Twins stadium stampede tramples public, logic
The Minnesota Twins will get a new, open-air, boutique stadium in downtown Minneapolis. And the University of Minnesota football Gophers (remember them?) will also get a new, open-air stadium. We know for certain that next year, after the legislators figure the people will have softened their feelings about this yearÂ’s decisions, the Minnesota Vikings also will get a new, open-air stadium.
Maybe the turmoil and raving has cooled to the point where some logic might be applied to the situation.
I am all for the outdoors, just as I am a lover of all sports – especially hockey and motorsports, but also including everything from baseball-football-basketball to the more off-beat, such as soccer, and track, and anything else where good competition can be enjoyed. I might pass up going to a game in any sport to participate myself in a ballgame or some active family endeavor. But, major league sports are a definite attraction.
LetÂ’s declare that football is meant to be played outside. Even in Minnesota. ESPECIALLY in Minnesota. Baseball is meant to be played outside, too, although a closeable roof seems like a no-brainer, when 20-25 of the 81 home games might be affected by inclement weather.
By inclement weather, I don’t mean a nagging drizzle, in which baseball can still be played – albeit with concerns that someone named Mauer, or Morneau, or Santana doesn’t slip and injure something. I’m referring to the near-freezing, hard drizzle, where the game might go on, but fans will simply choose to not attend. Sports columnists and broadcasters, sitting inside their heated and cooled press boxes, keep urging us that they could still play a ballgame in bad weather. But it’s the fans that matter.
Many fans will choose alternatives to sitting outside in miserable weather, and columnist/broadcasters sheltered by air-conditioned, food-and-drink-filled press boxes have no business demanding that fans should brave the elements that sportswriters and broadcasters never face at a game. Maybe we should build a retractable roof over the grandstands, and the field, and leave the press box uncovered. See how those fingers can work those computer keys in a little drizzle, or some sleet.
The most distasteful part of the Twins stadium issue was the outright panic generated by what amounted to media-supported blackmail. The Twins would leave for sure if we didn’t build them a stadium, we were told. Remember, they raved, weÂ’re not building it for Carl Pohlad and the Twins, weÂ’re building it for ourselves, so that we can continue to enjoy major league baseball in our own boutiquey little stadium.
When the issue stalled, stadium forces whined that public money built the Guthrie, although they conveniently avoided carrying out the comparison, because one private owner doesn’t control every event in the Guthrie and serves as the only beneficiary of 100 percent of the revenue.
Remember, now, IÂ’m a sports guy, and I prefer outdoor baseball and football, and always did. That goes back to the time when some of the same people coerced us to build the indoor Metrodome. So IÂ’d love to see the right deal on the right stadium. The media continued to push the stadium as our way of living up to other major U.S. cities, which virtually all have built new stadiums.
Overlooked in the debate by all was a nugget brought out by Pat Kessler, on WCCO-TV’s “Reality Check,†which cuts through the flak and hyperbole on major issues. Kessler said researching the 11 years that the Twins have been professionally lobbying the legislature and the populace for a new stadium, he found that a total of 14 new major league baseball stadiums have been, or are being, built. Three of those 14 were financed 100 percent by team owners. Can you imagine that? The remaining 11 are financed on an average of 50 percent by team owners.
Altogether, that’s an average of about 60 percent owners’ money for each of the last 14 new stadiums, folks. In Minnesota, Carl Pohlad, billionaire extraordinaire, owns the Twins and could easily afford to build the entire stadium by himself, yet he somehow manipulated a deal where he would pay 25 percent. Not 100 percent, not 60 percent, not 50 percent, but only one-fourth of the new playground for his boys – even though Pohlad and the Twins stand to make all the profit from tickets, concessions, and ad revenue at the new stadium.
Did the stadium-pushing media fail to do the same research as WCCO-TV? Or, worse, they did the research but decided not to offer the results that didn’t boost their stance. We canÂ’t blame Carl. He made his millions, which became billions, by banking, where you maneuver and manipulate to take what you can get, without any needless spending, and without letting up anybody indebted to you. Carl did it well, and apparently, heÂ’s still doing it. He gambled, and held out, figuring his patience would allow the media to finally whip itself into a frenzy. Sure enough, they have helped stampede baseball fans and the legislature into believing that their constituents — the taxpaying publilc — would agree that it was a good thing for them to be socked for 75 percent of the expense.
It would have been very interesting if the legislature had said, “OK Carl, we’ll pay for half of a new stadium, and if you want it, you pay for the other half.†Or, how about if Carl pays his one-fourth, but then pays himself for building the suites, which will make him huge earnings? At the very least, perhaps Pohlad could have been embarrassed into kicking in for a retractable roof.
As the media stampede gained momentum, anyone who hesitated to jump on their bandwagon was ridiculed for trying to run the Twins out of town. Columnists and broadcasters blasted legislators with outrageous accusations that were almost slanderous. The targets included thoughtful legislators who merely wanted to figure out a more rational way to finance a new stadium. They certainly wanted the Twins to have a new playground, but also felt compelled to stay in harmony with their constituents.
But the media surge immediately branded them as trying to run the Twins out of town with their hesitancy.
Three decades ago, when the Twins, Vikings, and Gopher football team all clamored for a new, indoor stadium, I didnÂ’t like the move, although it made some sense for baseball to escape the changeable Minnesota elements for air-regulated 70-degree conditions under a roof. Baseball is best played outdoors, but in a major league season now starting in April and finishing in October, there is the risk of some cold, drizzly, even snowy and sometimes wind-chilly days.
Postponements are a pain – even if doubleheaders are great. Expansion means that teams don’t often return for another trip to make up lost games. So the benefits of playing outside most of June, July and August, become shaky on the few foul-weather days in those months, and during the many foul-weather days in April, May, September and October. A roof makes some sense, and a retractable roof – regardless of the expense – makes the most sense of all.
The current plan left an interesting trail. Not long ago, tunnel-visioned people in the sports media assumed that all citizens shared their zeal, so they clamored for surveys and sought a public referendum for various sports causes. Surprise! The tax-paying public has unfailingly voted down any such public financing of private-owner-team stadiums. So this time, the zealots excluded the voters and insisted that there couldnÂ’t be any referendum. They said the people elected those legislators and councilors, so let them now do their work and decide for the voters. They knew, of course, that it is far easier to intimidate a few legislators than to coerce a herd of people anxious to not spend their money to build a playpen for billionaire owners and millionaire players.
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The media tirades came from younger types who canÂ’t remember the past, and from older fellas, confident they had already outlived most of the folks who recall their identical tirades that the Twins and Vikings would move if we didnÂ’t build them an indoor stadium. Some of us still remember.
Almost everybody in Minnesota, including non-sports-fans, wants the Twins and Vikings to stay in Minnesota. Frankly, I donÂ’t foresee either of them moving anywhere. But for some reason, almost every sports broadcaster and columnist seemed to buy into and contribute to the Twins-will-leave-this-time-for-sure campaign.
The issue became one of legislative votes, but it wasnÂ’t simply for or against public financing. The vote, we heard, was either in favor of guaranteeing billionaire owner Carl Pohlad a chance to gain fabulous wealth, over and above his already stupendous wealth, or to vote in favor of the Twins leaving Minnesota. LetÂ’s see, voting for or against a public gift makes sense; suggesting the vote was for a public subsidy or to force a major league sports franchise to leave was Ridiculous.
Last time all this happened, we laughed at the absurdity of the threats, but agreed to build the Metrodome because there was some merit to escaping the elements. This time the majority didnÂ’t laugh, but for some reason, enough legislators bought into the plan even while their constituents seemed to see through the blackmail. Using such an unreasonable and invalid method to secure the needed votes – by the narrowest of margins – seemed bizarre. But then we’re living in an era where, if a gane of Saudi Arabian extremists commits a terrorist act against the United States, our government would respond almost immediately by going to war…with Iraq.
So the legislature passed a Twins Stadium bill for downtown Minneapolis, beyond Target Center. First Avenue is elbow-to-elbow with people almost every night, as the trendy younger folks hustle off to neat restaurants, bars, night clubs and concert venues. Years ago, an attempt to clean up Hennepin Avenue pushed the less-desirable element to First Avenue, but when First Avenue became the trendiest spot in town, where were the homeless, the drug-dealers, the muggers, supposed to go? They migrated back to Hennepin Avenue. As they say, everybodyÂ’s got to be somewhere, and short of eradicating them, solutions seem scarce.
So the pushers of the new stadium, who had repeatedly said that Minneapolis needs the stadium down past Target Center, in order to save the city from the hassles of recent increases in murders, muggings, drug-dealings, street crime, and the nuisance of pan-handlers. Those untidy happenings occur less in Minneapolis than in other major cities, but itÂ’s an issue, nonetheless.
Apparently, the stadium advocates have it figured out, because theyÂ’ve assured us that the street people and the homeless and the bad element will disappear, just because thereÂ’s a ball game tonight. Hopefully, the muggers will be responsible enough to not rob those fans of their umbrellas.
Fighting Sioux carry WCHA hopes into Frozen Four
The similarities are a little eerie on two fronts, but North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol is convinced his Fighting Sioux are ignoring revenge, or redemption, when they carry the WCHA colors into the NCAA Frozen Four semifinals against Boston College Thursday night, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Maine (23-14-2) plays Michigan State (24-13-3) in the first semifinal, with North Dakota (24-13-5) and Boston College (28-11-1) reprising their semifinal of a year ago. That means that no matter how much credibility the NCAA selection committee wants to attribute to its computer ranking system, none of the four regional top seeds are at the final party this weekend. BC finished second to New Hampshire in Hockey East, with Boston University third, Massachusetts fourth and Maine fifth. Maine was the third seed when it beat St. Cloud State and Massachusetts to win the East Regional, and BC was the No. 2 seed in its region. Michigan State was fourth in the CCHA standings, and No. 4 seed in the Midwest Regional before upsetting BU 5-1 and taking out No. 1 seed Notre Dame 2-1.
North Dakota, on the other hand, finished as the hottest team in the WCHA, rising to third place by losing only two games since Christmas. Included in that run was a sweep at Minnesota, but the Sioux lost 3-2 in overtime in the WCHA Final Five title game to the Golden Gophers, before reversing that result in the West Region final. Hakstol, in his third year as head coach at North Dakota, is taking the Sioux to the Frozen Four for the third straight time, and it will also be the school’s 22nd trip, where they’ve won seven titles, and they’ve compiled the NCAA-best 38-16 record in NCAA tournament games.
The presence of the Jonathan Toews-centered line with T.J. Oshie and Ryan Duncan on the wings, plus a tough and mobile defense, the goaltending of Philippe Lamoureux, and the late emergence of an explosive second line with Chris VandeVelde centering Matt Watkins and Chris Porter, puts the Sioux in strong position to add to the historically impressive list of North Dakota achievements.
But there are a couple of those haunting warnings that seem to hang out there — for everyone but Hakstol and his players, at least.
First, the Fighting Sioux face the hottest team in the nation in Boston College, which has won 12 straight games since a 2-1 overtime loss to archrival Boston University in the Beanpot Tournament. A year ago at the Frozen Four semifinals in Milwaukee, the same BC Eagles jumped ahead of North Dakota 3-0 in the first period and held off two determined Fighting Sioux rallies to eliminate the Sioux 6-5.
Second, North Dakota fell behind 2-0 in the opening minutes against a very explosive Michigan team in the semifinals of the West Regional two weeks ago, and after rallying to get ahead 4-3, the Sioux were victimized again for two opening goals in the second period, before order was finally restored and North Dakota won 8-5. They advanced to beat Minnesota in a 3-2 overtime thriller in the region final the next day to gain the Frozen Four for the third time in Hakstol’s three years as coach.
So it would seem that the chance to avenge last year’s loss to Boston College, coupled with the more recent realization that spotting a skilled opponent a bunch of goals, should assure the Fighting Sioux with an overload of incentive.
“Revenge is not the motivation,” said Hakstol. “Certainly, there is not a chance we’ll be looking past Boston College, but I can tell you the difference in our preparation has been completely different.
“Last year, when Boston College got ahead 3-0, we reacted like a young team, back on our heels. We were down 3-0 on five shots, then we caught up at 3-2 before we gave up a big goal. We made another comeback later, but BC was too good to come back on. This year, when Michigan jumped ahead, our bench was solid. We reacted like a veteran team, with quiet confidence.
“Michigan had some high-impact forwards — real dynamic, with great speed, and very aggressive, almost on the edge of cheating offensively.”
The difference was in the midst of a game that resembled a wild-west shootout, Lamoureux suddenly regained command, and simply stopped allowing goals.
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“In an 8-5 game, it’s not often you pick the goaltedner for the player of the game, but Phil was the key player for us against Michigan,” said Hakstol. “Phil settled in, after we made a glaring mistake on their fifth, go-ahead goal, when he stopped T.J. Henrick on a short-handed breakaway. That was the play of the game. And maybe that’s the difference between last year’s team and this one. Last year, we kept rallying but fell short against Boston College; this year, in the same kind of game, we got a huge save that caused a momentum swing.
“I don’t make many comparisons to teams of different years, but there is one place I can do that — in the 7-8 days of preparation between the Regional and the Frozen Four, the difference in our preparation is one place where our experience has helped us. Last year, we had 12 freshmen playing, and we had just hosted the regional in Grand Forks, where there was a big upset, with Holy Cross beating Minnesota, and we won it. I think our preparation slipped for the Frozen Four, and it was a hangover from the satisfaction we felt at winning the regional.
“This year, we have a quiet confidence, and our work ethic has been consistent, whether things have gone our way or not.”
Things definitely did not go North Dakota’s way through the first half of the season. Hakstol refused to use youth as an excuse — and the Sioux have 13 freshman or sophomores in the lineup — but he couldn’t avoid using the reality of three injuries that hampered the Sioux. Oshie broke his thumb right before the season started, and Toews tried to play with a separated shoulder that kept him out nine games, and hampered his play until January. Duncan, the third member of the line called the best in the country, scored enough to lead the league, and become a Hobey Baker finalist, while his linemates got healthy. The other injury? Lamoureux.
“The worst injuries we had were to Oshie, Toews and Lamoureux — certainly three of our top players,” said Hakstol. Once Lamoureux returned, and the all-sophomore top line started to click with all its appendages functioning, there was no stopping the Sioux. And when Hakstol moved VandeVelde, a freshman, up to center Watkins and senior Porter, the offense became more potent.
“That second line was our best at the Regional,” said Hakstol, after Porter, who got the overtime game-winner by outflanking Gopher defenseman Erik Johnson’s stick-check attempt before connecting on a wraparound, was named outstanding player of the regional.
Still, the Sioux not only are young, but many have come directly from high school to college, without the benefit of junior.
“If you want to make youth an excuse, it is,” said Hakstol. “But at this time of year, this is what we’re about. It’s great to be involved with a chance to compete for a spot in the national championship game. And it’s terrible to not be here. It’s unfortunate we had to face Minnesota in the regional instead of the Frozen Four, and it’s unfortunate that only three teams from our league were picked for the NCAA tournament. But as a league, we stick together. I think there’s a great mutual respect within the league, with all 10 of us so competitive, and yet we stick together for the sake of the WCHA.
“So we want to carry the league’s colors at the Frozen Four.”
2008 Sebring hardtop converts for all seasons
The proliferation of retractable-hardtop convertibles makes them better suited to all-season use, and opened the door for Chrysler to replace the popular 2007 Sebring convertible with an entirely new model. The 2008 Sebring convertible covers every plan for a top-dropping four-seater, with enough variety of features and options to make it a high-tech bargain, at sticker prices running from $26,000 to the mid-$30,000s.
The sedan, coupe, and convertible of the original Sebring all shared a sleek, low-slung shape, and if you travel to someplace like Hawaii, you see an amazing number of Sebring convertibles, as rental agencies at warm-weather vacation locations have bought enough of the four-seaters to make the Sebring convertible a hit. From a styling standpoint, the 2008 Sebring convertible could leapfrog right past the sedan to a new level of popularity.
When Chrysler Group introduced the new Sebring sedan a few months ago, I was — in a word — underwhelmed. The first Sebring had a distinctly identifiable front end, punctuated by a low, oval grille that resembled a classic Ferrari. The new one has a front end that more resembles a Pacifica, a nice, family-hauling wagon. So when a former Sebring approaches another car from behind, that driver might look in his rear-view mirror and say: “Here comes either a Ferrari or a Chrysler Sebring.” With the new car, the same driver would say: “Here comes a new Sebring…or a Pacifica.”
In its quest to make the new Sebring sedan look classy, it looks more like it was styled by a committee that may not have been properly introduced.The new grille is what Chrysler calls its signature grille, because it is similar to the Pacifica and Crossfire. Interesting, it bears no resemblance to the Chrysler 300 — the most popular car Chrysler has turned out in three decades, and quite clearly Chrysler’s “signature” car. The hood of the new Sebring has grooves carved into it, fanning out a little as they run front to rear, simulating the Crossfire’s strakes. The silhouette is nice, if unremarkable. The rear deck is not displeasing, it’s OK. But just OK. Put it all together, and you get something just a tad above ho-hum.
So the new convertible is a pleasant surprise. While it is the same length as the existing 2007 model, the new Sebring convertible is a bit taller and wider, and it is 3 inches longer than the Sebring sedan. More important than dimensions, all of the little things that seem disjointed with the sedan come together with much more harmony in the two-door convertible, either with the top up or down. Chrysler has gone overboard with the convertible concept. You can buy a vinyl top, a cloth top, or a retractable steel hardtop — three different convertibles where one might have been good.
The introduction, which was held in Santa Monica, Calif., and my driving partner and I ran out from the presentation hoping to find a mid-range Sebring with a 2.7-liter V6 and the retractable hardtop. A herd of other journalists walked past the neat medium grey display car, which had its top down. It had the 2.7, so we grabbed it. We drove up the Pacific Coast, and turned inland to scale some of the twisting mountain roads. A foggy haze from the coast stayed with us, and when it started to drizzle, we pushed the button to bring up the top in 27 motorized seconds when we stopped at a Starbucks driver-change spot.
It wasn’t until we came out, armed with caramel mocha in order to try out the heated cupholders, that we noticed our car had the pebble-grained beige cloth-top. We had no reason to know it wasn’t the retractable hardtop, because, of course, the top was down. We switched cars, a couple of times, and drove a variety of cars with a variety of engines, which is going some, because the Sebring convertible comes in three varieties — base (called, imaginatively, “Convertible”), plus Touring, and Limited, with three different engines available.
Typically, the Sebring convertible looks best with the top down. But it’s not bad with the top up. The hardtop looks like a tight, pillarless, hardtop coupe, with a slightly rounded shape to the rear roofline, more resembling the Volkswagen Eos roofline than the sleeker but costlier Volvo C70. The cloth-top model looks the sleekest of the three Sebrings with the tops up, particularly the pebble beige cloth. The vinyl looks good, comes only in black, and is standard on the base and Touring. The retractable-hardtop is available on Touring or Limited. The cloth top, in either beige or black, is available only on the Limited.
With the top down, there is no cowl-shake that plagues almost all convertibles, with a lot of reinforcement and sound-deadening, as well as use of high-strength steel, and beams that criss-cross underneath the car, the Sebring is 2.5 times stiffer in torsional rigidity and 1.5 times stiffer in bending than its predecessor. Wind noise isn’t bad, but if you want it quieter, a screen can be fitted behind the front seats, with a horizontal skirt that covers the back seats.
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Pricing should boost the Sebring to the top of the class. The base model, with the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder producing 173 horsepower and 166 foot-pounds of torque and a four-speed automatic, starts at $26,145, including destination. Move up to the Touring model, at $28,745, and you upgrade to a 2.7-liter flex-fuel V6 with 189 horsepower and 191 foot-pounds, plus a greater array of options. The top Limited model starts at $32,345 and offers a standard 3.5-liter V6 with 235 horsepower and 232 foot-pounds of torque, plus a new six-speed automatic with standard AutoStick manual shift mode.
Standard equipment on base models includes: four-wheel disc brakes with antilock; side seat-mounted seatbelts and airbags; remote keyless entry; tire-pressure monitor; six-way power driver and passenger front bucket seats; a six-speaker audio system that includes a six-disc CD changer. The Touring version replaces the 16-inch alloy wheels with 17s and a travel computer, in addition to the V6 availability. The Limited has all the standard stuff of the other two, plus the larger engine and transmission, as well as leather seats, shift knob and steering wheel cover, tortoise shell accents, a cabin air-filtration system, foglights, 18-inch wheels, and a premium Boston Acoustics sound system.
The vinyl and cloth tops drop swiftly into their stowage bin behind the rear seats. The steel top is an impressive exercise in technology, with the rear hatch rising, the top separating into three segments, dancing a mechanical dance with the rear segment somersaulting back as the other two sandwich and slide back on top of it as the hatch closes, without any manual latching. As the cover closes over the cocoon, the Sebring is transformed into a butterfly. Trunkspace obviously is compromised by the top being stowed, from 13.1 to 6.6 cubic feet, which means the four sets of golf bags that fit with the top up are reduced to two in the trunk when the top is down. The top can also be commanded to go up or down by the key fob.
Options can personalize the Sebring convertibles, and set it on the cutting edge of modern technology. Brake assist, traction control, and electronic stability control are all available. Inside, the array of materials includes YES-Essentials, the new stain, odor and static resistant fabric, as well as cloth or leather. With the seatbelts in the seats, rear entry is made easy, and room is satisfactory, even for adults. Remote start is another option that would seem to make the front-weheel-drive Sebring convertible worthy of challenging Minnesota winters.
Cupholders can be switched to keep coffee warm or pop or water cool, thanks to a system that runs electric current through a ceramic wrap. Flip the red switch and you get 140 degrees, and flip the blue and it cools to 35. The MyGIG system unites the heat/cool cupholders with the navigation and entertainment units, which includes a 20-gig hard drive. A USB connection allows MP3 and JPEG downloads with a database for identifying any songs you might want to rip from your CDs, for playback through the car’s audio system. Hands-free operation lets any compatible cell phone function through Bluetooth technology. You can even record a message of up to three minutes through a microphone built into the rearview mirror.
With so many so-called domestic cars now being built in Canada or Mexico, it is refreshing to note that the Sebring convertibles will be built at the Sterling Heights, Mich., assembly plant alongside the sedan. It was designed, in fact, as a parallel project to the sedan, which is another reason it seems so refined, right out of the box. When project manager Dave Lauzun described the high-strength steel and hot-stamped pillars, he added: “We benchmarked the Audi A4, so we know we match that in stiffness.”
‘X’ marks right spot for Infiniti’s new G35X sports sedan
Most every new vehicle is impressive at its introduction, so getting a second chance for a more lengthy evaluation can solidify or contradict those first impressions. In the case of the Infiniti G sedan, completely revised for 2007, all of its best attributes were reinforced — and then some.
Nissan came out with an all-new Altima midsize sedan for 2007, and it is a winner, with its dramatic styling lines enhanced and everything upgraded. With Infiniti being Nissan’s upscale arm, it made sense that the G would also be renovated, and the new one is better in every way, which is going some, because its predecessor was a vehicle worthy of being compared to the BMW 3-Series — the state-of-the-art benchmark for every midsize sedan.
Because it already had developed an impressive resume of its own, the Infiniti entry level sedan could have rested on its record. But Infiniti marketers researched prospective buyers, asking them what all they wanted in a car and what all they didn’t like, about a variety of vehicles. The G is officially the G35, reflecting on the 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. Now they’re pretty much calling the new car the G, in line with the larger and more powerful M, and the top of the line Q.
The interior is luxurious and ergonomically sound, with high-class fit and finish, and choice materials. There is aluminum trim, and the switches are designed for a balance of touch and surety. The instruments are white and violet. The leather on the steering wheel is hand stitched so you don’t feel any awkward lumps. Wood trim, an option, is African rosewood. The paddle switches on the automatic transmission are magnesium, not plastic. Furthermore, it has a 7-inch screen on the color monitor if you get the navigation system, and the nav system is my personal favorite, for clarity, accuracy, and the unique “bird’s-eye” view that gives you an interesting perspective of where you’re going.
The G35 also has Bluetooth for hands-free telephone, and there is a 9.5-gig hard drive for recording your music favorites for playback of your own favorites as you drive. Playing it back means through a potent, 10-speaker audio system, including a three-way front door speaker set-up with 10-inch woofers, two 6.5 inch full-range speakers, and the usual assortment of smaller midrange and tweeters, plus a digital amplifier with eight channels of equalization, and 374 watts of system power.
Before doing its revision, Infiniti calculated that the 3-Series BMW, the Acura TL, the Audi A4 and A6, Lexus IS and ES, Volvo S60, Saab 9-3, and Cadillac CTS all are valid competition, and marketing chief Jim Hooke explained that all those competitors are bigger, better, faster, and better values than they used to be. Infiniti’s task, Hooke said, is to make sure the G “surrounds you with what you need inside the car, so you can concentrate on what surrounds you, outside the car.”
The eloquence was impressive, and I didn’t know he was speaking from the Infiniti brochure, but when he added: “Sports sedans have come to be regarded as purely machines,” I had to interrupt. “You mean,” I asked, “you think the sports sedans from BMW, Audi, and Acura are purely machines?”
He backpedaled quickly. “I guess we mean looking inward more than outward,” said Hooke, acknowledging the emotional connection of those cars. “Certainly that’s what sets the BMW, Audi and Acura apart. To compete in this segment, performance is the cost of entry.”
To say nothing of flair, emotion, and personality. Some performance cars have it, and BMW, Audi and Acura are among them, and some don’t. Infiniti wanted to make sure the new G would have it, going past the level of entry or mid luxury.
The shape of the G is distinctly Infiniti, and while the G Coupe — basically a 350Z 2-plus-2 — won’t be changed until 2008, the sedan is a roomy, versatile vehicle built on a 40-percent stiffer structure, and with the fourth generation of what is called the “VQ35HR” engine, which powers everything from the Nissan 350Z, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder, Murano and Quest to Infiniti FX35 and G35. The new engine is not just tweaked, but has 80 percent new parts, with variable vbalve timing on both the intake and exhaust valves, via dual overhead camshafts. In its new trim, the 3.5 V6 develops 306 horsepower at 6,800 RPMs and 268 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 RPMs.
Interestingly, the revised transmission is a 5-speed, while the manual is a 6-speed. Competitors’ automatics have six speeds from the Audi, seven from Mercedes and BMW, and eight from the top Lexus.So why five? Simple, Infiniti engineers say. With six, seven or eight gears, a car spends less time in each, and Infiniti chose to let drivers enjoy the thrill of winding the 3.5 up to higher revs in each gear for a longer period, enjoying the “swell” of power. With a 7,600-RPM red line, the engine has room to rev, and power does build over a broad torque range, much like a wave, rather than coming on in a peaky rush. Besides, it sounds great.
In the automatic, first, second and third gears are set for performance, while fourth and fifth are set to cruise at lower revs for optimum fuel economy. There are manual magnesium paddle switches on the steering wheel for those who want to shift the automatic manually, and a DS mode setting directs the transmission to hold for higher shift points. The automatic also blips the throttle to match revs on downshifts. The close-ratio 6-speed stick is for those who want to extract every bit of performance.
The styling is familiar, but the 2007 model has some unique upgrades. For example, the horizontal blades of the grille are twisted as they reach their outer edges, crafted to simulate the pride of ancient Japanese swordsmen.
The G also has double wishbone suspension, which is both firm and compliant to meet the demands of performance drivers and those who want comfort. A subtle little touch is that the rear suspension allows flexing and altering the angle for a four-wheel active steering response to quick cornering or precision in emergency handling. It’s one of those assets that you might never notice, until you have to swerve to miss a deer that darts out in front of you, when the quick response of the G steering will be appreciated.
After driving the G in Palo Alto, Calif., I was anxious to get one back on Minnesota roads. I didn’t have any snowstorms to confront in the week I drove it, which was too bad, because the model was the G-35X, which has all-wheel drive. That gives the G a total of five different models — the G35, G35 Journey, G35X AWD, G35 Sport, and the G35 Sport 6MT. In a clever move, you can choose any model and add the sport package as a stand-alone feature.
My G35X had the Sport package, so it handled superbly, even if I didn’t get the foul weather that would have let it shine even more brightly. At a sticker price of about $37,000, the Infiniti G fits right in with its target segment. Whether you call it mid-luxury, sport-luxury, or entry-luxury, it may be the most impressive batch of cars in the industry, and the G35X expands the by one more impressive entry.
‘X’ marks right spot for Infiniti’s new G35X sports sedan
Most every new vehicle is impressive at its introduction, so getting a second chance for a more lengthy evaluation can solidify or contradict those first impressions. In the case of the Infiniti G sedan, completely revised for 2007, all of its best attributes were reinforced — and then some.
Nissan came out with an all-new Altima midsize sedan for 2007, and it is a winner, with its dramatic styling lines enhanced and everything upgraded. With Infiniti being Nissan’s upscale arm, it made sense that the G would also be renovated, and the new one is better in every way, which is going some, because its predecessor was a vehicle worthy of being compared to the BMW 3-Series — the state-of-the-art benchmark for every midsize sedan.
Because it already had developed an impressive resume of its own, the Infiniti entry level sedan could have rested on its record. But Infiniti marketers researched prospective buyers, asking them what all they wanted in a car and what all they didn’t like, about a variety of vehicles. The G is officially the G35, reflecting on the 3.5-liter V6 under the hood. Now they’re pretty much calling the new car the G, in line with the larger and more powerful M, and the top of the line Q.
The interior is luxurious and ergonomically sound, with high-class fit and finish, and choice materials. There is aluminum trim, and the switches are designed for a balance of touch and surety. The instruments are white and violet. The leather on the steering wheel is hand stitched so you don’t feel any awkward lumps. Wood trim, an option, is African rosewood. The paddle switches on the automatic transmission are magnesium, not plastic. Furthermore, it has a 7-inch screen on the color monitor if you get the navigation system, and the nav system is my personal favorite, for clarity, accuracy, and the unique “bird’s-eye” view that gives you an interesting perspective of where you’re going.
The G35 also has Bluetooth for hands-free telephone, and there is a 9.5-gig hard drive for recording your music favorites for playback of your own favorites as you drive. Playing it back means through a potent, 10-speaker audio system, including a three-way front door speaker set-up with 10-inch woofers, two 6.5 inch full-range speakers, and the usual assortment of smaller midrange and tweeters, plus a digital amplifier with eight channels of equalization, and 374 watts of system power.
Before doing its revision, Infiniti calculated that the 3-Series BMW, the Acura TL, the Audi A4 and A6, Lexus IS and ES, Volvo S60, Saab 9-3, and Cadillac CTS all are valid competition, and marketing chief Jim Hooke explained that all those competitors are bigger, better, faster, and better values than they used to be. Infiniti’s task, Hooke said, is to make sure the G “surrounds you with what you need inside the car, so you can concentrate on what surrounds you, outside the car.”
The eloquence was impressive, and I didn’t know he was speaking from the Infiniti brochure, but when he added: “Sports sedans have come to be regarded as purely machines,” I had to interrupt. “You mean,” I asked, “you think the sports sedans from BMW, Audi, and Acura are purely machines?”
He backpedaled quickly. “I guess we mean looking inward more than outward,” said Hooke, acknowledging the emotional connection of those cars. “Certainly that’s what sets the BMW, Audi and Acura apart. To compete in this segment, performance is the cost of entry.”
To say nothing of flair, emotion, and personality. Some performance cars have it, and BMW, Audi and Acura are among them, and some don’t. Infiniti wanted to make sure the new G would have it, going past the level of entry or mid luxury.
The shape of the G is distinctly Infiniti, and while the G Coupe — basically a 350Z 2-plus-2 — won’t be changed until 2008, the sedan is a roomy, versatile vehicle built on a 40-percent stiffer structure, and with the fourth generation of what is called the “VQ35HR” engine, which powers everything from the Nissan 350Z, Altima, Maxima, Pathfinder, Murano and Quest to Infiniti FX35 and G35. The new engine is not just tweaked, but has 80 percent new parts, with variable vbalve timing on both the intake and exhaust valves, via dual overhead camshafts. In its new trim, the 3.5 V6 develops 306 horsepower at 6,800 RPMs and 268 foot-pounds of torque at 4,800 RPMs.
Interestingly, the revised transmission is a 5-speed, while the manual is a 6-speed. Competitors’ automatics have six speeds from the Audi, seven from Mercedes and BMW, and eight from the top Lexus.So why five? Simple, Infiniti engineers say. With six, seven or eight gears, a car spends less time in each, and Infiniti chose to let drivers enjoy the thrill of winding the 3.5 up to higher revs in each gear for a longer period, enjoying the “swell” of power. With a 7,600-RPM red line, the engine has room to rev, and power does build over a broad torque range, much like a wave, rather than coming on in a peaky rush. Besides, it sounds great.
In the automatic, first, second and third gears are set for performance, while fourth and fifth are set to cruise at lower revs for optimum fuel economy. There are manual magnesium paddle switches on the steering wheel for those who want to shift the automatic manually, and a DS mode setting directs the transmission to hold for higher shift points. The automatic also blips the throttle to match revs on downshifts. The close-ratio 6-speed stick is for those who want to extract every bit of performance.
The styling is familiar, but the 2007 model has some unique upgrades. For example, the horizontal blades of the grille are twisted as they reach their outer edges, crafted to simulate the pride of ancient Japanese swordsmen.
The G also has double wishbone suspension, which is both firm and compliant to meet the demands of performance drivers and those who want comfort. A subtle little touch is that the rear suspension allows flexing and altering the angle for a four-wheel active steering response to quick cornering or precision in emergency handling. It’s one of those assets that you might never notice, until you have to swerve to miss a deer that darts out in front of you, when the quick response of the G steering will be appreciated.
After driving the G in Palo Alto, Calif., I was anxious to get one back on Minnesota roads. I didn’t have any snowstorms to confront in the week I drove it, which was too bad, because the model was the G-35X, which has all-wheel drive. That gives the G a total of five different models — the G35, G35 Journey, G35X AWD, G35 Sport, and the G35 Sport 6MT. In a clever move, you can choose any model and add the sport package as a stand-alone feature.
My G35X had the Sport package, so it handled superbly, even if I didn’t get the foul weather that would have let it shine even more brightly. At a sticker price of about $37,000, the Infiniti G fits right in with its target segment. Whether you call it mid-luxury, sport-luxury, or entry-luxury, it may be the most impressive batch of cars in the industry, and the G35X expands the by one more impressive entry.
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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