Well I have been on this site for a while now and a owner for about two months. So I wanted to finally take the time to give my impressions of the car, driving over in Europe, specifically the German Autobahn.

1. First let's talk about the manual gear box.

I have driven many manuals in my life, to include many BMW boxes, and I must say, ours is not the best, but it is FAR from the worst. Most of the time it has very smooth changes, with a few snags now and then, if you are not at the the correct RPM. But all in all, I don't see what all the crying is about when it comes to our gearbox. Yes, it shakes a little when you put in neutral, my advice...... don't look at it!! It's not that big of a deal! lol

2. Engine smoothness (or lack thereof)

There has been many publications stating to the lack of refinement when it comes to our engines. Well I am here to tell you, it does get a liitle rough and raucas at the upper limit of the RPM band. But to tell you the truth, I would not have it any other way! I love the way it sounds and feels! If I wanted it Lexus smooth, I would have bought a Lexus!

3. 0-60

Yes I have to admit, off the line it's not the quickest, but how many of us drive the car, EVERYTIME, from stop light to stop light, as if we were drag racing? I would say not many! But when it gets rolling, it is mighty quick enough. I was on the bahn yesterday and got it up to around 145 and it got there quickly and with little effort. So let's put an end to the "it's not fast enough" subject.

4. Steering/Handeling

I'll make this one short.. Handles well, very well, in the dry!! But tricky as the devil in the wet! I feel VERY insecure when it starts to rain, maybe I need more time behind the wheel in this vehicle, but so far, I would not mess around in the wet. Steering is a little heavy, but not to bad, compared to a M3 I drove a few months ago, it was not as accurate, but what is?

5. High Speed Bump Steer

I was doing around 140 or so and hit a good bump in the road, our vehicles are not fond of this move! If you are not prepared for it, it could cost you, so stay alert, which you should be at that speed anyway. Speaking of high speed. When I was at that, aforementioned 140 speed, it was not the most stable, you have to pay attention.

6. Overall

Overall I would give it a good 8 out of ten. It has way more positives than negitives. Also, everyone asks what it is and hangs around the vehicle as if it were something special (which it is to me) or something.

You can't get that with a BMW, Audi (except R8) Or Merc. Reason being, over here, they are as common as Honda Accords! So for about 12 grand less than a comparable BMW 335I, we have a fantastic vehicle, whatever the Car mags say, we have a great drivers vehicle. The BMW is great and I mean GREAT! I'm just saying, for 12 grand more, I can't see the logic of getting one.

So there you have it, driving in the states is fun, but getting one over here and drving it as it should be driven, shows what you really have under you.

P.S. before I forget, compared to my SupraTT and FX45, it gets great gas milage!

 

i wish i could drive my car on the autobahn!!!!!

you are a lucky, lucky man

 

I concur. Supra's are sick cars too, drive safe.

 

Nice write-up. Very honest and true impression of the vehicle.

 

Thank you fir the review. Plan on taking it to The Ring to try to beat the GTR's time?

 

nice write up. @ 150+ nothing is safe.






* especially when the fuzz is involved.

 

Nice write up man. Made perfect sense

Oh and I hate you for having the Autobahn so close to you

 

Thanks for the review.

I agree with the roughness at high RPMS and shifter vibes. I love them both. My S2K has similar shifter vibration and it gives the car sort of an edge.

Hoping to see that Infiniti makes progress in Europe.

 

"When I was at that, aforementioned 140 speed, it was not the most stable, you have to pay attention. "

Can you elaborate on this point? Did the car wander around? Did the back end stay glued and the front end start lifting a bit? Does your car has the sports package?

How does it compare to a BMW at 140+ mph?

 

Nice review.
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I can't compare to a BMW because I've never driven a bimmer anywhere close to 140, but as far as stability at 140+ I do have experience there. I drive an '08, 6MT, obviously sports package. At speeds greater than even 120, the whole car starts to get a little too squirelly. At 143 it's really noticeable. Both the back and front end seem a little too unweighted, the front more so. It wasn't enough for me to slam on the brakes and stop driving at that speed, but it was a little unnverving and you definitely need to pay attention. I was on a very smooth freshly paved stretch of highway which was nice, but I can't imagine hitting any kind of bump or pothole at that speed, I think you'd be very lucky to avoid having an unplanned encounter with the median or guardrails. So like I said, it's not too terrible if you stay alert and know what you're doing, but the front end does start to wander a bit and the back does get a little jittery. All this said, I'm completely stock, so I imagine just being dropped might help keep it a lot more planted at high speeds.

 

I think the wet traction and high speed stability has more to do with the tires than with the car itself or its suspension geometry.

 

+1^. granted i havent driven at 140mph, but at nearly 120mph i felt really stable.

 

I had dreams of driving my G on the Autostrada and bahn, but insurance quotes squashed that really quick lol. I will say though that after adding the KW3 coilovers and wheel/tire combo I have the car was very planted for me while dong a few spirited sprints to 140 or so before I left for Italy.

 

Sorry guys for the late reply, but I live in Germany, but I work 2 weeks out of the month in the mid east. Now to answer some of your questions.

1. Q. Will I be taken it to the ring?

A. No, but I have taken the Supra to Hokenheim a few times, for laps.

2. Q. How does it compare to the BMW 335I at 140.

A. To be honest, the BMW was rock solid at that speed. The G was stable, you just have to pay more attention and that could be a good or bad thing, up to you. But if you hit a good bump at that speed, you had better be holding the wheel nice and tight, especially if you have it lowered, as I have.


3. Q. What is lose, front end, back end???

A. Well it just feels a little light at the front end at very high speeds(and I do have it lowered) but that just maybe me and the newness of the car. I am seeing, the more I drive it (which is not often, because it's the wifes car) the better it gets. You really have to LEARN this vehicle to drive it fast! The BMW, (I believe) you can just get in and GO! But the G, has a learning curve, which I find exciting.

Have not gotten it up to top speed yet, have not been that brave in this vehicle. The FX and the Supra, I take both of those up to full getty up all the time (Supra 175 so far) so take what you want out of that. But all in all, I'm loving it, and I am sure with more seat of the pants time, I'll love it that much more.

The comment about wet traction and tires, is spot on! I believe the first thing I'm going to do is upgrade to better tires, after these go bad that is!! lol

To the guy in Italy. If you are military, go with USAA, my insurance is not bad at all, for 3 HIGH horse Vehicles. But it's also according to how old you are. I lived in Vicenza for about 5 years, you are missing something (I think) not having your car over in Europe. Make sure you get out and explore, you'll have the time of your life.

I have a fully loaded G37S