Does anyone know if the snow mode should be engaged when the road is wet from rain.The manual isn't clear on this subject. How does the snow mode supplement the traction control?
Snow mode always starts the car in all-wheel drive mode rather than being adaptive. Above a certain speed (I think it is 30mph) it switches back to adaptive. In addition, it decreases the sensitivity of the throttle - it takes more distance to get the same accelleration (or at least on the initial takeup) to help prevent wheelspin.
The forced AWD is simply part of the snow mode, it engages automatically when snow mode is on. The speed is less than 30, though. I think it is 12 (for starting from a stop). When you drop below 12, it will kick in again for acceleration. The throttle reponse is blunted (from gearing) as stated in the other post. Snow mode does not turn itself off on its own.
For wet roads, it will do nothing to prevent hydroplaning.
Well, This past Friday I went to the Auto Show here in New York City and saw probably everything there is to see on the market for this year and next. I am very happy.
While owners of MB's and BMW's and LEXUSs might actually know what I do not, I am so glad that I paid $50k for my M35x and saved big time on electronic features, hardware, and interior/exterior styling and equipment. Indeed, many purchasers of BMW and MB's get the goodies but are paying another $30k - $100k for the same trimmings. When I came upon the M at the show, my son actually got a bit dissapointed that I was getting so excited over my own car. (!)
About the only thing I wish that Infiniti would do for us is to put AWD into the M45 V8.
I want to thank everyone on this board for all the useful information that has gone into the posts here. I've made the plunge and will be picking up a M35 (Journey + Tech) this week.
I've agonized for months over the Acura and the M. Being a current Acura owner, it was a bit tough to leave the brand but I couldn't get past one important factor - the all encompassing go to have it connection you should feel at these price points. The only thing I had to get over in the M were the tail lights but as someone so eloquently put it - " when you are in the car, you can't see them."
To be fair, other forums have been a factor since they seem to cover information on customizations you can do to the ride. Being in my mid-30s, I still have that bug.
I hope to pass on my experiences for those who also hope to purchase in the future.
The car (the 35x) always monitors the slip and will direct power to the wheels that have traction, it is just that in snow mode, it starts out in 4-wheel mode, rather than having to switch to that mode. Once it reaches a certain speed (can't remember exactly), it reverts to rear-wheel drive in the "normal" mode, and automatically adjusts the drive as needed.
I have about 17k miles on my M35 Sport (most of it city driving in S.Cal) and would like to get any feedback on anyone who had to change their brakes/brake pads. Just wondering how long I have until I'll need to go in for a brake job, and how much I can expect to pay.
combined freeway and local driving, I can't believe that I get 13.8 a gallon on M45 sport in Honolulu. I had the car since July, 2005 Any suggestions?
David ... I've driven in Honolulu. Lots of traffic jams. Do you sit endlessly in them? That could contribute.
If you're taking those numbers off your console's averaging estimates there may be a glitch there. If that's actual mileage (odometer miles driven/gallons used) there's something radically wrong with your engine. I have an M35 Sport, admittedly smaller engine ... but it ONLY drives locally, NEVER sees a hiway, and NEVER shows me less than 16.6 which, when calculated longhand, ranges between 16.9 - 17.4.
And one final thought. Where do those Interstate hiways in Hawaii go? Just wondering. :shades: Bart
Anyone know someone who does a good job for fixing a M35x rim? I scratched passenger front side against a belgium block. The local dealer is quoting $200 which sounds steep. I was surprised to hear that replacing the actual rim costs $800! I live in monmouth county, nj.
Gents, one of my fog lamps is broken (the clear cover is cracked, probably because of a rock). Infiniti dealer quoted $350 for replacing it. Well I start to see why Infiniti compares itself to BMW But seriously, anyone knows of some after-market parts that I could use? Thanks
I am having a problem with my headlights too, I have tried adjusting them to no avail. I did notice another set of cog wheels that are not as readily accessible near the end of the low beam assembly which is the outer light . the high beam is the 2nd light in from the outside I sure would like to see a picture or a diagram of these adjustments if you know of one somewhere or if you can direct me to them.
If you take some pictures of your car, you can edit the pics to place letters next to each cog wheel, and I'll be able to help you by referring to your pics and labels. You can post those pics in photobucket.com and it's OK to include photobucket links here.
Thanks for your support. Just the other night, I drove from East Honolulu to Ewa beach on H1 (it starts from Kahala mall (east) , I did 60 MPG none stop to Ewa. It took me 45 minutes.(one way)(lucky night, not much traffic) So, I do think there is something wrong with my car. I did talk to an Infiniti service manager about this. He kind of gotten a bit defensive but willing to check the car out. I think I will bring my car to him soon. This 13.8MPG is worst than my previous MB600S. Again, Thanks.
Sorry, I had to remove a post because it contained an email address. It's really a bad idea to post your email address because it will be scarfed up in a second by the web crawlers launched for malicious purposes.
If you want other members to have access to your address, just make it public in your profile. The web crawlers cannot get to it there.
David ... I played golf a little out of the metro Tucson area Thursday ... total 13 miles of hiway each way ... and at 80 mph my "average" mileage soared to 18.5 from 16.9. For what it's worth. Bart :shades:
Picked up my m35x two weeks ago, iam getting close to 17mpg in town driving. using mid range gas and keeping tires at 34psi, door panel says 33. Love this car, no complaints so far.
I don't know how new your car is, but many folks report that the mileage improves greatly over time, and that the kind of mileage you're seeing has been seen by others during the break in period.
Rimpro in Tewksbury, MA fixed two wheels on my M35X (www.rimpro.com). Color match on the wheels is tough due to the fact that Infiniti has a silver paint over black then covered with a translucent clear coat. Rimpro did a great job matching. I think it was $350 for the two. The only advantage in going through your dealer is if there is a problem with the end result you may have more leverage with them since you bought the car there.
I'm satisfied with the last number, especially since Pete notes that it should get better with time and hope that it allays some concerns. Here is a suggested test. Start the fuel economy gage when you get to the highway and there is no traffic. Read the results when the no-traffic highway part of the trip ends (take someone along to operate the computer). This provides a measure of what the highway mileage is. Also, when you check your fuel economy, go to the trip computer and ascertain your average speed. On the first 2 trips described above, my average speed was under 10MPH. No wonder why the mileage was so low.
Overall, the car is simply great. The historic site was in an unfamiliar area and I set the Nav by entering its phone number. "Valerie" guided us there effortlessly and the trip was almost like playing a game. A feeling which I guess will wear off with time. Bottom line, it's possible that some of the low mileage stories we have been hearing are due to low speed trips (hope so). It's worth checking.
1. Visited friend-1 mile round trip: 6.5MPG 2. To Supermarket- 3 miles round trip: 10.3 MPG
Along with the low speed factor, one of the other things that you will notice is that the MPG is very poor if you make short hop trips. The primary factor in this, I believe, is that the engine is not very efficient while warming up. This is true of all cars but has been more noticeable to me in the M.
If I do all city driving in my M45 and the trips are more in the 15 to 30 minute range, I'll experience high 15mpg. Drive under the same circumstances but shorten the trips and give the car time to cool down between trips and the in-city number can dip as low as the low 13's.
Overall, at 8,500 miles though, I've averaged right at 17mpg with a city/highway split of about 90/10. The M will never win awards for fuel economy but the entry price for the car and all it's features make it a non-issue for me.
Thanks for the feedback. I guess the price I was quoted is not out of line then. I have seen some places that accept shipping of rims but the aggravation wouldn't be worth it. I guess I'll bite the bill and do it through my local dealer esp if they give me a loaner for the day.
I clean with a hot moistened cotton towel. Wipe with a dry towel and then apply Pinnacle Leather Conditioner. See link below. Not only does the conditioner leave the leather feeling as soft as a baby's behind the mild sent is like a new pair of leather shoes.
Well it's now been exactly 1 year and 14K mile since I got my M35X/prem and I have NEVER owned any vehicle that I still get thrilled about driving every single day. The "newness" of this car never wore off and I continue having fun with all the tech stuff it's got. I still stare at the Nav system 3D map in rush hour 'cause it's just so nice to look at! Weird I know but it's these refinements that make this car worth every penny. Who would think that a little touch like the full swing of the gauge needles on start up would make getting in the car for the morning commute a bit more invigorating. Not a scintilla of remorse with this purchase and in a way I am glad they are not changing the M too much for '07, as it must mean they feel it was on target out of the box. Nice to know when u buy a first year model. I guess I'd like XM traffic and a more integrated iPod solution but these are minor quibbles. Auto door locks aren't that important to me but a better passenger seat would be nice. However, given all the tech goodies you get for the money in this car I can't imagine giving up some of it for a better passenger seat (assuming Infiniti would want to keep the cost of the car stable). What an amazing vehicle we have.
I completely share your enthusiasm (Nav and all), and also agree that XM Nav Traffic, more iPod integration, and more passenger seat adjustments would be the top three on my wish list. I also agree in that auto door locks are low on my personal list.
And finally, I think we agree when I say that, net/net, all the pluses in this car are huge relative to the the few missing items and that the M wins big time in cross the board comparisons.
After 5 1/2 months, ditto. As to speaking phone numbers, I think most of us who use voice response sytems are trained to say "zero" by now. My voice recognition problems seem more random, and may be related to ambient noise.
I wish it would completely ignore "oh" for zero. About half the time I say, "Phone home" or, "Call home", it thinks I said , "Phone 'O'" and tries to dial the operator.
I know the answer is simply to change the tag to "House", but it just doesn't have the same feel. Home is where the heart is, but a house is just four walls with a roof.
It's been almost a year (8,000 mi) on my M45, and just the other day, I had to go from San Diego to north LA, 3 hours to go, a 15-minute break and 3 hours to come back. All in all, I spent 6 hours in a row in the car, in times in heavy traffic (of course, and using the nav to find alternate routes). The drive was never boring and the car (w/o sport pkg) has such a magic carpet ride that I was really amazed at how fast those 6 hours went by. Reconsidering my own experience and what I've read on this forum, IMHO the key values of this car are its driving/riding credentials and the integrated technologies as a whole (nav, BT, sound system) that just makes it a better driving experience. No regret at all. This is truly a fantastic car. Can't wait for a M55 or something like that
Mexibec, what a great message for me to read. I'm mostly a lurker on M Boards as I approach buying an M (looking to get a MY2007, non sport M45) sometime later this year. I do that exact drive somewhat regularly and your depiction of the experience hits home to me as your setup is what I'm looking to get and I know all too well unfortunately what it's like to spend 6 hours in one day in my car due to my line of work.
I only wish the gas tank was bigger for more range on the car...not too concerned about MPG (more would be better but that's not a major concern). Everything else that such a large percentage of people have to say about this car just sounds great and I look forward to joining the club!
I noticed a fair amount of wind nose coming from my driver's side also. I have had in in twice to fix the problem. They replaced the rubber molding and tried adjusting the door. Looking for help as this has not helped and dealership is at a loss as to what to do next.
I should have mentioned a word about gas mileage (such a highly-discussed topic). Whenever I could during that 6-hour drive, I just went on the Intelligent Cruise Control (at about 80 mph) which I think helped a lot from an mpg-standpoint. It didn't strike me that it had consumed too much, as opposed to city driving (but I must admit that I tend to be very enthusiastic of the the M45's fantastic engine). All in all, it might not be as bad as you read in some posts. Personally, I think a V8 is ideal for highway driving because the engine is so powerful (it can accelerate effortlessly beyond 100 mph) that the car is very quiet at 70-80 mph, just making it more enjoyable (w/o the sport package, which I immediately felt harsher & noisier the second I test-drove it, but that's a personal preference).
One more thing: when I was stuck in LA's traffic, a lot of drivers were looking at the M, especially luxury car drivers costly a whole lot more (and also a lot of folks driving the G). The car really stands out of the crowd.
After trading in my 2003 BMW 5 series (the last/best 5) for the 2006 M35, I was waiting to be convinced I made the right decision. With +21,000 miles behind me the M is a winner. The electronics & reliability are great and its a real drivers car.
Having looked at/driven/obsessed about the "luxury sedans", it comes down to these two for me. You are all very enthusiastic about your purchases, as are the folks on the Audi forum about theirs. Edmunds own "2005 all-wheel-drive luxury sport sedan comparison test" put M35X one place behind Audi A6. They complained "With its aggressive gearing and big tires, the M35x has noticeable engine and road noise on the highway. The firm suspension passes on the bumps more sharply than the others, too." Also, "Interior uses some questionable materials, mass of dash buttons can be confusing, jittery ride on the highway." Do those comments relate to your longer-term experience with your cars?
IMO, the M's controls are the most intuitive and accessible of any car on the market: Wonderful, instant, logical access to every control. USA Today echoed this sentiment (as did Motor Trend and many others), strongly applauding the M's extremely intuitive and accessible controls, while berating Audi and others for hiding important features deep within their menus. I'd find it very, very painful to switch, for that reason alone.
In the USA Today review of the AUDI, they called the M35 "the new standard in the class", and had little praise for the Audi.
The M has beaten the Audi in every other review I've seen, winning multi-car comparisons against all luxury competitors in Road and Track, Car and Driver, and Motor Trend. It has also won the "Luxury Car of the Year" titles (beating ALL luxury cars of EVERY CLASS) from Consumer Reports, PC Magazine, and Popular Mechanics, and received absolute raves from untold other reviews. From what I've seen, the Edmunds review is a complete anomaly. The range of priorities of the magazines giving these winning reviews (enthusiast handling, practicality, technology) is a testament to the great breadth of this car.
The Nav in the M ABSOLUTELY blows away the Audi, as do features like Voice Recognition (with Nav destination entry- a real pleasure and time saver), incredibly bright Rear View Monitor with markings predicting the car's path as a function of steering wheel rotation (it works beautifully for parking and for backing down twisty, low visibility driveways in the black of night), excellent Intelligent Laser Cruise Control, 5.1 Surround, Overhead DVD, MP3 playing in-dash CD changer, Aux Input for audio and video, and Lane Departure Warning, which has TOTALLY cured my sloppy driving habits. PC Mag said the car has better technology than any car under $100,000, and they're right. (Sincerely, I personally prefer their tech to ANY car regardless of price).
Having owned several Lexus LS's and currently Mercedes, and having driven Audi and BMW, I'd say there's no comparison.
The car handles like a BMW, has reliability like Lexus (much, much better than the German cars), by far the best Electronics in the industry, the best 0-60 in its class, and the interior is a joy to behold (it's truly blown away EVERYONE who's been in my car). I've got an M45 which is absolutely quiet, but the sound of the M35 is fine for most owners that I've heard from.
Test drive one, and compare the Nav, electronics and controls to the others and you'll see what I'm talking about.
would you mind if I copied my question and your reply over on the Audi A6 forum and see what sort of responses we get there?
Charlie
Posting a comment like mine on the Audi board would be like screaming sexual preference insults at the good ol boys in a texas saloon. Please don't do it.
How about you paraphrase a piece at a time, restated as less argumentative questions, while keeping my name out of it?
No, of course, I would not do it against your wishes. That's why I asked. Your suggestion is a good one. First, I'll just ask a similar question over there without referencing your posting (or this board) at all.
I like Pete think the M is unparalleled in it's class and for the money beats many of the higher end luxo cruisers at the tech game. (Yet unbelievably CNET did not list the M in their recent list of top 5 high tech cars but then it is CNET...) I have had my M35X/premium option for a year now and enjoy it every day as though I just picked it up. I don't have any noticeable noise problem and I am still running on the original Goodyears. I've never felt this way about any other vehicle I've owned. But to me it all boils down to reliability. No matter the name badge you look pretty forlorn on the side of the road at 2AM with a broken down Audi or BMW and I've been in that situation in both. My brother has 2 BMW 3 series and won't get one again, my practice partner had a 5 series that had a catastrophic electrical failure at 50K; he now drives a Lexus and won't go back. My neighbor's Audi wagon has been in the shop at least every other month so he bought a Chevy Tahoe (go figure) and I can't recount the horrors of my '01 Volvo s80 without getting nightmares. I know these are anecdotal accounts but every article I've read on the subject points to the vast superiority of Japanese reliability and the decline of the Europeans. I can't say my experience and those of my acquaintances differs. The reliability issue alone should sell u on the M over the Audi.
Actually, you may want to consider starting a discussion to debate these two vehicles over on the Comparisons board. I think it could make a good discussion.
And, in case you haven't found it and would be interested, I'll give you a link to the Luxury Performance Sedans discussion. We're talking about both of those cars as well as several others in that one.
I gather we got our M's the same time ... mine 4/6/05. My wife and I just made the trip from Tucson to Yosemite and back in her Lexus GX470 ... and all I can say is I would have MUCH prefered to have taken the M. The nav is far superior, road handling far superior, driver's comfort far superior (passenger's better in the GX). I picked up a fairly large nail in my RR tire two weeks ago and didn't want to put the repair to the ultimate test on a six day junket.
Road manners? If I could unload the GX today I would. It's too tall and although it's rock-steady @ 70 in the absence of ambient wind, w/ wind it's a constant fight to keep it on the straight and narrow. At 80 wind's not the only issue ... the car simply has too much freeboard to drive comfortably above that speed and we were pretty much at the 85 - 90 range for most of the open highways. Bart
I am similarly blessed with 2 nice vehicles my M35x and my wife's 2006 Lexus 400h. We drive the Lexus due to the better milage on some of our longer drives and it is not as susceptible to wind as your GX but the M is soooo much more fun to drive and the nav system and back up camera in the Lexus are not even close to that in the M. I know the Lexus is improving the resolution of their screen which should help in the newer models but the ability to interact with the nav system by voice is much more advanced than that in my RX. Clearly Infiniti has the edge in the integration of technology and its' ease of use.
Comments
Thanks,
Emgee
But should I use it when it rains?If it turns off over 30mph, should I turn it back on when I slow down.
Emgee
For wet roads, it will do nothing to prevent hydroplaning.
I had the car since July, 2005
Any suggestions?
Thanks.
David
This past Friday I went to the Auto Show here in New York City and saw probably everything there is to see on the market for this year and next. I am very happy.
While owners of MB's and BMW's and LEXUSs might actually know what I do not, I am so glad that I paid $50k for my M35x and saved big time on electronic features, hardware, and interior/exterior styling and equipment. Indeed, many purchasers of BMW and MB's get the goodies but are paying another $30k - $100k for the same trimmings. When I came upon the M at the show, my son actually got a bit dissapointed that I was getting so excited over my own car. (!)
About the only thing I wish that Infiniti would do for us is to put AWD into the M45 V8.
- Kai
M35x
2) What are folks using to clean their leather seats and trim ?
- Kai
M35x
I've agonized for months over the Acura and the M. Being a current Acura owner, it was a bit tough to leave the brand but I couldn't get past one important factor - the all encompassing go to have it connection you should feel at these price points. The only thing I had to get over in the M were the tail lights but as someone so eloquently put it - " when you are in the car, you can't see them."
To be fair, other forums have been a factor since they seem to cover information on customizations you can do to the ride. Being in my mid-30s, I still have that bug.
I hope to pass on my experiences for those who also hope to purchase in the future.
Now I'll need to change my moniker. :P
P.S. A cool site with great pictures of the M with the aero kit. http://www.tsotech.com/tso/?cmd=photo-category&id=26
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks
M35 Fan
I had the car since July, 2005
Any suggestions?
David ... I've driven in Honolulu. Lots of traffic jams. Do you sit endlessly in them? That could contribute.
If you're taking those numbers off your console's averaging estimates there may be a glitch there. If that's actual mileage (odometer miles driven/gallons used) there's something radically wrong with your engine. I have an M35 Sport, admittedly smaller engine ... but it ONLY drives locally, NEVER sees a hiway, and NEVER shows me less than 16.6 which, when calculated longhand, ranges between 16.9 - 17.4.
And one final thought. Where do those Interstate hiways in Hawaii go? Just wondering.
- Kai
M35x
I live in monmouth county, nj.
Pete
Thanks for your support.
Just the other night, I drove from East Honolulu to Ewa beach on H1 (it starts from Kahala mall (east) , I did 60 MPG none stop to Ewa. It took me 45 minutes.(one way)(lucky night, not much traffic)
So, I do think there is something wrong with my car.
I did talk to an Infiniti service manager about this. He kind of gotten a bit defensive but willing to check the car out. I think I will bring my car to him soon.
This 13.8MPG is worst than my previous MB600S.
Again, Thanks.
David
If you want other members to have access to your address, just make it public in your profile. The web crawlers cannot get to it there.
Thanks!
Pete
1. Visited friend-1 mile round trip: 6.5MPG
2. To Supermarket- 3 miles round trip: 10.3 MPG
This was disappointing so we took off to visit a historic site ... all highway,no traffic.
3.Historic site- 60 miles round trip: 23.2 MPG (average speed 42 MPH)
I'm satisfied with the last number, especially since Pete notes that it should get better with time and hope that it allays some concerns. Here is a suggested test. Start the fuel economy gage when you get to the highway and there is no traffic. Read the results when the no-traffic highway part of the trip ends (take someone along to operate the computer). This provides a measure of what the highway mileage is. Also, when you check your fuel economy, go to the trip computer and ascertain your average speed. On the first 2 trips described above, my average speed was under 10MPH. No wonder why the mileage was so low.
Overall, the car is simply great. The historic site was in an unfamiliar area and I set the Nav by entering its phone number. "Valerie" guided us there effortlessly and the trip was almost like playing a game. A feeling which I guess will wear off with time. Bottom line, it's possible that some of the low mileage stories we have been hearing are due to low speed trips (hope so). It's worth checking.
Emgee
2. To Supermarket- 3 miles round trip: 10.3 MPG
Along with the low speed factor, one of the other things that you will notice is that the MPG is very poor if you make short hop trips. The primary factor in this, I believe, is that the engine is not very efficient while warming up. This is true of all cars but has been more noticeable to me in the M.
If I do all city driving in my M45 and the trips are more in the 15 to 30 minute range, I'll experience high 15mpg. Drive under the same circumstances but shorten the trips and give the car time to cool down between trips and the in-city number can dip as low as the low 13's.
Overall, at 8,500 miles though, I've averaged right at 17mpg with a city/highway split of about 90/10. The M will never win awards for fuel economy but the entry price for the car and all it's features make it a non-issue for me.
I clean with a hot moistened cotton towel. Wipe with a dry towel and then apply Pinnacle Leather Conditioner. See link below. Not only does the conditioner leave the leather feeling as soft as a baby's behind the mild sent is like a new pair of leather shoes.
Great stuff!
http://www.properautocare.com/pin-340.html
- Kai
I agree with just about everything you said.
I completely share your enthusiasm (Nav and all), and also agree that XM Nav Traffic, more iPod integration, and more passenger seat adjustments would be the top three on my wish list. I also agree in that auto door locks are low on my personal list.
And finally, I think we agree when I say that, net/net, all the pluses in this car are huge relative to the the few missing items and that the M wins big time in cross the board comparisons.
Pete
After 5 1/2 months, ditto. As to speaking phone numbers, I think most of us who use voice response sytems are trained to say "zero" by now. My voice recognition problems seem more random, and may be related to ambient noise.
I love the car.
The Dude (abides)
I know the answer is simply to change the tag to "House", but it just doesn't have the same feel. Home is where the heart is, but a house is just four walls with a roof.
I only wish the gas tank was bigger for more range on the car...not too concerned about MPG (more would be better but that's not a major concern). Everything else that such a large percentage of people have to say about this car just sounds great and I look forward to joining the club!
http://www.infinitihelp.com/Infiniti/Bulletins/M/2006/1.htm
I should have mentioned a word about gas mileage (such a highly-discussed topic). Whenever I could during that 6-hour drive, I just went on the Intelligent Cruise Control (at about 80 mph) which I think helped a lot from an mpg-standpoint. It didn't strike me that it had consumed too much, as opposed to city driving (but I must admit that I tend to be very enthusiastic of the the M45's fantastic engine). All in all, it might not be as bad as you read in some posts. Personally, I think a V8 is ideal for highway driving because the engine is so powerful (it can accelerate effortlessly beyond 100 mph) that the car is very quiet at 70-80 mph, just making it more enjoyable (w/o the sport package, which I immediately felt harsher & noisier the second I test-drove it, but that's a personal preference).
One more thing: when I was stuck in LA's traffic, a lot of drivers were looking at the M, especially luxury car drivers costly a whole lot more (and also a lot of folks driving the G). The car really stands out of the crowd.
Enjoy your future M!
Thanks, in advance.
IMO, the M's controls are the most intuitive and accessible of any car on the market: Wonderful, instant, logical access to every control. USA Today echoed this sentiment (as did Motor Trend and many others), strongly applauding the M's extremely intuitive and accessible controls, while berating Audi and others for hiding important features deep within their menus. I'd find it very, very painful to switch, for that reason alone.
In the USA Today review of the AUDI, they called the M35 "the new standard in the class", and had little praise for the Audi.
The M has beaten the Audi in every other review I've seen, winning multi-car comparisons against all luxury competitors in Road and Track, Car and Driver, and Motor Trend. It has also won the "Luxury Car of the Year" titles (beating ALL luxury cars of EVERY CLASS) from Consumer Reports, PC Magazine, and Popular Mechanics, and received absolute raves from untold other reviews. From what I've seen, the Edmunds review is a complete anomaly. The range of priorities of the magazines giving these winning reviews (enthusiast handling, practicality, technology) is a testament to the great breadth of this car.
The Nav in the M ABSOLUTELY blows away the Audi, as do features like Voice Recognition (with Nav destination entry- a real pleasure and time saver), incredibly bright Rear View Monitor with markings predicting the car's path as a function of steering wheel rotation (it works beautifully for parking and for backing down twisty, low visibility driveways in the black of night), excellent Intelligent Laser Cruise Control, 5.1 Surround, Overhead DVD, MP3 playing in-dash CD changer, Aux Input for audio and video, and Lane Departure Warning, which has TOTALLY cured my sloppy driving habits. PC Mag said the car has better technology than any car under $100,000, and they're right. (Sincerely, I personally prefer their tech to ANY car regardless of price).
Having owned several Lexus LS's and currently Mercedes, and having driven Audi and BMW, I'd say there's no comparison.
The car handles like a BMW, has reliability like Lexus (much, much better than the German cars), by far the best Electronics in the industry, the best 0-60 in its class, and the interior is a joy to behold (it's truly blown away EVERYONE who's been in my car). I've got an M45 which is absolutely quiet, but the sound of the M35 is fine for most owners that I've heard from.
Test drive one, and compare the Nav, electronics and controls to the others and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Pete
Let me ask you ... would you mind if I copied my question and your reply over on the Audi A6 forum and see what sort of responses we get there?
Charlie
Charlie
Posting a comment like mine on the Audi board would be like screaming sexual preference insults at the good ol boys in a texas saloon. Please don't do it.
How about you paraphrase a piece at a time, restated as less argumentative questions, while keeping my name out of it?
Pete
No, of course, I would not do it against your wishes. That's why I asked. Your suggestion is a good one. First, I'll just ask a similar question over there without referencing your posting (or this board) at all.
Charlie
And, in case you haven't found it and would be interested, I'll give you a link to the Luxury Performance Sedans discussion. We're talking about both of those cars as well as several others in that one.
Enjoy!
Road manners? If I could unload the GX today I would. It's too tall and although it's rock-steady @ 70 in the absence of ambient wind, w/ wind it's a constant fight to keep it on the straight and narrow. At 80 wind's not the only issue ... the car simply has too much freeboard to drive comfortably above that speed and we were pretty much at the 85 - 90 range for most of the open highways. Bart