Road Test — Infiniti G35 Sport

Road Test — Infiniti G35 Sport

Written by Tonya Kerr Friday, 26 September 2008

Move over, Speed Racer! I now understand the thrills of hugging curves and hills around Central Texas after test driving the 2008 Infiniti G35 Sport and mastering the skill of “riding-on-rails, mom-style.”

On the very first drive around the neighborhood in this luxury sport sedan, my husband, my kids and I were shocked by the transformation of my driving skills. This G35 had a powerful 3.5-liter V6 (306-horsepower) engine, and with little effort on my part, the car had amazing thrust.

I later found out that this little surprise is what Infiniti calls the “Acceleration Swell,” which is basically a redesign of conventional acceleration that typically peaks and falls off when you shift. Infiniti’s burst of power lasts into the next shift and makes you feel like you are flying, even when driving just 35 miles per hour. My car’s manual transmission was equipped with a short-shifter, which put the car in gear even more quickly. That meant the rush was building faster the faster we went, and everyone in the car could feel the thrill.

With that, we needed more road, so we quickly zipped along to IH 35, and I shifted my way through all six gears, carefully (and lawfully) changing lanes alongside the fastest cars on the road. Everything behind the wheel of this car felt powerful, from the heavier clutch to the tight steering, which seemed to anticipate my slightest turns. The bright red exterior only added to the illusion that Mom was successfully driving a real sports car.

The G35 sedan series is available in four models: base, Journey, Sport and xAWD. My Sport model’s base price was $32,400, but additional packages like Premium ($2,500) and Navigation ($2,150) added to the sticker price, which totaled $37,765.

A few of the cool tech options in these two packages included a moonroof, Bose sound system with an iPod interface and a compact flash slot for MP3 files along with a 9.3GB hard drive for storing music and ripping CDs. The hands-free Bluetooth phone system complemented the real-time traffic information with a touch-screen, 3-D navigation system. Even the rearview camera was equipped with graphics to let me know where I would soon be going as I turned the wheel.

The G35 Sport was sleek, but not too flashy. Inside, it was roomy and packed with plenty of luxuries like keyless entry and heated/cooled seats. My kids (and even a couple of neighbors) were actually volunteering to ride along on errands! And although I surprised everyone with my decision to take it on a family camping trip, once the trunk was packed with all our gear (even two Razor scooters), we couldn’t wait to hit the road.

Had my husband come along, I’m sure he would have laughed at our exhilaration over taking a curve on a windy road around Lake Buchanan at 50 miles per hour. To the kids and me, however, it felt amazing. We’re used to slowing down around a bend in our family SUV, not accelerating into each and every turn.

The drive turned out to be just as memorable as the s’mores and the encounter with a sleepy rattlesnake. We’re still talking about it. And while my lack of sports car driving expertise should have cost me dearly at the gas pump, the G35 Sport consistently averaged about 20 miles per gallon both on the road trip and around the city. (The EPA average is 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway.)

For a family-sized sedan, this rear-wheel drive sports car was impressive and packed plenty of muscle, luxury and economy. While I never had the guts to test Infiniti’s claims that the car goes from 0 to 60 mph in just 6.2 seconds, I’ll take their word for it. Pushing my own envelope — with my kids safely buckled into the backseat — was exciting enough, and I’ll remember the thrills of the 2008 Infiniti G35 Sport for many years to come.

Austin Infiniti, 8140 Burnet Road, Austin, 454-9489, www.austininfiniti.com