The G35 has a lively dual overhead cam, all aluminum, 3.5 liter, 24 valve, V-6 engine delivering a healthy 260 hp and 260 feet pounds of torque. Passing the power to the rear (yes, that’s rear) wheels is a somewhat slow to shift five-speed automatic transmission.

The car was tested on a rainy trip from Carlsbad to Julian on a search for snow, which the accompanying grandchildren assured us would be there. A smooth, unperturbed (except for interjections by the grandchildren) journey was offered by this powerful roadworthy car. It zoomed (sorry, Mazda) through the twisty roads to Ramona, Santa Ysabel and up the mountain to Julian with poise and aplomb.

Forget the track, Nissan’s Infiniti G35 is a pleasure to drive in the city and in the mountains.

After a short speech to the grandchildren about the physics of weather, which delivered no snow, we all had dinner, unsuccessfully looked for sugar-free Julian apple pie, then returned in the rain and the dark. No tension on the way back except for one nervous passenger who felt the car was being driven too fast. This is a test, OK?

The DVD-based navigation system worked fairly well, although on one occasion it informed this tester he had arrived at his destination when the car was still three right turns away. It did, however, have a formidable and accurate inventory of local restaurants, gas stations and hotels.

This car has BMW-like attributes — lots of smooth power, superb brakes, twisty road skills and a somewhat stiff but good ride. On the down side, it does not appear to have that hard-to-define togetherness that BMWs have, where all systems work seamlessly for the driver’s enjoyment. It gets close.

For most drivers it is suggested that the Vehicle Dynamic Control should be left on, but for really aggressive driving, hanging out the rear, etc., turn it off. It interrupts throttle inputs and grabs brakes to make sure you don’t get in trouble, but doesn’t let you do what you might want to. Particularly easy to use are the cruise controls on the face of the steering wheel. Even in traffic you can control this car well.

This car is all engine, incredibly powerful and smooth with a wide torque band. It propels this 3,500-pound car to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds, and a speed governor controls top speed to 145 mph. Not bad for grocery shopping.

The interior is larger than most cars in this class and is pleasantly furnished. The instrumentation is especially attractive and clear. The sideways support provided by the front seats, however, is not quite up to the cornering ability of the car.

A .27 coefficient of drag indicates a clean aerodynamic shape, which should help fuel consumption at highway speeds. EPA fuel consumption estimates are 19 city/26 highway. Testing mostly off the freeway returned 21 mpg.

At $27,800 for the base car with cloth upholstery, and $29,650 with leather, the pricing is pretty aggressive for a luxury car of this ability. Standard equipment includes all the normal stuff you would expect to find on a luxury sports sedan, power everything, four-wheel anti-lock disks, etc. Options include a navigation package with a DVD-based system for $2,000. A premium package with Bose stereo, power passenger seat, seat memory, reclining rear seats, dual zone automatic climate control, auto day/night mirror, moonroof and garage door opener costs $3,200. The moon roof alone is $1,000. A suspension package with sport springs and shock absorbers and alloy wheels is $425. There are other options for aerodynamics, winter and a special interior wood package. A sporty six-speed manual version is available for $29,100.

The warranty is pretty generous at four years or 60,000 miles with a powertrain warranty of six years or 70,000 miles. Knowing Nissan’s design and quality control, I would not expect many problems with this car.

As pleasant and enjoyable as the car was during the testing, it was rated fourth in a Car & Driver comparison test for six cars in the $35,000 price region. It was rated below the BMW 330i, Audi A4 3.0 CVT, and the Acura 3.2TL, and above the Mercedes Benz C320 and the Volkswagen Passat W-8. To be fair to the G35 it is priced below all of the other contestants, in fact some $4,000 to $7,000 below the top rated BMW 330i.

Take a look at this one at Mossy Nissan in Oceanside, Kearny Mesa, Escondido, El Cajon or National City or Pacific Nissan in Pacific Beach.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 55 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at osten@aol.com.