Nauticalx

So arguably the M is regarded as the car to beat in the sport luxury segment. The GS with its 350 is now in a position to compete equally with the M35 as it was not actually a fair fight to compare the 300 with the M35 or to compare the GS430 with an M45.

As the 350 is now dropping I was wondering if there were any GS350 v M35 comparos out there by the usual magazines and websites. A search didn't reveal anything.

RandalR

There don't appear to be any GS350 reviews at all in any of the magazines. It's like a "stealth" release. Maybe Lexus told the magazines to shut up until they cleared the GS300 inventory off the lots.

Toyota_F1

iTrader: (1)

It was a soft launch so there wasn't any large advertising campaign and it was a free flow for release so whenever the dealers get them was the time they could sell them... given it was after a certain date, with a different estimated start date for east and west coast dealers.

The only vehicles with a hard launch this model year are the ES350 and the LS460.

*wishlist*

i read an online article of the gs350 vs. the japanese m45 (nissan fuga) a few months back. you should be able to search it on google.

ZULU789

Maybe this?
http://blog.gtroc.com/dino/2005/09/lexus_gs350_vs.html

Nauticalx

Cool read but a stupid article IMO. I always wonder why magazines or websites compare two vehicles when closer matches are available. WHy not compare the Fuga 3.5 vs the GS350 head to head. The good part is the GS still kicked *** and in the end it was the author's wanting to go with value that sold him even though he knows the GS is a better vehicle. I cant wait for a mainstream report of the GS350 killing the M35.

Now, I'm off to build comparable M35s and GS350s to see what the price difference is. The authori mentioned the Fuga being cheaper but for us in the States, the M35 isnt all that much cheaper than a GS is it?

Rockville

running the streets in our area. There is a local Infiniti store and our parent co. owns another in Northern Va. How many do they sell? I saw an M35 the other day on Rt 270 and I maneuvered as closely as possible to get a good look at it. We see many G35's and they are nice looking in the coupe. The magazines magic must not work on the public because they're not selling. The same could be said of the Acura RL, its pricing has been slashed recently to revive sales. The GS300 hasn't been as active as the IS either but many are holding off for the arrival of the GS350 and the Gen. 5 Nav.

The Taste of Lexus site has confirmed that the GS450h will be there to test drive so that should be a crowd pleaser. The ES350 will make an appearance but the GS350 is conspicuously absent. Maybe it didn't make the tour schedule deadline and would require many more cars to manage if you brought the competition like the M35. I think Lexus has their sites on BMW and the IS has had some success. The GS350 should be an improvement but only time will tell if it takes some market from the E class or 5 series. The Infiniti M35/45 is a niche player and not much of a threat to Lexus, Bimmer or MBenz. Audi and Acura are also rans. All good cars but good enough to drop $50,000 or more for?

Rock

jrock65

I'm not sure I agree with this.

2006 YTD Sales:

GS: 15,568
M: 15,421

jrock65

The two cars are pretty much the same price.

M35x (Tech, Advanced Tech, HID/AFS): $51,450

GS350 AWD (ML/Navi, Ventilated Seats, AFS, Parking Assist): $51,650

Rockville

I had no idea...Infiniti does well in sunny California but I just don't see them (M series) very often here in the MD burbs. The G35's are well represented though. The RX350/400h outsells the whole Infiniti lineup in unit volume but in certain niches they are competitive.

Rock

LexFather

I am assuming some car mag will do a review comparo of the new sector. THe E and GS have new 3.5 liter engines.

Most all the cars in this class are very competative. I know which one I would want to be seen in

LexBob2

The quote above is from back in August. Has anyone seen any reviews of the GS350 - Either by itself or a comparo? Thanks...

twister

Good question. I was searching everywhere and couldn't find anything either. BTW, I test drove '07 G35x and '07 M35x. G35x is no longer in a class with ES350, but rather in a class with IS350. The car felt small to me, light, not as smooth shifting as GS, and very tight steering. It is very nice inside, they are trying very hard to match material quality of Lexus. It even has a compact flash card slot in a faceplate of the stereo. M35x felt big inside and outside. I read somewhere its rated with 0-60 @ 5.8 sec, but it felt so much slower than my GS350. And the drive itself felt very boring and floaty. I don't think M is in the same category as GS. It didn't feel like a sports luxury, but rather like a regular luxury cruiser.

RandalR

That's funny, because the reviews all say the M has sportier handling than the GS.

But to me, the M exterior looks llke a big, bland Nissan - the GS is much more dangerous looking. The M is in dire need of new sheet metal, regardless of its engine and handling qualities.

twister

Maybe the performance and handling of M35x (their AWD version) which I test drove was different from a Sport version of M35? To me it felt very slow...