Similarly, with these two cars or any other such comparisons. Undeniably the BMW stands as the champion and there is a price to pay for it. It really comes down to how much you are willing to pay for being #1. Some people are willing to compromise because this particular part of their life is not that important, so they settle on second place and feel great about saving a few bucks. That’s perfectly fine. Once you get into value though it’s not a fair comparison. All those little differences add up. BMW has better leather, better quality materials, better transmission, better engine, etc. I know they are just a little bit better, but that little bit costs more than a little bit because it is that much more difficult to achieve and in the end it is that much more difficult and subtle to appreciate.

I have no doubt that Nissan can go and order the best transmissions, just like BMW did, and the better leather, heck they can even go and order the motor like so may companies do, but when they put it together while I have no doubt their cars will be as good as the BMW they will probably cost more. Why I think that? well, because I believe experience, pedigree and intangibles will make the difference. And because Nissan does not have them yet, they have to create a vehicle a notch below while trying to make the value argument.

My opinion anyway.

When I went to take a look at the coupe vs coupe, I found the difference to be about 7-8k, or even more if settling for the turbo 4 which is fast enough for general use. The car basically gets down to altima coupe territory on the low end and certainly drives better than that. Didn’t care for the el-cheapo silver painted plastic interior vs the fairly nice Infiniti one, and getting a first year car seems risky even with that warranty.

It’s quite obvious hyundai benchmarked the G coupe for their new car, the dimensions and overall capabilities are nearly identical. Hyundai seems ready to strike at the G37 much like how the G35 did the 3series.

I looked at that car too but it is quite a different car than either of the cars in the story. They are sports sedans. The Genesis sedan is an excellent buy but it is not a handler- more a cruiser. It has more room and is quieter though. The coupe is overall very similar but does not have the nice interior and in the 3.8 Grand Touring (most similar to G) is at least $30K.

I did not mean that cost was the only factor although the gap on the G compared to the Bimmer is huge IMO; however, the Genesis sedan was quoted to me at $36K and the coupe provides a similar look and feel of a G but the interior is not close at all. The local Hyundai dealer in April was NOT discounting Genesis models, especially the new coupes. They priced the coupe I drove Grand Touring 3.8L with auto at just over $30 plus a market adjustment of more (that part negotiable). I paid $33,400 for the G37 journey prem. – about a $3K diff. People make their own choice for sure but I am just sharing that I carefully compared the G to the BMW and found the G to be the better choice overall. I appreciate this article and the comment helps.

The Hyundai Genesis cars, especially that sedan are unbelievable for the price and I would not hesitate to buy one if in the market for a plush sedan-Avalon, 5or 7 series, ES or even larger Lexus. The coupe is great although in its 4cyl form I would not buy and the 3.8 is great but I found the $3k to be worth the difference in space, 7spd and overall quality.

Well from my April post I thought I would add to the news that I did purchase the G37; however, what is interesting for anyone shopping around, originally I was looking at the G coupe and the day I purchase there was every intention to take delivery on the coupe. The dealer even prepped it. When I got to the dealer I took a quick look at the sedan and decided on it.

I believe that not only is there a decision to be made between BMW and G but also coupe or sedan. The G car icon is the coupe but now that the sedan has everything the coupe does in power (2 hp less but that is pipe length) plus 2X the trunk and usable back seat, less weight AND about $3K less – it is the real deal in the comparison.

After three weeks of trying to get to a deal on a BMW we leased a new 2008 G35S Journey. Counting all discounts Infiniti was providing and BMW was not, there remained a difference of $15,000 for similarly equipped cars and I could not reason that away even though I would have liked the Bimmer better.

Having had the G35 now for 6 months now I can say that it is a formidable machine and in many ways better (mainly space) than the Bimmer, but it does not have the “soul” that even our old 330CiC conveys to its driver. It is too “clean” or “sanitary”. Another deciding factor was the spotty reliability of the Bimmer opposite top notch reliability of the infiniti and that you cannot get the 335i with an LSD diff which comes standard on our G35 Sport and is a major item on wet roads.

In the end with this much price difference it will be a cold day in you-know-what before I buy a 3-series again though.

I’ve been driving both of these in deciding between them for a purchase. I can only say that at this point, I am leaning toward the G37 coupe over the 335 coupe version.

The drive of the 335 is great. It is fast and agile. The position of the seat while driving is sedan-ish. The wind and road noise is muffled and the engine is heard mostly at take off. ALL OPTIONS are pricey and it pretty much is stripped with little standard goodies.

The G37 is also quite fast. It gives the impression that it is ready to leap forward and fly.It is just as agile (to me) and the seat position is lounge-like. It is difficult to describe but it is more sport coupe styled seating – slung back and comfortable. The car even in base form comes well-equipped. The Infiniti is equally quiet and the exhaust sound is very nice at acceleration. The ride on bumps is slightly stiffer.I drove a premium package/Nav Journey with the self healing paint and auto. The features made it seem like piloting a fighter space craft or something, talking navigation taking requests, etc. The feature set is unmatched.

I went back and made sure not to focus on the features and just drove. I could not help peaking at the sticker at a red-light. Considering that Infiniti locally offers itself within the Costco buying program, a realized difference of $13K is quite a difference. Either car is quick, comfortable and built well. The arguments against? The G35’s were criticized for their interiors. I looked at a used ond and know why. The G37 is not at all the same-much more upscale.
The BMW is known to not be a car to keep past the warranty. There are forum concerns with the turbo heating and electrical issues have always plagued BMW (I have owned them) add to that stories about magnesium alloy rotors that are designed to last about 20K miles on the recent models and I lean toward the Infiniti. In the last month I have been referencing the free maintenance of BMW and I have concluded that the purpose is to keep them competitive and not have marks against them (since 4yrs free) otherwise they would be in trouble. In spite of this I think the BMW coupes (3 series) are beautiful. I just do not believe they are near the reliability of Japanese engineering. Yes, I think that I will be getting the G car and keeping the $13K left over.

Like Tummy, I happen to prefer paid-off cars to those owned by someone other than me, but that is just my more conservative financial bent.

That said, I still think we live in a golden age of enthusiast cars. For under $50k, one can buy a new, nicely equipped C-class, 3-series, G37, IS350 or A4; each of which has a different slant on the balance of luxury to performance and all of which are lightyears ahead of their predecessors of just ten years ago.

That said, I have two Mercedes (E & SLK) and an Infiniti (FX45), all less than 5 years old and paid off. How does that rank? People I know in and around NYC don’t appear to care what you drive. I think they’re probably surprised I have a car at all.

It’s 2009 and this understanding still holds true. When my lease is up in 2010 I may just purchase a g37 to reduce monthly costs without reducing (if any) driving fun.

I will say this, at least in my area of los angeles – the value of the Beemer brand is still stronger than Infiniti’s. The premium of a 335 and even a 328 over the g37 is paying for the social judgement and impressions made by the general public – although its usually vocally negative (ever hear of the cactus vs bmw joke?) the mental effect i believe is positive for the owner.

Oh yeah and I loathe the g35’s tail lights but can accept the g37’s a bit more =P

What it WILL do is help a powerful rear wheel drive car – like the two in this comparo – get up the hill in my subdivision, or make sure you can get going in stop-and-go traffic on a uphill slope…without having to deal with changing tires.

See, here in Denver, we don’t get huge storms – we get 3-4 inches twice a week, with 45-50 degree sunshine for the next couple of days. That means that everything that comes down Monday is gone in a day. And while that’s nice, it also means the state and cities here do NOT bother to do much with the roads unless it’s a big storm, so getting through the storm is pretty much self-serv.

In 14 years here, I’ve seen plenty of 4WDs stuck in ditches, but I’ve also seen plenty of RWD Mercedes and BMWs struggle to make it up even gentle hills, or get away from a traffic light, in a few inches of snow. That’s the kind of car I’m looking at, and if it costs a couple of grand to make sure I can get home, I’m game. If it isn’t worth it to you, buy a RWD car and enjoy the adventure.

Are there still people who believe that?

Apparently there are and worse yet, those who think that “summer” in tire description has nothing to do with the tire’s performance at near-freezing temperatures. People conveniently forget that safely driving in winter has two components: going and stopping. Without winter tires, one might go acceptably, but the 4WD has zero to do with the car’s stopping ability. I’d guess this is why whenever I’ve been to the Sierra in the winter, 80% of the cars stuffed into snow banks are 4WD. That’s why I leave the BMW at home and rent a car or truck with snow tires and at least FWD. If I lived in the mountains, I suspect that it is far cheaper to buy a beater FWD and mount snows to it for use in the winter than to subject either the G37 or 335/328 to salt-laden roads.

You are really, without irony or sarcasm, suggesting that AWD is a replacement for winter tires?

Are there still people who believe that?

The winter wheels for my BMW (BMW steelies with run-flat BMW-recommended Conti WinterContact run-flat tires) were less than 700€.
That’s cheaper than crashing in winter with summer tires – no insurance will pay anything, at lest where I live.

@agenthex :
If you don’t want to swap tires, get traction/stability control, AWD is for performance rally driving.

If you don’t want to swap tires, stay the hell off the road in winter.

That comparison doesn’t make sense. AWD will only help under power-on conditions. Mediocre drivers with poor throttle control often feel it’s better because it seems a bit faster or whatever when they “step on it”.

In comparison, winter tires are far superior to AWD only since they work under static cornering and braking.

If you don’t want to swap tires, get traction/stability control, AWD is for performance rally driving.

My report: it’s certainly possible to get around in a powerful rear-wheel drive sports sedan without AWD, but it certainly makes the drive more enjoyable, particularly in stop-and-go traffic.

The alternative is to swap tires twice a year, which means dropping a grand or so on winter tires, plus a second set of wheels (which aren’t cheap on a BMW or Infiniti), versus a couple extra grand for the AWD setup, and you’re set.

Maybe because they don’t call it vinyl anymore. They have names like Leatherette, or MB Tex. In many ways it is better than leather, longer lasting, more resistant to stains, softer. Plus you’re not killing an animal to sit on it.

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LOL. It’s cheap cheap vinyl. Period.

You know why? Because real leather cost more.

If this “Leatherette” thing is better than real leather, it should cost as much or more (even if the production cost is the less). As long as it cost more money to have real leather, Leatherette is just a cheap substitute for BMW wannabes.

BTW, there is nothing wrong with killing animals. African lions eat zebras everyday. And we call that natural balance. We don’t shoot the killer lions. As for the environment, real leather decompose with no harm to anyone. In ancient times, people eat their leather belts when they are starving.