Infiniti M35/M45 2006+

wibble

Orange and red (as in Audi) lights affect night vision a lot less than blue/white/green etc. Their use is a safety feature.

aggie76

I would agree that the using red lighting would normally have a positive impact on night vision but since you are using headlights to see the value is less than optimal. Now if you were in a totally black or dark environment, without any white (headlights) lighting, it would have a significant impact on night vision. As a retired military officer with 26 years of experience using starlight, infrared, thermal, and other image-enhancing devices for night operations I have a great deal of experience in this arena. Does it look cool, you bet, and there is some value but not as much as the marketing guru's lead everyone to believe.

lexusguy

I dont think Nissan has even tried to tout their orange on black gauges as a safety feature. I think it was just to make their cars appear more sporty, as if I remember right, the orange gauges first showed up in the Sentra SE-R, and then Nissan just kind of ran with it.

fugafan

It is a good suggestion to write to them & I will, though I doubt very much it will make any difference. Not to be repetitious, but I think the Fuga is so radically different ( and cool, contemporary, etc) that they should keep much of it to separate themselves from the crowd. Most of the new cars look like they were made by cookie cutters anyway.

lexusguy

Really? I would've said that in the early 90s sure, when all cars DID pretty much look the same. For awhile, Camry, Accord, and Maxima were pretty much identical triplets. You cant really say that about them now.

prodoze

Am very interested in the '05 A6 3.2 vs. 4.2 - how do you like your Audi - an old Bimmer devotee long ago (till I had young'uns) but also the '06 Infiniti M35/45 has suddenly caught my eye. You seem to know your stuff - am curious about your comments.

lexusguy

If you want the V8 AND AWD, then your left with Audi. The rest of the world has not decided to pair AWD with their 8s yet. The next M has the potential to be Infiniti's best car yet. I just hope they dont cheap out on the interior AGAIN.

buckwheat

http://wardsauto.com/microsites/newsarticle.asp?mode=print&ne- wsarticleid=2724344&releaseid=&srid=10250&magazineid=- 1004&siteid=26

saugatak

is great, but I have to wonder whether it's worth it to fork over the extra cash for an M35.

You can get the same engine for $20k cheaper in the Nissan Z and $10k cheaper in the G35.

Seems to me you're paying an extra $10k for the interior. IMO, the G35 interior is not $10k better than the Z interior, and although the M's interior looks great, is it also $20k better than the Z's interior?

I think putting the same engine into their lowest line of cars and their highest line of cars makes great busines sense for Nissan, but is going tohurt them from establishing Infiniti as a premium brand.

cybersol

Have you considered the 325/525, 330/530, or the C320/E320? But you're right, I guess Infiniti is way off base for sharing engines between the G and the M :P

clpurnell

Also the G and the Z are about 5 grand apart at the most and not 10k. You may actually get the G cheaper because they are not in as high demand as the Z so that argument fails the test also.

lexusguy

Most of the world is not like GM which has 500,000 different engines, one for each car. BMW, Mecedes, Audi, Lexus, those guys all share engines across models with various price ranges, C55\SL55, thats the same 5.5L engine in there, and a MAJOR price difference. The VQ has already proven itself as one of the best all around workhorses on the planet, so why not use it? They know most people wont buy the 8, and the VQ has the second highest power output just behind Acura's 3.5L. (Im also sure Nissan could push it to match that 300hp if they wanted).

ceric

The newly annouced G35 coupe would carry the new VQ with 295hp and 270ft-lb of torque. That is for 2005 model. G35 sedan gets the enhanced 277hp/270ftlb version. Sedans need to be quieter, I guess.

Infinitinew.com just announced the new 14-speaker Bose stereo system to be used in M. Go check it out!

saugatak

My numbers may be off (don't know what the latest street prices are on the Z and G) but I just got a ride in a Z, and I thought, "Hmmm . . . same engine, same cheap interior, what's the point of getting the G?" It's not like the back seats in the G are all that roomy.

I'm OK with automakers using the same frame for upscale and downscale models, but at least put in a decent interior AND (not OR) a more powerful/refined engine in the upscale model!

And, quite frankly, 3 versions of the same car is 1 too many. IMO, the M is what the G should have been.

saugatak

Oh I know. Frankly, GM has some old cruddy engines that should be retired, but probably UAW won't let them.

Still, I think Nissan needs a little more differentiation between its downscale and upscale lines. More displacement and HP in the upscale engine for example.

jrock65

If the G35 sedan, G35 coupe, and 350Z are three different versions of the same car, then the Pilot, MDX, and Odyssey are three different versions of the same car as well. All manufacturers do this.

I read somewhere that Nissan expects 2006 M sales to increase at least ten fold from the current model, which means about 20,000 M's per year.

They expected to sell about 10,000 QX56s per year; it's on pace for about 14,000.

saugatak

350z, G35 and M35 have the same EXACT engine. Also, there isn't much difference between the cruddy interior in the 350Z or the cruddy interior in the G35.

Odyssey and Pilot have 3.5L non-high compression engine. MDX has a 3.5L high compression engine which has more HP and torque.

Plus Ody is a minivan and, while based on the same platform, significantly different than the unibody Pilot and MDX.

I'm not criticizing the use of the same platform so much as I'm criticizing the lack of differentiation between the 350Z, the G35 and M35.

Nissan's doing well no doubt and I'm sure the M35 will do fine. But Nissan also expected to sell a lot more Titans than they're actually selling.

jrock65

IMO, the Odyssey, Pilot, and MDX are even less differentiated in function than the 350z, G35, and M35. Obviously, you disagree.

Also, the 3.5L in the Nissan/Infiniti is tweaked for different hp/torque, just like the 3.5L of Honda/Acura. I don't really see how the Honda 3.5L in these three vehicles has more differentiation than the 3.5L in the 3 Nissan/Infiniti vehicles, high compression or no.

Actually, I think the interiors of the 350z and the G35 are very different, although I agree that they are not as good as Honda. Wouldn't say "cruddy" though.

The Titan just came out in a very tough segment. Probably have to give it some time to really see where sales are going. Nissan expected to sell 100,000 annually. They sold 4000 in Jan, 4600 in Feb, 5500 in March, 5200 in April, and 7200 in May. Maybe they will stabilize around 8000 per month, which will give them their target 100,000 per year.

The M's segment is very tough as well. With all the hoopla about the efficiency and reliability of Japanese cars, the only Japanese sedan above $40k that has ever done very well is the Lexus LS.

lexusguy

I've seen pictures of the '05 G35 interior, its MUCH better. The Altima is also much improved for '05. I think Nissan is listening to all of the press' critiques of their downmarket plastics and doing something about it. I dont know much about the Titan's sales, but thats a brutally tough market for them to be in. Even though the Titan basically is better than pretty much all of the domestics, its going to take a while for the people that buy those kinds of trucks to accept a foreigner.

nyca

where have you seen pictures of the new G35 interior for 2005?

the current issue of Automobile magazine does a "design commentary" on the new M, STS, and RL. Talking about how this segment is getting alot of attention, with all manufacturers gunning for the E class and 5 series.

this article seemed to lean towards the STS, but they was only based on design and "on paper" numbers, no test drive.

wibble

http://www.infinitinews.com/multimedia/infiniti2005/g35.shtml.

The 2005 G35 Sedan is also getting 277HP. The Coupe is going up to 290HP.

lexusguy

Somehow I doubt it. The A6, GS, M, and RL arent exactly going to roll over and let Cadillac steal their thunder. It'll be a competitive player yes, but I dont think a class leader.

ceric

2005 G35 coupe makes 295hp. Both make 270ft-lb of torque.

wibble

Darn it! Thanks for the correction

saugatak

Also, the 3.5L in the Nissan/Infiniti is tweaked for different hp/torque, just like the 3.5L of Honda/Acura. I don't really see how the Honda 3.5L in these three vehicles has more differentiation than the 3.5L in the 3 Nissan/Infiniti vehicles, high compression or no.

Well now that Nissan is bumping up the HP in the G, there's almost no difference in HP and torque. Also, G35 owners claim that the 260HP in the G35 sedan was underrated, so I just don't see any difference at all. When I drove the 350Z and G35, I didn't notice any difference in the engine at all. In contrast, the Pilot engine definitely felt weaker than the MDX engine.

I also don't see much improvement in the new interior of the G35. The interior still looks like it was designed for a driver on the right side of the car as in Japan.

As for the differences between the Pilot/MDX vs. 350Z/G35, I think we can both agree that both lines of cars are very similar. I have the MDX but I got a good deal on it. If I had to pay MSRP for each car, I'd take the Pilot over the MDXZ and the 350Z over the G35.

lexusguy

well.. it was. Those are basically Skylines converted to left hand drive. The center stack is identical to the Japanese version.

saugatak

Yeah, it's pretty obvious that they're ergonomically wrong for right hand drive.

I guess that's how Ghosn is getting fat profits for Nissan. I don't blame 'em. If the cars are selling despite these cost cutting moves, Nissan's going to continue to cheap out on the interior.

lexusguy

I dont know about that. While Nissan has never matched Toyota on materials quality, the G35 is much improved, and the inside of the new M does look impressive. At the very least it looks much better to me than the A6 and 5 series.

jrock65

While it is obviously a cost cutting measure to leave the center console the same as a JDM Skyline, I personally don't think it's a big deal at all.

The two main ergononic "wrongs" are that the power/volume knob and the temperature adjuster knob is on the passenger side.

The fact that the power/volume knob is on the passenger side is not a negative at all, since there are power/volume buttons on the steering wheel.

However, the temp adjuster knob is definitely on the wrong side, and is a negative.

merc1

And they didn't even address those issues with the 2005 facelift. A new shifter and more power weren't what the G35 needed. They missed it by a country mile. I can't stand the placement of the seat controls either. It's all bass-ackwards imo.

M

lexusguy

Shrug. Mercedes puts them on the door. I always reach for the bottom of the seat when ever Im in a M-B out of habit. I think I could get used to seat buttons next to my right thigh.

merc1

I just think those two places (the door and seat bottom) are the best places, but everyone has their own comfort zone in a car. Of course I think the door is the best place with the control shaped just like the seat. If only Mercedes was as logical and simple with all their controls!!

M

lexusguy

True, even a 4 year old could figure out how the power seat works in a Mercedes. The XKR is awful in that respect, it has these odd little bottons at the bottom of the seat. I've had an XK since '99, and I still cant remember button is which without trying them all. Only 4-way power also, again, thanks to that XJS under there.

saugatak

I just hate dealing with cars with screwy interior ergonomics.

I want to be able to keep my eyes on the road while I adjust something.

After years of getting used to right hand drive controls, I don't want to pay $30k plus to learn left hand drive controls while sitting on the right.

lexusguy

It does have buttons on the steering wheel, so its really not that big of a deal.

wibble

As my esteemed fellow poster above says, there are audio controls on the steering wheel as standard on the G35. I use these all the time and never touch the left button. Bear in mind how much less expensive the G35 is compared to any other RWD luxury sports sedan. Compare the BMW, Mercedes, Lexus and Audi. The G is thousands less. For that I'll live with slightly inconvenient controls.

saugatak

I hear where you're coming from.

I guess it's just a matter of personal preferences.

IMO, a near luxury car shouldn't have such an obvious cost-cutting measure right in front of your face.

But I'm a lot pickier about interior ergonomics than most people. A car have everything else going for it but if I'm not comfortable with the interior I won't go for it.

lexusguy

IMO, luxury cars shouldnt have '90s era CD based NAV systems and 3000 buttons. Take that VW.

saugatak

I didn't know VW was luxury.

But I guess the VW execs think differently as they're making VWs that should have been badged as Audis.

lexusguy

That was basically a Toureg bash. That seems to be selling well, Ive seen a few around here already. Im not really sure why, it weighs over 5,000 pounts, the V6 is SLOOOWWW, and the 8 chugs gas like a drunken sailor.

saugatak

T-reg is a beautiful car, but no doubt they're too heavy and gas guzzlers. I actually had the Phaeton more in mind. What was VW thinking?

lexusguy

I dont know. The A8 is already close to a 2.5 ton porker, so when you lose all that aluminum for steel in the VW, its going to be even worse. For some reason VW thought it should compete with itself. That would be like Toyota saying hey I know, lets make a full size car to slot above the Avalon. We'll price it at $65,00, to compete directly with the LS430. It'll be genius. Americans will totally shell out that kind of cash for a Toyota badge.

merc1

As well made as the Phaeton is, it doesn't belong in a VW showroom. I was all for this upmarket VW about 2 years ago, boy was I wrong as there. At the very least I just knew the Phaeton would be popular in Europe, but shockingly it has bombed there too and they love VW! All enthusiast thinking with no logical thinking about the business end of creating such an expensive VW. Makes no sense at all. Only VW employees that frequent these boards actually believe it was a good move. Amazingly VW is still going to slot another car under the Phaeton. It is supposed to be based on the Maserati Quattroporte's platform, but it won't be a traditional sedan. This product will face the same uphill battle the Phaeton has I predict. An unconventional body style at an unconventional price in a unconventional luxury (wannabe) car showroom. Makes no sense, but it probably be a great car.

For an SUV I do like the Touareg. Interior wise I think it is the best thing going this side of a Range Rover.

M

lexusguy

The Toureg is gorgeous inside, but all those dated electronics would end it right there for me. The RX330 comes pretty close, and actually has modern electronics under there.

merc1

Yeah I didn't quite understand why after making such a gorgeous products they'd cheap out with the Nav systems on both the Touareg and Phaeton. Actually when you think about it the RR is pretty dated inside also with all the old (2001) 7-Series hardware. Can't wait to see what RR does for the facelift.

M

saugatak

I had thought that the MDX engine was a high compression version of the Pilot engine. Turns out I was wrong. They're the EXACT same engine, the Pilot engine is just detuned.

So Honda is just as guilty as Nissan.

lexusguy

Who doesnt do that? Lexus, BMW, Audi, they all detune certain engines for their more "pedestrian" models.

saugatak

I don't think BMW detunes any of their engines.

I just like to see what differences there are between the upscale/downscale cars to see what it is I'm getting for my $.

If all I'm paying for is prestige, then I'm getting the downscale car.

jrock65

Maybe BMW is "worse" in this regard, since they don't even detune, uptune, or differentiate their engine between different models.

They use exactly the same 3.0 I6 in:
3 sedan
3 coupe/convertible
5
X3
X5
Z4

The same 2.5 I6 goes in all of the aforementioned vehicles except the X5.

All manufacturers do pretty much the same thing, but I don't really mind. Costs would just go out of this world if each model had a distinct engine.

saugatak

I wonder how easy it is to get a "detuned" engine back into tune. It seems like the most common way of detuning an engine is to build a high-compression engine which needs premium fuel to operate at maximum efficiency, and then retard the knock sensors so they operate efficienly only on regular fuel.

Provided the transmission can handle the extra power, I'd guess the only thing you need to do is upgrade the software.

That would be a pretty cool way to get the downmarket version of a car and get the performance of the upmarket version of the car.

For example, I've put in regular gas into my MDX and I can feel the power loss, it's probably right around 20HP or so which would put it at exactly the same power level as a Pilot or Ody.