Bushwack

I'm amazed at how gullible people can sometimes be.

Just like the "Tornado" that claims to get you significantly more mpg....Don't you think if the technology was available to increase a car's mpg, the manufacturers would be throwing money to purchase the these companies (or the patented technology)?!

K&N may allow an engine to breathe better but I do not believe the more mpg claims that people make. GM, Ford, etc. have too much at stake (i.e. meeting EPA regulations) to ignore these 'technologies' if they had significant benefits.

audimerc

nothing as simple as a air filter can give you more hp while increasing mpg. The only thing that can do this is very expensive redesign of engine. You are doing more harm to your engine than benefiting it. Go on some other forums about K&N filters where people have actually taken their engine oil for testing before and after installing a K&N filter and you will see that the results are not good for your engine due to the higher silica(dirt) in the engine oil which means more wear and tear on your engine. This can result from not enough oil on the K&N filter when you wash it and if you put too much oil on it bye bye mass air flow sensors.

SCWells72

I'm personally a big fan of the new G35, but it does depend on what you're wanting out of a car. I think it's very attractive outside, and I think they've made great strides inside vs. the first-gen G35, though it's still not quite on the level of a Lexus or Audi interior. The driving experience of a G35S 6MT is fantastic with very good acceleration (though the "SWELL" concept is true...the power isn't there as much on the low end but builds steadily to a solid push) and great handling. The gadget factor on the car is very high with a cool navigation system, great digital music support (9GB hard drive, compact flash card support, etc.), laser cruise control, voice activation that actually works, smart key entry and startup, rear view camera, etc. The sport seats are great and even include adjustable side bolsters for both seat sections, so getting them to wrap around you perfectly for sporty driving is very easy.

Having said all that, it doesn't provide the refinement of the GS (or even Infiniti's own M). To be cliche, it's more of a sport/luxury sedan than a luxury/sport sedan, i.e., its leanings are more toward folks that are considering the 3-series but want 5-series space than those shopping the E-Class, (non-sport) 5-series, etc., as a cushy mid-sized people mover with a nice engine and okay-but-not-great handling.

I fall more into the former camp, always trying to find the perfect balance of sport and luxury with more emphasis on sport but still not wanting to concede much in creature comforts. For me an available manual transmission is now a firm gating requirement, so that alone makes the G35 a solid candidate given how few luxury sport sedans are available with manuals these days.

Folks who spent time on the 2nd-gen GS forum a few years back may remember when I was trying to figure out where to go from my GS430 after I finished putting all of the L-Tuned and TRD equipment on it and how I ultimately ended up with my current Audi S4 6MT. To the G35's credit, earlier this year I seriously considered replacing my S4 with a G35S 6MT (I also seriously considered the 335i Sport 6MT), but ultimately I decided to smack down my wandering eye and wait another year or two (which happens to coincide with my factory warranty running out!) to see what else comes out. At this point I think that the G35S 6MT is one of the very best sport sedans you can get for the money, if not the best. The 335i would be the other, though it comes out to $8-10K more similarly equipped. However, my eye is currently on the 535i Sport 6MT, the 550i Sport 6MT, a slightly used RS4, or the B8 S4 for consideration in about a year. I really wish the S6 were available with a manual tranny...

I would highly recommend that you go drive the G35S and decide for yourself if it's a valid candidate for you. If you can save $10K and get something that makes you truly happy, you're a winner, right? And if not, your question is answered and you won't second guess whether you made the right decision to get the GS350 for $10K more...you'll know why the extra money was justified for you.

LexXxuS101

il say GS350

AlexusAnja

Lexus GS really should be compared to Infiniti M to properly access the "quality" and value consideration. With that said, just pure size wise, the G does fair close to the GS, while the GS is smaller than the M. So, in terms of sizing for the GS, it's really between the G and M.

For my money, I'd take the GS350 over the G35 as that $10K is significant, but if it were GS350 or M35, GS for sure.

slk_dds

AGREE!!!

Lexus GS = 70% LUXURY + 30% SPORT

Infiniti M or G = 50% SPORT + 30% LUXURY + 20% EXHAUST NOISE

Call me a sucker, I perfer luxury over sport!!!

AlexusAnja

I'm a sucker too. Sporty is for that 2 seconds to merge aggressively, that cool sharp exit, and once in a while taking off from the green when you're the first car. Otherwise, luxury is the remaining part of your ride, which is much more than above.

My friend's 2006 Highlander with 3.3 V6 feels more powerful and accelarates slightly better, but much more rough and engine noise than my '99 RX. I'd take my '99 any day.

Loxus

Correct.
How would you compare cars from two different classes?
It is similar to comparing GS350 and Lincoln Town Car for example

G35 intended to be smaller, cheaper and designed for a different audience and different driving experience.

While G35 is small but great sporty beast, its still in the same class as Lexus IS350 and Acura TL.

SCWells72

This whole "how can you compare cars from different classes" question always cracks me up. Obviously this is most often driven by price point, but frankly in this case it also comes down to size. While the G35 sedan is in the same price range as the IS350, 335i, A4 (actually it's quite a bit cheaper similarly equipped than these cars), and TL, size-wise it's right there with the GS. Here are apples-to-apples numbers (the first number is the G35 and the second is the GS350):

Front Headroom: 40.5" vs. 37.8"
Rear Headroom: 37.7" vs. 37"
Front Shoulder Room: 55.6" vs. 56.3"
Rear Shoulder Room: 55.2" vs. 55.1"
Front Hip Room: 55.1" vs. 54.4"
Rear Hip Room: 53.7" vs. 51.4"
Front Leg Room: 43.9" vs. 43.5"
Rear Leg Room: 34.7" vs. 36.4"
Maximum Luggage Capacity: 13.5 cu.ft. vs. 12.7 cu.ft.

So the GS is only larger in front and rear shoulder room and rear leg room, though the G35 has more front leg room (total leg room given the travel of the front seats is 78.6" vs. 79.9", a difference of 1.3"). All in all these are quite close numbers in terms of overall interior space, and in many of the important dimensions (hip room, head room, etc.), the G35 has a notable advantage.

I don't disagree at all that the GS has a higher level of refinement and quality of materials, but the difference between the two is much less than it was with the first-generation G35. The second-generation G actually has a quite nice interior (subjectively speaking, of course) if a little...er...Japanese, for lack of a better term (especially with the Washi trim). As far as gadgets (which are often associated with quite a bit of the luxury of the car), a fully-loaded G35 ($39,165) has pretty much everything a fully-loaded GS350 ($51,327) has except for climate-controlled seating and automatic windshield wipers, but its satellite radio integration is significantly better, it has better digital audio handling, and its rear view monitor has a preview function that reacts to the angle of the steering wheel. Notice the $12,162 MSRP price difference, too. That's definitely hard to ignore!

So yes, the GS commands a higher price for some of the extra refinement, sound insulation, quality of materials, etc., but don't discount what you get for much less money with the G35 these days. I'm not saying that anyone should necessarily pick the G35 over the GS, but to summarily dismiss it as a valid option when shopping the mid-sized luxury/sport sedan market based on "different class" distinction simply doesn't make sense to me...

Yang1815

iTrader: (1)

Well, it might be better to distinguish the categories of cars by the customers targeted.

People who cross-shop cars with the 3GS probably prefer comfort and luxury.

SCWells72

Even there I'm not sure I agree, but I may be in a smaller subset of folks who shop for (in my case, owned) a GS. If you consider the competition to be the 5-series, A6, E-class, M-series (Infiniti, not BMW), etc., then there's definitely a faction of folks who prefer sport to luxury (and typically end up with a 535i/545i/550i or M45 Sport over a GS) even so.

I picked up my second-generation GS430 because I preferred its looks, inside and out, to the competition, plus I had read so much about the Lexus ownership experience (all of which ended up being true!). Nonetheless, I spent my years with that car upgrading it to be much more sporty with L-Tuned and TRD suspension, exhaust, ECU, etc. Again, perhaps I'm not the typical GS target market of which you're speaking, though.