Ramon

Who cares if parts are shared??? I think the phrase "the ends justify the means" fits perfectlyhere. The end result is what matters and the M has a pretty darn good end result. Reliable, Very good handling, decent enough power and arguably the best value out of any other car it in it's class.

92 SC400

You forgot something here; it's only the best value because it shares the most parts... lol j/k

I think the gas milage thing is really a moot point for this class of cars. In reality, I know many people who drive $50-60k+ cars and you know, come to think of it, I'ver never heard one say, "Geez, I wish my CLS500 (or any other car) got better than its claimed 16mpg." Really, I havent. In reality, most who can afford a $60k car, or payments on one, can afford a few extra bucks at the pump. You gotta pay to play; however, spectating is free, well, cheaper anyway, ask the GS450h.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

Answering as honest as I can (Being that this is a hypothetical question) if the NSX was the same car as it is even sharing a lot of parts with other Honda/Acura cars of course I'd buy it again. Remember, I'm one that rebadged my car with Honda badges I tell people it drives like an Accord around town, then turns into a beast when you need it to. The NSX is based off the C block engine which originally was in the 1986 Legend. Obviously there are a lot of changes, but it is still a C blcok at heart. You should know me by now after our different point of views about the RL and prestige. I recognize what prestige does for the image of the brand, but I personally don't care. If the car is good the car is good. I've always said that. Judge the car on its own merrit.

Specifically about the M45 though, I'm a little confused because as you state it does share a lot of parts to keep cost down, but the cost of the car is not quite as cheap as I thought it was back when it came out. I remember I used to debate on how it was a great bang for the buck, but just the other day I priced out an M35 nontheless and it came out to $50K That is $4K more than the BMW 335i Coupe that I priced for myself. I was quite surprised at that.

CK6Speed

iTrader: (1)

I somewhat agree. While I have always said that if it performs it performs, you do realize you start to loose that special something when the weight goes up. Even with BMW. The feel is not quite the same like the old days. I know all of these cars technically have incredible performance specs though, but it reminds me of the difference between teh G1 and G2 Legends. I'm familiar with those cars so I'll use them as an example. The G2 by the numbers out performed the G1 Legend in every single performance category. It was also a lot heavier and felt like it. While you gained a heck of a lot of performance, you lost the tossable rail like feel you had with the G1.

TwiBlueG35

You don't have to go for a fully loaded 550i though. You can have a 550i for low 60s. I still think 550i is the best buy in this group, although all four are excellent choices.

KrazyLexus

Nissan does not share parts anymore than Toyota does or Honda does.

One thing is true is that Nissan makes more cars, more models with V6 engines than any other brand. That is why you see more cars with shared parts.

Tekknikal

bottom line is that it still beat the competition. instead of respecting that though, you make ignorant comments to imply that its an inferior product. dollar for dollar its a top tier product, but you insist on bringing up parts sharing and other issues as if you can prove that despite being an outstanding car, its not. lol.

FYI the FM platform in the M is highly modified and is not the same as that in the G/Z. I don't even know why you're talking about the VQ when the M45 which was featured in this test doesn't use it. Oh I remember why you brought it up- you were trying to prove a point about Nissan.. lol.

DrewSRX

C&D said that the Infiniti felt lighter on its feet, more responsive, and more eager to play than the BMW, even with much less HP.

In can't remember any publication ever saying something like that against the benchmark 5-Series.

"The rather interesting thing is, the M45 beat everyone in its first C&D comparison test because it was the most powerful and the most aggressively tuned compared to the six cylinder BMW 530i and MB E350. People were complaining about comparing a V8 to 6-cylinder models.

That fit Infiniti's previous record of winning comparos with big power and low price, like the G35 win in the 35K sports sedan comparison test.

Now 1 year later, this test is proof that Infiniti's M45 is also capable of winning against more powerful rivals as well as the weaker ones. The M45 isn't just a luxury drag racer, but rather the whole package at a awesome price."

skeet94

I guess you just don't understand where Sick is coming from...he is just trying to say where the cost savings come from and how Nissan/Infiniti is passing the costs onto the consumer .

Tekknikal

I reread. I stand corrected!

Tekknikal

what surprises me is that $15k in this segment matters, but in the entry luxury segment with the G costing $10k less than the 3, it doesnt matter.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Well, anybody that thought the GS450h would win this comparo is nuts. This car is more of a tech-toy for Lexus, more of a technology show than a real contender. It doesn't have a big V8 like the other three, and the added power of the electric motor, along with the handling, is sacrificed by the weight of the batteries.

Never the less, it is faster than M45, and it handles and brakes on par with E55. It also costs less than E550 and 550. Now, I'm not saying it should've won the comparison, but M45 didn't deserve the 1st spot by any means. Its the slowest out of the bunch, doesnt handle as well as 5 series. Sure this is the cheapest car of the bunch, but a corolla is even cheaper.

That being said, I think the E550 deserves the first spot. This is the car to have. Crapload ot torque, great looks, best interior. This is what people are looking for in this price class. And that slight disadvantage in handling isnt going to be felt on street/highway driving, plus you dont buy a car like this for handling anyway.

The 2nd place belongs to the 550, although in my opinion these a HUGE gap between the E550 and 550. The 550 is fugly outside and out, but never the less it delivers blazing acceleration, not too far off the E55, and has the best handling, although it compromises ride comfort. Certainly not my cup of tea, but there are plenty of folks that it appeals to.

M45 deserves the third place. Its a nice car, with good looking interior, decent handling and accelearation, but it is a generation behind. It only launched a year ago, but it's already aged. Not enough power by todays standards, 5 speed auto doesn't cut it, with tiny sheet metal and cheap paint jobs it's just not in the same class. But of course it has an appealing price, but it appeals to a "value buyer".

The GS450h belong in the 4th place of course. It's a cool car to play around with, show it off to the ladies, and brag to your friends, but to own one? Not thanks, its too unpractical. However, in all honesty if it wasn't for the limited trunk space, I would put it ahead of the M45. And the current GS430 IMO is ahead of the M45, but its missing that extra TQ/HP to get ahead of the 550 and E550. But GS460 might change it.

spwolf

I read the article... it seems to me that they liked GS450h just fine, just not as sports car (which it isnt, although i wished they got one with A-S-S).

You guys do realize that GS450h had best passing times of the bunch 30-50, 50-70 and got 20%-30% better mpg?

I just dont get their Gotta Have it rating at all - what is so cool in M45? Its very classic sporty sedan.

jrock65

That's the slowest time for the M45 that I've seen. Even slow-*** Edmunds got a faster time than C&D. That doesn't happen often.

R&T (02/05): 5.3s
C&D (02/05): 5.6s
Edmunds (02/05): 5.7s
MT (05/05): 5.7s
R&T (06/05): 5.3s


Anyways, I'm a bit surprised that the M45 won, even though it was the slowest in this comparo. Usually, when it wins, the review says, "The M45 blazed by everyone, yada, yada, yada..." So it must have had other things going for it.

spwolf

it matters when it matters and doesnt matter when it doesnt matter!