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Comments
My experience with my G20 - now nearly 11 years on the road with 160,000 km - has been outstanding. It has defined dependablity and reliablity. I have every expectation that the G35 will be as good a car except it will be a real blast to drive. Cheers.
He's the only one w/cloth so far AFAIK.
300M on the other hand has the AutoStick that is quite nice. But it upshifts by itself when at redline.
What ultimately drove me to "upgrade" last week was the failure of the clutch in my much loved, "screaming red with spoiler" 99 G20t. The car had only 52K miles on it (premature failure?), but rather than risk driving an aging car that was soon to be out of warranty, I bit the bullet and went for an "Emerald Mist" G35 with the full premium treatment (only thing missing is the nav system).
At first, the car scared the hell out of me. So much power! So much torque! Yet no torque-steer! After years of aggressive FWD driving, that RWD sensation takes a bit of getting used to. However, several days - and about 500 break-in miles later - I'm beginning to become more confident behind the G35 wheels.
Several runs up and down my favorite twisty (Highland Road between Tassajara and Livermore valleys, CA) and I'm starting to see why RWD is so much more respected in performance circles. The car really dives into the front edge of the curves and recovers in a more neutral fashion as I exit each twist and undulation.
Bottom Line: I feel more confident pushing this car to its limits, which is probably a bad thing since it'll make my driving even more aggressive than it already is. Hopefully, the understated lines and passive color of my new car will help to offset my lead foot and keep the CHP at bay.
One thing's for certain: I'll never go back to an underpowered FWD platform again.
RCK
P.S. - For those who find this stuff interesting, I'm pulling low 6's in the 0-60 sprint and last night hit 120MPH on a steep incline (uphill) before chickening out (too many tickets). Car was rock stable in each case.
gandhim3 - I agree that the Gloria isn't much to look at. Reminds me a bit of the Mazda sedans (929 and Millenia) and the Q45. The styling does bore me. However, the features are really cool. While I couldn't read the Japanese, just browsing through the pages showed the CVT, what looks like a brake and engine assisted distance system for highway driving (set the cruise and the car applies the brakes or gas to keep the distance via some type of radar), etc.
a3a12498 - Just as an FYI, the (hand) car washes come as part of the loaner car service, the dealer has to give that to you anyway, so the effective value is lower. Personally, I don't know why Infiniti doesn't just throw in the oil changes during the warranty period as it would reduce their warranty costs and increase perceived value at a low cost to them.
carnaught - Hey, do you want to adopt another son?
rck01ca - You make a good point about the FWD vehicles. They CAN handle well. Most people who criticize the handling of FWD vehicles (FWD or RWD drivers) have never raced them. FWD vehicles require a different approach to corners, etc. and once that has been mastered are quite good. Given that, the G35 does handle SO well!
Scott
Man, 3,330,000 Yen is about $25,000 for the topend model.
That right-hand drive thing might take some time getting used to, too....LOL
Regards,
DL
Has anyone considered, or looked into replacing the auxiliary/driving lights with something along the lines of PIAA superwhites? or even just the XV type halogens? (about 20% brighter)
The Xenons do a fantastic job already, and with the stock driving lights on it gets significantly better, but I've always been into maximizing the night time illumination
Another question is; Does everyone just turn their Xenon's onto the "Auto" setting at night? and not flip past the auto and over to the "Headlights On" setting? I have read quite a bit about Xenon bulbs, and HID lights in general, and everyone to a man/woman has stated that what kills HID lights is not the on-time, vibration, or shock, but the frequency of turning them on and off... Particularly if you turn them on then off then on again in a very short period of time (flicking them like high beams) My point is that when you want to switch your Xenon's on in the G35 you have to turn the stem switch past the auto detent and thru an off detent and then to the "headlights-on/daytime" setting and that flicks them on and off rapidly as you pass the middle "off" detent...
Just a minor quibble, and I guess I should just leave the things on "auto" all the time, but I pass through tunnels and things I have just gotten used to twisting the light switch all the way to the stop (old habit from old car) and that "flicks" the xenons... Guess I have to just adapt...
Thanks in advance!
Faenor/Dane4
This is good news, though. It just shows how Nissan is dedicated in making the G35 successful.
pros to buying a bmw: inline 6 engine, great handling, bmw name, free maintenance.
con: I will become a bmw prick.
the situation is: early on Monday, I'm not really ready for work, I go out start my car, and forget something inside after I've already locked all the doors. I have a detachable keychain, so I can pop-off my house key and keyless entry remote. So, I can hop out of my car, lock the doors with it still running and go inside. Only problem has been that Nissan doesn't, or didn't, allow this.
It's not really a big deal, just trying to follow the owner's manual and not start and stop the car frequently, or take a lot of short trips.
Thanks,
Scott
Things BMW has that I wish the G had:
I like the remotes being linked to memory also and wish the G had that (along with memory mirrors). On one hand I wish the G35 had wider tires in their sport package (I probably would have waited for that) but that wish would probably change when I had to replace them.. Heated outside mirrors would be nice but not essential for me as I garage my vehicles. I am not sure 15K oil changes is a plus or not, only time would tell.
Things the BMW has that I am GLAD the G doesn't:
Recall for electric cooling fan control module (burned up many engines). Recall for potential front suspension failur. Many rattles and sqeeks(check out BMW330ci.com).
Now to compare a $36K G35 you have to add Nav to your 330i which seems to push it closer to $43-44K and that makes it more like $7-8K than $4-5K.
I never said that BMW was not a real good choice. Just for me the combination of the dealer, the value, and the reliability tilted the scales to Infiniti. Heck the guy trying to sell me a BMW actually sold me my wife's I30 when he worked at the Infiniti dealership.
As I have said many times, if the stuff the BMW has is worth the extra money and you feel comfortable with the reliability of the vehicle, GREAT. Go buy it (if you haven't already). Then go discuss the reasons you did so with the folks who did the same on the BMW forums. If you are still trying to make up your mind then great let's discuss the pros and the cons.
Your posts seem to be somewhat bent towards the pros of the BMW and the cons of the G35. If that is your thought process then haven't you already made up your mind??
Mike
As you can see, Skyline in Japan has many more choices of engines (3.5l, 3.0l and 2.5l). The 350GT-8 has a price tag of 3.66 million yen, which is around $27,500. This sounds about right for the base price of G35. By the way, the price is next to the picture of the car; go check it for yourself.
Averaged 22.4 mpg. Not bad.
And the car performed beautifully. Really hugs the road.
The rpm's at 80 are about 2800. When I rode in the Dallas show car, I reported that the rpm at 80 was 2500. Don't know what the discrepancy was. May not have been calibrated correctly. There were lots of things in that car that didn't work - steering wheel controls, etc. I remember there was some fear in those early posts that rpms might be above 3000 at 80.
http://www.auto.com/reviews/bmw23_20020323.htm
What the heck is BMW thinking?! IMHO, a performance driven company should be focusing on the interface between the driver and the road, NOT the interface between the driver and his radio!
I really want BMW to succeed. They are the trail blazer that created and refined the Sports-Luxury segment. But they may be sharply veering off from that path. I expect something like this coming out of Benz, but BMW?
Just my opinion.
-juice
What kind of price did you negotiate?
I'm still cracking up about "parking brake-The concept".
Go HOOSIERS!!!
Go Jayhawks...!!!!!!!
My main concern were the paint jobs on the G35s that I saw. Worst orange peel, hell, you might as well call it grapefruit effect I have ever seen. And "ever" is a very strong word. I was simply shocked - words cannot describe it. Looked like they loaded up a spray can and let it rip. If I were buying this vehicle, I simply would not accept it. No way. Have any other owners seen similar or was this just a bad batch?
I do like the looks of the car... even more than my new G35.... but just a little.
So a female friend asked me if I had named my car yet. Uh, noooo. Seems kinda silly to me.
What are you referring to? I am no expert on paint, but I have no idea what you are talking about. Orange peel? Are you talking about the orange-glow of the intruments?
Hehe
on another note...i talked to a different dealer out in the pacific northwest and he told me the new car that will be announced this week will be a 340HP, V8, mini Q45...it will go after the BMW 5 series and the likes....he also told me some dealers are marking the car up over MSRP...has anyone seen this anywhere...???...
Yeah, this doesn't sound like an "advancement" at all... if they want to impress me, make EVERYTHING voice activated. That would be cool, albeit a bit silly. Give me good ol' buttons and knobs anyday... If they really do roll this into all the cars, then I think many people will start looking for other choices other than the 3 series at that point (read: G35 and others). I just don't know what the engineers at BMW are thinking...
And to get on topic of the G35 - Check out the buttons for climate control and audio on the g35. Nicely arranged, good size for clumsy fingers, different tactile patterns so you can feel the right button without looking. Never even had to refer to the owner's manual - which I'm still waiting for.
HOOSIERS have a better chance then your JAYHAWKS! Because your JHawks have to play my TERRAPINS! Can you say dog walk to the finals for MD!
Finally got the wife in for a test drive...Can you say done deal! She's hooked! Bad part, is now she is going to give me a hard time about who the primary driver is. :-)
Did you see it on all the G35s, or just a few. Could have been a bad batch.
And 7 series owners are exactly the type of clientele that use valet parking.
BTW, I did that for a few years back in college. Met a few celebrities, too.
-juice
As for the iDrive, imagine one year from now, the 7 series will probably have major recalls on their electrical system. I can see it coming!
Believe it or not, there is a "special instruction" sheet in the glove box to educate the valet driver on how to drive the new 7.
LOL!
I like feeling familiar as soon as I sit down, knowing more or less where everything is. This kind of consistency is usually the case for most Japanese makes like Infiniti.
-juice
The more I think about it, many of 'features' that we comment/complain about the G35 not having are just other things to break/fail on the vehicle. Maybe one of the reasons Infiniti is topping the reliability lists from J.D. Powers and CU is they have fewer 'bells and whistles' to break and send the owner back to the dealership for...
Just another perspective.