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Comments
Bart
However, reliability what very important for me, and I eliminated the A6 for that reason (and other German models as well).
Another factor was resale value. For some reasons in SoCal, used Audi do not sell very well. With all the good publicity and top reviews about the M, reselling shouldn't be a problem even in many years from now.
You can use the electronic controls to do any of the following on the front passenger seat:
1) Slide the whole seat forward or back with all the freedom you want.
2) Choose ANY angle for the seat BACK
3) Choose ANY angle for the seat BOTTOM
4) Change the Height of the seat BOTTOM.
That's pretty much all you would expect, but here's the big rub: Item's 3 and 4 are handled with one single control: When you change the height for the seat bottom, you're also changing the angle (A LOT).
So while you can get any angle OR any height (or some combination/trade off), you really CAN'T get any angle AND any height, as you can with the driver's side. Many passenger's find that it works great for them, but it's in the top three on my wish list.
The other two are:
1) An ultimate iPod interface, which they could do an incredible job on (with their big scroll wheel, 4 way arrows, select button, and big nav screen. They could also add support for it with their terrific steering wheel MENU controls with steering wheel SELECT button)
2) XM's Nav Traffic
Pete
Or it could have something to do with what experimental psychologists, who study perception and sensation, refer to as a jnd (just noticeable difference) -- the amount that something must be changed for the difference to be reported half the time by test subjects. The difference between the driver and passenger seat in the M car would be one test. Maybe if I drove the car every day for a month and then switched to the passenger seat for a week, then I'd be saying "hey, what's wrong with this seat". But going from the Mercedes E350 to the M or from the Audi A6 to the M, we don't notice a difference that bothers.
The same might apply to road noise. We've been driving a Mini and a BMW 325i and in those cars you feel and hear the car on the road. By comparison, the M seems to have little tire noise or harsh ride characteristics. But, if a person does notice the difference, then it can be like a small splinter on the bottom of your foot. It's going to annoy you every time you walk.
I wish there was an outfit that rented cars like this for a week (but at some cost less than $100/day) so I could try all the ones that interest me in everyday real-world driving.
Now there's a business op whose time has come! I have found most local dealers willing to let you drive a used unit for a couple or three hours and an occasional late model car shows up on the lots. For a potential legit buyer this shouldn't be too difficult to work out. Our local MB dealer will let you take a NEW unit out for an hour! Bart :shades:
I rented the Q45 for a week, an S500 for a week, and drove the LS430 for a week. (I had actually purchased the LS430, but because of my back and neck problems the Lexus dealer let me return it)
The Q absolutely won me over. Of course I love the M45 even more.
You can rent an M35 at some enterprise locations, and an Audi (and I thought I heard the same about an M35) at some hertz locations.
I think it's a great idea.
Pete
No complaints on the passenger seat.
I WOULD change the tiny right/left switch for the mirror adjustment. My fingers need it bigger.
I WOULD ALSO like a fully functional nav/info screen while driving. Haven't done the fix but I'm getting ready to because I just need more functions without having to stop. THAT'S annoying.
I DID change my mind about the overdrive. DON'T need it. 120 mh feels fine in this car (especially with the new Pirelli P Nero Zero's on the ride ---it hungers for cornering, as do I).
About the only thing I'm waiting for at this point (after 8,500 miles) is V8 w/AWD. I heard it's coming out for 2007.
- Kai
M35x
I've done the Nav fix and I highly recommend it.
Pete
There are two fixes which might have been confused in the previous threads.
1) The General Nav Fix:
This refers to cutting the car's "Vehicle Speed Sensor" wire (the VSS), and inserting a switch would then connect or disconnect the VSS at any time.
When the switch is in the OFF position - wire disconnected:
The car believes it is standing still, and as such, allows full entry of ALL navigation and system commands. In this position, the Nav will temporarily lose your correct position, since, though you're moving, the Nav believes that the car's standing still.
When the switch is in the ON position - VSS connected:
The car behaves as it did from the factory. GPS tracking works fine and some Nav entry is restricted.
When using the Nav normally (while the the switch in the ON position), you can hit the switch at any time (switching to the OFF position) and thus enter a few commands. When done, you restore the switch to the ON position, and in about 10 to 20 seconds the GPS tracking will be restored, and all is good.
2) The Nav Traffic Fix (XM NavTraffic)
This is an option which will be available in the New 2007 G and (I believe) in future M's, although the WHEN is unclear.
This feature provides traffic information transmitted to the car via XM's satellite radio. That information will be integrated with the Nav System, showing such traffic conditions on the Map and allowing you to choose better alternate routes. I believe it will NOT be available as a hack or as an upgrade to existing cars.
Pete
(Sorry you got an email over this little bit of nonsense. )
Pat
I went to the tracked items page and all of the preferences pages and saw nothing about receiving email alerts. The one exception was an item in a preferences heading regarding email notifications, which however, provided no options that I could alter. (I tried this in both internet explorer and firefox)
Pete
Second, the default setting on that page is for discussions to only show up if they have new messages. So you won't see what you are tracking if none of them have new messages. But you can go to the bottom of that page and uncheck "Show only items with New Posts" and then all of your tracked discussions show up. THEN you will see the check box on the right side for email alerts. Honest! :shades:
Emgee
See message 5707 above.
Nissan already announced it would shut down production at its U.S. plants for about a week sometime by July in order to reduce an over-supply of unsold vehicles.
M, by itself, has been having good spring -- best April ever I think I read.
May 2006 sales figures
BMW 5-series - 4,838
Mercedes E-Class - 4,070
Lexus GS - 2,456
Infiniti M - 2,178
Cadillac STS - 2,171
Audi A6 - 1,597
Acura RL - 1,047
But parent company still weak, with Nissan sales down almost 20% in Japan too.
Nissan has registered the names “Infiniti G37,” “Infiniti M37,” and “Infiniti FX37? with the U.S. Trademark and Patent Office. Typically, companies register names of new products a few weeks or months before their introduction.
Local sales manager told me horsepower's going up significantly next year ... that would be the 3.7L powerplant, no doubt. Bart :shades:
Get the M ... it's stunning! :shades:
They drove M35x with Goodyear Eagle RS-A, size P245/45R18 96V.
Anyone know the pros and cons of these tires versus each other?
Premium-Priced Finalists: Mercedes S Class; Lexus GS; BMW 3 Series: Audi A6; Lincoln Zephyr; Cadillac DTS.
Audi A6 was also nominated for Best Instrument Cluster.
Personally, I always feel warm. I found that even here in MI, I appreciate the seat cooling more than the seat heating.
I wonder why Infiniti is proceeding this way. I guess, as you speculate, having had a good sales increase (compared with 2005) for April/May, they don't want to slow down sales. Audi, by contrast, struggling to hang in the LPS competition, will eagerly show you ordering sheet for 2007 A6.
I laugh (inside) at my wife sometimes. I always use the automatic setting for climate control. When she gets in the passenger seat, she almost always turns the fan down (which turns the auto setting off), then proceeds to turn the temperature down (from 70 to 63) to cool off. While it has dual temp settings, it does not have dual fan settings. I like the cool breeze when I'm hot, so I always punch the auto button again when she's not looking (and then she proceeds to dial the fan down again).
Also, if anyone is willing to share the terms of their lease, I would really appreciate it.
Thanks:)
Who better than a guy who lives in Tucson to judge the A/C on the M35? I'm now entering my 2nd summer with mine and it cools quickly and effectively ... even in temps well above 100 (which it is today). My car is a crimson sport w/ pewter-colored interior so although I do heat up a bit due to the exterior color, the interior color modifies that effect materially. I wouldn't expect a dark interior to cool nearly as quickly, however. Unrelated to the A/C, but of significance, is the intensely hot eyeglass compartment in the headliner ... I leave it hanging open (when I remember to) or my sunglasses become too hot to touch. The seats cool nicely as well. I have no complaints about how quickly the cabin and seats cool off even in this broiling heat. :shades:
TIA,
Jim
Technology 5.0
Navigation 4.5
Entertainment 4.5
Fun Factor 5.0
ECO-Friendliness 3.0
"Check off just two options on the order form for the Infiniti M45—the Technology and Journey packages—and you'll be driving the most technologically advanced car you can get for under $100,000, our Digital Drive winner for luxury automobiles."
Technology 4.5
Navigation 4.0
Entertainment 4.5
Fun Factor 4.5
ECO-Friendliness 3.0
"Some day every car will have a cockpit controller. Today, Audi's A6 luxury sports sedan leads the way with its integrated MultiMedia Interface (MMI). How does it work? You select a function such as Nav, CD, or AM/FM via one of eight buttons, then you navigate screens via the knob. In addition to the 7-inch screen in the console, a smaller LCD in the gauge cluster provides key navigation, phone, and entertainment information. Bluetooth is standard, and the Bose audio system plays MP3s and WMAs."
Speaking of PC mag, did I mention that PC mag awarded the M "Luxury Car of the Year", and stated that the M had more better than any car for $100,000?
My opinion is that menus are becoming more of a necessity because of the ever increasing diversity and complexity of our car's software. This is not a bad thing per se because that software provides so much real value.
The problem is that when driving 80 mph on a highway, you are MUCH better off avoiding multi-layered menus WHENEVER possible.
The beauty of the M is that while they do have menus, (and allow full menu navigation and selection RIGHT FROM THE STEERING WHEEL), the M allows you to do 95% of what you want to do without going into those menus. One click is far, far better than menu navigation at 80 mph.
Pete