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Comments
1. Why is the Nav more advanced on Infiniti and not with Lexus? Infiniti comes standard with a backup camera which I really love and downloads your cd’s, Lexus does not do this.
2. Why doesn’t Lexus have more leg room in the back of the IS ?
3. How much more gas will I spend on the G vs. the IS per tank of gas approximately
I’m torn, fell in love with the brand LEXUS and LOOK of the car inside and out but love the bells and whistles and power of the Infiniti plus more leg room in the back.
Thanks.
Peanut in Beverly Hills
1. Why is the Nav more advanced on Infiniti and not with Lexus? Infiniti comes standard with a backup camera which I really love and downloads your cd’s, Lexus does not do this.
2. Why doesn’t Lexus have more leg room in the back of the IS ?
3. How much more gas will I spend on the G vs. the IS per tank of gas approximately
I’m torn, fell in love with the brand LEXUS and LOOK of the car inside and out but love the bells and whistles and power of the Infiniti plus more leg room in the back.
Thanks.
Peanut in Beverly Hills
In respect of the navi, here are my thoughts:
-The picture resolution of the IS is better than the G, especially on the backup camera
-The birds eye view in the G is great, the IS has nothing similar to this
-The search by point of interest name and phone number function in the IS yields better results than the G
-The voice recognition in the G is much better than the IS
-The G has the CF slot, the music box and comes stnd with XM
-The ipod connection on the G is ahead of almost all of the ELLPS, it is simply awesome, it transfers control of the ipod to your car and the ipod screen is transferred to the Navi screen. The IS does not have this.
In respect of the leg room at the back, I cant answer why Lexus has less leg room back there. What I can say is we had a new arrival and the rear facing car seat was squeezed back there, the G certainly offers more room (however I had other reasons for dropping the IS, the rear seat room was not the main reason)
On the gas issue, its safe to say you will spend more gas money on the G than the IS, depending on your mileage, probably +$500 a year. However, you cant compare fuel consumption for a 2.5l to a 3.5l.
Thank you and thanks Pat for letting me have this new thread.
I was DEAD set on the Lexus IS 250 – if you survey most peeps who have not driven either (especially the females which I am) they all say get the white lexus – just has a nice ring to it. I then tell them have you test driven the G and they say no. Lexus has done a brilliant job w/marketing. I only test drove the G to make my BF happy, he said I should compare all cars to really know and not go by marketing. I was like “fine” and stubborn as I knew what I wanted, drove it and thought “great” now I’m confused. It was fun and I’m honestly not big on engines or speed at all. It wasn’t the speed it was the way the car handled, seemed the IS was tight in the steering wheel not as easy to turn, almost like a brand new pair of sneakers that need breaking in – not sure if that is in my head but that is what it felt like. I loved the car and at the time I drove the car power was not a factor. I am currently driving a convertible Toyota solara and the gas mileage is 18 in the city, comparable to the G so I don’t think I’ll notice much of a difference. Although here in CA gas is nearly 4 bucks a gallon right now, cost me 54 to fill up the convertible, ouch! I still flip back to the luxury of the lexus and face it, its got a nice ring to it. I’m 90% sure I’ll go with the G, its hard when you make a firm decision and then get thrown off
My wife was also refusing to get the G cos she wanted the Lexus brand, after driving and looking closely at the G, she changed her mind within a day.
isn't much of a competition other than Price. G35 is a closer comparison to IS350,not IS250!
Typically equipped G35 and IS250 would be $35 to $38K
IS350 will cost $5k or more than G35.
IS250 is better if you like smaller car,slightly better gas mileage,don't mind a not so
great performance(slow and soso handling).And Lexus name recognition.
To me, buying G35 is like getting 95% of BMW335 performance and have enough
luxury and have much more room than IS350 OR BMW335.
And if you are considering Dealer Service for maintenance, typically Inifiniti will be
slightly lower than Lexus. Also, some Nissan dealers will do typical maintenance
on Infiniti cars for less money.
Once you get the taste of sweet G35 engine, you won't want to have 2.5 V6
engine.
Good Luck.
Ya, the Lexus is a beautiful vehicle but the beauty can only go so far.
If you enjoy driving a car with performance and luxury in mind, drive both and you'll see that the G is WAY more car for the buck.
If you don't care much for performance and just want a small luxurious ride, the IS may be enough for you.
It wasn't for me.
I think you have to have Premium package in order to have Nav. Most of the G has the moonroof as an extra option if you don't want Premium.
Infiniti recommends Premium. I have always used Prem on my 07 G35 Journey sedan (same as 08). Moonroof is part of the premium package; it is standard on the IS250. You mentioned about the rearview camera... it is part of the Navi package as already mentioned by somebody here already. The Journey model, premium package, and Navi package all add up to the cost of the base G35 sedan. You should get some nice discount though.
I like the IS250, as well. My friend has it and it is very zippy... and in my opinion, is easier to drive than the G. The G has more horsepower though and makes this sudden surge/thrust coupled with nice "growling" sound when you accelerate. It zooms from there.
You need to test drive both and feel for yourself which will suit your driving style more.
I test drove the IS 250 several weeks ago. I was very impressed with the interior/exterior and attention to "detail" in that car i.e. air conditioned seats, the way the holders on the door popped out, standard wood package but when I drove it and the guy said "so how does it feel" I was thinking but did not say that my toyota solara convertible seemed to have more get up and go then that car and the drive was okay but did not wow me. Again, I an not one for SPEED but the way the car handles. I test drove the G35 to make my BF happy (keeping an open mind) and when I drove it I wanted to keep driving and I wasn't going fast, just the way the car handled, so easy, the steering wheel turned like butter whereas the IS 250 seemed tigher to move.
Thanks.
So, it is okay to use regular unleaded. Other experts back this up saying the use of regular unleaded gas' trade-off is just a slight decrease in performance.
Infiniti further added..."Octane Rating Tips: Using unleaded gas with octane rating lower than recommended baove can cause persistent, heavy, spark knock. (Spark knock is a metallic rapping noise.) If this is severe, this can lead to engine damage. If you detect persistent, heavy, spark knock (even when using Prem gas), which Infiniti terms misuse of the vehicle, the car must be checked by the Infiniti dealer for correction to ensure you maintain car's warranty coverage.
It is really up to the driver what gas to use after considering the above. I have always used Premium in my case (about $.20 difference per). And this is where the G35 will hurt you a bit more. EPA estimated fuel economy of 17/24 (city/highway) is lower than the IS250.
Infiniti forums in other sites can give more details on owners' real-world experiences.
There's nothing worse than a person who spends $35,000-$40,000 on a performance sedan and then complains about the extra $500 per year needed for the required premium fuel.
Yes, gas prices are a complete rip-off but if fuel costs are your highest concern, the G is not the ride for you.
With that said, I get 22-27 city-highway when I'm behaving. Don't expect much better than that with the IS either.
I drive hard but I do not fit into the exact definition of "City" driving.
I'm not stop and go between red lights every block.
I'd say I fit more into the Country/Highway category... if there was one.
City driving, the G stinks.... yours, mine, and every other.
Let's say you only get 15 mpg (you should do quite a bit better) and drive 15,000 miles per year (probably you drive less). That's 1000 gallons per year, so at most you're paying $300 more to put the proper fuel in your luxury vehicle. If you get more than 15 mpg (highly likely) and drive less than 15K miles per year (also probable), you'll be spending even less extra. Your engine is clever enough to retard the timing when it gets less than premium fuel (under acceleration), which lowers the fuel mileage when you use 87 octane, reducing the delta even more.
When regular was 35 cents a gallon (yes, I am that old) and premium was 45 cents (there were only two grades), the delta represented a significant percentage. Nowadays, not so much.
Give the G what it needs, or look at different cars. My TSX gets well over 30 mpg routinely, or you could go whole-hog and get a Pious.
LOL
So thanks for answering either way. I negotiated my car Sunday and picked it up today! 2008 Infiniti G35 Sedan. Woo – hoo! It’s a cute car and fun to drive, I don’t even realize I’m going 80 on the freeway, thank goodness for cruise control. It’s fully loaded, white exterior, stone interior with the wood package, nav, Bluetooth, moon roof – everything. One nice detail I like is that you can SET IN MEMORY your seat and steering wheel position. For example, let’s say I go to get my car washed, now my seats are all moved around – I hit this button and it restores it back to MY SETTINGS! It’s those “little details” I really love, that is why I was impressed with the details in the IS 250 as well.
Not used to a navigation system so it’s hard not relying on a printed out MapQuest (old school) vs. relying on this device to tell me where to go. I’m liking it though. It’s like the blackberry, didn’t want one, refused, once I got it I can’t live w/out it, ha!
Catch you on the freeway!
Peanut
:shades:
It's difficult, but first 1200 miles try not to exceed 4000 RPM and drive more than
65 MPH. After that, show time!
After a proper engine break-in period, you will enjoy your car even more.
I have the same car as you, color exterior, interior, wood trim, just that mine is a G35x. Thats the best color combination right, the car is definietely a sport car but appears to have the elegance of a higher priced car
Hey, the odometer has trip A highlighted. How do I switch to the main odometer with the current miles and toggle between trip A, B and main? Haven’t figured out that feature yet.
I have to say I like the body style better on the G35, its got a sportier look than the IS250 but the IS250 INSIDE did a better job with the “details” such as air conditioned seats and wood package coming standard as the last poster mentioned and agree ‘great minds’ - thanks.
Loving the car though, now I look forward to driving and wow I love the hands free blue tooth for the phone, had no idea I would enjoy it so much. Great sound too! Love the IPOD feature, so great. Did any of you buy the XM once your 3 months was up? I haven’t even listened to it yet, so many other choices. Hopefully I will as I only get it for 3 months (the trial). Might come in handy for traffic alerts.
:lemon:
Cruise Control is not recommended during the breaking period because it's not good to leave the engine running at one RPM for too long. It's better to vary the speed and/or RPMs during the 1,200 mile break-in. You should also avoid hard starts and stops and short trips as well.
Your "tripometer" can be flipped from A to B by tapping the TRIP/RESET button, which is located on the left side of the gauge cluster. It's sorta out of view when sitting in the driver's seat, so you'll need to look for it. If you give it a quick push, it flips from trip A to B. If you hold it down, it resets the trip back to 0 miles.
I also wish the G had the vented seats from the IS and I also loved the IS's interior, but I actually like the wood trim in the G better than in the IS. The wood in the Lexus is real Bird's Eye Maple, but it has so many layers of protective lacquer on it that it may as well be plastic. The wood in my G is real Rosewood and by look and feel, you know right away that it's 100% real wood. I like that.
I did end up canceling my Sirius subscription and went with a year of XM. One thing to know though is that when your trial time is almost up, they will send you a reminder to buy a subscription. I threw mine away because I knew a better offer would be coming. The next offer came about a month later and offered 3 months free off a 1 year subscription. I tossed that too. A month later, I got a 50% off coupon from XM, which I used... so I got a year for half off. If you hold out, the price gets better!
Enjoy the G!
I agree with you on the wood trim as well, the G's is pretty cool.
I'd have to go back and look at the Lexus as far as the shine quality on their wood package. It was a month ago I test drove and don't remember it that well. I love mine in the G, it gives it that "luxury" feeling I was wanting inside. Good to know, thanks.
Also, thank you about the XM - I sent this info to my BF so he knows, wow, half a year for free, that is sweet!
Dawn
I would have bought the IS back when I test drove it if the AWD IS250 wasn't so under-powered... and the IS350 wouldn't do for me, being RWD only.
At least my G35 doesn't have that horrible snapping noise in the windshield that Lexus has yet to resolve!
I’ve had my G35 almost two weeks and I’m still so proud of my choice. So much fun to drive! Gas milease not as bad as I thought, finally filling my tank up this weekend for the first time. I was at the grocery store yesterday and there was a white audi (new) and I walked up to it thinking it was mine, but then I really compared the two side by side and mine had more ROOM inside (a bit bigger) and a better and nice looking control panel with the wood package. Even BMW I’m surprised they don’t make the interior more luxurious? I think when you make a car choice “take away the BRAND” and look at what you get overall. Marketing does a great job with that, you focus so much on the BRAND that you sometimes make out less than if you kept an open mind, glad I did in the end even though I almost did not.
Its interesting you mention brands because I feel the same way too. One of my hobbies is to park next to Audi A4, C350, BMW 3 series. When you see the G next to these cars, the outward beauty of the G is just so overwhelming you could almost cry with joy
You are right, the G does offer more than the cars above IMO too
What snapping sound? Had my IS350 for 2 years now and never heard of it before.
Lexus IS Popping Noise
I have another question if anyone can answer. I just bought a new CD “Leonna Lewis” she won the X factor in England – anyhow, I downloaded my CD in my music box or I thought I did. Then when I take it (the CD) out the songs aren’t there. Also when it seemed to record (I saw it record 1 of 13, 2 of 13 etc) it says track 1, track 2 vs the titles of the song. I have another CD I already have downloaded the car salesman did for me and it has the name of the album and each song name. Is it possible that certain CD’s are protected where you cannot download? I tried to re-record but it would not let me. I popped it in and hit record, isn’t that all I have to do?
Thanks.
http://www.infiniti.com/music-update/
follow the instructions on the website to download the track titles.
If you pressed record cd, it should have recorded
In the 7 months I've had mine (has it been that long?), noticed only 1 other "S" on the road and it was a G37. I survived the Winter in Chicago this year and it was a pretty bad one in terms of the amount of snow using Winter tires too.
Today I'm switching back to the performance tires. :shades:
Premium or Regular?
Lower octane costs less, but should you use it? Most modern cars that call for premium fuel can run on regular gasoline without knocking or any long-term penalty. Technically, this makes the car less efficient, but not to a degree that negates the cost savings from the cheaper fuel grade. NOTE: This is true of cars for which premium is recommended, not required. If in doubt, look for terms such as "for best performance" and "recommended" as opposed to "only" or "required." If your car has a turbocharger or supercharger, you probably should stick with premium fuel. Of course, if your car calls for regular gasoline, there's no reason to run it on anything higher in octane.
I'm looking for a 05, G35 coupe