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Comments
My needs list - AWD, highly reliable, "compact" size, fun to drive, and it falls off after that. Price is a consideration.
My observations:
AWD performance - I'll never know from a test drive not in nasty snow - assume they are both good.
Price - G35x, by a couple thousand or more, depending on if I compare to 325 or 330.
Reliability - varies by the individual car, of course, but Infiniti looks to have (significantly?) better odds
Size - comparable, but the BMW seemed a little cramped to me (the oft-repeated comments about the "grade" of the interior between the two is of lesser concern to me - both are fine)
Fun - This is a little harder, since the lag between my drive times was long, but here's how it felt, and I'm looking for your observations:
There is a noticeable power difference between the 325 and the other 2. Maybe daily it doesn't matter, but it's easy to feel. Otherwise, the power seemed to me to come on much more smoothly in the 330 than the g35. G35 might ride better, but I also felt that it was a little over-sensitive to minor inputs, and I didn't feel that in the BMW. They all braked strongly (as much as I can test in a test drive).
I'm not looking to restart the "I love my xxx, it's the best" wars, but I would be interested in hearing from those who have driven both (or all 3). All are seemingly very nice - even near-luxury (!) cars.
Interesting cars from the show (in their AWD versions, which sometimes means coming soon) - Lexus 2005 GS, Saab 9-2 (even if it is a Subaru ;-), Acura RL (but too big for me). Acura said all their cars would be AWD if I wanted to wait. Infinity M (again too big, though). It was crowded down there today, bad weather or not.
- BMW engines are the smoothest out there and my 328i was the smoothest of any car I've ever driven (I think they get better with age). If the ABS system hadn't gone (~$3000 estimated to repair), I'd still be driving it for sure. The G35 engine is great and VERY powerful, but somehow not as much fun to rev to the redline as the BMW engines.
- 325 and Audi engines just didn't have enough torque for me. The Audi felt nice, but the throttle response wasn't there for me.
- G35 is bigger than the other cars. Significantly in overall size, somewhat less significantly in interior room but still, it's a bigger car with more room, which was a positive for me.
- Handling was similar in all - excellent.
As you can see, I like all of the cars. In the end, the decision for me came down to value and reliability. The G35x simply is a great value when compared to the BMWs and Audis. Sure, the interior plastics aren't quite up to snuff, but the leather is nicer (in my opinion), it's the most powerful in the group, and your reliability odds are definitely better with Inifiniti.
No matter which you choose, you'll love the car. It's a great choice to have!
The biggest weakness of the G is grade of interior materials (other than seats), but if you're not bothered by them, the G35x should be a top candidate. Seeing that the power difference (or lack thereof) in the 325ix was noticeable to you, I'd recommend not getting it. Might nag you constantly. The 330ix is a fine machine, you can't go wrong with it either.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
When my G35coupe was in for service I was given a G35X( I happened to get caught in the middle of an unexpected snow storm. It handled very well. I never had any problems the entire day. Now, it was not on the same level as my wife's A6 quattro but the car handling capabilities are more than adequate. I prefer the interior of the 3 series but I agree with some others on this board with regard to the seats. The seats are more comfortable in the G.
All lights came up. The fuel gauge showed that I still have half tank of gas, but the "End of fuel" light was on at the same time. This light did not come up before that moment.
The roadside assistant came in 45 minutes, checked, and added some gas, the car worked again. It seems it was a fuel gauge malfunction.
Will there be any harm to the engine or anything, since I drove the car at very low fuel level?
Any comments?
1. In March, something was wrong on the car, I called, they scheduled it 3 weeks later. I asked, if they can make it earlier, because I was not sure if the problem was critical or not. They said, they can, but they don't have loaner, I have to rent a car at my own expense.
2. 10 days ago, my car was hit by a lost-control car, some bodyworks need to be done, I have to rent a car myself. ( I don't blame them for this one.)
3. This moring, my car stopped on highway ( see my previous post). The malfunction fuel gauge showed that I have half tank of gas, actually the tank is empty. When I call the dealer, they said they can treat it as urgent service, but, again, I have to rent a car at my own expense, because they don't have loaner.
You CAN get a loaner, if you schedule the service several weeks earlier. If it is anything urgent comes up, sorry, you have to rent a car yourself.
The problems are:
1. They want to cut loaner cost by having less loaners,
2. The MB cars have too many problems, people are busy bringing in their cars to get fixed.
I hope I haven't bought this car!
I am thinking about selling this car before the warranty expires. I just can't afford the time, the money and the patience. I just can't!
Finally, a funny thing, when I was at the dealer
several days ago, I overheard a lady who drives a coupe complained a problem, I told her I have had that problems about 10 times. She said, that's no big deal, she still have had A problem, B problem, C problems,....
Anyone else owning the G coupe feel free to fill me in.THANKS!
But it seems this C class really prevent people from looking further at other series.
Does anybody know if the E or S series have problems as well?
When I decided to buy this car, there were not so many entry level luxury cars out there, despite of all the bad comments from other owners, I still decided to buy it. I made a mistake.
I haven't heard as much about the E-Class, so I'm not sure if that means it has less problems than the S-Class or not.
Jeff
Test drove both. Night and day. The auto, like all autos, lags and removes the driver too much from interacting with the engine.
My G35 coupe is also a 3rd car situation but I just do not have the patience for a manual in the area I live. In my experiences the manual version will always give you a closer connection between the driver and their car (as blueguydotcom stated) but I disagree with his statement about the auto G35coupe. The manumatic is better than what you will find offered on most vehicles in a similar price range.
Anyone else who has test driven or owns one, do you feel the same as blueguy?
Thanks again!
My wife and I ALWAYS owned manuals, until the day I broke tibia/fibula playing soccer. Switched one to auto then, and as traffic built up and commute got worse, switched the other car. Drove a loaner stick recently, and it was just great fun, but probably won't go back.
M
Audis are better put together than their VW counterparts. Besides, Audi service is light years better than VW. So if something were to go wrong I'd rather be driving an Audi.
I have no doubt that they will soon offer a bona fide entry-level luxury sedan offering, but they still have a long way to go in terms of "performance".
They will probably try to make an ES330 fighter at some point, which is good because the ES330 is currently in a category all by itself among import sedans.
I'm not sure what study you're referring to. The NHTSA side-crash test ratings for 2004 Sonata, Elantra, XG350, and Santa Fe were all either four or five stars.
I guess there was some other study that found otherwise.
What I was surprised to find was that the 2004 3-series sedan had a three star front side impact rating.
*Edit: I see the IIHS study now.
1. Government Side Crash tests results where rated "Very Good" for both driver and rear passenger.
2. The IIHS Frontal Offset Crash test was rated "Good" overall.
they would be skipping quite a few steps if they tried now, and the risk of failure would be far higher.
even, more established german brands like vw, try to ease in their transition, eg the passat is slowly moving upmarket and the phaeton clearly is, though the brand still isnt.
and if vw has so much trouble, and may yet not succeed, imagine how much more difficult it woulf be for hyundai.
the xg350 may be a great car by hyundai standards. but do you really think its competitive ?
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosinsider/0404/20/c02-127757.htm
I think it's much more likely Hyundai will join Mazda/Mitsu/Subaru as 2nd tier brand.
[But I will say that my work '00 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 with 5-speed manual, TC, and ABS has been quite reliable and a pleasant car to own & drive.]
if a company cant even build small reliable cars, yet start making public statements about investing heavily in bringing out a luxury performance platform, i'd dump their stock.
i also wouldnt be surprised if credit dried up as lenders lose confidance.
will hyundai be another daewoo ?
Give 'em some time.
certainly not reliability, luxury or performance.
The problem is market leaders like Toyota and Honda always make innovations and enhancements too, they just dont stand still. They can be beaten if their product became overpriced, lack of innovation/enhancement.
They've greatly improved on the reliability area.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-03-11-cr-picks_x.htm
Tied with Honda for 2002 models. Of course, their older models are average or below-average.
http://hyundaifans.proboards26.com/index.cgi?board=newsonata&- action=display&num=1081522745
Looks like an A6 mated with an Accord.
Remember Toyota, Honda and Datsun in the early years? Would you have bought one of those cars? Hyundai certainly deserves a lot more credit than what most people give the company, and if they play their cards right, they have a very bright future ahead of them. Will that future include a luxury brand? Who knows? To some, who cares? I just find it very interesting to see how a car company slowly and deliberately improves their products and increases their market share. It may be a little like watching a flower grow but one day, it will bloom.
im also surprised 2 hear that they rank near honda. in fact, since im not a public figure being quoted in a well circulated broadsheet, i would go s far s 2 say, that, ranking hyundai as above average cals into question the credibility of their ranking process.
i would say its more probably that hyundai will b a footnote like daewoo, then it will b a serious auto player, let alone n auto player with n offering in the entry level luxury sedan market.
toyota and honda have no offerings in the entry level luxury sedan market. even their luxury brands r still not 100% accepted. and they constantly have 2 offer significantly more for less price, 2 compete with the likes of mb and bmw.
@ least they can say they have great reliability and lower maintenance costs. what has hyundai got 2 offer ?