Car Auto Magazine

On the other hand, if you perceive all-wheel drive as a performance enhancement, you’re likely to be disappointed. In almost any sedan application you care to name, all-wheel drive adds mass—that 150 pounds noted under “B” above—and it either provokes or aggravates understeer, the tendency for the car to resist steering inputs as speeds increase.

Both generalizations apply to the G35x.

But we must also say that they apply less to this car than most others in its class. In fact, the effect of the additional mass on acceleration is measurable only at the track with our Racelogic VBOX test gear. In our first test in 2006 of the latest generation of this car, a Sport model with a six-speed manual transmission, the G35 hustled to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds and continued on through the quarter-mile in 13.9 seconds at 103 mph.

Our G35x tester, burdened with AWD and a five-speed automatic, blitzed to 60 in 5.4 seconds and the quarter-mile in 14.1 at 100 mph.

Similarly, that 2006 test car stopped from 70 mph in 160 feet, two feet better than the G35x. But the G35x recorded an identical number on the skidpad, where we measure maximum grip—0.87 g—even though the AWD car is equipped with Goodyear Eagle RS-A all-season tires, and the manual model wore Bridgestone Potenza performance rubber.

So, measurable distinctions, for sure, but they’re essentially academic in everyday driving.