Costa Mesa, CA – The entry-level luxury sport sedan choices are many, with offerings from BMW, Lexus, Audi, Cadillac, and Infiniti to name just a few.  If you are lucky enough in these uncertain economic times to be shopping for a new ride in this class of car, cheers to you!  My advice is to shop them all, and because there are so many choices it will probably take you some time to come to decision.  The Infiniti Brand is most likely the least familiar to you and that’s a shame.  The Infiniti Brand, in my opinion, does not receive the amount of attention from the main stream auto media that it deserves and the 2008 G35 Sport MT is a perfect example.  It does everything well, looks good doing it, is comfortable, quick, safe and is offered with many options to make you happy.
                The G35 line underwent a full redesign in the ’07 model year and the G35 Coupe was dropped from the line-up and quickly replaced with the G37 Coupe.  The sedan offering was a good looking car to begin with and the folks at Infiniti made its looks even better.  More importantly they upgraded the interior and used higher quality material to increase the appeal to prospective buyers.  The 2008 G35 line-up offers 4 trim levels:  G35 Base, G35 Journey, G35 Sport 6MT and G35x (all wheel drive).  Options packages are extensive and too long to list them all in this short space but rest assured everything you need, want and a few things you did not think of are available.
                The Blue Slate G35 Sport 6MT that I was lucky enough to spend a week with was killer, not only in looks but in performance.  With a 3.5-Liter DOHC 24-valve V6 making 306 Horsepower and 268 lb-ft Torque channeled through the rear wheels and a slick shifting 6-speed manual transmission the quotient of ear to ear grin was high.  Around town or out on the highway the engine offered enough grunt to accomplish any task and any time.  Grunt might be the wrong descriptive, remember this is an entry-level luxury sedan we are talking about here after all.
                While the engine and tranny bring a smile to your face the interior coddles you in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.  Leather seating that offers both driver and front passenger what seems to be endless adjustments, leather-wrapped steering wheel that tilts and telescopes and also houses the audio and cruise control functions which illuminate at night, 7-inch color display for the navigation/radio/Etc., voice

recognition for HVAC, Audio and Navigation, one-touch Moonroof, one-touch up or down front and rear windows, Dual Zone climate control, Bose premium audio system, remote keyless entry with start/stop button,  and this would not be an Infiniti without the signature Analog Clock.  I did notice some parts sharing for the interior between this car and some of the other Nissan products I’ve reviewed in the recent past but they seem to be placed ergonomically better, or the back-light is different, or something, I just can’t place it but they seem to be more up-scale in this car than in the others.
                The coolest thing about this car to me was the interior lighting at night, it has to be experienced.  It’s not your usual red, blue or green hue but more pastel like and much easier on the eyes.
                This car pulls hard, handles beautifully, and is stylish.  The clutch takes some getting used to and is an area of concern, to say it is tricky is an understatement, but once mastered is a smooth shifter.  I hate to admit it but I stalled the car a few times while trying to get it rolling, something I have not done in any car whether it was a purpose built race car, off-road machine, or a boulevard cruiser in many years!  I might opt for the automatic with the manual shift control over the 6-speed manual, especially if you live in an area with the kind of stop and go traffic such as we have here in Southern California.  With the automatic you also get a proper armrest which this car lacked because the cup holders were there instead, which made them not very functional.
                That gripe aside this is a car that should be added to anyone’s shopping list.  This car you see here stickered for $38,865 and other than the automatic transmission was loaded with options that included the Technology Package, Premium Package, and the Navigation Package.  EPA Fuel Economy Estimates are 17 MPG City and 25 MPG Highway.  My lead foot averaged 19.9 MPG in mostly around town trips with one excursion up to LAX to catch a flight, about 45 miles one way.
              Comfortable?  Yes.  Stylish? Yes. Handling? Spot-on.  Fast?  You betchya.  On your shopping/wish list?  It should be.

Column and photos provided by Rich Branch, EVP of Race Central.