Safety wise, the G35x has dual-stage front air bags, curtain air bags for front and rear passenger head protection, front seat side impact air bags, electronic stability program, anti-lock brakes, electronic brake force distribution, Brake Assist and, of course, all wheel drive.

One thing for sure, the seating in the Infiniti is not as comfortable as it should be. The placement of the controls are a puzzlement to me, and the passenger's seat feels different than the driver's for some reason, too. If you are wearing a full skirt you are going to have to tuck it under you in order to reach the power seat adjustments, which means more wrinkles. Also, if your thighs are a bit on the relaxed side you actually may have to reach under them to search for the power controls. Obviously, this is a design decision made without consulting a woman. The steering wheel feels good, but the ancillary controls make it difficult to use the horn. The stereo has some fancy tuning features that I never learned to appreciate. Also, the lettering on the center console is so light as to be unreadable. At night, the interior lighting is exceedingly good and the speedometer easy to read. The leather seating surfaces are rather bland, nothing like the G35's larger sibling, the Q45. The once striking Infiniti gold signature clock is now lost in the middle of the dash and actually looks a bit cheap.

Storage is adequate. The glove compartments are rather small, the center console has two levels, but both make it difficult to use the cupholders, and there is a small storage area on the top of the dash where a navigation unit would fit. There is a handy power outlet in the console. The trunk borders on small and the rear seats don't fold down, so long items may have to find their way home in another vehicle or be left for a better-equipped bargain hunter. There is a ski pass-through, which is quite fitting since the all wheel drive system works so well in the snow.

Dad's view: Basketball is a game of match-ups. If you have a tall person who is quick or a short person who can jump, the opposition is going to have a difficult time. This is what Infiniti has done with the G35x. It is faster than the competition, but smaller. On top of that, the company offers an excellent four-year/60,000 mile warranty and its customer satisfaction has been well above average, making it nearly unbeatable in the entry-level luxury all wheel drive sedan niche. The downside is the question every potential buyer must ask; do I really need the extra cost, weight, and maintenance of all wheel drive? Regardless, Infiniti has created a mismatch for any opponent and they are winning more than they are losing.

All the buzz about this Infiniti is concentrated on the drive system that is computerized so that when all is well only the rear wheels drive, but when the sensors detect a slippage, fifty percent of power can be directed to the front wheels. Make no mistake about it, all wheel drive still does not mean you can't slip off a road or get stuck. And, with all the power the G35 has, there is a great temptation to reach the car's traction limits in a hurry as the car has great handling and corners exceeding well.

Although you can get a G35 with a manual transmission and even more horsepower, I felt the automatic was the best choice. You can shift for yourself by just pushing the transmission shift lever to the side, but unless you watch the tachometer religiously, you are quickly going to come up against the rev limiter, and the computer is going to automatically retard the timing ending your quest for supremacy.

Young working woman's view: It was cold when I tested this Infiniti and the car was awfully slow to warm. Thankfully, it had heated seats. I don't know what the problem is, but if you buy a car that has all wheel drive, chances are you are going to be driving it in cold weather, so why the wait? Maybe it was because I just left the dual-zone automatic setting on 76 rather than asking for 80. The second annoying feature was the noise level inside the car. The sound of the tires was always audible and when you asked the engine for some respect, the noise was significant but not without its charm. When I tired of it, I just let the optional Bose stereo automatically step up the volume. On the other hand, the radio reception was weak. If you live in an outlying area, you might want to consider the optional satellite radio. The quality of the stereo itself was above average.