Wid IS350

pavster

Get a BMW 328 sedan that's coming out shortly. Get it with European Delivery to save a few k. BMW comes with free maintenance for the duration of its warrantee. I figure you have to try "The Ultimate Driving Machine" at least once to find out whether all the fuss is deserved, and since you are at the crossroads, now might be a good time. Their reliability isn't stellar, but probably not much worse than Infinity. Their engines seem to be underrrated; I'll bet the 328 will be pretty close the other two in performance. The 335 is going to be a whole another story, but you will be paying for it through your nose.

al503

I got about 21-22 in both my G sedan and coupe with 90% highway driving. It took about 15K miles to get it up that high. Off the lot, they were around 17-18 mpg on the highway. Fuhgetabout in the city. I'm getting just around 26 with the same commute now on a green engine in the 350.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

the new G35 will kill any 328 BMW in terms of power, factoring in original 298 hp and now theres a 1000 higher redline, 80% new parts I wouldnt be surprised if it was 320-330 hp

pavster

I don't know; the dyno charts I've seen show the original engine to be over-rated. The BMW engines on the other hand put nearly the same power to the ground as they advertise at the crank. 1000 new parts doesn't mean anything. They change a bolt size and there are 16 of those bolts in the engine, that's 16 new parts. Marketing whatever. Also infiniti talks about having 310hp in the 2007 model. They just need to beat the competition by a couple of HP and leave some in reserve for future increases when the competition tries to one-up them. Again, marketing.

I have only respect for infiniti; G35 is a great car -- the current Coupe is the best looking car on the road IMHO. But still BMW has that reputation, and I think it would be fun to own one for a couple of years to see whether it's bull or not.

duckduck

what's the new G35 engine based on? the old one? if it is, chugging 300+ hp out of the old VQ engine will probably see a decrease in gas mileage (or that's what i would think). I didn't see any new fuel management system and i don't think getting a new exhaust/intake will boost the gas mileage any higher.

oldcajun

The info on the "new" G35 engine is that it is an evolutionary improvement on the current engine design. Although it is not a clean sheet of paper, most of the parts are new. I expect it to be smoother and higher reving than the current engine with at least comperable fuel mileage. As for performance, the auto sedan should be in the low 6 sec range to 60 with the 6 speed manual in the low to mid 5 sec range.

Another feature of the G35 sedan is its interior volume. It much larger than the IS or 3, more like the same interior size of the GS.

The new G35 interior is much nicer than the current car, but not likely to match the Lexus standard. It should easily, however, surpass the grim, drab interior in the 3.

Ride has also not been mentioned, but the ride of the G35 sedan is much better than the IS. Unless the new G35 is much improved in this area, the interior noise level is higher than the IS, and similar to the 3.

With roughly comperable equipment, the G35 should undercut the IS price by about $3000.

Which is better? It really depends on what is important to you. I have a neighbor who understands that his 325 is smaller, slower, less reliable, and uglier than G35, but the most important thing to him is for everyone to see him driving a BMW. Because of reliability problems, he is now considering a trade, but will not trade for anything but another BMW or a Mercedes C class.
Steve

Yoko

i would have to say G35 also.

LexFather

Great post.
Different strokes for different folks. Acura and Infiniti have to push value and be cheaper to compete. The G35 will cost the same as a 2.0 A4/IS 250/325 with near 100 more hp.

SO it will appeal to those that value power first. THing is it STILL has a 5 speed auto, so not sure how or if acceleration will improve without getting 15MPG in a V-6. The manual will be slick.

If you value fit and finish, top notch luxury, prestige, even fuel economy, looks, people will chose the IS 250 and other cars not with the power to match.

Those that want power AND prestige, pick the IS 350/330 (and 335).

Most on the internet are all about power and handling etc etc. The vast MAJORITY of consumers don't find it a top priority. That is why they sell 325s and 525s and GS 300s, etc.

I think for the price, the new G35 is a great buy

BN06

Two different vehicle serving two different missions IMO. I would choose '07 G35 myself but remember, once you add options that are similar to the IS250 you will be well into the mid $40K range before TTL. You might as well get the IS350 at that point IMHO.

My .02

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

and take care the BMW that will match the new G35s power is going to cost 10k more than a G35. 335 is rumored to be 42k MSRP that probably doesnt even include leather. Performance is gonna be great but just too expensive for my taste, probably going to be high 40s or even 50 loaded

CHIS350

REMEMBER!

One is a Lexus, the other is a Nissan hahaha

pavster

One nice thing about Lexus is its reliability. I personally have a problem with buying new cars; preferring to get them slightly used at nearly half the price. I in all honesty would not buy a slightly used BMW or infiniti, especially if the warranty was about to run out. With IS, or any other Lexus, I would have no problem buying used. This might just be a stereotype, but that's what Toyota brand means to me.

silverzx2

ok genious...try this out.

Infiniti is to Nissan as Lexus is to Toyota ...oh wait...doesnt quite have the same effect. Toyotas are the *****.

Foxberry

I agree with the majority...07 G35 over the 250