Glad I drive a 35 vs. 45

[M45Runner]

If I am driving only on the highway my mileage is in the 24-25 range. Have you driven an M45 for comparison?There is no doubt that the 3.5 is a great engine. You will be happy either way.

Yeah, I second that. When driving on highway only @ 65-75mph, I get 25-26MPG as well - free flowing traffic of course. So, the gas mileage difference is minimum. Heck, now I get 19-20 local (no A/C) as well.

[nadzak]

Tuned M35 with 22's on: 13-14 MPG City.

[hawkfan]

Yeah, I second that. When driving on highway only @ 65-75mph, I get 25-26MPG as well - free flowing traffic of course. So, the gas mileage difference is minimum. Heck, now I get 19-20 local (no A/C) as well.

Whoa! Is this for real? I thought the 45 topped out at 20-22 mpg on the highway according to some of the reviews I read. I may have to test drive an M45 afterall and see what all the fuss is about. The HP difference doesn't seem that big but I know that the extra torque WILL be felt off the line. The oil consumption issue is still a concern though as even the previous gen M45's had issues with burning oil from time to time. I just don't like the idea of an upper echelon car burning oil. I mean, I would expect that kind of thing out of my old '84 Cutlass(R.I.P.), but an Infiniti?

[The00Dustin]

Whoa! Is this for real? I thought the 45 topped out at 20-22 mpg on the highway according to some of the reviews I read

I think this depends whose review you read, some people drive much harder and much faster than other people. I seldom get below 21 MPG on a tank, this with 100 miles per day, adout 40 each morning and evening with at least 3 city stops and 3 highway stops each way, and 10 highway miles each way to lunch and back, with up to 5 stops each way. In reality, even with that much information, you have nothing to go on, you don't know how long I'm stopped, how much I'm in city, or how I take drive. On the trip home after buying the car, I got around 24 on a tank, but I probably wasn't going over 70, driving closer to 80 mileage drops dramatically. On a road trip in June or July, I was only getting 18mpg on more than one tank, but there was some extended stopping or city on each tank, it wasn't all open highway. That said, it's hard to compare mileages from other people's experiences, because very few have had an M35 and an M45 which they drove the same. I think the gear ratios are very close, so with the EPA ratings being the same, I wouldn't expect much better out of the 35 at similar speeds because the EPA ratings are based on specific driving patterns that would be consisten across platforms. That is why I went with the M45, that and because I couldn't find an M35 to test drive and I didn't want to get one and be displeased with the torque. OTOH, if you spend alot of time sitting in traffic, the 35 is certainly going to burn less while you're idling.

[Popsickle]

I get around 14mpg with my M45 and it's worth it

[rsg123]

Bottom line: it depends on your driving style. You can get 25mpg on the highway with the M45. Or you can get 15mpg. I have never gotten below 20mpg, including a trip to S.F. in very heavy traffic all the way there and very aggressive driving while in the city (love driving there, especially with this car).