The most disappointing thing about the G35 Sedan is fuel economy it had during my driving of it: just 19.1 mpg in a combination of city and highway driving; barely above its 19 mpg city rating, and nowhere near its 26 mpg highway rating. Given more time, it would have been possible to improve this number, especially as the weather warmed.

One reason for the comparatively poor mileage was the attention the G35 Sedan garnered from other drivers. Lexus IS 300 tried to ignore it. Most BMW 3 Series drivers looked on with disdain. Cadillac CTS drivers kept looking at the nose, wondering why the Infiniti looked so familiar. But the most interesting drivers were piloting Lincoln LS sedans, especially the sportier LSE model.

It wasn’t at all unusual for these guys – and they were all guys – to come rushing up on the G35 from nowhere, as though they wanted to pick a fight. It got to the point where any sudden movement in the rearview mirror would automatically be classified as a Lincoln LS. And, nine times out of ten, the classification was correct. The moves were unmistakable, a classic defensive posture synonymous with protecting one’s turf. Why these folks were so interested is hard to discern, though most of the encounters happened near Northville, Michigan, a bedroom community for Ford middle managers.

It may even be the reason the fuel economy was so low. After all, these guys wanted to play, and it was only too easy to oblige them. Nothing dangerous or illegal, mind you. Just a slow entry onto the nearest freeway entrance ramp, followed by a rapid acceleration that left them behind. The G35 had no problem handling the cornering speed, or slipping quietly into traffic. And the bully boys in their Lincolns never recovered.

The $36,270 G35 driven carries a lot of optional equipment (Premium, Sport and Winter packages, power glass sunroof, xenon HID headlights, and a navigation system), but retains it sporty edge. The 260-hp V6 provides more than adequate power, and the chassis is nicely balanced. In fact, during a late snow and ice storm it proved to be very controllable, even if its traction limits were below the front-drive cars and four-wheel-drive SUVs crowding its back bumper. As long as you don’t do anything silly, this car can handle the occasional bad weather.

My biggest complaints with the G35 Sedan have to do with the interior. The sunroof takes too much headroom, and its leading edge felt like it was even with my forehead. Never a fan of Nissan’s insistence on amber instrument lighting, I found the color used on the G35 to be cheap looking. And the navigation system, like most every other one I’ve ever used, is not a paragon of ease or intuitive adjustment. The upside is that deleting the sunroof and navigation system takes $3,000 off the list price, and makes the car a bit lighter. You just have to know that the Lincoln boys won’t like that.