Drove the new G and BMW 335... plus an M3 just to be safe.

[elwesso]

A full review is coming sometime this week, just wanted to give you guys a brief overview...

The 07 G is definitely very nice compared to the older G... IN the older G, interior fit and finish was below BMW, now its the same or better.... Still the aluminum is fake but doesnt feel as blatently fake as the old G did.... I drove a G35x

The new VQ is nice, very rev happy, but I felt the gears were too short... you just blast through each gear, with no appreciable time in the powerband... There really isnt a bad gear for this motor though... The BMW is probably only slightly faster than the BMW however it seems to have more torque and it feels like your hauling a lot more arse than you may actually be...

The BMW is really nice too, but not worth 10 grand extra over the G. Yea, having 2 turbos is nice, and yeah, its overall a nicer vehicle, but no way is it worth 10 grand more. It does haul some serious arse, and its a bit more driver oriented and IMO the car in general has been thought out better. The paddle shifters are a bit awkward and not very useful IMO, so I chose to use the shifter instead...

Really the way they behave is very very similar... You can feel the road a bit more in the BMW, however the ride is very similar... Its such a slight differnece. I bet the sport package G35 would make it identical to the BMW... Its really a shame that Infiniti STILL puts on Goodyear RSA's on their nice vehicles... There are some nice performance all season tires that are far better than those terrible RSA's!!

The bottom line: if I was to spend 35k on a car, the G35 would be up there... if I were to spend 45k on a car, id probably spend an extra 4k and get an M, however the M's arent flying off the lots so much so I bet i could talk them down 4000 and get a hell of a lot more car out of an M45....

Also, not covered in my review I briefly drove and rode in a 04 M3 6 speed... That thing is quite the sports car, and from what I hear, its more driver friendly than the G35... The G35 shifter/clutch apparently has a learning curve to it, whereas the M3's is easier to get used to.. im confident itd take me 10 mins in a parking lot to get smooth launches, agressive launces and so forth and be like Ive driven the car for a long time... A week of driving that thing and I think id be able to do some damage on the track... what a car, and to be expected from BMW.. It was decently smoother than i was expecting, but still not smooth by any means, the clutch feels great and does exactly what you expect it to....

After driving the M3, it makes me want to drive an M5 even more (either an E34 or E39, preferably both)

When i drove the M and got back in the Q, i felt like I had cheated on her, but when I got out of the BMW and G35, I felt right at home with no "foul play" if you will... Still amazes me how this 13 year old car with 131,xxx miles still is a force to be beckoned with in the midst of these 40,000 cars!!

[Peterofdevon]

Good job Wes.

The performance oriented BMWs are far away the best cars for drivers.

M3, M5, E39 V8 six speeds.

I still love my G50 but...yesterday I had the 540i6 on the highway and at 100mph it felt like 40mph in the Q, at 140 it was smooth and far better feeling than the 993 P carI once had.

It was amazing passing folks at 140 like they were standing still (it was 7:30 am) and my car was sooooo smoooooth and tracked like on a rail.

I like the 06+ M45 but its not a performace BMW

Peter

[MattB]

Isn't the new G35 supposed to have real aluminum trim?

[elwesso]

This afternoon I took my Q on a "road rally" with some locals.... Included in the bunch was a XKR, Z4, E39 540, VW GTI, Corvette, and my Q.... you would think the Q would be behind most of those cars, but it performed GREAT through the twisties, i never got left behind and wasnt holding anyone up.... I also didnt switch back to my summer wheels, I left my winter type tires on!!!!

[redmanfx]

I drove the G35 Sport 6MT Sedan.

Drivetrain:Transmission - 6 speed manualFinal - drive ratio - 3.69:1, limited slipGear Ratio MPH/1000rpmI 3.79 5.5II 2.32 9.0III 1.62 12.9IV 1.27 16.4V 1.00 20.8VI 0.79 26.4

The car is heavier than previous G's and if you get the optional active-steering which is suppossed to enhance response you'll add $1200 to the price tag, but it's not needed in my opinion. This car has enough thrust for the redman as well. This G is stiffer as well by about 40% due to the spot and seam welding in the unibody. The 3.5L V6 has a beeffier bottom end as well. Exhaust back pressure is reduced and the compression ratio is 10.6:1and it carries a dual air intake system.

The Six speed gearbox is the bomb! better than the BMW 3 series by alot! IF you can find this car at the dealership then do yourself a favor and test drive it!! This car has a comfortable interior with a great sound system and the drive is, ... well the drive will sell this car.

The G35x has a manual shift mode mode so you are able to take the 5 speed automatic to redline if you want.


Modified by redmanfx at 5:54 PM 12/17/2006

[maxnix]

The Six speed gearbox is the bomb! better than the BMW 3 series by alot! IF you can find this car at the dealership then do yourself a favor and test drive it!! This car has a comfortable interior with a great sound system and the drive is, ... well the drive will sell this car.

The previous generation 6MT was a very fast and fun ride, but I felt the engine was a little harsh hear redline.

Hopefully the revisions to the lower block will make it more vibration free at the extremes.

[gniknave]

Wes, the G35's aluminum trim actually is real. BTW your Q even surprised me on the rally!

[Jesda]

Seems like it takes a lot these days to pick BMW over Infiniti (for entry-luxury).

To buy a BMW 3-series, you have to accept:1. Quality and complexity concerns associated with modern German cars.2. Iffy styling.3. $10,000 price premium.4. Inferior interior.

[elwesso]

The interior was on par.. The leather was much thicker and stiffer, but it had a texture to it whereas the infiniti was slightly thinner but much softer.. Im not sure which would last longer....

Everythign else was the same... Im not sure what it was about the trim but it didnt feel real. The rosewood in the M felt very real....

[gniknave]

Seems like it takes a lot these days to pick BMW over Infiniti (for entry-luxury).

To buy a BMW 3-series, you have to accept:1. Quality and complexity concerns associated with modern German cars.2. Iffy styling.3. $10,000 price premium.4. Inferior interior.

BMW also has paid maintenance for 4 yrs. 50,000 miles that truely covers everything but tires, no exceptions.

[MattB]

Seems like it takes a lot these days to pick BMW over Infiniti (for entry-luxury).

To buy a BMW 3-series, you have to accept:1. Quality and complexity concerns associated with modern German cars.2. Iffy styling.3. $10,000 price premium.4. Inferior interior.

Don't forget less power unless we're talking about the 335. Why is it that everyone gushes about BMW engines when up until they went to forced induction the VQ blew away the non-M BMW 6-cylinder in terms of power?

[gniknave]

Don't forget less power unless we're talking about the 335. Why is it that everyone gushes about BMW engines when up until they went to forced induction the VQ blew away the non-M BMW 6-cylinder in terms of power?

We are talking about the 335. Even if we weren't, while hp numbers show the 280-298 HP '03-'06 G35 blows away the old 330i (255hp), the gearing of the 330i and the fact that it's an I6, actually makes quite a difference. In the reality of driving both back to back, they're actually really close power wise, so close that it's hard to tell which has the edge without knowing the power measurements.

Anyway, it's not so much about the power of the BMW engine, it just amazes me how smoothly they deliver their power. The G35 is always snappy. The 330, now gone 335i are both smooth and quick all the way through the powerband. I kept telling Wes over and over while he was beating the 335i to a pulp, that I find it hard to believe it's only 300hp. It seriously feels like much much more.

[elwesso]

I really dont think that the power is that much different, its just MUCH better gearing IMO.... It feels very similar, but the bimmer does feel a lot more torquey. not to mention the Bimmer has much better tires.

If the G35 had a thing that would automatically shift at the redline instead of sitting there banging at 7500 all day and start in 2nd gear under mild acceleratoin, the car would be every bit as good as the BMW if not better.

[greg_atlanta]

I drove an 07 G35 sport auto a few weeks ago.... nice overall but the car felt huge and ponderous. I drove a BMW 325i auto with sport package about 6 months ago and from a handling/roadfeel perspective it was perfect. BMW is like running barefoot in grass, G35 is like wearing dress shoes to play basketball.

I'll have to try the non-sport G.... I hope the steering feels better. Steering is way too heavy in the sport model, it takes effort just to make minor adjustments at highway speeds. Seats are nothing special either, the inflatable side bolsters are very stiff. 325/328i sport package seats are dreamy (but leatherette if priced comparably).

[Q45tech]

BMW also has paid maintenance for 4 yrs. 50,000 miles that truely covers everything but tires, no exceptions.

Fine if you are leasing or dumping the sled prior to warranty............as they just provide the minimum level of service - absolutely nothing to prolong the furture life of vehicle.

[Q_SHIP]

A full review is coming sometime this week, just wanted to give you guys a brief overview...

The 07 G is definitely very nice compared to the older G... IN the older G, interior fit and finish was below BMW, now its the same or better.... Still the aluminum is fake but doesnt feel as blatently fake as the old G did.... I drove a G35x

The new VQ is nice, very rev happy, but I felt the gears were too short... you just blast through each gear, with no appreciable time in the powerband... There really isnt a bad gear for this motor though... The BMW is probably only slightly faster than the BMW however it seems to have more torque and it feels like your hauling a lot more arse than you may actually be...

The BMW is really nice too, but not worth 10 grand extra over the G. Yea, having 2 turbos is nice, and yeah, its overall a nicer vehicle, but no way is it worth 10 grand more. It does haul some serious arse, and its a bit more driver oriented and IMO the car in general has been thought out better. The paddle shifters are a bit awkward and not very useful IMO, so I chose to use the shifter instead...

Really the way they behave is very very similar... You can feel the road a bit more in the BMW, however the ride is very similar... Its such a slight differnece. I bet the sport package G35 would make it identical to the BMW... Its really a shame that Infiniti STILL puts on Goodyear RSA's on their nice vehicles... There are some nice performance all season tires that are far better than those terrible RSA's!!

The bottom line: if I was to spend 35k on a car, the G35 would be up there... if I were to spend 45k on a car, id probably spend an extra 4k and get an M, however the M's arent flying off the lots so much so I bet i could talk them down 4000 and get a hell of a lot more car out of an M45....

Also, not covered in my review I briefly drove and rode in a 04 M3 6 speed... That thing is quite the sports car, and from what I hear, its more driver friendly than the G35... The G35 shifter/clutch apparently has a learning curve to it, whereas the M3's is easier to get used to.. im confident itd take me 10 mins in a parking lot to get smooth launches, agressive launces and so forth and be like Ive driven the car for a long time... A week of driving that thing and I think id be able to do some damage on the track... what a car, and to be expected from BMW.. It was decently smoother than i was expecting, but still not smooth by any means, the clutch feels great and does exactly what you expect it to....

After driving the M3, it makes me want to drive an M5 even more (either an E34 or E39, preferably both)

When i drove the M and got back in the Q, i felt like I had cheated on her, but when I got out of the BMW and G35, I felt right at home with no "foul play" if you will... Still amazes me how this 13 year old car with 131,xxx miles still is a force to be beckoned with in the midst of these 40,000 cars!!

No offense but you are the guy I hate in the car business. The guy that drives 3 cars with no intention of buying. Just to see how it drives.

[elwesso]

but the salesman that "escorted" me knew what my devious intentions were...

[ScottJackson]

Hey, he posted it on this forum and maybe some of us are looking to maybe buying one of these cars. That's like free advertising! Q45tech is right, BMW does very minimal maint. They recommend oil changes ever 15K miles and they have the dreaded "lifetime fluid" transmissions with no dipstick. The fluid does last the life of the trans, down to the very second that the transmission slips and dies. Their service is aimed at getting the car past warranty but not much beyond. All the BMW guys that know half of anything about their cars and want to keep them change their oil at least twice as often and we also change out the lifetime fluid in the transmissions.

[maxnix]

BMW also has paid maintenance for 4 yrs. 50,000 miles that truely covers everything but tires, no exceptions.

Especially if you believe in 15K mile OCI!

[Jesda]

but the salesman that "escorted" me knew what my devious intentions were...

LOL, thats awesome. Same happens to me -- I show up, say that I have absolutely no intention of buying, and the salesman grabs the keys anyway.

[elwesso]

Especially if you believe in 15K mile OCI!

But who cares, the original buyer only wants the car thru the warranty at worse!

[Q_SHIP]

LOL, thats awesome. Same happens to me -- I show up, say that I have absolutely no intention of buying, and the salesman grabs the keys anyway.

Not here. my response is "take a hike"

I would rather play on the internet.

[lino]

The BMW is probably only slightly faster than the BMW however it seems to have more torque and it feels like your hauling a lot more arse than you may actually be...

The BMW is really nice too, but not worth 10 grand extra over the G. Yea, having 2 turbos is nice, and yeah, its overall a nicer vehicle, but no way is it worth 10 grand more. It does haul some serious arse, and its a bit more driver oriented and IMO the car in general has been thought out better.

Really the way they behave is very very similar... You can feel the road a bit more in the BMW, however the ride is very similar... Its such a slight differnece. I bet the sport package G35 would make it identical to the BMW...

Hey Wes, I bumped into this post and thought of you:

Check out the first video

335xi are RIDICULOUSLY FAST. one guy here in quebec uses it regularly on the dragstrip an destroys EVERYTHING.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gadg8u3IB6E almost as fast as a brand new 911 turbo. 3.5sec 0-60 is INSANE.

check out his channel http://www.youtube.com/user/Firepoule#p/u