By Jonny Lieberman
April 23, 2008 -
When launched, the Infiniti Q45 was infinitely more desirable than Lexus's stuffy LS400. Unfortunately, Lexus had already eclipsed Mercedes as the brand Black Sea immigrants asked for by name, and BMWs remained the must-have nouveau riche accessory. Although today's M45 is best-in-class, BMW 5-Series' still runs the schoolyard. Meanwhile, Infiniti (and everybody else) is striving to wrest control of the all-important, profit-laden next class down. So how does Infiniti's AWD 3-Series fighter stack-up?
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POWERED
April 24th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Michael Karesh :
April 24th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
People assume that if a car is Japanese then it’ll be reliable.
The 2008 G is looking good in TrueDelta’s surveys. But the 2007–not so much. They missed a couple of things until after the car was out the door.
The most interesting–a piece of sunroof trim that had a tendency to fall on people while they drove the car. Freaked a few of them out. Especially when it happened at night.
Yeah I have a 07 S Model with the Manual and this has happened to me. The rubber trimming has a tendency to deform between cool (i.e. the garage) and hot. The simple fix was to pop it back in and add some glue. No problem anymore.
For the most part it’s been very reliable. There have been two recalls: One was the key fob needed to be reprogrammed. Apparently some cell phones when ringing could erase the key if both are in contact. Thankfully this did not happen to me prior to the update. The other recall was for the clutch slave cylinder, which has helped with the wicked return the clutch previously had. Beyond that the car has been great and maintenance is VERY inexpensive. I average 22mpg between city and highway.
I left a Mercedes C230K (2005) for this car. I bought it primarily based on value. I truly believe that as an entry luxury sports car in the mid-30s there is no better car than the G35. I do take some exception to reviews that compare it to the 335. Like other posters have mentioned – a 10k price difference is not in the same league. I would tend to agree that the G’s exterior is an understated luxury. People often ask me “You traded a Mercedes for an Infiniti?” What can I say - I’m a value-oriented enthusiast.
That being said, the focus on the G35 and its value are the big things. The German attention to detail is not as prevalent - though the Japanese are getting there. For 35k the G offers a phenomenal Bluetooth navigation system, a superb engine, high quality leather, a larger car, etc. etc. At that price point in an MB or BMW you’d have to sacrifice quite a few of those options.
If I were in the market for a 50k car THEN I’d go German. There definitely are some “little” things I miss from my MB and the details that are generally in German cars. The rear sunshade, power rear folding headrests, the solid/tank like feel of a German car, the 1-click lane change blinker, the way the doors close/seal, the sunroof that can be open @ 75mph and barely make any noise – well you get the idea.
April 24th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
For the record — the car I tested cost $40,365
Not $35K.
So, that’s very, very close to what you can get a 335i for.
April 24th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Jonny - I see your point (and I always enjoy your posts), respectfully though I do disagree.
You can’t compare a 335i RWD car to a G35x AWD car.
If you do compare AWD to AWD it looks like this…
I’m assuming your tester G came w/the Nav system Premium package, and Tech package to be that price.
A comparable BMW 335 AWD car would cost:
The BWM 335xi starts at 40k - but after adding the following that the G already has:
1. Comfort Access system (ala stop/start and keyless entry) - $500
2. Heated Front Seats - $500
3. Real Leather - $475
4. The Sport Package (to get the same 8 way power seats) - $900
5. 18” wheels - $600
6. Paddle Shifters - $100
7. Premium Package - $2,550 (Blue tooth, compass mirror, garage door opener)
8. Sat. Radio - $595
9. STEPTRONIC Auto tranny - $1275
10. Ipod Adapter - $400
11. Adaptive Cruise (if the tester G had the Tech package) - $2400
You’ve got a car that costs $53,970. That’s more than 10k over a similarly optioned G35. AND the G has a backup camera.
(I might be off on the STEPTRONIC tranny and need for the sport package. However that would STILL put the BWM @ 51k)
All I’m saying is lets do a fair comparison. G35S to 335i and G35x to 335xi.
April 26th, 2008 at 10:53 am
I did not think cars in this class were appreciated for their good mileage.
Here here. You can not have high power, heavy cars that get good gas mileage, and do not cite me GM and Chrysler/Dodge’s V8 equipped vehicles. There is MORE to fuel economy than an engine’s horsepower, specifically weight and gearing….
Why not? Fuel mileage is fuel mileage. My wallet does not know the difference on how its obtained. The gearing that was selected by the designers of those V8 cars has been chosen to take advantage of the torque characteristics of the engine. At 80 mph, those cars are probably barely breaking 3000 RPM. The examples that you have cited will return good mileage if driven with some restraint. As posted in this string of comments, most cars are not driven at 8/10’s for much of their operation. So you have your power when you need it and economy on the highway when you don’t. So, there is no reason NOT to cite any examples of ANY car when discussing mileage.
All that being said, you are correct in observing that cars are just too damn obese today. Yesteryear’s Z car could not be built today; witness the 350Z. Technology - even basic tech cited in your examples - can help compensate for too much mass, but there is a limit to the laws of physics/thermodynamics that can’t be ignored. Perhaps with the renewed interest in MPG’s there will be more R&D invested in taking the weight out of cars without killing performance. It will cost to do this, but the cost of doing nothing is even greater.
April 28th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Joe O:
That being said, the salesperson who dealt with us at Infiniti was the best dealership experience I’ve had.
Out of curiosity, where was this dealership you visited?
Great review as usual, Jonny. I though the G35 sport was a more balanced car too.
April 30th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I have an ‘07 Altima SE-R, and average 24mpg, and can get up to 29 on long highway trips (MI to KY and back) with two people and a weeks worth of climbing and camping gear. Jonny, you only averaged 20 on the highways with this?? Guess those 40 ponies come at a pretty huge cost!
May 1st, 2008 at 2:15 am
I completely disagree with this review. I extensively test drove both the G35S and the G35X before deciding on the X, and the steering felt almost identical, while the power difference was minimal (this was in an ‘07 - there has been some ECU reprogramming for ‘08, which might have changed the feel of the car a little). Read this review from C&D for example:
http://www.caranddriver.com/shortroadtests/14225/tested-2007-infiniti-g35x-awd.html
The difference between the two is minimal in performance despite the 150lb weight difference, and of all the sports sedan manufacturers out there, Nissan/Infiniti does pretty much the best job of making their AWD car feel like a RWD most of the time with their ATTESA all wheel drive system, with the least amount of penalty. In the Car and Driver test, I’ll quote:
“But the G35X recorded an identical number on the skidpad, where we measure maximum grip - 0.87g- even though the AWD car is equipped with Goodyear Eagle RS-A all season tires, and the manual model wore Bridgestone Potenza performance rubber”
My experience tends to correlate with that. Perhaps the ’08’s programming made the difference, but it could have also just been a bad apple or something.
As for comparisons to the BMW, well, I traded an ‘06 330i for my G35x because of service related issues with the BMW. I haven’t driven a 335i, or 335xi, but no matter how superlative their engine is, when the performance difference is so small, it’s just not worth an extra $12k for a fully loaded 335xi over a fully loaded G35x (less loaded makes this difference smaller of course), and this is especially true considering how ugly the 3 series interior is when you get the additional iDrive hump.
Regards,
t1328
May 1st, 2008 at 6:37 am
I agree that the G35x is a good value for the money. I also read the Car and Driver review and my take on the review was that the magazine is saying that the BMW is the better car but if money is a consideration the G35x is a worthy option. Not that far in my opinion from the TTAC review. I personally like the G35x because I like both performance and gadgets. It has both at a reasonable price with good reliability. I am thinking about buying one. If I can live with FWD I may get a 2009 Acura TSX which has all the gadgets, less power and performance and costs even less — and uses less gas.
May 3rd, 2008 at 9:44 am
Dear Whatdoiknow1: You are right on with the description and comparison. I have a 2007 G35X Auto w/o NAVI, aside from some small short-comings : side view mirror blinkers, better fog lights that can be turned on without the headlamps, auto adjustable LCD screen (like the Caddy CTS), now with 10K on the clock after 1 year of ownership - the car is awesome overall, especially for the $$$$.
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