Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Most popular vehicles
Popular New Cars
- New Acura MDX
- New Acura RDX
- New Audi Q5
- New BMW 3 Series
- New BMW X3
- New Buick Enclave
- New Cadillac Escalade
- New Chevrolet Equinox
- New Chrysler 300
- New Dodge Challenger
- New Ford Edge
- New Ford Escape
- New Ford Expedition
- New Ford Explorer
- New Ford F-150
- New Ford Focus
- New Ford Mustang
- New Honda Accord
- New Honda Civic
- New Honda CR-V
- New Honda Fit
- New Honda Odyssey
- New Honda Pilot
- New Hyundai Elantra
- New Hyundai Santa Fe
- New Hyundai Sonata
- New Hyundai Tucson
- New Jeep Compass
- New Jeep Grand Cherokee
- New Jeep Wrangler
- New Mazda 3
- New Mazda 6
- New Mazda CX-5
- New Nissan Altima
- New Nissan Maxima
- New Nissan Rogue
- New Porsche Cayenne
- New Ram 1500
- New Subaru Crosstrek
- New Subaru Forester
- New Subaru Impreza
- New Subaru Outback
- New Tesla Model S
- New Tesla Model X
- New Toyota 4Runner
- New Toyota Camry
- New Toyota Corolla
- New Toyota Highlander
- New Toyota Prius
- New Toyota RAV4
- New Toyota Sienna
- New Toyota Tacoma
- New Volkswagen Jetta
- New Volvo XC60
- New Volvo XC90
Popular Used Sedans
- Used BMW 5 Series
- Used Chevrolet Impala
- Used Chevrolet Malibu
- Used Chrysler 200
- Used Dodge Charger
- Used Ford Fusion
- Used Ford Taurus
- Used Honda Accord
- Used Honda Civic
- Used Hyundai Elantra
- Used Hyundai Sonata
- Used Tesla Model S
- Used Toyota Camry
- Used Toyota Corolla
- Used Volkswagen Jetta
Popular Used SUVs
- Used Acura MDX
- Used Acura RDX
- Used Ford Edge
- Used Ford Explorer
- Used Honda CR-V
- Used Honda Pilot
- Used Hyundai Santa Fe
- Used Jeep Compass
- Used Lincoln Navigator
- Used Mazda CX-5
- Used Nissan Rogue
- Used Subaru Crosstrek
- Used Subaru Forester
- Used Tesla Model X
- Used Volvo XC90
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
~alpha
My question is in two parts:
1. anyone actually buy one and take delivery
and if yes, I am interested in your response if you leased.
2. what kind of package did they present you with, term, miles, cap cost, etc?
I'm buying (not leasing), and dealer said not a penny under MSRP.
It is brand new after all . . .
I used to think that way, but have seen way too many (formerly loyal) customers get shafted by the dealer they were allegedly in a relationship with.
More on topic, I am disappointed with the fuel mileage across the entire Nissan/Infiniti line. The G35 and M35 get 25 highway on premium, but the 3 and 5 series get from 27 to 30.
Nothing down, but first month payment and upfront fees total about $1,600.
MSRP $50,280
39 months, Residual 59%, MF .00188
15K miles
A "sign and drive" lease is "0" out of pocket. This means that the 1st month's payment, any bank fees, and tag costs are rolled back into the lease. So one way or another, you are paying the inceptions, whether up front or throughout the lease.
If you order the "Technology Package", you get the 5.1 Bose Surround Sound system which includes a DVD player in the console armrest. YOu can play DVD surround sound audio discs, and believe it or not, you can also play a DVD movie, HOWEVER, you can only see the movie on the NAV screen if the parking brake is applied. Otherwise, you will hear only the audio. Once the parking brake is released, you lose the picture - this is merely a safety feature.
If you order the DVD Entertainment Package with the Technology package, you get a screen for viewing in the rear of the vehicle that will show the video when driving.
When you lease a vehicle, the bank or Infinti Lease Trust "owns" the vehicle, NOT THE DEALERSHIP. To get out of a lease, there are two options:
1. Outright buy the vehicle from the leasing company for the remaining lease payments + residual
2. Make all the remaining lease payments to the bank and turn the car back to them (foolish move if you haven't had the car very long.
I always tell customers that if they are planning to get out of a lease, and there are more than 2 or 3 remaining payments, to stay in the vehicle unless they want to pay for something they are not receiving - no use of a vehicle but still paying for it. I disuade customers from getting out of leases as a dealership unless it is cost advantageous to them.
The major problem you have with leasing a vehicle is that if you take out a 36 month lease, but only keep cars for 24 months, you should not be leasing, but buying, or take out a lease for 24 months only.
It is rare to lease a vehicle and expect to get out of it for nothing - perhaps only on vehicles where the residual on the lease is low, but for some reason, the vehicle increases in resale value prior to the end of the lease. LIKE I SAID, IT IS VERY, VERY RARE THAT THIS HAPPENS.
In this case, the "street price" of a 2003 G35 is well above the lease buyout price. Theoretically I could do the buyout and sale myself, but since I'm not in the car selling business (unlike the dealer) why should I do that myself?
I am happy to report that after some initial hiccups my dealer has come through, and I hope to see the new M35x this week.
P.S. I will be purchasing (not leasing) the new car, which should make you feel better hihomike.
Let me know if I'm off here Mike:
M35x with Premium Package w/Sirrius:
MSRP: $53,710
Invoice: $48,797
Is Infiniti selling these so well that a 10%/$5,000 profit margin is mandatory or something?
Or do you think shopping in CT, NJ, PA, or MA might help???
Any advice, feedback, commentary is greatly appreciated.
Regards,
hpowders
No deal on price: full MSRP. I think my trade-in was valued higher than Kelley, and the last time I tried to sell my trade-in myself was a disaster (used RLs just weren't selling in SoCal that year; it took me 7 mos to get an offer, after dropping the price by a full third; I jumped at the offer).
Now that the fiscal mess is behind me, let me tell you it's quite a car! Went to the Radisson for a birthday dinner last nt and felt like a millionaire (which is inversely proportional to the truth!). When you open the door the word Infiniti lights up on the threshhold to make your entry more visible! And a billion other gadgets.
I took Journey and Tech. I just turned 69 and don't know how many more cars I'm going to be buying, so I pulled out all the stops (well -- I wasn't interested in 8 cylinders, nor DVD watching in the back seat).
Neil from San Diego
First - best of luck - hope the en (joy) ment continues as long as you have it!
I am also looking at the purchase this time around from the standpoint of "how many more cars will I be buying?".
Cheers,
- Ray
VERY interested in 8 cylinders . . .
We already have most of our March allocation "presold", so as you can see, why should a dealership discount a vehicle that is in very, very short supply.
I would suggest that you wait a few months, or take the plunge now.
Leasing is great on the M's. The residuals are between 59 and 64% on a 30-48 month lease, much higher than lexus or acura. So, leasing now would be advantageous, especially when considering the leases would be less than the competition.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
Share your vehicle reviews
I'm really torn between the Audi A6 3.2 and the M35x. I had checked out the BMW 530 (crap interior, slower and more expensive), didn't realy feel anything for the STS, RL, or E-Class and was pretty much set on getting the A6 until I checked out the M35x. Was very impressed with the greater speed and the interior, which imo is even more plush than the Audi.
Aside from being a little loud, the only thing that concerns me with the M35x is the new "intelligent all-wheel-drive". Anything new is bound to need tweeking. What can you tell me about this? Any issues, problems? Existing or foreseeable? For that matter, is there anything that you know of to look out for on the M35x?
Thanks.
Congrats!
Best of luck.
And I would appreciate any additional impressions of the M45 Sport (what I am looking at most seriously) as you build miles of driving experience in it. Real world highway MPG. Etc.
Thanks,
- Ray
Resisting right now - but it may prove ultimately futile . . .
I believe that in their own test Motor Trend (March)also said something similar about the M45 suspension. Don't know whether this just applies to the sport suspension alone or to the standard suspension as well. But avoid surprises after purchase and check it out for yourself.
I have an M45 Sport on order (Umbria Gray/Bourbon/Rosewood with Journey/Tech/Mobile Entertainment), and today I was able to test drive 2 cars.
M35 Non-sport
Journey
Tech
Ivory/Wheat/Rosewood
M45 Sport
Journey
Tech
Umbria Gray/Charcoal/Aluminum
I started with the M45 Sport as that is what I had ordered, and all I can say is I'm glad I waited for this car. It is everything I hoped it would be.
Seating and comfort:
I started with checking out the seating room and adjustments. I'm 6'2" so I was concerned about rear head and legroom. Even though I won't spend much time in the back seat, I insist on buying a car that I can sit comfortably in any seat. The front seat felt like a perfect fit after making all the adjustments. The sport seats wrapped around me like a comfortable glove. A nice feature is the center console armrests can slide forward and back, and in the forward position made my arm feel right at place, although in this position the cup holders are blocked. After getting the front driver seat adjusted, I jumped in the back seat directly behind the driver. I probably had a good 2 inches of legroom to spare. Impressive. You could fit 4 6+ footers in this car comfortably. Head room was just ok in the back. Sitting normally, I could not feel the ceiling on my head or hair, but if I stretched, the top of my head would hit the ceiling. This is about what I expected. It was way better than an Acura RL I sat in, where my head was jammed sideways in the back seat, making it unusable by me. For this class, rear seat accomodations were excellent. I could easily sit in the back of the M on a long trip. The rear seats were very comfortable, although not as comfortable or supportive as the fronts. I really wanted to check out the rear reclining seats that are available if you get the non-sport premium package, but they did not have a car configured that way. Next I moved to the front passenger seat to see what the controls could do. Guess what? 6-way means forward/back, recline up/down, and a sort of tilt + height up/down. At first I assumed it was just tilt because that is how it felt, but at some point it started adjusting height and less tilt. Between the extremes, the seat was clearly about 2 or 3 inches higher. I'm not sure if they consider this height or tilt adjustment, because it definitely affected both. The recline of the passenger seat goes WAY back. You can make the seat almost completely flat. It bottoms out when the back of the front seat hits the top of the back seat. Overall I give the interior seating and comfort an A.
Interior:
I thought both the aluminum and rosewood was attractive. I give the edge to the rosewood, although I could live with either. I felt the wheat interior M35 was too light and too yellow. I had considered switching to this color over the bourbon, but it just seems like it is going to get dirty in a hurry. The charcoal was nice, but not my style. I'm really hoping the bourbon I ordered is the right fit. If not, I'll go with the stone interior which I also have not seen. I really liked the feel of all the controls and materials. Top notch in my opinion. Another A in this category.
Controls:
I didn't get a lot of time to play around, but everything seems really intuitive. I also didn't get time to mess around with the voice command, although my salesperson showed me a few things with it. I can't give a score here because I didn't mess around enough.
Drive:
My first impression as we pulled out of the dealership was the car just goes, and goes easily and unobtrusively. Throttle is easy to regulate for a slow or fast start. The first stop sign showed me how good of feel the brakes have. I didn't brake hard, but I could sense a good amount of feedback. We turned onto a road that is extremely bumpy, although I didn't realize it until later. I was thinking at the time, boy I can really feel the road through the steering. What I didn't realize at the time was the suspension was doing an excellent job of soaking up a terrible road, and the steering was communicating to me in a non-alarmist way that the road was rough. Later when I left the dealership I took my existing car over the same road, and I could not believe it. There were tons of little and big bumps with lots of uneveness, and my car didn't track well over them and gave a very harsh ride. I hadn't noticed any tracking problems or harshness in either the M45 Sport of M35. On that note, the only difference I could tell on this particular stretch of road between the Sport and Non-sport was the communication through the steering wheel. I thought the Sport model would have sacrificed ride comfort somewhat, but it appears it did not. This is not to say the ride was like a Cadillac DeVille, because it was not. I think they chose the right compromise of ride comfort, handling, and road feel. Nice job Infiniti. Next we hit the highway, and on the onramp, I hear a "BEEP". Well apparently I had ridden over the lane marker on the right, and the Land Departure Warning went off on me. This little gadget appears to actually work. It seems to only be activated at a certain speed (maybe 45 or so), so it might actually prove useful. I tested it a few more times and it goes off exactly when the tire hits the stripe. I could not seem to fool it. I went about 1/2 throttle up the onramp, and this car can pick up speed scary fast. On the highway, passing acceleration was so good I was worried I might surprise a driver or two. The transmission just works. I didn't even notice it working. So much so that I forgot to play around with manual mode. Next we hit some curves off the highway. I had a chance to punch it full throttle through 1 nice long curve, and my god this car can grip and stay level. The curve even had a big hump halfway through, and there was no loss of control or feel or change in dynamics. Road noise is not bad in either car. I could not tell a difference between Sport and Non-Sport. I will say the Acura RL is a quieter car than the M, but I think the RL is one of the quietest mid-lux cars out there. The RL has some sort of active noise cancellation, so that is probably the difference. The M is still quiet though. Engine noise was only apparent with foot in the gas. I would actually prefer a little more exhaust note out of the M. Overall score for the drive M45: A++ M35: A
Edit: splitting this into 2 messages b/c it got chopped during posting. See next message for part 2.
The biggest difference between these two to me was the steering feel. The Non-Sport steering was isolating, while the Sport steering was communicative. The ride quality was nearly identical. You sacrifice very little with the Sport. In cornering, the difference was significant. The Sport ride stays very flat, while the non-Sport has a good amount of body roll. I really cannot see a reason to get the non-Sport except to save money or if you happen to like your steering more isolated. Everything else seemed identical. It felt like Cake and Eat it Too territory. I'm glad I'm getting the Sport after my pre-drive doubts.
M45 vs. M35
The torque in the M45 is really nice. Power seems to be there regardless of gear or speed. That said, the M35 engine is strong. In the powerband, you would have a hard time telling the difference in acceleration feel. The V6 is actually louder than the V8, but both engines sound sweet under full load. The V8 has a wonderful snarl. I didn't do any pure 0-whatever full throttle runs out of respect for a new car and my salesperson, but my feel is the M35 in that situation might actually feel faster even though its not. I did get into the throttle a few times (20-60mph or so) to know that the V6 and transmission is brilliant. If I wasn't such a nut for torquey V8s I would go for the M35.
Well that was a lot, but I'm really impressed by the M. My feel is the M35 Sport is the best bang for the buck. I love the V8 though, so I'm going to go for the M45. Now the only problem is waiting for mine. April 4th or earlier I'm told. I wonder if my salesperson would mind if I came by daily for a fix until my car arrives.
My45
If I was in the market for an all wheel drive sedan, my choice would definitly be the M35X.
Good luck
Hey for those of you who care, I just traded a 2005 RL for an M45 Sport. Well I ordered my M45 Sport. They are trying to find one out there with the bodykit. Evidently, Infiniti does it differently than Acura and they don't seem to allow the dealership to install the kit, it's a Port Installed option. Well that is what the dealer thinks, but they are looking into it.
My 2005 RL was a nice car, but it just doesn't have enough power. 300hp is there but you really need to push the engine to get it out of it. 260 Ft lbs of torque simply isn't enough. If Infiniti had come out with the M45 in October, I would have bought it first. I needed to get a car and I thought I would be happy with the RL, but I kept missing the power I had in my 2002 TL Type S that had a Comptech Supercharger in it and made like 340 HP and just over 300 ft lbs of torque. No SC from Comptech for the RL so I traded it away. I was sold after one ride in the M45. I also drove the M35x and was very impressed by that car. It is quicker than the RL eventhough it has 20 less HP. I guess the 10 more lbs of torque make a big difference.
Hopefully, the dealer can find a Diamond Graphite M45 Sport with Graphite Interior and the body kit. Otherwise I guess I go without the kit and do something aftermarket. I'm also getting the Journey sport and Tech options and the Entertainment DVD System for the kids.
I agree with you. While the M45 Sport's suspension is firmer than my 2005 RL, it is not harsh. I only had the test ride, but it was about a 15 mile ride and I traversed RR tracks and several potholes (Pa roads are terrible) and I was very impressed. The RL rides nicer but I wanted a better handling car with more power and I believe the M45 Sport has that in spades over the RL.