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I've always liked Nissan - two Maximas and a 300ZX before the G35. Whn I bought the G35, it was a choice between that and the new Maxima. I decided I preferred the RWD and agility of the G35 (basically a 4-door 350Z). The Maxima was simply the best choice of the FWDs available at the time. But if I were making the same choice today, and I decided I wanted a FWD (which I don't), I would choose the TL. No matter how nice it is, the driving experience doesn't compare to the Nissan FM platform cars - G35 sedan, G35 coupe, and 350Z.
lights cast an uneven and pattern at night on low beam (mechanic said this is normal)"
Yes this is normal, it's how it's supposed to be. The left light will be aimed a little bit lower then the right. This is to keep the bright HID light out of the oncoming car's eyes. I noticed this big time when I was in St Croix a few weeks ago. There they drive on the opposite sides of the road. At night it seemed like every car had their brights on. I asked a local this and he said it was because since they still drive cars that were produced to drive on the right side of the road (meaning the driver position in the car is on the left hand side like they are in America as opposed to the right hand side in England) that all the headlights are still adjusted to drive on the right side of the road. Meaning since they are driving on the left side, the right side headlight which is aimed higher is aimed into the eyes of oncoming traffic passing to your right.
Exterior appearance is purely subjective. I would give the TL a slight edge but to me, it's not "far better looking." Remember there are actually people who buy Pontiac Aztecs, arguably one of the ugliest vehicles produced in the last 20 years! I'll bet you can even find some who think it's "cute." Go figure.
We're not that far apart in our opinions and I have to defer to your superior experience base. 160 cars, wow!
Yeah, and I'd throw the Honda Element into that "I wouldn't be caught dead drive it" category.
Anyway, my good buddy just took delivery of a G35 Premium Package (Auto) w/spoiler (Charcoal Grey on Black Leather). I think the car looks great and I really like the color combo. Actually, he wanted to get the TL Auto with Nav but couldn't make the numbers work. Infiniti is/was having a low interest promo and were willing to budge on price, whereas, Acura would not budge at all.
My buddy admits that the TL's interior "blows away the G35's interior" (he really fell in love with the TL's nav and stereo systems) but he quickly realized how great the G is to drive and he's very happy. I recommended he go with the G if for any reason he couldn't get the TL, and I couldn't happier for him.
I have the TL 6-speed and I love it but I'd be just as happy driving a G35 6MT. Both cars are terrific and hey, life could be a lot worse. We could be driving an Aztec or an Element. :-/
Btw, I can see where the Honda Element might fall into the cute category. Sure it's boxy but the lines are clean and there are no weird shapes. I know people who think the FX35/45 are ugly. It's all in the eye...
To accomplish this, engineers focused on creating a rigid platform with performance-tuned suspension and large tires. The large tire contact patches improve braking and handling with all-season tires. The available Dynamic Package with summer high-performance tires boost acceleration, handling and braking capability even higher on both dry and wet surfaces.
The TL has excellent dynamic properties. It feels crisp and taut, corners flat and offers a high level of grip – even with four passengers aboard. In internal testing, both TL models (5-speed Sequential SportShift automatic transmission and 6-speed manual transmission) surpass the 2003 BMW 530i and the Lexus ES 300 in a 600-ft. slalom exercise and in maximum cornering capability.
Quoted from automotive.com
Looks like you have a passion for American classics. So do I. In fact, I plan on getting a 1961 Pontiac Convertible (Bonneville or Catalina) or a 1962 Cadillac Convertible (Series 62). I've only been window shopping on ebay but do you know of any good discussion forums (like edmunds.com) that focus on American classics (i.e. late 50s, early 60s)?
The Nissan maxima forum is dead. I might as well buy a G or a TL, just to have something to talk about around here. Still, though – I am not even an inch closer to my decision – maybe I’ll wait to see the new interior of the G – it is supposed to be improved in 2005 models. I saw what Nissan did to 2005 Altima – they seem to have the right idea. If this principle is applied to the G, it might be worth the wait. After all, the G’s design is 2 years older then the TL’s. So maybe infinity will give it some refreshment and make it look even better – then the decision will not be as hard.
Who knows, procrastination might be useful in this case.
P.S - Pontiac Aztec, Honda Element - reminds me of those commercials from Saturn - the cardboard boxes should have had honda and pontiac badges. And now we also have Toyota with its’ XB – another marvel of modern design – wow. I think almost every car manufacturer has its’ ugly child – I hope that Acura and Infiniti will put a little more chlorine in their gene pool.
I like both the TL and G35. May consider both, but I wnat good gas mileage to boot. Also considering the MB C-230. Waht do you guys think ?
Back to the topic, we got a Lexus dealer about 3 years ago but still don't have Acura or Infiniti. Just not a big enough area to support all the low volume exclusive dealers. The M-B dealer also carries VW and Audi and the BMW store also has Mazdas. All of which means test drives are very inconvenient (100 miles west to Chicago or east to Fort Wayne.)
My new car lust has been tempered by some recent developments at work so now I'm back in pure dreaming mode.
Say hi to Dolly when you're in Pigeon Forge.
If I'm not mistaken, the 1990 Mustang GT at the time was the 2nd quickest to 60 at about 6.5 seconds, only behind the Buick GN. Not very impressive when compared to today's near luxury and luxury classes. Just think what a new Q45 or LS430 could do at a drag strip in the late 80's or early 90's.
Check this baby out! http://www.valenticlassics.com/CARS/1961_BONNEVILLE.htm
This would be awesome, to get 20 more horses on the sedan, Infiniti is following the familiar trend: up the horsepower = up the sales.
I'm concerned about all this power at my rear on those snowy northeast mornings. THX
Good luck!
People who come here looking for G35 and/or TL conversation get really turned off to the Town Hall in general if all they can find is a bunch of unrelated posts.
Main issue is just getting moving. Had a mustang and once i was moving i was fine but with little weight over the back it was tough to get moving. I would assume a very similar thing from the G35 6-spd with summer tires (what they come with). My acura has been a monster in the snow, very impressed.
I just don't want to have to worry about it. I wish i lived farther south and could get RWD without thinking about it. Unfortunetly reality has an impact on our decisions
I would say a FWD with snow tires would be even better that a RWD with snow tires.
In fact, I would venture to say FWD with all-seasons is better in snow than RWD with snows, VDC, VSA, TRAC, etc notwithstanding.
Your argument that RWD with snows is as good as FWD in all-seasons is just plain wrong for several reasons:
1. You have to spend the $ to buy 4 snow tires (and possibly new rims).
2. You have to do 2 extra sets of tire changes.
3. You have to lug 4 tires in the trunk when getting an oil change and back. That's 8 tires lugged per year. Not fun and nice way to ruin clothes and dirty up the back of your trunk. Have fun cleaning it off.
4. If you're hit with a sudden snowstorm and then rush to the mechanic to get the snow tires swapped in, good luck. If you're not there by 6 a.m., you're screwed. Meanwhile, you're driving through snow in summer tires, o joy. Waiting in line at the mechanic's on a cold winter day is not my idea of fun.
5. If you're a DIY, you take the risk of damaging the car and injuring yourself 2x a year. Plus you waste a whole day, half a day putting winter tires in, half a day putting summer tires in.
6. If you can't get the tires changed in time, you're driving through snow with summer tires, very very bad.
7. Taking up valuable storage space with 4 tires.
8. When the snow clears (there's not always snow in winter), now your RWD in snows and dry pavement handles worse than a FWD in all seasons.
9. When you trade in your car, what are the chances that the snow tires you have now are going to be usable on your next new car? In my exp., every RWD car I had, I had to buy new snow tires because my old ones didn't fit.
Please don't make any more specious arguments about RWD with snows being better than FWD with all seasons in snows b/c doing that has lots of other disadvantages which you gloss over and which, IMO, cancel out the supposed handling benefit of a RWD with snows.
Just admit that FWD has its advantages (cheaper to make and thus cheaper to buy, more compact packaging so more room for people in car, i.e., no drivetrain running through middle of car, better in snow, lighter weight than comparable RWD car so slightly better gas mileage), just like I admit that RWD has its advantages (better weight distribution and thus better handling).
Also I don't think you can transport 4 tires in the trunk. Certainly not in the TL's smallish trunk. And I'd never put tires in the passenger area, with or without tire bags. So that means, if you need to have someone do the tire changeover, you need to make 2 trips each time. That's minimum 8 trips per year. God help you if you change out of your snow tires too early!
Sorry, but I'm not enough of a car-slave to go with RWD.
Most municipalities in snowy areas keep the streets pretty clean so one is probably driving in fresh, unplowed snow only a couple times per season. Not enough reason to opt for the TL over the G35 if one really prefers the G, IMO.
As for the inconvenience issue...give me a break! I never heard so many excuses. I invest less than two hours, twice a year on an early Saturday morning -- during which time, I enjoy a grande cappuccino and spinach & feta cheese croissant while reading the paper at Starbucks, right next door to my Acura dealership. BIG SACRIFICE!!
Bottom line? For 365 days a year (less 4 hours), I can drive my TL the way it was meant to be driven and enjoy every minute of it.
With respect to the rest of your arguments, I'm not saying snow tires aren't going to lead to superior performance, but you are definitely minimizing the hassle of getting them on. As someone who has put snows on all ways, short of haivng a hydraulic lift in the garage, it is a MAJOR hassle.
If you're a DIY with a non-hydraulic jack, you have to lift the car up 4 times, one for each separate tire, and do that 2x a year for a total of 8 times for tire switches. I change my tires when there's a flat, but I am very leery of having a 2ton+ machine suspended on a thin piece of metal. If you do it wrong, you not only scratch the bottom of the car, but you also have to deal with the car coming on you.
Therefore, I always took it to the garage.
I now have an SUV so I can slap all four tires in if I needed to. Before I just had a sedan and let me tell you, you can't fit more than 2 tires in there. So you either have to make 2 trips or bring 2 cars and have the wife drive one back. Having done this at 6 a.m. on a snowy day, I can tell you it's not fun.
Also, those tires are dirty and heavy. Kahunah, I just can't see how you can throw 4 tires into your TL without getting crap all over you and your car and then sit at Starbucks drinking a coffee. I'd be sitting there thinking, God I hope this mech. hurries up so I can take first clean up the back of the trunk and then clean myself off.
Frankly, I got sick of it so I ended up limiting myself to 2 snow tires for a RWD, and let me tell you, 4 good all seasons on a FWD are better than 2 rear snow tires on a RWD.
As for getting 4 snow tires on a FWD TL, why? That's the whole point of getting a FWD w/ all seasons. If you want to go through the snow tire dance, just get a RWD car and get the benefits of RWD handling and snows.
jpiatchek, since I've taken back any negative things I've said about you, I think you should take back your comment on FWD all-seasons being lazy, b/c it's not true. People prioritize their time and make decisions on what to do and what not to do all the time.
Because I choose to spend my day doing other things than spend 2 days of the year with a dealer/mechanic to switch tires doesn't mean I'm lazy. I've just got better things to do with my time.
In any case, I guess I'm irritated with this whole discussion, comes up all the time, and fact is, the wrong advice is always given.
Comparisons between a RWD with 4 snows and a FWD with 4 all seasons are comparing apples to oranges. Talking about how great RWD with 4 snows without talking about what a hassle it is (and how expensive it is to get 4 new tires and rims each time you change your car) is misleading.
Now I'm hearing about "performance snow tires" outhandling all-seasons.
Um, OK. I've heard lots of complaints about the crappy all seasons the TL comes with. So yes, maybe top of the line "performance snow tires" on an M3 will outperform crappy all seasons on the TL, but it seems to me jpiatchek that you're making another invalid apples to oranges comparison.
Methinks an M3 with 4 rubber thongs for tires might outperform the TL with crappy all seasons.
Put decent all seasons on the TL and then compare. Maybe an M3 with performance snows will still outperform the TL with decent all seasons on dry, but I doubt few other cars could.
Also jpiatchek, the reason why I criticized the way you drive in snow is statements like that, "performance snow tires". It implies that you are driving in the snow a little recklessly b/c you think you can get away with it due to the superiority of your snow tires.