Some cars wear their genealogy proudly. One look at the new Infiniti G35 Sport Coupe and it's obvious that it shares a big puddle of DNA with the Nissan 350Z, in addition to the G35 four-door. Think of them as non-identical triplets.
While the coupe shares its 112.2-in. wheelbase with the sedan (that's 7.9-in. longer than a Z), it shares its 71.5-in. overall width with the Z-Car, and at 54.8-in. comes almost exactly between them in overall height. For a coupe there's actually pretty good rear seat room in the G35, and the long wheelbase makes for a pretty cushy ride, though the reflexes aren't as sharp as the Z-Car's. And while the driver doesn't have to sit as upright as he does in the sedan, he's not hunkered into the performance bunker like he is in the two-seat Z.
Power for the Sport Coupe come, naturally, in the form of Nissan's increasingly ubiquitous VQ35 which powers everything from the Altima to the Z-Car. In the Sport Coupe it's rated at 280 hp in contrast to the G35 Sedan, where it's rated at 260, and in the Z, where they say it makes 287. In fact, the Sport Coupe's VQ35 is the same VQ35DE version that's used in the Z with variable valve-timing on the intake side. Where the difference output comes is pretty obviously in the exhaust system; the G35 Sport Coupe is much quieter than the 350Z.
The Sport Coupe's dash is shared with the sedan and the seats facing it are, again, somewhere between the sedan's and 350Z's. They're well bolstered thrones and have enough adjustments to satisfy everyone from Mini-Me to Quasimodo and Shaq. This is a cockpit that's a pretty good compromise for anyone who wants a sports car feel but needs enough room to store kids and relatives for short trips in back.
There's a lot of Z in the way the G35 Sport Coupe drives. And, of course, a lot of G35 Sedan too. Like its brothers, it puts its engine in the same front mid-ship position, as the same four-wheel multi-link suspension, and the same rack-and-pinion steering system. And, no surprise, the suspension tuning is again smack between its siblings too. The base Sport Coupe gets 17-in. wheels inside P225/50R17 front and P235/50R17 rear tires, but the majority of buyers will ante up for sport versions wearing 18-in. alloys and P225/45R18 front and P245/45R18 rear tires. If those tire sizes seem familiar, that's because they're the same offered on the Z-Car (though not so aggressive in construction). Stopping is by four ABS-controlled discs no matter what, but Brembo rotors and calipers are available on the sport version (but not the same Brembos used on the Z). Dive into a corner and the steering response is an itty-bit behind the Z's and there's not as much ultimate grip, but it's more capable and quicker than in the sedan.
Traditionally, the Z-Car has been offered in both two-seat and 2+2 versions. The G35 Sport Coupe essentially fills the slot as a 350Z 2+2 but with an additional dash of comfort and luxury that seems somehow appropriate. Mixing and matching of parts between it and the 350Z is hereby officially encouraged.