Ever wonder what would happen if you put your computer in a car in a useful way? Well apparently technology has found some interesting ways to get behind the wheel. I just purchased an almost new Infiniti G Sedan, and with an impressive technology package, you could almost take your hands off the wheel and it would drive by itself. Almost.
I have a satellite radio with video display, 6 CD player with a built in iPod interface with a Bose studio on Wheels, a keyless entry system that remembers my steering, mirror and seat positions, hands-free blue tooth, and some of the nicest controls for comfort, safety, and operations that all use a very intuitive interface that doesn't get in the way of driving the car.
All the possible features in this model are listed below as an example, so you can easily see that machine and technology blend nicely in the models sold today.
Premium Package
Power sliding tinted glass moon roof with one-touch auto-open/close, tilt feature and sliding sunshade
Infiniti Studio on Wheels® by Bose® 10-speaker Premium Audio System, including 3-way component front door speakers with 10-inch sub woofers and a parcel shelf-mounted sub woofer, CD player with MP3 playback capability, Radio Data System (RDS) and speed-sensitive volume control
Rear Sonar System [*]
Driver’s Audio Stage
Dual occupant memory system for driver's seat, steering wheel and outside mirrors, linked to individual Intelligent Keys
Driver’s seat, steering wheel and outside mirror position synchronization
Power tilt and telescopic steering column
Navigation Package
Infiniti Hard Drive Navigation System with touch-screen, Lane Guidance and 3-D building graphics[*]
XM NavTraffic® with Real-Time Traffic information [*]
XM NavWeather™ with Real-Time Weather and 3-day forecast [*]
Zagat Survey® Restaurant Guide
Multimedia playback of DVD or digital file from a USB flash drive on 7-inch WVGA color display
Infiniti Voice Recognition for audio, navigation, and vehicle information systems
Requires Premium Package. Replaces compass in rear view mirror.
Technology Package
Intelligent Cruise Control [*]
Brake Assist with Preview Braking [*]
Advanced Climate Control System (ACCS) [*] with auto recirculation and Plasmacluster™ air purifier
Rain-sensing, variable intermittent front windshield wipers
Front-seat Pre-Crash Seat Belts.
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My G35X model comes with the Premium equipment package: 10-speaker Infiniti Studio on Wheels™ by Bose® premium audio system with (2) 10-Inch Subwoofers, the Burr Brown Digital-analog audio converter (DAC) and iPod Controller, Bluetooth Hands-Free Phone System, Pwr Sliding/Tilt Glass Sunroof W/One-Touch Open/Close & Safety Reverse, Linked-Driver Seat Steering Wheel & Exterior Mirror Memory, 2-Way Pwr Driver Lumbar adjustable Heated Front Seats, Heated Exterior Mirrors, Homelink Universal Transceiver, Auto-Dimming Rearview Mirror W/Compass, Pwr Front/Rear Windows W/One-Touch Up/Down, Pwr Tilt/Telescopic Steering Wheel, and an Auto Entry/Exit Assist System. The other option included is a rear spoiler.
G35x all-wheel drive (AWD) system
The G35x uses the Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain (ATTESA) Electronic Torque Split (E-TS) version of this all-wheel drive architecture as a more advanced system developed for Nissan vehicles with a longitudinal drive train layout.
The ATTESA E-TS version uses a mostly conventional RWD transmission. Drive to the rear wheels is constant via a tailshaft and rear differential, but drive to the front wheels is more complex by utilizing a transfer case on the rear of the transmission.
The drive for the front wheels comes from a transfer case bolted on the end of an almost traditional Nissan RWD transmission. A short driveshaft for the front wheels exits the transfer case on the right side. Inside the transfer case a multi-row chain drives a multi-plate wet clutch pack. Drive from the chain is apportioned using this clutch pack in the transfer case "differential" (the system thus does not involve a regular gear differential as in a full-time 4WD layout, but rather a center clutch), similar to the type employed in the Steyr-Daimler-Puch system in the Porsche 959. This unit is lubricated with its own dedicated NS-ATF fluid supply (Nissan Special Automatic Transmission Fluid) and is not in any way connected to the fluid in the transmission. Some Nissan models have an external cooler with an electric pump to cool this fluid.
Situated on top of the rear differential is a high pressure, low volume electric pump. This pump pressurizes Normal ATF (0-288 psi) into the transfer case to engage the clutch pack. This fluid only engages the clutch pack and does not mix with the NS-ATF lubricating the tranfercase. The higher the fluid pressure the transfer case is supplied with from the pump, the more the clutch pack engages, enabling the torque to the front wheels to be varied. Exiting the transfer case, the front drive shaft runs along the right side of the transmission, into a differential located on the right of the engines sump. This is a cast aluminum unit, with the sump and front differential made as a single unit that cannot be separated. The front right axle is shorter than the left, because the differential is closer to the right wheel. The front left axle runs through the engine's sump to the left wheel. Video of ATTESA system components.
To control the ATTESA E-TS system, there is a 16-bit computer that monitors the cars movements 10 times per second to sense traction loss by measuring the speed of each wheel via the ABS sensors. Also a three-axis G-Sensor mounted underneath the center console feeds lateral and longitudinal inputs into a computer, which controls both the ATTESA-ETS 4WD system and the ABS system. The computer can then direct up to 50% of the power to the front wheels. When slip is detected on one of the rear wheels (a rear wheel turn 5% or more than the front wheels), the system directs torque to the front wheels which run a non-limited slip differential. Rather than locking the AWD in all the time or having a system that is "all or nothing", the ATTESA E-TS system can apportion different torque ratios to the front wheels as it sees fit. This provides the driver with an AWD vehicle that performs like a rear wheel drive vehicle in perfect conditions and can recover control when conditions aren't as perfect.
From the factory, the system is set up to provide slight oversteer in handling, and in fact the harder the car is cornered, the LESS the 4WD system engages the front wheels. This promotes the oversteer rather than understeer which is apparent in most AWD/4WD vehicles. The advantage to a more traditional ATTESA (Viscous LSD) system is response in hundredths of a second.
Some models fitted with the ATTESA E-TS system (such as the Nissan RS4 Stagea) have a "S" button on the dash. This will bypass the control system of the ATESSA E-TS computer and lock the transfer case into full 4WD. This is to be used at low speeds in snowy/icy conditions only as understeer is greatly increased in this mode.
G35 Sedan Model Engines:
G35 - 3.5L V6, 306 hp VQ35HR
G35 Journey - 3.5L V6, 306 hp VQ35HR
G35x AWD - 3.5 L V6, 306 hp 4WD VQ35HR
VQ35HR
The VQ35HR update was first seen in the US in the 2007 G35 Sedan models, which debuted in August 2006. Nissan updated the VQ line with the addition of the 3.5 L VQ35HR (for "High Revolution" or "High Response"). It produces 315 PS (232 kW; 311 hp) (US market: 306HP due to new US federal measurement regulations) at 6,800 rpm and 37 kg·m (363 N·m; 268 lb·ft) at 4,800 rpm, using a compression ratio of 10.6:1. As of 2009, the Infiniti EX35 produces 297 hp and the same torque presumably due to tighter regulations. It has NDIS (Nissan Direct Ignition System) and CVTC with hydraulic actuation on the intake cam and electromagnetic on the exhaust cam. Redline is 7,500 rpm. Reportedly over 80% of the internal components were redesigned or strengthened to handle an increased RPM range sporting a lofty 7,500 rpm redline. A new dual-path intake (two air cleaners, throttle bodies, etc.) lowers intake tract restriction by 18 percent and new equal-length exhaust manifolds lead into mufflers that are 25 percent more free-flowing for all around better airflow. The electrically actuated variable valve timing on the exhaust cams to broaden the torque curve is new over the "DE" engine. The new engine block retains the same bore and stroke, but the connecting rods were lengthened and the block deck was raised by 8.4 mm to reduce piston side-loads. This modification, along with the use of larger crank bearings with main bearing caps reinforced by a rigid ladder-type main cap girdle to allow the engine reliably rev to 7500 rpm. With an increase in compression ratio from 10.3:1 to 10.6:1 these changes add 6 more horsepower (306 total + 3 hp ram air effect not measured by SAE testing = 309 hp). Peak torque is up 8 pound-feet from the old "DE" engine (260 vs. 268) and the torque curve is higher and flatter across most of the rpm range, and especially in the lower rpm range.
Awards and recognition
The G has earned many automotive awards over its lifespan:
• Consumer Reports First Place: Top 10 Cars (upscale sedan category) for 2007 and 2008, the model I own.
Infiniti redesigned the G sedan and coupe for the 2007 and 2008 model years, respectively, as V36. The fourth generation G sedan launched in November 2006 as a 2007 model with a heavily revised 3.5 L VQ35HR engine and a 5-speed automatic as the standard transmission, a 6-speed manual was also available. The redesigned second generation G coupe launched in August 2007 as a 2008 model with a larger 3.7 L VQ37VHR, the first Infiniti engine to feature VVEL. It too came with either a 5-speed automatic or 6-speed manual. All manual G models include a sport package.
The 2008 G Sedan is available in four models – G35, G35 Journey, G35x AWD and G35 Sport 6MT. The rear-wheel drive Infiniti G35 with 5-speed automatic transmission; the Infiniti G35 Journey model with 5-speed automatic transmission; the Infiniti G35x with ATTESA E-TS intelligent all-wheel drive system and 5-speed automatic transmission; and a G35 Sport 6MT model with close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission.
All 2008 G35 Sedans offer a long list of standard equipment, including a 306-horsepower 3.5-liter DOHC V6 engine, leather-appointed interior, Intelligent Key with Push Button Ignition and High Intensity Discharge bi-xenon headlights.
Visited the Dealer for Service. The 30,000 mile "Performance Service" to meet the Infiniti Schedule 1 required maintenance with additional inspections. The dealer provided a nice G37 model as a "free" rental car, but applied a $15 Charge for fuel. I got $10 off with an oil-change coupon and a "free" car wash. I say "free" because the package sells at nearly $700.
BATTERY SERVICE/LOAD TEST
BILSTEIN ENGINE CLEAN/SVC
DELUXE WASH
FUEL INJECTOR CLEANING
THROTTLE BODY SERVICE
ADD MOC ATF CONDITIONER
GENERAL INSPECTION
REPLACE WIPER BLADES
REPLENISH WASHER FLUID
ROTATE & BALANCE TIRES
REPLACE AIR CLEANER FILTER
ADD MOC ENGINE TREATMENT
REPLACE ENGINE OIL
REPLACE ENGINE OIL FILTER
INSTALL A/C HEPA FILTER
I had to add the maintenance costs that included a replacing the Rear Brake pads and turning the rotors (at 3/32"), and a no-cost in -warranty to replace the right rear shock/strut and front brake maintenance to add hardware plates that corrected what they call "Brake Judder"
Edmunds InsideLine Comparison Test of 2007-2008 Sport Sedans gave the similarly equipped Infiniti 2007 G35S a 1st Place. The 2007 Infiniti G35 Sport model. In the discussion, the 2007 Infiniti G35 won the test because it's outstanding to drive and it gives you the most car for your money, because the G35 has the most standard features of any car here and combines this accomplishment with all-around performance second only to the 335i.
http://www.insideline.com/infiniti/g35/2007/comparison-test-2007-2008-sport-sedans.html
For a summary of the specs see
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7597737_2007-infiniti-g35-information.html
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