2007 Infiniti G35 Sport

The last time Infiniti introduced an all-new G35 (incidentally, that was also the first time), we were so impressed by it we chose it as Car of the Year for 2003. Four years later, the sedan/coupe combo that's been hailed as the strongest competitor for the BMW 3 Series to date is back, all new from the ground up. With that arrival came several questions: Did Infiniti mess with a good thing? Has the sub-par interior been revamped? Is the automatic now the more desirable transmission? And, most important, is it still as good as the 3 Series? These are all questions we hope to answer by evaluating a G35 over the next year or so.

Our newly acquired Lakeshore Slate (aka light-blue) sedan, clad in Sport attire, has a base price of $34,150. All G35 models are powered by the next-gen 3.5-liter V-6, now putting out 306 horsepower and 268 pound-feet of torque, and can be backed by a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic. Luxury touches like leather seating surfaces, six speaker audio system with aux input, speed-sensitive power steering, HID bi-Xenon headlights, and tire-pressure monitoring also are standard fare. Opting for the Sport model adds such features as magnesium paddle shifters for quick control of the automatic, rear viscous limited-slip differential, and 18-inch aluminum wheels with 50-series (front) and 45-series (rear) W-rated summer tires. Also different from the standard G, the Journey, and the G35x AWD models, the Sport's stability-control system receives unique tuning. To this venerable package, we added the rear spoiler ($550), the Premium package ($2350) that replaces the standard stereo with a Bose premium audio system and includes a power sliding sunroof, memory seats, power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, Bluetooth, and heated side mirrors, and the Navigation package ($2100), with touchscreen nav, XM Satellite Radio, real-time traffic information, and an in-dash 9.5GB hard drive that can store thousands of songs. These extra items brought the final price to $39,150.

In a little over a month, we've already put more than 4300 miles on the odometer, and, in that span, the G has been on road trips to Arizona and Nevada (we'll admit it-the Infiniti served as transport for one staffer's long weekend in Vegas). There's no doubt it'll be the long-termer of choice for upcoming Interstate jaunts. And we plan on having a lot of fun continuing to test the new Infiniti's limits on the track and performance on the highway to see if the second generation is as good as its Roundel rival.