Mixman

Yeah the interior and exterior of the 335 is bland in my opinion. Now the M3 at least has a tastefully done souped up exterior. I know the 335 is a good car but I just can't pull the trigger on that one. I have to check out the S5/A5 and see how they are.

I wish Lexus would pull one out of the hat for 2009 GS model year I would wait for that.

DaCajun

I had no idea the 335 was that fast.

whlkev

335 with a single chip upgrade can pull harder and beat the old e46 m3 (333hp)

335 is one fast car, just wait for the x6 and its V8 twin turbo, that's gonna be a monster, too bad i hate FI.

*sorry, i had to, i voted for segway

rominl

iTrader: (4)

someone with 335 chipped can already take the new m3 easily

The G Man

Thats the 3.5 coupe though, the 335xi is about a 0.5 sec faster than the GS350 awd which makes sense cus the 335 is lighter. I still cant get over how cute and small the 3 series are, kind of too girlie for me.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Have you seen the new A5/S5 in person yet, Maxim? I fell in love with the car in pictures but it fell flat for me in person.

LexFather

Whats amazing about the GS is though it is 4 doors it looks just as swoopy and coupe like and even more aerodynamic than some of those coupes....

The G Man

I saw in one article that the author said the GS started a 4 door couple revolution in car design and that MB S class copy them.

I8ABMR

Id be concerned with the reliability of an Audi. But they do make one of the nicest interiors in the market, and it gives you that german feel. Personally I am sick of dealership service visits. Thats why I bought my lexus. Wasnt as sporty as the 335 or the G35/G37, but I figured go with the most reliable and tune it to my specifications

The G Man

The way I look at it, the GS has enough performance for me already. I havent even push it pass it limit yet. Until then, I am happy with the GS. The day I push the GS pass its limits on a daily basis, then I will consider a S5 or 335. Meanwhile, I am enjoying the comfort and luxury of the GS on my daily drive, and not having to visit my dealer on a monthly basis.

mcukier

I actually just test drove an '06 GS300 and an '07 GS350 back to back. The difference in power is SUBSTANTIAL and VERY noticeable.... you should take one out for a spin and see if you agree.

Personally, I'm a Lexus fan through and through -- but I'm a buyer, not an owner.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

If that's how you feel about sex, you will always have woman problems. Most women like and enjoy multiple orgasms. A 10 minute man will be boring and unfulfilling.

On to the subject.
After a year in a G35, I can't see how the G37 could be boring since it is faster. If not for an uncomfortable seat, I's still be driving that car. It's a blast....a burst of power Lexus can't emulate. Handling no Lexus can emulate. I can only assume the G37 is better. It certanly looks a little better.

My choice would be the G37.
Second choice would be a second year A5 or S5....A5 since price is an issue.

The G Man

The G37 is a differnent car, much like Acura, they both are engineer for performance and Luxury is an after thought.

Mixman

I checked out (didn't drive) both the G37 and the C350. The C350 is a nice car but damn did Mercedes keep a lot of the luxury out, I guess, to get you to move up the line. The 350 does look sporty, but I think for what MB is charging, it underperforms and lack that luxurious feel of a car that price. I am talking about a loaded car, not a base price car.

The G37 is worth the money they charge. I guess I have to look at it this way; they are charging less so I should get less at least on the luxury side. The look is a big improvement on the G35. The only thing it is a little tight inside. I am a big guy and the seats themselves are a little too tight. Oh well I guess I have to go back to the gym.

I will check out the S5 and A5 soon in addition to seriously checking out the GS350. Although...... if we could order that "Passionate Black Interior" I saw in another thread.......hmmm the GS350 could move right to the top !

SCWells72

I went from a 2001 GS430 to a 2004 S4 6MT. I really like both cars, but the S4 is definitely more of a driver's car as you'd expect. I think Lexus and Audi have the best interiors on the market, and when I first got my Audi I was missing the Lexus interior, though after three years of ownership, I'm more inclined toward Audi interiors now. I think it's to a large extent what you're used to at any given time, assuming the quality is above a certain bar of course. It's worth pointing out that the level and quality of service with Audi has been very close to on par with what I had with Lexus, which is to say exemplary, and I haven't had any more maintenance issues with my S4 than I did with my GS430 (and nothing more than simple things on either).

My S4's factory warranty is about to be up, so for the past few months I'd been trying to decide what to do as well. After driving the 335i sedan and coupe 6MT, the 535i and 550i 6MT, the G35S 6MT, and checking out (though not driving) the S5, I ended up buying a three year comprehensive Audi extended warranty for my S4.

To elaborate a little more, the 335i was very similar to my S4 in many ways from a driving dynamics perspective, but I didn't like the interior very much, didn't like the sedan's exterior, and strongly prefer four doors to two. The LCI 5-series ('08 model year) has a significantly improved interior, but I wasn't in love with the car inside or out and they command quite a price for something that doesn't totally jazz you. The G35S and G37 are fantastic bang-for-the-buck propositions and Infiniti finally addressed the interior quality shortcomings (though I'd still put it a notch or two below Lexus or Audi), but they didn't have the punch of my S4 or of the 335i/535i/550i to me, especially on the low end. I love the S5, honestly, but it comes back to the sedan vs. coupe thing, and I prefer sedans.

At the very least, I'm going to hang onto my current S4 until the B8 S4 comes out in the fall. I like what I've seen so far of the new S4 (I even saw the new A4 in person last week in Munich and really liked it). It's just shy of the A6 in size now, so quite a bit larger than my current car. It has the same interior as the A5/S5 pictured above, and that's a plus to me. I'll probably miss the V8 sound and immediate punch since they're changing back to a twin-turbo V6, but the fuel economy should be significantly better and estimates have it faster than my current car. My extended warranty can be refunded on a pro-rated basis or transferred to a new owner if I sell it personally, so for me that's just insurance while I keep shopping with very little loss to me.

I'll probably also consider the new CTS-v, the M3 sedan, and slightly used RS4s, though the last one wouldn't be *that* much of a change from my current setup overall. At this point, though, I expect that my next car will be a B8 S4 6MT.

As I've said a few times in the past, I'm pretty emphatic about a true manual transmission, so that eliminates the GT-R, IS-F, GS460, AMGs, etc., from consideration for me. Nonetheless, there are quite a few cars that match my desires out now or coming out in the next several months!

Hope this helps somewhat and good luck with your decision...