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Comments
Value at a luxury dealer... now there's an oxymoron.
There is a willing engine in the Sentra spec V, and this motor dropped onto the taut suspension of the existing G20 (lets call it the G25 now) would make for a really nice mid-$20s model for buyers who would rather buy a little less car - for $7-9K less then the G35. Which by the way, would run on 87 octane.
I think they are missing an opportunity to capture sales where only Acura competes with the RSX Compact Hatchback, which only has two doors.
I test drove one yesterday and what impressed me was how this vehicle changes lanes
........ like a slot-car hooked to a track ;-) Excellent steering feel.
I also liked the power ( who woud'nt ) and the ride quality which was well controlled
and was able to absorb road bumps without being harsh. I'm really looking forward
to the coupe. I think the coupe is one of the best looking cars Nissan/Infiniti has
ever come out with. imho.
I put it to tape and will know if the episode of the g35 aired this morning when I get home this afternoon. My PBS station will air it this weekend I saw it previewed at the end of last week's show, they showed it in red (in the preview).
rshaw11: My wife has an 2002 Acura TL-s and I have the 2003 G35. I just got my 6-month payment statement from GEICO and I am paying about the same for each car around $580.00 each. I know the total is under $1,200.00 and when I looked at the columns the difference was only a few dollars between each car. Hope this helps.
$409 which sounds about right.
dikran. I think the difference between your number and the leaseguide number is because the residual is computed based on MRSP and not on the cap cost.
I'm still looking around for a decent lease deal on the G. Updates with lease quotes would be very welcome.
TIA
Has anyone had the nerve to try plain unleaded gas instead of premium? Results? Some 'friends' think I should try but I love my new G way too much to do it first. And I don't want to lose any power.
Competition is good for all consumers. I'm sure bmw is not going to stand still in this market. And meanwhile, bmw fans can buy their blue and white propellers at a discount. See, G35 is good even for the bmw faithfuls. Only bmw dealerships and their sales staff would have a reason to be hateful of the new G.
Am I leaving anything important out? This is quite a new car and I think it's really setting a new direction (if it catches on in the market. Where I live you go weeks without seeing an Infiniti of any sort or age). Certainly its appeal is subjective and individual, as is all appeal, but the product certainly fits a design niche. I wish a Nissan person who worked on the project was a poster on the board!
Take care.
Joe W.
2. Motorweek? One cheer. They tend to praise virtually every car. Their criticisms are always mild and marginal. I wouldn't base any car-buying decision on their reviews. Their repair guy is usually trying to sell some product.
3. Insurance. I phoned my insurance company for an estimate on the G35, and it ran slightly below the TL-S, but HIGHER than the BMW 525. Go figure.
Insurance: the 525 isn't perceived as a "sports" vehicle as much as the "G." The marketing, for example .....
Have a good weekend!
Joe W.
For 6 months I am paying $594.00 for the 2003 G35 & $552.30 for the 2002 Acura TL-S. So like I said before not much of a difference at all.
Right now I am seeing a show called Voyages on the History International channel and it's about the history of the Nissan Z. Very cool show. They are repeating it at 4 or 5 am for those interested.
I don't think you can really call this car a rebadged Nissan, unless differences like rear wheel drive vs front wheel drive and completely different suspension systems are small things to you...
30 thousand "anything" is not cheap by anyone's standard, but what you are comparing here is not an "amount" of money, but what you would spend to get the G35 performance numbers if no G35's existed... In which case you would be spending much more to get the same performance level (with perhaps lesser reliability), or the same amount to get less.
I wrote a check for over 30 grand to get mine, and if anyone said it was "cheap" I would slap them, but if they said "great performance + reliability for that price" I would say... in your vernacular "Flippin'ay"
Faenor/Dane4
We gonna have to put up a password protection for this g35 forum :P
Seriously though, we have appropriate forum set up for that, it 's call BMW3 series vs G35. Both sides can sling all the mud we want in that forum.
As I've notice, it's been over 3 days since my last post in that sedan vs sedan forum and no one has care to challenge or respond to it. If BMW owners want to reconvene that discussion in that forum, I will be happy to meet them there.
Please, let us all enjoy our cars regardless of what it is and respect each other's forum
Thanks,
Tony
I have yet to test drive the G35 - since I am waiting for the manual version to come out, I see no point in going to an Infiniti dealership and have a salesman pester me over the next year.
Here are my (very) subjective impressions on the G35. They had three of them there - a White loaded, a silver with sports suspension package, and a red leather model with sunroof only.
INTERIOR -
Some have said it feels cheap. About the only thing I thought felt cheap was the titanium center console on the sport model - too plasticly and I am sure it will scratch very easily (already saw some scratches). Other then that, I honestly felt there was no difference in the interior quality between a BMW 3er and an Audi A4.
If you want really split hairs, then Audi comes in at one, BMW at two, and the G35 at three. If it were not for the titanium console on the sports package, I would have rated the G35 at the same level as the BMW, but both one SMALL notch below the Audi A4 - but not by mcuh for either two compared to the Audi. Oh yeah - the Lexus IS300 interior felt worse in quality then my current Camry - LOL! No comparision there.
But the one area where the G35 wins hand down would have to be the steering wheel. It is thick, small in diameter - almost like those aftermarket MOMO wheels. Just damn perfect IMO. And I absolutely loved the steering wheel controls - something that was not there on the Audi or the Lexus. And those controls feel very intuitive!
The DVD navigation system - played around with it, liked it a lot, but not worth $2K. I do just fine with a $5 paper map, thank you.
EXTRIOR -
This is subjective in terms of design, but I would rate the Audi and the G35 at about equal, followed by the 3er, and last the IS300. Probably because the Audi and the G35 are the newest designs. The 3er IMO is beginning to show its age in its design, even with the recent refresh. The IS300 just looks too generic - no personality.
In fit and finish, they were all very good. Gaps and panel alignment were consistent across all four cars.
As for the complaints for the supposedly ugly rear end, I thought the G35 looks beautiful in the back. Especially loved how those red LEDs light up!
Under the hood (no problems with the prop-rod, btw), I did not have much trouble taking out the oil dipstick, or putting it back in. Tried a couple of times as well, no problems. The hardest part was the opening for the dipstick was little low and hard to see.
DEAL BREAKER -
For me, it would have to be that "bulge" that is in the transmission tunnel on the drivers side. Honestly - with electronic throttle control, they could have put the accelerator any where they wanted, so why put them all the way in the corner where it is hard to reach with that bulge getting in the way? A major ergonomic faux pas in an otherwise impeccable interior (in terms of ergonomics).
OTHER INFO -
Here are some tid bits I picked up talking to those Infiniti reps. First, Infiniti is considering bringing in AWD for the G35. It is not finalized, so who knows. Second, they do not know when the manual will be coming on the sedan (damn!), but it is scheduled to come in. As for a LSD, it has apparently not been decided yet for the sedan. Curiously, I spoke with two Infiniti guys and two Infiniti gals. Both guys understood the merits of LSD and why it should be included in a performance sports car. Both the ladies gave a similar line that since the G35 has sophisticated stability programs, there is no need for a LSD. Go figure.
(honest Sheriff PAT, I am not making a sexual sterotype - it's the truth. Please don't censor me!)
Another thing mentioned was that Infiniti is considering NOT bringing over a manual for the sedan - the sales volumes would not justify the cost of bringing them over. As always, take it with a big boulder of salt until the actual product is released (or not).
I have yet to drive the G35 or the Audi. I have driven the 3er, and am not plannning the drive the IS300 - not for me at all. So my impressions are simply whats on the "surface." The actual drive may give a completely different impression. Although, with 260 hp and a manual transmission hopefully), I already know where I will be leaning. But again, if during the drive I feel uncomfortable due to that transmission tunnel bulge, then I will not be buying the G35. It will be the deal breaker for me.
Interestingly enough, when I was there - a lot of young people (teens, 20s, 30s) were hovering around all these cars, but the group around the Cadillac CTS was distinctly older. I know some of the buyers for the G35 on this board are a little older then me (I am 25), but it just goes to show that no matter what Cadillac does it will still be percieved as your grandpa's Cadillac for the near term future at least.
Nice comments. Interestingly, when I read your comment about the transmission bulge I was puzzled because I didn't remember seeing this. So........I went down to the garage and sat in my G and sure enough, there was the bulge. For me, anyway, it doesn't touch my leg or have any effect. I guess if you're really heavy your thighs might force your legs out into the bulge and that would be uncomfortable. But I figure that anyone that is heavy will have a problem with the seat controls 'cause of their butt so they won't buy the car. A final note. On other G forums nobody has raised the "bulge" as a showstopper so I think that you don't need to worry about it.
Finally, do yourself a favor and go drive it. They won't pester you too much because they're too busy selling 'em. If they do tell them you bought a BMW or something to get them off of you.
You're denying yourself a real thrill and a lot of nice anticipation by not experiencing this awesome car.
I did think the brakes grabbed a little much, but by the end of the test drive, I was used to it, so it's not really that bad. I found the cabin to be really quiet at highway speeds, there was a slight hum -- but I couldn't tell if it was because of the tires or the road surface. I've noticed vast differences in my current car depending on which part of town I'm in. The cars on the dealer lot seemed to alternate back and forth between Goodyears and Bridgestones.
The other pedal -- the one on the right -- was very responsive. Okay, I know it was the engine, but it was enjoyable. I tried a couple of quick passes on the highway, accelerating from 50 or 60 up to 70 or 80. I didn't push it too hard and there seemed to be more than enough power in reserve. I also tried a couple of streets with speed limits of 30, 35 and 40. I didn't have any problems lunges or keeping the car stable. I did notice the RPMs were back and forth between 800/1k up to about 2.5k, but if I hadn't been watching for it, I doubt I would have noticed because the cabin is so quiet at those speeds. I also was "on the gas" pretty good through one spot were recent rains had caused a runoff. I just happened to notice the "slip" indicator, but didn't have any feedback that anything extraordinary was going on. I haven't decided if that's good or bad. No one else in the car knew I lost traction though, so it was very subtle.
Likewise, I had no problem with the steering. It was very crisp. After hearing how it might be sensitive like the brakes, I was surprised when it seemed less crisp than my current car. I did think the turn signal switch was shaped goofy. And I thought that finding the desired headlight settings wasn't very intuitive. I was very slightly disappointed that you can't use the fog lights -- in foggy conditions -- without the headlights being on also. At least, that was the conclusion we came to in the daytime, looking at the reflection from a pickup's backend. If that's really the case, I wonder how bad it would be in truly foggy conditions with the Xenons.
As I looked closer, there were just a few other things I thought I'd mention. Maybe it's just me, but I got the oddest feeling driving down the highway that I was in my mom's Voyager minivan. It was okay, because I was noticing how much better visibility I had and how high I seemed to be sitting, but it just felt odd. For reference, I have a '96 300ZX -- so, I sit pretty low, and the tires (and gobs of road noise) are only 6 inches behind me. I just felt it was closer to her car than mine since I wasn't so low, and was missing one of my pedals. The other thing is the footwell in rear. I also used to have a '97 Grand Prix, and I'd usually put my laptop in the floor of the backseat so it wouldn't slide around. It might fit upright in the G35, but it won't lay flat.
Another thing I wanted to check was the recirculating air setting on the auto climate control. My Z always has it turned off when I start the car, so I always hit that button first thing. The G35 didn't have a pattern I could determine. When we first got in, the recirculation was selected. After the test drive, we turned off the car, and right back on, the setting was gone. We set it, turned off, back on -- this time it stuck. We tried several different combinations of auto and manual settings and I couldn't tell for sure what it was going to do.
Overall, I was very happy with the G35. I can see why you owners have perpetual grins. I'll probably have to go back for another test drive at night to see about those guages and headlights. But to get all the options I wanted, I'm in the price range of the Passat W8 unless some of the dealers will honor the VPP program. None of the 3 around here seem willing even though they have 40-50 G35s on the lot each. I guess if MSRP is the measure of all things to them, I'll hold onto my MSRP$40k Nissan until I find the best combination of car and deal. It makes me wonder why they bother calling themselves "dealers" if they won't deal -- maybe they should just be called Infiniti middle-men. Or middle-persons, sorry Pat, I don't want to offend anyone.
Scott
Actually, I have never been accused of being heavy. I am 5'6", 135 lbs. Not heavy.
But my arms and legs are considerably longer in proportion to the rest of my body - may be that has something to do with it? My thigh does not touch the bulge - but my calf does. I don't know.
I also thought that the accelerator pedal was way too close to the center of the of the car - almost as if someone scooped out that area just so they could awkwardly place a throttle over there.
I would not mind it too much, except that I plan to get a manual version of the car, and throttle placement is paramount for proper heel-n-toe.
Like maxcat1, I just had to go out to the garage to sit in my G to see what might be the problem with "the bulge". Honestly, I have 1200 miles on the car and couldn't have told you it had one. I'm 6 foot, 200 lbs, by the way.
As far as ride height, I did have a problem getting used to that. My last car was a Probe GT, which sat quite low to the ground. It took me a couple of weeks to get used to riding higher, now I don't notice it and the G feels perfect. Ditto the ride stiffness. I liked the stiff ride of my Probe, which was pretty extreme, and thought that I had made a mistake not getting the Sport suspension. Now I really appreciate the compliant, well damped ride of the G, which I find to be a good mix between ride and handling.
Some people on other boards have said that the lack of mirror adjustment in the seat memory settings was a deal breaker, others that the Infiniti rectangle on the trunk lid killed it for them, and still others that hate the metal finish of the steering wheel controls.
I guess what I take away from all of this is that you certainly get used to a lot of small differences over a short period of time, but that a deal breaker is a very personal thing. My advice would be, if you think something is a deal breaker, give it a second or third look before you write off the car. Its too good a car to pass up over a first take impression. And that rush of acceleration can wipe out a lot of objections, I found.
And oh yeah they never mentioned "the bulge" that I mentioned on here months ago after sitting in the prototype. Only difference I see is the prototype bulge was not padded as the production model is. Have you noticed how cushy it is now compared to then?
Nice. My only problems are what color, and do I need the sport suspension.
I have always driven Nissan Z's(5 models) and 2 Maxima SE's, and like a firm suspension.
I found the description from Car and Driver about the lateral wobble when starting a lane change to be true, and am curious if the sport suspension would make a difference.
Any recommendations?
On the sport suspension, be sure to drive them both, if you can. It seems to be a personal preference thing. Some have found the sport suspension too harsh. I drove both my own standard suspension G35 and a Sport model over the same routes and didn't feel much difference. I came away happy with my own choice. I like the graphite/wood combo and you can't get the wood with the Sport, though you can have the dealer swap it or change it after purchase. You get the "titanium" center console, which I think looks like silver painted plastic and I think it will look crappy over time. However, the Sport wheels look better to me than the other 17" wheels that come on the Luxury models. Its all personal choice. I think that the standard suspension is a nice combination of good handling and ride.
Also, consider the Nav system. I'm a little unhappy that I didn't look more closely at the Nav. Its very cool, the way it pops up out of the center dash and tilts. I also love features like average mpg, miles til empty, estimated arrival time, etc, which some cars have standard on a trip computer, even though I rarely drive places that I need navigation. In the G35, these features are available in the Nav screen. Also, most people find the Infiniti clock hard to read, especially at night. The Nav has a digital clock in the screen.
Of course, colors are a very personal choice. Just try to see them all before you decide. Some people who don't like green just love the green on the G. I bought the Twilight Blue when I saw it along side all of the other colors.
Look back through previous pages on this forum for lots of opinions on the things you are thinking about. Also try freshalloy.com. They have a very active G35 forum.
Good luck and enjoy your search.
0-60: 6.2 sec
60-0: 115 feet
1/4 mile: 14.8 sec at 95 MPH
They stated peak power at 4800 RPM
The dealer was incorrect. The interest rate is not 2.55. That was the money factor (.00255). the interest rate was about 6%.
Scott
Scott
I think that the wood adds the needed quality feel to the interior. My wife says she loves the feel of the door handles.
After sitting in the car at the auto show and seeing the cheap titanium console, I am convinced that it needs to be covered with some wood.
Paul red G35
El Cajon, California