I have a sweet IS 250 AWD on order. I loaded it with all the options (Luxury package, ML, parking assist) except the collision avoidence. When I was deciding on the Lexus I also drove an Infiniti G35x. The 280hp engine pinned me to my seat and it's roomier (you can be comfortable in the back seat and the front see feels more open). I wished the Lexus had those two attributes. I went with the Lexus because of the technology, primarily the dash. Now I read that this April, at the New York Auto Show, Infiniti is going to debut their new redesigned G35. If the G has the Lexus's interior but retains it's size and engine I'm gonna have car envy.

If the G35 had the Lexus's dash, how many of you would have bought the Infiniti instead of the Lexus? The price is about the same.

 

I test drove the g35 and I had the same opinion of the dash. when i test drive a car the first impression i have a soon as i sit down is big for me. with the g35 I didn't feel "it" that comfortable feeling like yea I can drive this everyday. I had that feeling with the IS. If you wanted more power should have gone with the 350 but I am guessing you need the awd were you are from. I went with the 350 and not the 250 because I didn't want car envy whenever I saw the 350.

 

You're right. If they had an AWD 350 I would have bought that (my bank account is glad they didn't). I was struck, however, how small it felt compared to the G. On the other hand, you really do feel like you're in a cockpit in the IS. You don't feel that way in the G.

 

for me it was more important how it felt while i was driving the car. i don't have to much passengers so the small backseat doesn't bother me, i guess it would bother my passengers but oh well to bad for them

 

came from a G coupe myself, but had a sedan loaner and my uncle has a G sedan. the G does feel roomier, especially with the reclining rear seats. does have more punch than the IS250 also. but what bothered me about my coupe and the sedan was their interior. dash didn't do anything for me, center console was semi cheap looking. I like sitting in my IS350 much more every day than the G. the style is also three years old, the IS is fresh. even though the new sedan will debut in April, it prob wont hit the showroom till late summer early fall. that was another deal killer for me. didn't want to buy an 06 that had a three yr body style when the 07's were coming, but couldn't wait out the delivery time for the new style either. overall, I'm very happy with my choice

 

The G35 coupe was my dream car 'till I test drove the 350 last Nov. Once I drove it I was hooked. I never really noticed the dash being overly large. The thing that got me was how quite the IS drove compared to the G35, that and it had a much more "luxurious" feel in comparison.

 

I got the G sedan in May '02. Had nothing but problems that the dealer couldn't fix (or said they did but didn't). It got so bad that I made a trip to the next closest dealer (~340 mile round trip) who tried to fix but couldn't either.

Despite the problems, I sold the sedan and purchased the coupe in March '04. I couldn't turn down the employee pricing I got and I figured they would have many of the bugs (both ride on the same chassis/platform) worked out. I was wrong. Rattles up the yin-yang, still pulled to the right, loose driver's seat, grease stains on the windows, etc.

I got a copy of the service manual and started working on the rattles myself. Got most of them. I took the car in for the pull to the right, for which there is a TSB and the dealership wants a diagnosis fee of $250. I'm still under warranty, there is a TSB for this issue, and they want a 'diagnosis fee?' I say BS and call Infiniti Consumer Affairs. They say they have no control, yada, yada and the dealership can charge a fee if they want to.

In contrast, my RX330 had the slightest pull to the left. I took it in and they couldn't replicate as it was admittedly very slight. (Infiniti would have stopped here as it's corporate policy to stop working if you can't replicate.) However, Lexus put it up on the rack, balanced all four tires, rotated them, and test drove the car again. They asked me to try again and if I noticed a slight pull, to bring it back and they would do whatever it took to make me happy, including swapping out the tires for new ones if necessary.

To wrap this up, I could get another Infiniti at VPP (employee) pricing but I wouldn't touch another one. They are very good looking cars (here's a link to some pics after I dropped her) http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=4287044931
with great power but interior quality, service after the sale, etc., suck.

In addition, the difference in workmanship and materials between the lexus and Infiniti is quite significant IMO. The difference in service is night and day (ymmv as service from dealership to dealership will undoubtedly vary.)

I'm in the process of stripping the G of it's mods and looking at the 350. If they only had one with a stick...

 

This is how I feel about Infiniti.

Lexus > Acura > Infiniti

 

i am generally a lexus fan but i have a feeling infiniti has something really nice planned for their next G. please remind yourselves you are currently comparing a four year old G35 to a 1/2 year old IS. that'd be like comparing the G35 when it was new to the first gen IS. given its age, the G35 is still faring quite well, and i can't wait to see just how much better the new one is.

 

Infiniti has some nice looking exteriors on their vehicles, but their interiors all just have a cheap look and feel to them. They are not even close to how Lexus does an interior.

 

I also qualify for Infiniti VPP pricing, being able to purchase an '06 G35 (this was early in the model year) and near invoice was quite compelling, but in the end I felt more comfortable going with Lexus due to their better track record for realibility. It also seems that Nissan redesigns their cars a little too often, as the G35 is up for redesign for 2007. I kept reading about issues with tires wearing out prematurely (coupe), how they're on the 8th revision or something on the manual transmission and it still fails in certain gears etc.

I'm hoping the new IS proves to be as reliable as the previous generation. I should point out that the 1st gen had some issues as well initially ... automatic transmission problems on 1st year models .... fixed via software update.

 

I agree with BobsGX. Very nice sporty exterior design, cold and uninvolving interior design. I suspect the same with the new G35 sedan. Expect a very sporty 300-320hp engine in the 2007 model, can't wait to test drive it. However, it will probably be priced in the 31-35k range depending on options, and will sit one-step lower in luxury than the IS350.

 

That's part of the reason I want to get rid of the car. Tranny grinds going from 1st to 2nd unless I wait about 'one thousand one, one' before trying to put it in gear. I usually skip 2nd.

I have the premature wear on the inside of the front tires (on both the sedan and coupe). I've rotated the front tires from side to side and both outisde edges of the tires are done. The center bead (tiny little ridge when brand new) is still there believe it or not. 19"s are expensive.

 

I don't know if anyone has seen this yet, but I found it over on the my.is site. Not too crazy about it.
http://www.autospies.com/article/ind...&categoryId=12

 

I think it looks pretty sweet actually. Love the headlights as well as the gauges. I would like to see some nice wood trim on the interior though. Not the cheap looking wood trip infinity generally has that looks like you can peal it off, but some nice high quality wood like Lexus uses.