After 24 hours of ownership - I really like...

[jackdar]

I must admit I am somewhat torn. I went from a 2003 6MT to the G37 6MT. What I was hoping for was a bit more refinement of the interior matierals - the quality of the leather is very high (satisfaction index 8 out of 10), more low end torque and faster response (satisfaction index 2), and a look that says this is a new car with classy/sexy lines (satisfaction index 7).

What I miss the most is the sound....the G35 had a very distinctive exhaust note that reverberated through the car. The new car does have an exhaust note but it is much more subdued - even with the windows open(satisfaction index -3). Only two other disappointments. Both my 03 and 08 are black with black. The 03 had the painted aluminum trim which was OK. The 08 has this beautiful wahashi aluminum trim - except on the door pulls where they revert back to the painted aluminum trim - Why? For a couple of bucks?

The other disappointment is to gain access to the back seat on either side you have to lift the lever on the near edge of the top of the seat back and pull it forward. But then, instead of the seat cushion motoring forward (as in my 03) you now have to manually slide the seat adjustment button forward. Again why? The motors are already there. This new car costs approximately $2,500 - when evenly equipped - than my 03...I guess I did not expect this type of de-contenting.

Back to the pluses....my 08 has the premium, nav and spoiler and it it a fabulous looking car. The main driving differences are the clutch feel (much, much lighter) and the steering feel (again much lighter). I can't wait to get past the break-in period to see what it will really do, but so far, it feels sufficiently similar that it is immediately comfortable. At the same time, with every body panel, the entire interior, and the engine all being new...it feels exciting and new.

The guages are beautiful and easy to read. I will be exploring all of the functions of the navigation system for weeks....truly amazing technology. This car has the best sound system I have ever had in a car.

Regarding questions of the CD player. As part of the Nav system, there is a Music Box hard drive. Although you can only load one cd at a time, you can set it up to automatically record every CD that you load (and then delete the songs you don't want). You can also load songs onto a compact flash card and upload them to the Music Box. The satelite radio is pretty cool also.

So...bottom line after 24 hours and 100 miles, I LOVE my new car.

Interestingly, when I placed the order back in May, I gave the dealer a $1,000 deposit. When I went to pick the car up yesterday, I had told my sales guy that I hadn't sold my car yet. They let me take my new car without giving them another cent (I have til 9/14) to pay them.

But since my 03 is still for sale, I have been able to drive the two cars back to back. In many ways they are very similar (minus the growl in the new car). The one thing that hit me like a ton of bricks however was the clutch in the 03. It was like a "thigh-master" in comparison....but still a great ride!!

Sorry for the long posts....hope they help.

[InfinitiFreak]

That's awesome man, congratulations!!

[carman63]

The other disappointment is to gain access to the back seat on either side you have to lift the lever on the near edge of the top of the seat back and pull it forward. But then, instead of the seat cushion motoring forward (as in my 03) you now have to manually slide the seat adjustment button forward. Again why? The motors are already there. This new car costs approximately $2,500 - when evenly equipped - than my 03...I guess I did not expect this type of de-contenting.

Congrats on the new car Regarding the access to the rear seats, I guess I'm confused. I drove a G37S loaded, and the seats have a little button to push to gain access to the rear. Is that what you're referring to above?

-Jim

[jackdar]

Wow! Thanks man....I just went out to my car to check and did find the small rubberized button right next to the release lever....certainly makes it easier to move the seat up, but still not quite as easy as my '03 that was totally automatic as soon as you lifted up on the release lever. Thanks for your reply though...that was helpful.