Ok...just got my 01/03 issue of Car and driver. They do a road test on the six speed G35 coupe. Here are their performance figures:

0-60: 6 secs
0-100: 15 secs.
Street start 5-60: 6.4 secs.
1/4 mi. 14.6 @98mph
Curb weight: 3485 lbs.
Power: 280bhp@62000rpm
Torque: 270lb-ft@4800rpm

Now, here is their data on the 3.5 Maxima from 10/02:

0-60: 6 secs
0-100: 15.7
Street start 5-60: 6.5 secs.
1/4mi 14.7 @97mph
Curb weight: 3316 lbs.
Power: 255bhp@5800 rpm
Torque: 246lb-ft@4400rpm

G35 is only a little heavier, considerably more powerful, yet...performance figures are almost the same. Seems to me that this is more fuel to the fire that Nissan is playing with their numbers for marketing purposes.

Your comments and critiques are welcomed and encouraged.

 

I thought the coupe did sub six second 0-60 times?

 

There are way too many variables involved. Not worth the thought.

 

Yup....Nissan has yet to explain how they're getting the different HP ratings...the g35 probably has more, but not 280. Nissan has basically boosted their numbers by 15+ across the board.

 

I looked at the December issue and they showed a mid to high 5's number for the coupe in the section that gives all the 0-60 times.

 

yeah. it was 5.8sec for the G35 Coupe. 5.4sec for the 340Z.

 

You can't just compare times like that. I read a review of a M45 and it was a couple tenths quicker to 60 when they did it early in the morning vs. the hot afternoon.

Do we know temp outside?
Do we know it was the same driver?
Do we know the wind speed/direction?

 

350Z??

 

hey guys look at the 2003 motor trend car of the year thread and see their numbers for the g35! big diffenence. lets just say C&D drivers suck. g35 14.23 @ 99.4 !

will

 

I had no idea the horsepower peaked at such a high rpm on the G35 coupe.

Sorry I had too...

But seriously, you have to take into account the drivers, the weather, tires, track, etc. In one of their recent tests with sport sedans all the cars had incredibly slow times, most over a second off their normal 0-60 time.

 

Yet, using the assumption that MT drivers are superior, the times they get from a Maxima should be proportionately better as well. Has MT tested a 3.5 Maxima? I dont subscribe to their publication.

I understand that performance figures varies with individual cars, drivers, and current environmental conditions. Yet, given the recent controversy surrounding HP levels on Nissans using this engine, such similar performance figures published by C&D for the Maxima and the G35 is a little too coincidental.

 

I think the october issue of motor trend has a test. I checked the back of Decembers and the Max had a 6.1 I think. They also tested a 3.2 TL type S and got the 6.0. I could be wrong since I didnt bring up the mag to school.

 

dont understand how the g35 is gettin mid 6;s for the 0-60 an the tls is gettin 6 flat with fwd

 

Sorry finger slipped....

 

How can a sport coupe weigh 170Lbs more than a four door family sedan? That seems a bit strange to me.

 

Not that hard to understand...

not a great comparo, but look at like a '99 Prelude vs. an Accord Sedan...the Prelude actually weighs more. Granted not a full 150lbs+, but when you figure in additional body stiffening, roll bars, heavier tires/wheels (than your average family sedan running on like a 195 tire or so), etc, etc, etc. lose little additions have quite a cumulative effect on weight for the more sports-oriented cars.

 

The sedan tends to be the lightest version of a car usually. Look at the G35 Sedan/Coupe, Acura TL/CL, Mercedes Sedans vs the coupes, etc etc. The sedan has the benefit of a long and wide steel roof to help make the body structure stronger. Coupes have shorter slimmer roofs, and since they weigh about the same as the sedan, manufacturers have to compensate for the structural weakness by building up stiffness in the bottom end of the car, hence the weight gain.

DW

 

Just keep in mind that C/D's performance figures ARE corrected for weather, altitude, etc.

That said, the comparo test they did in which the TL-S ran 0-60 in 7+ seconds with a 16-flat ET tells me that something's horribly wrong their testing. (Not to mention their test of the 2K2 Max SE 6sp pulling 14.7 when my auto SE does the same.) NOTE: C/D even tested two identical G35 Sedans (same equipment package) two different times and came up with numbers that were vastly different from each other.

I see no reason why the G35C 6sp shouldnt be able to run sub-6 second 0-60 times on a good day after being broken in properly; given its 280hp/270lb-ft, 6sp tranny, drag coefficient and RWD configuration.

Peace.

 

Why then does it also weigh at least 150 more than a 350Z, 170 more than an Altima SE 3.5, etc... I hope that the curb weight listed above is off, or this car will be a stone.

Maybe they added 100 Lbs of sound dampening to make it more of a luxury coupe.

 

The G35 coupe is the 350Z 2+2, so there's all the creature comforts added to the back seat . . . .as well as the back seat itself. As for the Altima, it's a 4 door sedan, so look at the explanation I said before.

DW

 

A-hem! Back "shelf"! Only a 6 year old could fit back there(Comfortably).

 

OK, how about G35C = 350Z 2+1?

DW

 

So I went to test drive a G35C M6. What a great looking car. It had the 18's on it with Brembos. Very cool. My problem is that it didn't really feel that fast. This would loosely confirm your findings.

Aren't you 6 spd Maxes getting the same times in real life (forget the mags)? From a front wheel driver with supposedly less hp? The max is a little lighter but seems weird to me as well. It didn't really feel a lot (or a little) faster than my wifes 2k2 auto (yup I'm sure it is but my seat dyno didn't blow me away)

 

The G35 Coupe is 2+2 version of 350Z thus it is heavier.

 

My critique : they can't drive.

 

i would agree with that. Then again, sometimes they test in high altitude areas, or when people write to them and ***** about their slow times, they blame the gas. This is why i read motor trend!

 

C&D never gives good factual times for us "enthusiasts". Those times they are running are for the regular people off the street. We all know that we can run better than that.