The G35’s driving performance blends a luxury-car feel with sporty handling to ensure that no drive is ever boring. We review the award-winning V6 engine that makes it all possible.
The 2003 Infiniti G35 was the first offering of the G35 lineup for the North American market. It was available in both coupe and sedan format through the year 2007. And in 2008, its final year, it was only offered as a sedan.
Throughout its run, the G35 was available with either an automatic or manual transmission. It underwent a facelift and a few design and engine changes throughout its production run, as is pointed out by Money Inc.
The Infiniti G35 shares a platform with the Nissan 350Z, so many components, including the engine, transmission, and many suspension items are the same. This being the case, the G35’s driving performance blends a luxury-car feel with sporty handling to ensure that no drive is ever boring.
The V6 engine puts out enough power to get you really moving when you need it to, making sure you enjoy every second behind the wheel. Furthermore, from 2004 on, the G35 was available in all-wheel-drive format (G35x) for maximum traction in slippery situations.
The Infiniti G35 uses the same VQ35 V6 engine found in the Nissan 350Z. Let’s take a look at what makes this engine so great and any issues you may want to look out for when shopping for a used G35.
VQ35 V6 Engine Named One of World’s Best Engines
The Nissan VQ35 engine found under the hood of the Infiniti G35 has repeatedly been named one of the best engines in the world by landing on the prestigious Ward’s Top 10 Engines list. In fact, Ward’s holds the engine in such high regard that it appeared on the top 10 lists every year from 2002 to 2007.
Like all Nissan engines, the name tells you the details. The VQ dictates that it is in the VQ family of engines. The number 35 represents the engine’s 3.5-liter displacement. The letter D stands for Dual-Overhead Camshaft (DOHC), and the E tells you it uses electronic fuel injection.
The VQ35 uses a standard DOHC V6 layout with two camshafts per cylinder head. It uses an aluminum engine block and aluminum cylinder heads. Furthermore, it has standard multi-port electronic fuel injection.
G35 Engine’s Power Output
The power output of the VQ35 in an Infiniti G35 varies based on the year and how many doors the specific G35 model has.
The 2003 Infiniti G35 VQ35 engine came with 260 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. Additionally, the 2003 model year G35 coupes came with 280 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque.
Upgrades to the engine for the 2005 Infiniti G35 saw horsepower increase to 298 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque for both sedan and coupe models equipped with a manual transmission.
The updated VQ35DE engine is known as a “rev up” engine due to its higher rev limit of 7,500 rpm in place of the standard engine’s 6,500 rpm limit. Automatic equipped cars, both sedan, and coupe retain the standard VQ35DE engine with 280 horsepower and 270 lb.-ft. of torque.
The 2007 Infiniti G35 saw the most drastic change in the engine setup. Coupes retained the standard VQ35DE with a power upgrade to 293 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque.
However, the sedan variants got a special variant of the engine known as the VQ35HR, with the HR standing for “high response.” It has a much faster throttle response and revs higher thanks to the addition of two throttle bodies, one for each side of the engine.
Furthermore, it bumps the rev limit up another 100 rpm to 7,600 rpm. The VQ35HR in 2007 and 2008 Infiniti G35 sedans make 306 horsepower and 268 lb.-ft. of torque.
Infiniti G35 Gas Mileage
As one might expect, the fuel economy ratings change based on the year and equipped transmission as well. Let’s take a look at the EPA fuel economy ratings.
The 2003 and 2004 Infiniti G35 has an EPA gas mileage rating of up to 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway when equipped with a manual six-speed transmission. However, when equipped with an automatic transmission, the numbers drop to 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.
Despite the additional power of the 2005 model year, the fuel economy rating stays the same for manual-equipped and automatic transmission-equipped models.
The 2007 and 2008 Infiniti G35 see fuel economy ratings up to 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway for manual transmission models and 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway for automatics. The G35x drops the highway rating to 23 mpg.
Infiniti G35 Engine Reliability
For the most part, the VQ35 engine is a stout and reliable powerplant that will get you where you need to be reliably. However, no engine or vehicle is without faults. There are a few things to look out for in terms of engine issues with the VQ35 engine, according to Tuning Pro.
The most prominent issue with VQ35 engines, especially in the case of Rev-up engines, is oil consumption. Though there is no real fix for this issue, it is not necessarily a problem and will not hinder the performance of your engine. However, it is important o keep an eye on oil levels between oil changes.
If too much oil is consumed and oil levels get too low, detrimental engine failure can occur due to excessive wear on internal components from oil starvation. When shopping for a G35, be sure the exhaust is not outputting blue smoke under acceleration.
Timing Chain Guide and Tensioner Failures
Another prominent issue with the VQ35DE is timing chain guide and tensioner failures. This can take the engine out of time and cause interference between the valves in the cylinder head and the engine’s pistons.
If this occurs, an engine replacement or rebuild may be necessary. Listen for unusual clinking and clanging sounds at the front of the engine on a G35 before purchasing.
Finally, VQ35 engines sometimes develop oil leaks due to failing gaskets under the intake manifold to the oil gallery. The parts are relatively inexpensive, but to replace them, the intake manifold must be removed.
As always, when shopping for a used car, pay close attention to it when inspecting or, better yet, have a trustworthy mechanic inspect it before buying. As always, run the VIN through our free VIN research tool before buying to ensure it is free of undisclosed accidents or title issues.
Overall, the Infiniti G35 is a fantastic car that you can trust and enjoy so long as you buy one that has been decently maintained. They have very peppy and fun engines. So, if you’re considering buying one, get out and test drive one today.
Photos: Infiniti
