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Comments
Geez. What's important to you? Make up your mind - if you need back seat room and find the coupe's inadequate, then buy the G35 sedan or cross shop another vehicle. IF back seat room ain't that important to you, then the coupe's rear seat shouldn't be an issue for YOU. But don't make "troll-like" comments about how much you hate the coupe's lack of rear seat room when in reality you already proved to us that a back seat doesn't matter to you since you are thinking of buying a Z, with NO rear seat at all, instead.
For GP's, you'll have problems with your 6'1" frame in a good number of the sedans' rear seats.
And BTW, the 350Z's interior is NOT as well constructed or luxurious as the G35 coupe. In fact it has more "plastic". In the Z's defense it is not classified as a "luxury sport" as the G35 - just "sporty". It fits that bill quite nicely.
Cheers!
Mark
June '03 - G35 Coupe for me.
#296 asked how was the room in the back seat... no answers from the board until #301... read it again and you'll see no hatred or judgement, it was asked and answered -- even qualified with his height. His negative comments were on "interior" inferring the quality was suspect... back seat room was not presented as an obstacle... hence the Z as an option since it might be had for less $$$ and not have an expectation of high-grade interior quality that a brand competing with Lexus BMW Audi Volvo should have..
All perfectly reasonable.
A "Coupe" is a small car in which drivers feel just as at home.
While it is possible to feel "Cooped up" in a coupe, odds are it is in the back seat where people of 6'1" stature may cry "foul", or even begin to smell the same, but cannot become "fowl", even if they are chicken**** trolls.
HiC
The back seat means nothing to me. I was asked a question, and I answered it. I have no want for 2 back seats.
Obi
2003 350Z for Me!!!
Sheesh! Can't people take any criticizm on cars they like???
Thanks
Craig
agordon@motorwerks.com
The Z looks like a heck of a neat car, but I've got to have more utility in my everyday driver. So my next car will probably be some kind of sport wagon.
- Mark
These are pretty much the same figures for a 330Ci/MT. So where does the 55 HP and 57 LB/Torque difference went?
For about only 3K $$$ difference in price (with BMW European Delv), cheap looking interior, and an inferior name, I see myself holding on the purchase of G35 coupe until the dust settles. Maybe I should go back to that Bimmer dealer and reconsider my decision...
0-60 6.1
1/4mi 14.6
0-100 14.9
IMO pretty lousy for all that power, I mean look at the numbers for a '99 M3, with "only" 240 HP and goes to 60 in (aprox) 5.5 sec and 1/4mi in low 14s. Numbers don't add up much in Infiniti's line up. Don't get me wrong, I consider this car georgeous and well equiped for the price, and that's why I have posponed my purchase (either 330ci or whatver) until I see more. But still, 280/270 sounds a lot on paper...but where the result?
What's the ratio on the 330ci? It might be lighter and would account for the similar times.
330Ci's I-6 engine outputs more torque at lower RPM because its stroke > bore. With good gearing, it can get from 0-60 pretty fast. Nissan's V6 engine is more squarish in dimension, meaning stroke < bore. It can rev higher but the low-end torque will feel lacking. G35 coupe did beat the 330Ci in 0-100mph. Don't forget the G35 coupe weighs over 3400 lbs, 200lbs more than the 350Z. I believe R&T listed the test weight at 3600 lbs; pretty heavy for a sports car. G35 coupe is a sporty luxury coupe; 350Z is a true sports car. '99 M3 weighs 3100 lbs; big difference.
In that R&T article, G35 coupe got 0.92g for skid pad and 67.7mph for slalom. These phenomenal numbers are better than those of 330Ci.
Weight: 3285 lbs
225hp
1 to 14.6 lbs.
G35 Coupe
Weight: 3435 lbs
280hp
1 to 12.27 lbs.
So, G35 should have more power and should be quicker. But then, these are two different engine layouts, one a V6 (G35) and the other an inline 6. Maybe the inline 6 puts more power to the wheels than the V6. Also, like mentioned above, gearing is also a factor.
I don't know...
We shouldn't worry about a few tenth of a sec difference since most of us can't even get close to these numbers.
Again, 0.92g for skid pad and 67.7mph slalom are outstanding numbers. The handling of G35 coupe is in the realm of true sports cars
1. 2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe 6M/T
2. 2003 Mercury Maurader
3. 2003 Nissan Murano
4. 2003 Audi A4 Avant 5 M/T
5. 2003 Lexus GX 470
6. 2004 Audi A4 Coupe
7. 2003 Nissan 350 Z 6M/T
The rpm at launch effects 0-60 of course, and varies. As does the driver, and the driver's skill. And the number of miles on the car impact not only its gas mileage but its performance time.
Yadda yadda yadda.
Numbers are a good reference point, but not tenths, unless the numbers are head to head. No one will know for sure about the G or the Z until some track experience is in. If you see AutoX people lining up for the car, then you'll know.
Take care.
Joe W.
Thanks in advance! Tom
My point here is that I thought I was going to jump right on it and put an order ASAP, since on paper the G35 looked a LOT better than the 330ci power-wise. Well, I'm not jumping. Both are very goodlooking to my taste. I will wait and test drive both cars hand in hand.
Thank you all.
Good decision - only YOU will know what is BEST for you. And if test driving both will provide you an answer, then that's wise.
For me, I'm decided to go with the G35 manual coupe. Without driving the coupe, since it's not here yet, I expect it to be at least equal or better than the G35 sedan. There is a lot of things I can do with the $5000 I would be saving over choosing the Bimmer.
Good luck!
Cheers!
Mark
June '03 - G35 Coupe for me
I mean there are very few American engines with the specific hp of the 3.5L Nissan and 3.0-3.2L Honda engines.
I think the reason the 330 seems to be offering about the same performance as the G35c has to do with a variety of small factors working together:
1) Gearing - BMW tends to use shorter gearing on all its cars which gives the car better performance at lower speeds by getting the engine at peak HP rpm quicker and allowing it to stay near its power peak a greater amount of time during acceleration runs - this makes a big difference in 0-60 times at the expense of slightly higher fuel consumption and a busier engine at higher speeds.
2) Weight - The G35 is a bit heavier.
3) Marketing bravado - Nissan is using this engine in a wide variety of chassis and horsepower ratings seem to vary awfully widely be solely attributable to engine tuning. I think they're being a bit optimistic in the more-sporty models and a bit pessimistic in the less-sporty models. BMW is usually very conservative in their engine ratings. And keep in mind that Nissan has to put out horsepower numbers before the cars have actually completely full EPA testing. A number of recent cars (Miata and Ford Cobra come to mind) have had the mfgs come back six-months later and admit that the cars do not make near their rated power.
4) Noise in 0-60 performance testing - People who think BMWs are great always quote the quickest 0-60 they can find in the last couple years while we have very limited data on the G35c right now. If you test ten samples of a car at different times, you can easily get 0.5 seconds of variation in 0-60 times due to the myriad of factors involved.
All-in-all, I expect the G35c to be slightly faster than a 330ci, but the advantage isn't going to be very noticeable to the average driver.
The extra power of the G35c wouldn't be much of a factor in my buying decision, but then if I were in the market for one of these, I'd get a 325ci, save another $5K and enjoy revving that smooth inline-six another 1K rpm higher. Unless you are trying to make the car go absolutely as fast as it will go, you can get 330 preformance out of a 325 just by moving your shift-points up 1K rpm. To me, that's more fun anyway. IMHO, US drivers are really hung up on peak power. Even cars like the Mazda Miata and Protege with 135-odd-hp are very entertaining to drive quickly in the curves.
- Mark
I am just going to buy a G35 Coupe to spite and ruin the inchoate reputation of Nissan. Here is my Trojan Horse plan. Find people that look like they are leaning toward buying a G35. Step 2- roar up in the coupe and then get out and say loudly "This car sucks- I should have bought a BMW." I will have to buy several coupes because I live in a small town and people will catch on with he same color.
dixiedog
Thanks for the grins.
Joe W.
slalom: 67.7mph
Turn to pages 172 & 173 of R&T's November issue and confirm that these numbers are even better than those of 911 Carrera. Amazing!
- Mark
Michelin Pilot Sport
225/45R-18 front
245/45R-18 rear
Skidpad: 0.92g
Slalom: 67.7mph
Balance: mild understeer
curb weight: 3435 lb
test weight: 3600 lb
0-60mph: 6.1s
0-100mph: 14.9s
1/4 mile: 14.6 @ 98.6mph
stop from 60: 117ft
stop from 80: 205ft
fuel economy: 20.0mpg
engine rpm at 60mph: 2100