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Comments
Is this true?
Response: No, it's not true. The manual says specifically (in the insert page) that the 35 is designed to run on regular. Hence, even with that diagnosis, would still be covered under warranty.;
Also, I ordered Sirius (my salesman agreed to throw it in as part of the negotiated deal) but the car came without it--he's told me it may be up to another month before they have the parts (antenna) to install it. Anyone have any similar stories?
As to the dealer-installed satellite radio--have you seen one? They do not look like the factory installed sharkfin antennas. They probably vary between dealerships, but be sure you know what they are going to do to your 40-55k car before they do it.
If you really want to make your car look great (as you are in MI)--get a U of M license frame with the block M (you are driving an M, you know) plate. Nothing spoils the look of a great car more than that green "S" I see on so many plates around here. Fortunately, I only have to see them momentarily as I blow by them (then they have to read my M).
And speaking of blowing by, my city mileage (from the car's computer) is 16.2 mpg. I sure hope the recommendation to not exceed 4000 rpms for the first 1200 miles refers to sustained revolutions. (I do not have to play the respectable business-man like Mark does).
I tried this and went from about 21 mpg in suburbia (not quite stop and go like in a true urban setting) to 16.2 mpg. I have not yet been able to get out for a long highway drive, but I am guessing it will be close to EPA estimates of 23-24.
P.S. The fun factor at 16.2 mpg far outweighed the feel-good factor of the environmentally-responsible 21 mpg (I am ashamed to say).
If this car is meant to run on regular that will be sweeeeet.
Premium fuel is required to meet advertised power ratings. Infiniti says both engines run safely on regular, with an unspecified loss of power.
M35 rear-wheel drive is rated 18 miles per gallon in town, 25 on the highway; AWD is 17/24. M45 is 17/23.
Premium fuel is the preferred juice -- regular is the "safe" juice when premium is NOT available.
There, you got my hopes up.
At the risk of being severely beaten I'd like to comment on the concept of a "fair deal".
The M is a brand new automobile that many, including me, feel is better than it's competitors regardless of price. MSRP certainly seems more than a "fair deal", especially if compared to a comparably equipped BMW or Mercedes. Can you really blame Infiniti dealers for attempting to maximize their profits when after 12 years of business(back 3 years ago to the G) they finally have products that are generating a buzz in the industry?
While I truly believe that MSRP on this car is a very fair deal, I fully advocate seeking the best deal that you can negotiate with a dealer. That only makes sense. Because of a problem that I had with my local dealer I was able to get $3,000 off MSRP on my M45 Sport even though I had placed an order last fall. Without this special situation I would have still negotiated on the car but would not have been as adamant about a price reduction.
I wish you good luck with your negotiations and hope that you find a price that will make you feel good about the purchase of an M. It really is an outstanding car.
I cannot get into your head, but if you have 4 months to go on your lease and you would order EXACTLY the car you want (with no trade in, no lease termination, bla bla bla) and at the time of the order negotiate the price (including the lease) and the current deal and have an understanding what -- if anything -- could change, then you would have three things happen.
#1 You would not have to pay to early out of your current lease
#2 You will probably have a more straightforward to understand deal and by the same token you will also have the dealership ABLE to give you a better discount
#3 You will have two moments of happiness -- the placing of the order will be a happy event and the arrival of the car for you to pick up another happy event (and here is your bonus: you can demonstrate your willingness to commit to your GS and by association your future purchases [well if you say it fast enough, it almost sounds right] which will make your wife happy.
Unless your GS has some upcoming financial injection that is required by you that somehow justifies this move, I would order a new car (which will take 100 - 110 days to come in) and remember that A-N-T-I-C-I-P-A-T-I-O-N is almost half the fun (and if you're Carly Simon, probably even more than half the fun).
Response: I've checked the manual insert for my 35x. It says simply "Use unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI." It says nothing about "an unspecified loss of power" when doing so. It does say Infinit recommends premium "for improved performance." To me, that's different from "loss of power" when using regular.
I configured the BMW 530xi with some of the features that I thought would be relevant to a Platinum with Leather M. When I hit $50,240 for the M35X (Journey, Tech, Sirius, wing on rear end) -- I went to BMW and started down the path. For selfish reasons I did not put the automatic trans on the BMW, which would have added $1200 and I did not put the Automatic Cruise control @ $2200 on the BMW either (even though it is clearly part of the Technology Package on the Infiniti) nor did I put the upgraded sound system into the Bimmer. I did put the 18" wheels and sport package (which has nothing to do with the suspension) on the Bimmer -- I quit at $56,000+.
My M35X has been quoted to me with $0 down 15,000 39 months as $677 month.
The BMW with $2500 down 15,000 and 36 months was well over $800 per month and it was not as well equipped. If BMW discounted the car by $5000 and I put no money down and cranked the term to 39 months, the deal still is over $700 per month.
The BMW would be a BMW tho -- not an Infiniti. Like it or lump it, BMW does have some perceived value just 'cause it is a BMW.
This car, at this time (the 5) is doing for me what the Audi A6 3.2 did for me when I was in "pre-M-order mode" -- too much money for too little car. I am not buying / leasing the car for my neighbors (one of whom already has an Infiniti) or my clients (several of them have Lexus cars) -- I am not in need of the extra cachet the blue and white propeller may afford.
The new BMW, unless it is far and away a better performer (which at this stage I will grant "could be the case") is only demonstrating its potentially lower value.
Now, to be "fair and balanced" I need a volunteer -- someone who has actually had his/her M35X with Technology for over 4 days (or whatever) to volunteer to take a new 530xi for an extended test drive (one that he/she has replicated with the M35X) and report back to the class.
I would volunteer for this "difficult mission," but my M35X is still some 90+ days out if I have counted on my fingers and toes correctly.
I can only hope that I'm in line for the sharkfin antenna, as that's what the salesman showed me on the lot when he said "we're waiting for these". Should I be worried?
Good salesman.
Since you don't like U of M, I hope I have not lessened your ownership experience. Heaven forbid you should think of THE University of Michigan every time you see the M on your M35x. No siree...wouldn't want you to hum The Victors when you see that nice shiny block M. That would be a real shame.
All kidding aside, I know an attorney here in G.R. who went to Notre Dame and loathes maize and blue--I once wrote "Go Blue" in the dust on the back of his E-class MB. He is probably right up there with you in his vehemence.
thx.
Well....okay....sometimes I can be a beast.
The black housing is only on the sport models.
Infiniti has about the best lease program I ever got- and I've leased a lot of cars. I moved from an Audi (which I loved) but Audi wouldn't deal at all. Their loss.
Good luck to you.
I've seen some lower end cars that have dark leather seats that seem to get light color crease marks over time. I would plan to keep the car for the duration.
I'm interested in the forums opinion on how dark leather seats wear over time and if the Infiniti leather seat quality will hold up over time.
Thanks for any information.
I'm in the same boat as you...14.9! :mad:
I've TRIED to be gentle with my M35x, but it hasn't been easy, to go easy. The car accelerates so smoothly (for the most part...see below) that it's hard to resist, especially once it's up to highway speed. Very impressive for a V6.
I have a question for my fellow M35x-ers who can't resist flooring the accelerator:
This is in plain ol' automatic:
Off the line, how high are you reving after first gear (0-20mph) in what I can only assume is the automatic's 2nd gear (20-45/50mph)?
I am getting up there, like 5500+ RPMs, and I am experiencing a noticeable lag in acceleration before 3rd gear catches and launches me forward. This is most noticeable from standstill, somewhat less so if I'm cruising before 'I feel the need for speed.'
Any feedback is appreciated. I realize this might be completely normal for the car, given it's 4004 lb frame powered by a V6, but I'd just like to be absolutely sure.
The M45 is a very stiff car compared to my wife's Jaguar S Vanden Plas (of course) -- but much louder, and 'bounces' versus gliding through rough roads. Dealer up here cautioned against the Sport model and I agree - the basic M45 is plenty noisy and stiff already. If you're leaning to the Sport, definitely make sure you drive it enough on your worse roads to get an inkling of what's in store. Roominess in both front and rear seats is far superior to the Jag.
Local tire dealer commented that the Goodyear tires were just under the higher rung of performance and a very good all season tire -- no reason to change unless 135+ MPH was going to be my commute speed every day.
Color is diamond graphite/black/rosewood. The "gray" (bland) factor of the graphite is highly subject to sky reflections. On a sunny day the metallic sparkles; on a gray day, it's admittedly blah. Although I've always preferred brilliant silver, I felt that Inifinit's version wasn't all that special and welcomed the change to graphite.
Phone is Razr (Cingular). Works flawlessly in Bluetooth. Bose 5.1 is very, very nice for opening up the soundstage, even on a regular CD. (The Bose Centerpoint imaging was turned off as default, but turned it back on and glad.) Some great DVD-A disks out there. Lacking in bass? Perhaps; highly dependent on the variances in source material, of course. On some disks it kicks in very, very well (I changed the bass pre-set to 1 or 2 notches higher than the zero indent for my normal setting.)
Surprised at the higher level of RPMs at 60mph versus other 5-speed autos. Hopefully Infiniti will address later. Seats are, for me, ultra comfortable. Headrest far softer and positioned better than Jag.
In terms of the technology -- it rocks. The voice activation understands my natural slurring. My friends are all simply amazed at the car, with a very high cool factor. The Birdview of the nav screen was enough to sell me. As a pilot, I'm familiar with the higher orientation and find it far easier to place myself (where I am 'in context' to the surroundings).
Chrome wheels came with the car and couldn't unload them back to the dealer. To me they are awful (but that's why they make chocolate and vanilla). Wheels are one area where the Japanese keep cheapening up the look of their various cars versus European design. (I'm thinking it's a cultural thing from my travels in Asia; looks cheap to Westerners, great to them.) Antera 323 wheels arriving shortly as replacements.
I find myself delightfully smug driving the M45. It's the secret glee of knowing that you're on to something quite remarkable.
I would expect that the car would not be as smooth as the Vanden Plas but I would recommend checking the inflation of the tires very closely. If you haven't followed this thread, the cars do ship with pressures running about 8psi over recommended.
I enjoy a sporting ride but I will not tolerate harshness from a daily driver. I purchased the M45 Sport and noticed some jarring over very harsh roads prior to deflating the tires but a very composed ride since.
The rule of thumb is you want to shift through the gear as fast as possible, meaning you try to shift the gear around 3000rpm.
I think you are revving too high, meaning you stay at possible 2nd gear due to computer senses that you want the power. However, if you are trying to floor the accelerator, you want to rev the engine for as high as allowed before you shift to the next gear. However, you will reduce the life of the car dramatically. I would strongly recommend you not to do that unless it is necessary. I would imagine the transmission rebuild is going to be very expensive.
Learn the thinking of the on board computer, and you would understand the car better and enjoy the car better.
I can't imagine the car was engineered to lag during all out acceleration.
I just joined the Infiniti family on Sunday, took delivery of a M35 with Premium package. I skipped out of the V8 as I’ve gotten in pretty big trouble with my old Mercedes 2003 E500 over the last 2 years or so, I just don’t speed anymore (I got a nasty letter from the DMV saying one more ticket and you lose your license). I just found out thought that even the M35 with a V6 is only about 2/10 of a second slower than my old V8 (wow).
I’ve got about 300 miles on the car and am continuously amazed by this car. There are so many features I think I will still be discovering different toys and different ways of doing the same thing as long as I own the car. After suffering through 4 different Mercedes’ cars over the years, its nice to get in a car where everything just works as expected (except for one minor problem).
My only disappointments are the lack of high beam xenon lights (I’m wondering if this is a cost cutting measure, or a patent-licensing issue), the lack of a vehicle recovery system (OnStar, Teleaid, etc), as well as the size of the inside rearview mirror (I find it hard to get a good view out the back of the car) and finally the cutoff of the XM radio information text.
Does anyone get full artist and song information from XM? I get about 8 to 12 characters (for an instant while tuning between stations the car shows dashes which to me shows how many characters the car can display) of text which results in almost all information being cutoff. Is this something just wrong with my car, or a general problem? (If had both SIRIUS and XM before, and know that more information is transmitted)
I’d appreciate any input,
David
I think the best way to calculate the MPG is to fill up you tank, reset your trip computer and then, drive your car as you would normally. When is time to fill up the tank again write down how many miles you have driven in that tank of gas. Fill up your tank and get your how many gallons were use to fill it up. Finally divide the total miles driven in that tank by gallons of gas pumped. You can compare this to what the car says. I have a spread sheet to keep track on meaning less data like this and other stuff. Try this way and you may find how acccurate the computer is.
I assume you are aware that VW limited the Bluetooth capabilities of the phone-- can't transfer the whole address book, etc.
Without reading more than two small pages in the 710 handbook, I had the phone linked to my M35x. I manually entered about thirteen numbers with names and voice tags into the car's phone book. The whole operation (including entering the numbers/names) took about 15-20 minutes.
Calling with either voice recognition (both tags and spoken numbers) as well as directly out of the phone book worked very well. Transmitted sound quality is about average for modern land-line speakerphones (ie. has a slight tunnel-like quality per my wife). Received sound quality (played over the automatically fully-muted stereo) was very good, not quite excellent.
My biggest concern had been the center display. This works fine, though. The calling number shows up. If it is in your car's phone book, the associated name is displayed. I cannot comment too much on the car's ring-tone, though. The phone's ring was louder and drowned out the car's.
You should be aware, though, that phone books cannot be transferred from the phone to the car or vice versa. The V710 is also crippled in other regards, too. Don't plan on transfers between your phone and your computer or PDA. Verizon wants you to pay for transfers using their service (despite your own crazy idea that that is one of the reasons you are paying extra for a bluetooth-enabled phone--but see below).
Pricing was great...$50 for the phone with a yet-to-be-redeemed $50 rebate (as long as you commit to two years)--meaning essentially zero-cost. The in-car phone charger was another $30, though.
I only saw a $150 V710 plus $50 rebate on the verizon website?
I am already a verizon customer, so maybe you are getting a better deal for joining?
How long is your talk time with that phone and how short is it when it is bluetoothing?
Thanks
Thank you for the great information. Getting quotes from muliple sources is the best way to get a great deal.
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/