I first set eyes on the G35 Coupe at this year’s New York Auto Show. Aggressive, stylish, purposeful, it copied the hallmarks of the G35 Sedan, yet arranged them in such a way that it left no doubt what this car was about: fast, luxurious, sporting transit. The next time I saw the car was at its launch in San Francisco. Unlike some designs that lose something in the translation from turntable to city street, the G35 Coupe was in its element. The cut-and-thrust of daily driving would not be a bother, for if looks could kill, the majority of the traffic in the vicinity would be seriously wounded.

Despite mild protestations to the contrary, the G35 family shares much of its underpinnings with Nissan’s 350Z, which is built on a shortened version of the G35 Sedan platform. Though they are not the same car – that is, the G35 Coupe isn’t, as the Nissan people are only too ready to point out, a stretched Z though it does draw deeply from the same well – they have very similar personalities, especially in six-speed manual form. Perhaps this is because the manual-equipped G35 gets 18-in. tires, firmer suspension settings, and is aimed at the enthusiast driver. Which is to say, it is a bit firm for pock-marked highways and byways, but it has the capacity to subdue the twistiest road without breaking a sweat. The five-speed automatic model, with its less punishing suspension settings, is nearly as capable and more relaxing to boot. Now, if only Infiniti would see fit to offering the manual gearbox with the automatic’s softer suspension settings….

The powertrain is getting to be common at Nissan/Infiniti, though there is little commonplace about it. The 3.5-liter V6 produces 280 hp in this application – seven short of the 350Z’s rating – copious torque, and does so with a snarl that is subtle but menacing. The automatic has a manual-shift function, but holds the gear until the driver moves up or down the range. This isn’t a lazy man’s manual like so many other “manumatic” transmissions out there, but a tool to choose and hold the right gear for each occasion. So it was easy to select second for a particularly challenging section of road, and hold the gear all the way to redline, shifting up only when the conditions allowed. But a manual it’s not.

That’s because the combination of the gearbox, pedal stroke, and pedal placement in the six-speed version is, in a word, excellent. These parts are taken directly from the 350Z. They exhibit the same fluency, and possess the same slick mechanical feel and heft. Going up, or down, the gearbox creates a direct mechanical connection – or so it feels – between the driver and the car, without the overbearing heaviness or overly light notchiness exhibited in other vehicles. This is an exceptionally tactile gearbox, and one that other automakers would do well to copy.

Where the G35 Coupe falls short, other than the suspension settings on the six-speed, is in the interior. Rear headroom is non-existent for the average-sized adult, though leg room is available in abundance. A few of the materials are sub-par when compared to natural competitors like BMW’s 3 Series Coupe, or the Mercedes CLK. Plus, trunk space is fine if you’re from Hollywood, where most things are broad but exceedingly shallow. (A diagram can be found in the trunk lid showing the proper placement for two golf bags. Follow it to the letter if you wish to have any success. And have your groceries packed in the plastic bags. The taller paper ones won’t fit too well if they’re filled to the top.)

Despite these minor inconveniences, the G35 Coupe is a force to be reckoned with in the Sports GT segment. That’s because it has the looks, equipment, dynamic capabilities, and driver involvement necessary to give an automaker or two in Germany every reason to worry.