gauges and cobalt blue highlights. But they aren't fancy. I would consider paying the extra $450 on the optional Rosewood trim just to add a touch of elegance to the cabin.



The instruments are much more intuitive and easy-to-use than those in a BMW. While many of the functions in BMW's drive system are controlled by manipulating a knob [which sometimes doesn't register the command until the second or third attempt], the G35's system is controlled by numerous well-marked buttons. You can figure out how to use the navigation system, CD player, and onboard computer without ever consulting the owner's manual. There's even a separate back button--it's actually marked "Back," so it's easy to find--in case you can't figure something out.



Many of the high-tech features and add-ons in the car turn out to be quite handy. The adaptive headlights really do peer around curves and corners when you start turning the steering wheel at night. The backup monitor actually shows you the path behind the car, even at night and in heavy rain. I tested it several times backing down a steep gravel driveway to make sure. And if you pay up for the optional navigation system, the six-CD player is replaced by a 9.5GB hard drive for playing MP3 files. That's a lot of capacity for an automobile sound system.

Buy It or Bag It?

On price alone, it's hard to beat the G35 sedan. So far this year, the model's average selling price of $36,020 is near the bottom of the spectrum, according to the Power Information Network [PIN]. Among the major direct competitors I compared it with, only the Audi A4, at $35,770, is less expensive.



However, if you absolutely must have a Bimmer you can buy one in the same price range as the G35. That's because BMW has been very clever in the way it has positioned the 328i against Japanese competitors. The 328i has been selling for an average of $38,662--or just $2,642 more than the Infiniti, according to PIN--but less than the Lexus IS 350, which sells for an average of $39,918, and a lot less than the Mercedes C350, which PIN says has been selling for an average of $42,660.



The lightning-fast BMW 335i, which sells for an average of $46,846, costs a lot more than any of the other models in the segment. But the BMW 328i is a very nice car--similar to its bigger sister model in every respect except that its 230-hp inline six-cylinder engine is less powerful than the 335i's. But the 328i is still almost as quick as the Infiniti, despite its smaller engine. And you get that inimitable BMW handling and road-feel in the 328i.



So, if I were buying one of these cars and didn't want to spend top dollar, I would rank the BMW 328i first, the Infiniti G35 second, and the Lexus IS 350 third [I haven't driven the Audi A4 enough recently to include it].



Of course, I haven't yet driven the new Infiniti G37 Coupe, either. It will have a slightly bigger engine than the G35 and promises to be even quicker. Is it worth waiting to check out the new Infiniti Coupe this fall before buying? Decisions, decisions.



Click here to see more of the Infiniti G35 Sport sedan.