The G35 has much less weight to lug around than the JX. Plus the transmission on the JX isn't designed to be very quick off the line.I expected a lot more wind noise, but what I did hear at very high speeds >85 mph was a little from around the side mirrors. It was much less than I had heard from our previous Acura MDX and also less than what I hear in my G35 sedan at the same speeds.
The low end acceleration was the main thing thing that was lacking, but I am used to driving my G35. The JX is my wife's daily car. I know that Infiniti wasn't striving for 0-60 performance in this vehicle, like they do in some of their other cars, so I can understand the use of CVT for improved gas mileage. Overall, I am very pleased with the CVT performance, especially at the top end when I would go from 75 up to 95 to pass another vehicle on the open freeway.
Another point that I failed to mention initially is the use of manual shifting mode in the JX. I initially thought what the point of this in a CVT with no defined gears. I realized that it proved to be useful for engine breaking on extended downslopes. On I-5 north of the LA basin is a mountainous region to ascend and descend. On my drive down there, the descent is 6% for about 10 miles or more. I was able to use the manual shift modes to maintain a good constant speed without having to use the brakes too much. It pretty much worked like engine breaking in normal automatic transmissions.
I leased my JX at Infiniti of Oakland, but I would recommend going elsewhere. I would check out SF and Niello. I posted my experience in another thread. I was able to get a decent deal of $2000 off MSRP and that was 2 weeks after it came out when it was still pretty hot. You should be able to get an even better deal now if you buy off the lots.Did you purchase the JX in the bay area? If so, which dealership did you buy from and what kind of deal did they offer? thx!
I know I would have over 20 MPG on the highway if my right foot was not so heavy. Even on cruise, my right thumb keeps push the ACCEL button involuntarily!I averaged 60-65 on the highway and am averaging 22.3 MPG with AWD, regular gas.
I'm trying to figure out if the wind noise I'm hearing is just normal. The JX is significantly quieter than my other cars, but I do hear wind noise when driving at highway speeds. It sounds like it's coming from around the side mirrors and sounds like when a gust of wind hits my other cars on a windy day (which is when wind noise rises above all the other road noise I have in those cars). I was at the dealership for something else and they checked to make sure the roof cap rail piece wasn't loose (TSB). I didn't have time for a road test, but I will get them to check it out next time I'm there...I expected a lot more wind noise, but what I did hear at very high speeds >85 mph was a little from around the side mirrors. It was much less than I had heard from our previous Acura MDX and also less than what I hear in my G35 sedan at the same speeds.
