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I drive a 98 Maxima, and I used to think I was happy with it, but I drove the new Infiniti M35 the other day for the first time, now I think I'm ready for a new car.  Anybody else driven this yet?  I highly recomend checking it out.  

I drive a 99 Honda Prelude, here's what I thought about the New Infinite M35:

Pros:
- engine
- intelligent key and start button
- rear camera when in reverse, adjusting lines to help you park rear end first.
- interior space.
- rev matching manumatic.

Cons:
- analog clock
- center cd console design
- stereo/speakers
- mid rear seat, pushes up and forward and is stiff ( I'm about 6ft, 220lbs, that seat would not be good for any drive longer than 30 min. )

I took a ride in the M35, I thought it had a good amount of power, it felt pretty quick for a big sedan. I thought the sound system was weak, I don't know much about stereo systems but I used to think bose was suppose to be really good, no longer. I dunno, overall the car gave me Eh, not bad kinda feeling. I like the 05 Acura RL interior a lot more.  

cmr/Gah wrote:

Cons:
- analog clock

A definite midsize contender.  Although not really a driver's car, it has plenty of gadgetry and good looks to keep you distracted.
 

I am obviosly biased as a 5-series driver, but I was dissapointed with the car.

It didnt give much more of anything than the G35 did. other than gadgets (and it has plenty of those) But in gadgets Accura wins the award, and in looks Lexus with the new GS430, and ofcourse in driving 5-series

Maybe the M35 does everything well, but what does it do best... nothing

 

It does a couple things best:
- best acceleration (that goes for M35 and M45)
- at or near the top in every interior dimension
- least infuriating driver interface
- rear drive or optional rear-drive-based all-wheel-drive, vs. the wasteful AWD-only RL and A6, or the rear-drive-only 5-series/Lincoln/Jaguar
- DVD audio + 5.1 surround sound (though Acura got there first)

And after all that, it's the cheapest. How do you knock that?
 

I didn't drive the M35 for very long but I did spend about 10 minutes driving and probably another 15 min also riding in its back seat.

Interior
As a rear seat passenger the leg and elbow room was good, though if you added a third person in the rear (it's supposed to seat 3 in the back) it would probably be a bit on the slightly cramped but still acceptable range. From the driver's seat there's room a plenty and plenty of adjustments to achieve a comfortable driving position. The seats were well cushioned though lacking a bit of side bolster for more spirited driving. I heard about, but didn't use, the seat cooling/heating feature. There were some interesting materials and textures inside. The headliner of the car, which also ran down to about the middle of the cabin, was made of a cloth-like meshy material, felt like the Coolmax fabric on a lot of sportswear these days. I found that interesting but I also worried that it would be easily torn or for rough edged things to catch on it and pull threads out. There was also an odd, faux metal-like trim with criss-cross lines patterns all over it that felt and looked tacky. For a car of its heft I would have preferred a thicker steering wheel to give the car a meatier feel. The gauges were quite attractive and easy to read and outward visibilty was good all around. The keyless start button was novel, but I didn't find it particularly useful as I still had to fumble with the key fob to unlock the car remotely. Overall the interior leather, ergonomics, and comfort were all quiet good.

Exterior
When I was asked to characterize the look of the M35, I found myself at a slight loss for words. In the end the best I could come up with was that it looks like a G35 coupe stretched and fattened up a little. Which I guess should come as no real surprise. The Diamond Graphite color it came in was a nice, understated color and its split-star 5 spoke wheels were also quite attractive. It's headlights are a pretty & well proportioned cluster of 3 circular elements, but to me bear an excessive resemblance to those of the 5-series BMW with their upturned edges. The rear lights on the other hand seem too large and overly dominate the rear design. The rest of the car is simply clean and refined with no real risks or innovation evident. You could say the looks of the M35 just play it safe but definitely don't innovate.

Performance / Handling & Ride
The 3.5 liter 280hp V6 in this car is the same as the one in the G35 and 350Z and it delivers a healthy dose of go. Though unfortunately it lacks the signature exhaust note of of the aforementioned cars. But then again, when you're actually driving either of the other 2 cars you can't really hear that nice exhaust melody either, it's only for the enjoyment of people you pass I guess. The 270 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm of torque is quite evident as the engine has good pickup, once it picks up, as I feel the throttle response is rather laggy. But maybe that has to do with the tranny? Well this tranny has an auto-stick feature and this is mainly how I drove the car, so that's supposed to make it more responsive than when in full auto isn't it? Well in my experience, no. I found if I pushed the pedal down firmly in full auto, the tranny would kick down of it's own and deliver a smooth wave of acceleration just like if I was shifting myself, and smoother too. Shifting with the autostick can be a bit jerky and is not really responsive enough to really warrant ever using it. It may seem novel for the first 5 minutes, but that's about it. Steering has a medium weight to it, would have preferred a heavier, more solid feel for a car of this one's size. Initial turn in is surprisingly quick but not exactly progressive as it slows down as you dial in more steering. The car had an optional "sport" suspension and exhibited a well damped but slightly firm feel. Body roll was evident, but for a car of its proportions it is probably better than average. This is no sportscar but for typical driving it's more than adequate. But on that same note, it's also not what I would call an exciting car to drive. After the initial surge of low-end acceleration peeters out there's not much left to get the blood flowing or senses excited. Maybe the M45 could do better?

Compared To
I believe the BMW 5-Series was one of the main targets of this new M and I have driven the 545i. Admittedly the 330hp 4.4 liter V8 and higher price tag boosts this vehicle into a slightly different league, but in the other areas of handling and driver enjoyment the 545 is also in an higher league. The 545 is more responsive, more communicative, and more involving. Much more of a sport sedan than a M35 with sport suspension. But that comes at a cost.

Bottom Line
For the price I think the M35 is a solid performer inside and out. It delivers competent levels of power, refinement, and comfort. And it has no significant faults.  

And just when you thought it was safe, here comes Crunchy's opinion to blow all of yours away.
 

I see your enthusiasm did not spread to the Q45.  Crunchy, you're so mean.
 

q45 is  dog
 

GO Infiniti - like a G35
 

well, it is lucky in my opinion that you can't see the tail end of your car while you are in it, because I think there is a bit of style excess in the M35/M45 rear end. the lights are just too damn big, and the whole thing is a bit like driving into Las Vegas.

By the way, if you are going to compare a 545 to an m35, it would be more appropriate to drive the M45, eh?

this car is very big. not that it doesn't have company, and more and more cars are getting bigger, but I think BMW is smart to keep the proportions of their cars under control. The M35 and the G from Lexus are slopping over into 7-series proportions, which is probably a sales strategy. Looks great in the showroom, looks great from behind the wheel overlooking your vast ocean of hood, but becomes a great big hassle when parking in most cities and in the shrunken parking spaces that are now standard fare in most shopping centers.

Air conditioned seats are nice, though. Absolutely one of the best features going.  

I actually just drove the M35 today and currently own a Lexus ES300.  I have to say I was totally impressed and believe after checking out a few more cars I will end up with the Infiniti.  

I made the mistake of checking out the the M35 first before stepping into the G35. Good-bye, G35!