Car Auto Magazine

Another element that could use some work is noise—noise coming up through the suspension, noise from the engine when it’s making all those ponies.

Other demerits: The G35’s throttle tip-in is abrupt, reminiscent of recent Audis’. An unjudicious jab at the pedal produces unwanted lunging from a standing start.

Although the rack-and-pinion power-steering effort varies with speed, it’s a little heavy at a school-zone pace—although it would be hard to criticize on-center feel or overall path accuracy.

Similarly, as in other G35s we’ve encountered, the brake pedal travel is a little long and feels a bit spongy for our taste, although braking performance—stopping distances and fade resistance—is exemplary.

Almost all these small black marks fall under the general heading of refinement, an area where BMW still sets the pace.

But if the G35x is a little rough around the edges, it nevertheless has two compelling advantages versus the other entry-luxury all-wheel-drive sports sedans—in addition, of course, to a comprehensive list of standard features and all the options so necessary in this class (navigation, power sunroof, and premium audio).