Sports career. Revealing the true talents of the Infiniti G35x

To be honest, by the evening I was already pretty tired—like everyone around after a workday. But how can one miss the opportunity to truly test the Infiniti G35x sedan, which I'd been driving around all day on my errands? After all, it's positioned as a car for those who, having shed their business suit, wouldn't mind adding some adrenaline, especially behind the wheel. On the outside, it doesn't shout about its sportiness—you can calmly arrive at negotiations in it without fearing that a wrong impression will be formed about you. But on an open road, it's ready to give plenty of driving pleasure. Is that really the case?

The question immediately arises: what class should it even be assigned to? Formally, the G35x studies in the same class as the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes C-Class, and also challenges competitors with Jaguar, Lexus, and Volvo badges. But in fact, it either stayed for a second year or skipped a class. Look at its length—it exceeds 4.75 meters! That's already a direct claim to the territory of cars a class higher.

However, you can immediately forget about the "repeater"—the current generation of the G35x came out quite recently, only the Mercedes "C" is newer. So it's more of an "accelerated student." The powertrain hints at this too: under the hood is exclusively a 3.5-liter V-6 with 315 horsepower. Impressive, isn't it? Especially when you recall that the base BMW 3 Series is content with just 129 horsepower.

After getting acquainted with the technical content, your hands reach for the steering wheel, and your foot for the gas pedal. But I won't rush. To compete with the venerable Germans, one engine isn't enough. So the drive is for dessert, and first I'll carefully inspect the car from all sides.

At first glance, the sedan in Serengeti Sand color doesn't seem too flashy or pretentious. Looking closer, you notice the unusual shape of the headlights and neat stamping along the sills. But the rear of the G35x catches your eye immediately. It looks especially striking at night when the LED sections of the taillights light up. Overall, the balance between solidity and expression has been achieved. What about inside?

To access the cabin, you don't need to take the key out of your pocket—just press a small button on the door handle. Inside, there's pleasant leather on comfortable seats, analog clock on the center console, and a large display showing the rearview camera image (it's here instead of parking sensors). The paddle shifters for the automatic are leather-wrapped where your fingers touch, and according to Infiniti, they're made of magnesium alloy.

But there's a fly in the ointment. As in the Honda Legend, the light plastic in the G35x doesn't look expensive. The African palisander wood is real only on the front panel—on the doors and console, it's imitated by plastic. It's a pity, because the alternative combination—black plastic, black leather, and aluminum—looks much richer.

However, there's no need to be overly picky. Light materials are rarely made truly beautiful, and for that, Infiniti can be forgiven. But buying a G35x won't turn into a painful choice of options. You won't have to think—you just need to choose the interior trim and decide if you want a power sunroof. Everything else is already included in the base configuration.

But there are also frankly unpleasant moments. The buttons for seat heating and the winter mode of the automatic are terrible rectangles, as if they came from some Nissan of the last century! And how do you explain that in a car for $60,000, only the driver's door has a power window? Or not the best sound insulation? Yes, the G35x still doesn't reach the level of German classmates. And the examination committee refuses to transfer it to the business class altogether.

When the first drops from the cloudy sky fell on the asphalt and windshield, another flaw surfaced—the G35x has no rain sensor. It's funny that it's listed in the owner's manual. Under-equipped? Forgotten? But the "music" is top-notch. Infiniti specialists put a lot of effort into it and named the system Studio on Wheels. "Studio on Wheels" is 10 powerful Bose speakers. Interestingly, even the shape of the door panels was adjusted to fit the speakers, not the other way around. In short, the stereo "thumps" as it should, and there's also a CD changer. The instrument cluster is also good—bright "optitron" scales with needles are perfectly readable and look excellent.

A small display in the center of the "instrument panel" asks to press the brake and some button. Ah, that's it—it's the engine start. The key is still in my pocket. The V-6 responded to the starter with a displeased grumble and filled the stuffy underground parking with a pleasant bass.

Interestingly, the VQ35HR engine is also installed on the Nissan 350Z sports coupe. The engine is not just good—it's magnificent! The quiet purr of six cylinders at low revs provides comfortable and smooth movement. And if you want to accelerate sharply, you can floor it—and then your ears, along with random passersby, will enjoy a loud and angry roar. This V6 loves high revs and spins all the way to 7,500 rpm! The dynamics are impressive—just 6.2 seconds to 100 km/h.

The "automatic" is also decent. Many will grimace upon learning that it has five gears, like a school porch. At first, I was skeptical too, but then I realized that the gearbox handles gears quite worthily. It doesn't annoy with delays (though it sometimes jerks), when braking it helpfully downshifts and quickly adapts to the driving style. And in sport mode, you can have some fun. By the way, about "racing."

To be honest, the biggest revelation for me was not the luxurious equipment or the "combat" engine. First and foremost, I was impressed by the driving qualities of the Infiniti sedan. Why? Because this brand was originally intended for Americans, for whom all these drifts and turns aren't worth a single cupholder. But put the shovel away, it's too early to "bury" the G35x!

The G35x uses the FR-L platform—a refined Front Mid-Ship (FM). And the secret of Infiniti's agility lies precisely in it. The engine is shifted behind the front axle and is practically within the wheelbase. Hence the weight distribution close to ideal—53% on the front, 47% on the rear. And the suspension is "correct"—double wishbone at the front and multi-link at the rear.

And it really works. The hefty sedan dives into corners with the same eagerness as a young terrier chasing a stick. Except it doesn't bark. And it doesn't jump—even on bumps in a turn, the G35x maintains stability and doesn't make you desperately grip the wheel. And the ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system emphasizes the initially rear-wheel-drive character of the car, unleashing an avalanche of torque on the rear axle. And that's already a dish for true connoisseurs. However, the electronics are always on guard and adequately "manage the process"—if necessary, up to 50 percent of the engine's torque can be sent to the front.

All this, combined with a delicate stability control system that allows a little sliding, delivers real driving pleasure in the Infiniti G35x. A very spirited character! No complaints about the brakes. True, there is one limiting factor. No, no, it's not curbs or barriers (it's better not to "fly" into them), but... tires.

Incredibly, but true—on such a driver-oriented chassis, the base configuration comes with plump Bridgestone Turanza tires. They are, of course, comfortable and quiet, but absolutely unsuitable for attacking corners—they give up very quickly and with desperate squealing remind the driver that he's not on a Formula 1 track. And in the States, you can pay a little extra and get 18-inch wheels with sport tires. But here—only this.

Those who own an Infiniti in Russia and love fast driving can be advised to change the tires. But if you don't push it, the Turanzas don't cause discomfort. The suspension, while behaving excellently in corners, handles the peculiarities of domestic roads quite tolerably, but it can't boast a reserve of energy intensity. Fuel consumption for such a car with such an engine is quite tolerable: about 17–18 liters of 95-octane per hundred kilometers.

So what is the Infiniti G35x really like? A comfortable D-class sedan? Hardly. Maybe a business-class representative? Definitely not! Rather, it's a sporty sedan in decent trim that lets you both have a blast and calmly sit in traffic jams on the way to work. And it has few rivals — Audi, BMW, and Mercedes with similar engines and comparable equipment will cost noticeably more, although their finish quality will be clearly better. In the American market, it could compete with the all-wheel-drive Lexus IS 350. But it's not officially available in Russia.

So, perhaps, only the Volvo S60 R and Honda Legend remain — they are comparable in price, power, and equipment. And if the "R" bets on comfort, and the "Legend" attracts with its "advanced" transmission, then the Infiniti G35x deftly balances between the calm character of the Volvo and the impressive technologies of the Honda. As for "premiumness," the next generation will probably fix everything. Maybe then you won't have to be scared of the black buttons from Nissan.

Specifications

Characteristics	Infiniti G35x Premium
Body
Number of doors/seats	4/5
Length, mm	4755
Width, mm	1770
Height, mm	1470
Curb weight, kg	1802–1812
Gross weight, kg	2155
Trunk volume, l	388
Engine
Type	Petrol, with distributed injection
Location	Front, longitudinal
Number and arrangement of cylinders	6, V-shaped
Number of valves	24
Displacement, cm3	3498
Max power, hp/rpm-1	315/6800
Max torque, Nm/rpm-1	358/4800
Transmission
Gearbox	Automatic, five-speed
Drive	All-wheel drive
Chassis
Front suspension	Independent, double wishbone
Rear suspension	Independent, multi-link
Front brakes	Disc, ventilated
Rear brakes	Disc
Tires	225/55 R17
Performance characteristics
Maximum speed, km/h	no data
Acceleration time from 0 to 100 km/h, s	6.2
Fuel consumption, l/100 km
urban cycle	17.5
extra-urban cycle	10.3
combined cycle	13
Toxicity standard	no data
Fuel tank capacity, l	80
Fuel	AI-95

Equipment of the tested car Standard equipment

• Anti-lock braking system ABS
• Vehicle dynamic control system VDC
• All-wheel drive system ATTESA E-TS
• Front airbags
• Side airbags
• Inflatable curtain airbags
• Bi-xenon headlights with automatic leveling
• Fog lights
• Rear view camera with color LCD display
• Dual-zone climate control
• Chip key
• Five-speed automatic transmission with sport mode and manual shift capability
• Power-adjustable and heated exterior mirrors
• Four power windows
• Leather seat upholstery
• Cruise control
• Rosewood decorative trim
• Heated front seats
• Bose audio system with 10 speakers, 6-disc CD changer, and MP3/WMA playback capability.
• Full-size spare wheel
• Power-adjustable steering column in two directions
• Tinted windows
• Alloy wheels, 17"

Additional equipment

• Power sunroof

Price of the tested car — 1,547,765 rubles, including VAT
Price of the car in base trim — 1,508,465 rubles, including VAT

Technology

History

Behind the scenes