What can we say about the Infiniti G35? Simply put, it is one of the most significant cars to hit the American market in the last decade. It restored direction to Infiniti, and showed the rest of the automotive world that American consumers will buy true sports sedans.

Before the G35 came along, automakers used maddening wisdom when configuring cars for the American market. One time-honored nugget of this wisdom was that if an American consumer bought a bigger motor, he was less inclined to want to shift for himself. As a result, Japanese manufacturers lost millions of enthusiast buyers who wanted their hotter motors coupled to a manual transmission. Another nugget of this horrid wisdom was that Americans didn’t want rear-wheel drive cars. The success of the entire Honda/Acura lineup seemed to confirm this. Fortunately for the true enthusiast, Infiniti bucked this wrongheaded conventional wisdom and brought us the G35.

Originally, the rear-wheel drive G35 was only offered with an automatic transmission. However, a 6-speed manual followed, and so did all-wheel-drive. All of a sudden, there was a legitimate alternative to BMW’s silky sixes and snickety 6-speeds. Infiniti hit BMW’s enthusiast market head-on, and also scooped up scores of younger buyers who were looking to hang up their Honda keys. The G35 blazed a new trail, offering a combination of luxury, performance, and value that the American market had not previously seen.

The G35 was introduced in the United States in March 2002, and was promptly awarded Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year” award for 2003. It made Car and Driver’s “Ten Best List” in 2003 and 2004, and accounts for 33% of Infiniti’s U.S. sales. So, was it a success? Absolutely. Did it pull the heads of some foreign automakers out of their collective rear ends? Without doubt. So, only one question remains-how on earth does a car like this get better?

Enthusiasts-including myself-watch with horror as automakers continually neuter their cars in an effort to go ‘upmarket.’ And they never seem to learn. For example, Acura’s best-selling model, the Integra/RSX, went belly-up because buyers didn’t respond to its fancy new name and image. So, this enthusiast waited with baited breath to see if Infiniti would resist the eternal temptation to compromise a wonderful car’s character in pursuit of some nebulous corporate goal.

Thankfully, they resisted. Thankfully, the new G35 builds on the strengths of its predecessor. Thankfully, the car has not gained a ton of weight or an extra pair of cylinders. Thankfully, the G35′s styling is an evolution of a car that already looked great.

Now let’s get down to brass tacks. Infiniti was not screwing around with the new G35 sedan, and left no stone unturned in the improvement of what is perhaps its most important model. For now, we’ll skip the corporate talking points, and answer the question that is undoubtedly on the minds of those who actually want to buy one-”is it faster?” Yes!

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The G35′s renowned powerplant has been one of the best six-cylinder motors in the world for as long as Infiniti has been building it. The motor-engine code VQ-powers many an Infiniti, and its sonorous wail is unmistakable even in stock form. Anyone with an ear for engine-bay music will know, without even lifting his or her head, when an Infiniti V6 is passing by. Or loafing through a parking lot, for that matter.

The new VQ35HR endows the 2007 G35 with 306 horsepower at 6,800 rpm and 268 lb-ft of torque at 4,800 rpm. That may not seem like a huge increase, since the old car made between 280 and 298hp, but this new G35 is much quicker than its predecessor. At 3,497 lbs., the new G35 is only 29 lbs. heavier than the old car, and now scoots to 60mph in just 5.4 seconds. The quarter-mile comes in just 13.9 seconds with a trap speed of 102mph. Not only are those times a good bit quicker than the old G35 could muster, they also eclipse most of the new G’s competition. A BMW 330, for example, takes almost a second longer than the G35 to perform either of those acceleration tests. The Audi A4 3.2 and the Mercedes-Benz C350 can’t keep up, either. The only competitor that can is the Lexus IS350, but Lexus still won’t offer it with a manual gearbox.

Our love for the manual ‘box aside, the G35 we sampled came with Infiniti’s freshly mapped 5-speed auto. This transmission is easily the best conventional automatic we have ever tested. Most slushboxes infuriate their drivers, particularly those with sporting inclinations. They downshift too slowly, and upshift too quickly. And even in so-called ‘manual’ modes, most of them still try to outsmart the driver. Not this one. Infiniti’s 5-speed automatic gearbox may be down a gear on some of its competitors, but its mapping is spot-on. More importantly, it does only what you tell it to do. Slide it into “D” and then over into “Drive Sport,” and the car will stay in gear until you upshift, using either the shift lever or the paddles mounted on the steering column. What’s more, this auto will bang off real rev-matched downshifts-not the slow, lethargic kind that most automatic users are well accustomed to. Although enthusiasts tend to prefer a conventional manual, this auto is as good as autos have ever been. We certainly weren’t complaining and if I was in the market for a sports sedan with a manumatic style gearbox the G35 would be the one for me. It is the best choice in it’s class.

We also noted that the G35′s main flaw-its interior-has been corrected for 2007. The old G35′s interior wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either, and had a distinctly early-90′s feel to it. However, the new cabin now matches the car’s world-class body. The vent design has been cleaned up, the radio and climate-control buttons have a much nicer hand to them, and the trademark Infiniti analog clock now lights up in a dazzling blue. Directly above it, the G35′s standard 7-inch monitor display completes what is now a very high-tech center console.

Despite its more luxurious feel, the new G35′s cabin still feels like that of a sports sedan. Infiniti has preserved the overall shape of the gauge cluster. It’s kind of a funky tortoise-shell shape, as opposed to the sweeping, extra-curvy varieties found elsewhere. It’s very no-nonsense, with white-on-black gauges for better contrast, and is finished off with accents of violet-a traditional representation of Japanese royalty. The wheel poking out of this cluster is also very no-nonsense. Infiniti has ditched the old 3-spoke model and its long, droopy third spoke for a thoroughly modern take on the classic sports wheel. It’s thicker in all the right places, and looks like something out of the Momo catalog. The stitching is done by hand, a reflection of Infiniti’s push to make its cars organic and personal.

Having got it right with the new cabin, Infiniti has transformed a great sports sedan into one of the world’s best. The G35 is more capable than ever, and is now as unique and inviting as its European competitors, while still costing thousands less. At Roadfly, we try to find the good in each car we come across. With this new G35, though, you won’t have to try-it’s everywhere you look.

A few important points about the G35 sedan:

* Japanese quality and reliability
* The best manual-automatic in it’s class.
* Distinctive complex styling
* It’s interior is much more spacious than it’s primary competitor the BMW 3 Series.
* Available AWD option

I just posted about 30 pictures of the new 2007 BMW X5. Alan and I were at the International Launch of the BMWs new SAV in Spartanburg this week. We’ll post a full car review, more pictures and a podcast of the new X5 soon.

Click the pictures to go to the full X5 photo gallery where you can browse all the photos as well as download desktop wallpapers.

Enjoy!

-Charlie

2007 BMW X5 Pictures, Photo Gallery and Wallpaper Downloads.

2007 BMW X5 Pictures

In 2004, Lotus’ famed Esprit ceased production after 27 legendary years. Many car enthusiasts first caught a glimpse of it in two James Bond films, while others fell in love with it in Pretty Woman and Basic Instinct.

Lotus is working as fast as they can on the next-generation Esprit, scheduled to debut in late 2008 as a 2009 model. These spy shots of a heavily disguised prototype are the first of a model that is beyond the test mule stage.

Lotus is referring to the new Esprit internally as the MSC (mid-engined supercar), and has created an all-new lightweight aluminum structure for it. Lotus’ prowess at their philosophy of “add lightness” has most recently been exemplified in the sub-2000 lb. Elise. The new chassis will offer Lotus the flexibility to introduce the Esprit both as a traditional hard top and in a first-ever roadster model. In addition, there are rumors of a 2+2 GT and possibly a lesser-powered 6-cylinder sportscar.

While Lotus’ drivetrain choice has been finalized, the specifics have not yet been officially released to the public. Sources, however, are telling us that Lotus has picked a 4.4 or 4.8 liter BMW V8, with engine management tweaked by Lotus’ engine programming wizards. Lotus, aiming to extract the maximum possible performance and handling characteristics from the new model, will be mounting the engine and transmission longitudinally. If you look closely at the spy shot of the rear of the prototype, you can see the transmission case at the bottom rear end, behind the mid-mounted powerplant.

Lotus is aiming at a price point of around $130,000. This is a good step up from the previous model Esprit which maxed out around $95,000, but well under what Lotus sees as the direct competition: the Ferrari F430. With such lofty and proven competition, Lotus has its work cut out for it, but their engineers have a reputation of being among the best in the business. We can’t wait to report the details of this new model to you as it comes closer to being released.

The back seats or cargo area, depending on your preference, comes with a few surprises.

First to the standard aspects, the seats come up with the ease of a handle and the mats are removable for easy cleaning. However, you don’t need to worry about calling shotgun in this car because the seating does not wedge you in the back of the car; the Nissan Titan actually gives you ample leg space for a truck. The rear seating is split bench style seating so if you have three passengers and luggage on a rainy day, you won’t have to worry about your luggage getting soaked in the bed of the truck since you can fold the rear seat in sections.

Usually, trucks are advertised as manly, built tough, and used for hauling lumber and tools, not groceries. This time, Nissan did not forget the women. The feature that had me excited was the hooks on the bottom of the seat that become accessible when the seats are folded for full cargo floor access. The hooks are designed to hold bags upright and in place during travel, something that I greatly appreciate after coming home from a trip to the grocery store only to find that my purchases are all over my car and nothing is left in a bag. This simple idea will surely be a hit. Convenience to help make a trip to the store as non-stressful as it is meant to be.