wordplay: Greg Bloom

While the hype from such a match-up still falls short of that which an Ozeki Kaio and Tamanoshima duel yields back in the homeland of these two strapping rides, comparing the likes of the top auto manufacturers in the world still certainly has its deserved girth and worth. While Toyota leads the pack in overall sales, Nissan’s adrenaline and desire to keep up is undying and especially apparent in its spin-off answer to Lexus, the Infiniti.

Not until I recently sampled the likes of the G35 AWD did I even consider a manufacturer to buy a coupe or sedan from in place of my most recent favorite, Lexus. There now exists a stronger presence out there to run along side the pride of Nippon and though it shows in the sticker price it doesn’t sell you short in performance or tangible value.

Infiniti has put noticeable effort into dialing in the intricate moving parts of their cars. Smooth fluid mobility and strength and durability are exemplified from the doors to the hood to the engine parts all the way down to the glove box doors and sun visors.

The G35’s power and performance don’t slack a bit and help keep it on my list of favorites as well, with its 3.5-liter DOHC 24-valve V-6 engine yielding the power of 360 horses and 268 lbs of torque.  An ATTESA E-TS All-Wheel Drive System bonds the car with the road regardless of where the power wants to take you. The interior and exterior both have an intelligent look and feel. Precision lighting and electronic technology compliment every pleasing detail and complete this seemingly flawless product. It offers XM radio as part of a solid 6-speaker sound system and Infiniti controller for the navigation, sound and climate controls managed on the 7 inch color display. Pick up the G35 loaded for a hair under $40k and be happy you did.

You don’t need to reside in Boulder and wear Birkenstocks and a dab of patchouli to show your love of nature and care for the longevity of our planet anymore. The world’s highest revenue generating company gives us a few other options in their short menu of Hybrid vehicles. If only the Axel Foleys of the world would trade in their crappy blue Chevy Novas and jump on the Toyota Prius train to Ozone heaven, the job of Saatchi and Saatchi would be as easy as taking a picture and showing it to you.

It makes too much sense when the biggest answer to the world’s pollution problems are right in front of us and come in at under $30k. I could write a book on why a Prius purchase is the right thing to do… uhh maybe some other time. I will tell you for now that the amount of coin you’ll save on gas in 5 years can buy you another $30k car. While this is the most affordable production Hybrid on the market, it still packs a punch with its design and performance characteristics and is only getting better with plans Toyota has for its future. While the world is slowly but surely moving in the direction of Hybrid and eventually 100% electric or other alternatively powered vehicles, Toyota will continue to be in the forefront of this great industrial movement.

Props to Metro Taxi here in Denver for sporting a handful of Prius in their fleet! Buy smart, buy Prius!

Infiniti.com

Toyota.com