Not just another sports sedan

written by Jens Bachfeld, Editor-in-Chief

 

Imagine the early '90s. Nissan has just released one of the finest sports cars ever, the latest edition of its popular Z-Car, named 300ZX. Mazda introduces its beautiful, rotary-engined RX-7, while Mitsubishi amazes the world with its technology-laden, but heavy 3000GT and Toyota conquers the US-market with its still fabulous Supra Twin-Turbo.
Half a decade later, the RX-7 and 300ZX are gone. A year or two to go, and the 3000GT and Supra will have vanished, too! The only car left to enlighten the Japanese enthusiast's heart is the brilliant, but overly expensive Acura NSX, while the big companies bore us to death with a flood of their utterly reliable and oh so exciting Camrys, Accords and whatever else they are called. Great! Even better still, considering that on the other side of the pacific just these manufacturers release one enthusiast's dream after the other. Does America want those Skylines, Type-Rs, Evos and WRXs? Well, at least not from a manufacturers' point of view.

Now, here we are in Spring 2002. Subaru finally considers American consumers worthy of the WRX, Mitsubishi is about to sell its Evo VII and Mazda plans to release the rotary-engined RX8 quite soon. Only Toyota seems to miss the trend of time - no Supra replacement in sight.
But another Japanese player is more than willing to fill this gap. Throughout the last few years, Nissan and its luxury-division Infiniti have gathered the attention at several auto-shows around the globe with their Z-Car and XVL Concepts. Both cars are based on the same platform, featuring a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, and are intended to replace Nissan's all-time legends; the Z-Car and the Skyline. While the Z-Car should be an old fellow for most Americans, the Skyline might be more of a mystery to most. Famous especially for the several racing victories and championship-titles of its legendary GT-R version around the globe, the Skyline has always primarily been a sports-sedan, and in its latest iteration proves to be better than ever.

Time then for Nissan to give in to the begging and pleading of its American consumers, and ship the Skyline to the other side of the Pacific. Introducing the G35, Infiniti finally offers the sedan version of Nissan's flagship in Northern America, where it is to go head-to-head with the BMW 3-series, Lexus IS 300 and Audi A4 in the highly contested near-luxury segment.

 

Walkaround

Considering the G35's role as a competitor to the BMW 3-series, Acura TL Type-S, Lexus IS300 and Audi A4, sportiness was an important issue during the development of Infiniti's new contender for the near-luxury class. Nissan's new FM-platform, also the basis for the 350Z and G35 SportCoupe, should provide just the right ingredients for this venture. Developed by Kazutoshi Mizuno, Nissan's former Le Mans and Group C team-manager and today's head of the Skyline (G35) design team, the FM (front mid-ship) -layout places the engine behind the front axle, as close to the car's center as possible, and thus ensures an almost ideal weight distribution of 52 to 48.

Providing the basis for a comparably long wheel-base of 112.2 inches (longer even than that of the Mercedes E-Class), short front and rear overhangs and a low-slung bonnet, the new platform fundamentally supports the G35's bold styling. Personal preferences aside, its aggressive and sporty silhouette obviously make this car stand out from the crowd. The frontal appearance is dominated by distinctive, vertically oriented headlights with integrated fog-beams and turn-signals, and the characteristic Infiniti-grille. The hood (made of aluminum for reduced weight) blends smoothly into the sharply angled windshield to form a fluid side-line from the front fenders to the rear, which descends over the wide, BMW-like C-pillar to the shopped-off tail. Large windows accentuate the spaciousness of the cabin and provide good visibility from all seating positions.
The rear sports BMW-inspired, L-shaped combination lamps with LED lights for bright visual recognition during braking, as well as a large trunk lid, covering the biggest luggage compartment in this class. The optional rear-wing is aerodynamically helpful, though optically more of a disturbance.

 

Interior Features

Inside, the G35 takes full advantage of the FM-platform's long wheelbase and wide track, offering generous head, leg, shoulder and hip room on all seats and a larger cabin than even the BMW 5-series. As a result, the G35 is an amazingly comfortable car, despite its sporty ambitions.
Designed with a bias on driver-friendliness, the interior is optionally fitted with leather-seating and genuine maple wood-tone trim, and comes with several clever features like an instrument cluster that moves with the tilt-adjusting steering wheel for optimum vision of the gauges. Unfortunately, this option erases the possibility of a telescoping function for the steering device. The leather wrapped wheel itself provides a firm grip, and comes with convenient stereo control buttons. Featuring Infiniti's 'Fine-Vision' illumination system, the gauges are brightly lighted during the day and in effect easy to read under any conditions.

Offering a high level of passive safety, the G35 is factory-equipped with dual-stage supplemental airbags, front seat side-impact supplemental airbags and roof-mounted side-impact curtain airbags for front- and rear-seat occupant head protection. Also standard are seat-belts with pretensioners and load limiters, and Infiniti's LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) system.

Passenger-accommodation is by seats individually designed for their assigned position. The driver's seat has specifically been developed for enhanced support during fast cornering, using a center mound shape with high damping urethane foam and special spring design. The power-controls for its adjustment are a bit awkward, though, uncommonly positioned on the inboard bolster where they disturb during hard cornering, as the thighs could activate them. You might not have to use those switches that often, though, since a memory function for two drivers is offered, too.
The front passenger's seat has a flatter-shaped lower cushion and is intended to provide a relaxed posture, even when folding or stretching one's legs. The rear seats are not less comfortable. On offer is a choice of standard wide bucket-shaped seats or more comfortable reclining seats (Premium package), both of which come with a pass-through center armrest and generally supply plenty of room to all sides, except if the front seats are set to the very back.

The cabin is tastefully styled with sporty aluminum-look trim (optionally wood), featuring built and material quality that, although not on a par with European products, easily matches that of other (primarily Japanese) contenders in this class.
Infiniti's trademark analog clock graces the dash, while a thin panel atop it houses digital readouts for compass, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning settings. The latter are quite difficult to read due to their size, as is the audio display. At least, Infiniti did not give in to the latest trend of linking the stereo and A/C to the nav-system's display. Instead, the automatic dual-zone climate control and audio system rely on large buttons which are convenient to use and within close reach of the driver. The stereo comes either in standard 6-speaker AM/FM/cassette disguise with an in-dash 6-disc CD changer, or in form of the Premium package's 200-watt 7-speaker Bose® system, with AM/FM/cassette in-dash 6-disc CD changer with RDS and speed-sensitive volume control. Especially the latter sounds great with crisp bass and highs.

Storage space inside the car is primarily provided by two rather small glove boxes, one of which is occupied by the optional DVD navigation system, if ordered. The center storage bin is dual tiered, but in effect offers only little space. At least its top is padded so you can comfortably rest your elbow on it. There is another storage compartment on top of the dash, which provides a little space for wallets and the like, but in general is reserved for the 6.5-inch retractable and tiltable LCD display of the optional navigation-system.
The navigation-system sports an easy to grasp "bird's eye" view of the selected area, instead of the usual flat-plane look. It is much easier to imagine one's route this way, because rather than merely showing an arrow on a static 2-D map, the system now displays a profile of the area you are in and highlights landmarks and other important points on the way you are heading.

 

Technical Features

Engine & Transmission

Power on the G35 comes from the 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve VQ35DE, a derivative of Nissan's ubiquitous VQ-engine series, which has been recognized as one of the "Ten Best Engines" by Ward's Auto World magazine for seven consecutive years now. Fully built of aluminum, this V-6 produces a healthy 260-horsepower at 6000rpm and 260 lb-ft of torque at 4800rpm, thanks to a long list of advanced systems, like continuously variable valve timing control, microfinished crank journals and cam lobes, and molybdenum coated lightweight pistons. It also features a "noiseless" timing chain for silent operation and an electronically controlled "drive-by-wire" throttle system.
So far, the power plant is mated to an advanced 5-speed, electronically-controlled automatic transmission with a manual shift mode, but soon after the introduction of the 350Z and G35 SportCoupe, a 6-speed manual will be available, which should suit the car's dynamic character much better.

Suspension

Based on a four-wheel multi-link setup, the G35's suspension uses two separate lower links and a long upper link up front to minimize alignment changes. A design separating the shock absorbers from the springs by locating the former inline with the wheel center, in the rear helps reduce suspension friction and wind-up motion of the axle during acceleration. Intended to provide a smoother and more comfortable ride, the suspension utilizes aluminum components for reduced unsprung weight, and incorporates "ripple control" shock absorbers with damping control lips to suppress high-frequency, micro-amplitude vibrations.
The optional sport-suspension features tauter springs, higher damping-rate shocks and wider 215/55R17 performance tires.

Brakes

Decelerating the G35 are 4-wheel vented discs, sized 11.7 x 0.9 in. up front and 11.5 x 0.6 in. in the rear. They are coupled to a 4-sensor Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), to distribute the brake force depending on load condition (passengers and cargo), and Brake Assist, which senses hard or panic pedal application and to provide maximum braking capacity.

Chassis

Laser welded roof- and body-side-panels, in conjunction with a dual bulkhead engine compartment construction result in superb structural rigidity, and enable the entire body to function as a damper for vibrations. Driving stability, ride comfort, and noise reduction should benefit from these enhancements.

Aerodynamics

Mizuno, leader of the Skyline (G35) design-group, put a high emphasis on aerodynamics, particularly on the control of airflow below the body. A flat undercarriage, extensive use of diffusers and the optional rear-wing, in correspondence with the sleek bodywork, return an exceptionally low drag-coefficient of 0.26 (0.27 without the optional rear-wing) and zero aerodynamic lift front and rear.

 

Driving Impressions

Nissan's VQ-series is widely acknowledged as one of the finest engine-series ever developed, and as the newest addition to the family-tree, the G35's quiet and smooth VQ35DE is no exception. In mostly any situation, a stomp on the throttle delivers an almost instant rush of power, similar at the bottom end to a good-ol' American V8. But while the latter tends to run out of breath at the end of the rev-band, Infiniti's V6 conveys comfort regardless of engine-speed or gear, and, accompanied with a deep exhaust note and pleasing induction roar during full-throttle applications, pulls eagerly right up to the redline of 6600rpm. Converted into numbers, this means 260hp and 260lb-ft of torque, putting this power plant in the top spot of its class.
It comes as no surprise then that the G35 makes the sprint from standstill to 60 mph (in 6.2 sec.) and 100 mph (16 sec. flat) as the fastest in the near-luxury segment. That is despite its automatic transmission. Imagine a manual transmission here, and this family-car could cause some genuine sports cars a headache.

That does not mean the auto-'box is all bad, though. Taken from Infiniti's luxury-flagship Q45, the transmission shines with smooth, although slightly retarded shifts, and a manual mode for the sporting driver. During full throttle applications, the engine will be allowed to rev all the way to the redline, while easy driving will have the automatic quickly change through the gears for improved fuel economy.
But even despite that manual shift mode, this transmission can't match the sophistication of a genuine manual gearbox. Sports cars have always been closely linked to manuals, as have sports-sedans; and a stick-shift would definitely suit the G35's sporting character much better. When the new 6-speed manual, shared among the FM-platform with the Coupe and Nissan's 350Z, finally makes it into the G35 sedan in early 2003, this contender should provide an unbeatable package in its class.

In terms of braking, it already is in a leading position. Enhanced by brake assist and electronic brake force distribution, ventilated discs at all four wheels decelerate the G35 from 60 to 0 mph in a mere 122 ft. The pedal is slightly over-sensitive at low speeds, causing new drivers into abrupt braking maneuvers, but otherwise provides a nice linear action and is easily modulated.

Out on the road, the G35 is a delight. The long wheel-base contributes to stability at high velocities and makes for an excellent ride, while the wide track aids directional changes. Especially when fitted with the optional sport-tuned suspension, the car feels composed and neutral in fast corners, exhibiting only minimal body-roll and well-controlled vertical motions. Thanks to the rigid chassis structure, even the stiffer sport-setup copes with road undulations in a pleasantly comfortable way. The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, although a little heavy at low speeds, is nicely weighted and provides levels of communication and precision similar to the class-leading BMW 330i.

In effect, the G35 appears more nimble on twisty roads, than its size might suggest. Flinging the car from turn to turn is entertainment in its purest sense, due to the precise steering and finely honed suspension. There are limits, however. When pushed really hard into a tight turn, the Infiniti can't hide its size and will push wide, even despite its excellent weight distribution and 17-inch tires. Accelerating out of a corner, the tail will react too eagerly on over-ambitious throttle applications, resulting in vast oversteer when the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) is turned off. The latter takes the fright off these experiences, parrying extreme situations in an unobtrusive, yet determined fashion, but still, the G35 lacks the ultimate balance of competitors like the BMW 3-series or Lexus IS300. Taking the competition's size into account, this slight deficit is not a shame, though. Especially the Lexus has its bias laid on handling and can't possibly offer the blend of space, comfort and performance of its Japanese counterpart. In fact, when it comes to plain grip (0.86g), the G35 betters any of its aforementioned competitors (both 0.83g) considerably.

 

Final Word

The G35 might not be quite as darty as Lexus' IS300, or as sophisticated as the BMW 3-series, but combining a strong engine and fresh styling with taut handling characteristics, while at the same time attaining excellent levels of comfort and luxury, Infiniti's latest model has a whole lot of good reasons going for it - regardless of the price. The 3-series has long been the benchmark in this class, and regarding absolute performance and refinement, might still be today. But taking into account the G35's sub-$28k base-price, easily the lowest in the near-luxury class, Infiniti's newest child is an unrivalled value, the $7,000 more expensive BMW and the rest of the competition simply can't match.
Skyline enthusiasts have long been waiting for this car to find its way to Northern America. Obviously, the G35 was well worth the wait. Time then, for the GT-R to make it over here…

 

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