HP laughable

[TDot]

So I took my car in for general maintenance and warranty fixes today. They gave me a G35 as a loaner. WHAT THE HELL!!! This car, as far as I'm concerned, outperforms my M drastically. I'm not going to lie, I actually bought this car strictly because I was in love with the interior (I judged the book by the cover and didn’t read lol), but it seems I continue to find things I'm unhappy with. How does a manufacturer have their “lower end” model outperform their "flagship"?!?! From 2005 the G is pushing 282HP. So how the hell does the 08 "flagship" only have 275HP? Fast forward to 08 and the G has 306HP!!! 30HP MORE!! That's redonculous. Imagine Lexus G outperforming the LS, imagine the Benz E outperforming the S, or the A6 outperforming the A8. It just doesn't and wouldn't happen, at worst case the HP is equal and the amenities pushes the higher model over the top. So why with Infiniti? I know the first objection is the G is a sport and the M is the luxury…but no, the M is modeled as a “luxury sport”, so it should have the performance capabilities of the G with the added luxury, and then the M45 exceed those. Everything in the G from handling, braking, and raw power blew my M out the water. I wish I tested the G first. Ironically, if I tested the G first and found all this out, I would have probably gone right back to the LS just out of principle. Oh well, I'm married to this M for at least 3 years and I wont cheat lol...but I will be getting a divorce at that time lol.

[JDMlove]

Lexus GS460 faster than Lexus LS460

Merc C55 faster than S350!

if u wanted a faster car u should go to M45! i had an m35x, when it was stock cannot even run with a stock 2011 Maxima, now i have some boltons, and the car speed satisfy me. (neck to neck with stock 08 g35 sedan)

[wingFeather]

I know what you're saying - I had a similar feeling the first time in a loaner. But if the loaner was a 2005, then it was probably the "butt dyno" syndrome... feelings can be deceptive! Less sound insulation, for example, can make a car seem faster.

They have the same engines except for 2008, when the M35 did not get the HR engine. But they fixed that in 2009 when the M got the HR and went to 303HP. A mistake? Perhaps. But the G is not as nice, so it negates such a minor difference. Definitely not a night & day kind of thing.

if u wanted a faster car u should go to M45!

Or a BMW M3, or a preowned Maserati Quattroporte. To me, the exclusivity of the M is the selling point. The interior is twice as refined and classy. I see college kids driving G35's...

[Partysan7]

Weight difference is another factor that made your impression . Also you have a awd. I have 08 M rwd and when I get loaners ( usually G37's ) i cant wait to get back to my car for so many reasons but never i had noticed a huge power difference. You should have went with m45

[EniGmA1987]

If we are so much slower how do I tie the G's? I can even beat some of them from a bit older year.

The M is about luxury, and it is WAY nicer than the G's are. Also I dont think a few HP is enough to cry over... In the later year the G got the new version of the engine, then the M model the next year or whatever came out with their new slightly tweaked model too and it also has the same new version of the engine. SO you can say they are whatever HP, but the engines are the same. The M just usually gets its new model/body the year after the G gets its facelift.


THe difference you feel is the G's have a different gear ratio than we do, and thus feel lighter on their feet and get up and go quicker. You can mod your car to have the same if you want, I did and the difference is quite a bit. The G also has less weight and a smaller body. So it feels quicker because of all that, but the HP should be the same except for a couple years here and there. Honestly to me it sounds like you dont actually want an M, you want a car that is designed to be all about HP. SO you should have got a G, or an M45, or some other car. If you go and buy a car that you dont do your research on first and know what you actually want then no one is at fault but yourself

[Tony Two-Tone]

A lot of those comparisons you made are incorrect but, as others have said, you should've have gone with the 45 if you were looking for more power.

Just mod your 35 if you're looking for more.

[cruzad3r]

i agree, the M35 feels a bit slower than the G but again, weight plays huge factor in this. At the same time, the M has so much more interior and accessories inside to make up for the "slow effect:. my M35x is fully loaded with rear dvd, recline rear seats so i'm pretty happy with it. also i'm a modder so i tend to buy aftermarket stuffs and put them in. even when i upgrade to either the Vantage or Granturismo, i still mod it it's in my blood!!!

[Iconic]

for the same model year, MB E550 out performs M45 by a huge margin while providing luxury, you may wanna look into germans if you are looking for high performance high luxury machine.

[bbs350z]

m35's are slow as a joke, not even fast enough to beat on. it's not intended to be a racing machine, especially the x models. of course i knew this buying the car, because i did my research, something you should have done. 275hp in 4200+lbs = slow. if you wanted speed, opt for the m45 or m56 (m56's are fast as hell for a heavy sedan)

[wingFeather]

...when compared to a sport bike, anything is slow. It's all relative.

for the same model year, MB E550 out performs M45 by a huge margin while providing luxury, you may wanna look into germans if you are looking for high performance high luxury machine.

I disagree. German is boring and expensive to keep. I owned a nice M3 that was fast in a straight line, but boring to drive. Nowhere near the nimble feeling Nissan puts into their products, and nowhere near as cheap to own. I test drove a Mercedes and while on paper it had more HP than the M35, it certainly didn't transfer it to the road well. Not to mention, I felt 30 years older when behind the wheel.

[cruzad3r]

I disagree. German is boring and expensive to keep. I owned a nice M3 that was fast in a straight line, but boring to drive. Nowhere near the nimble feeling Nissan puts into their products, and nowhere near as cheap to own. I test drove a Mercedes and while on paper it had more HP than the M35, it certainly didn't transfer it to the road well. Not to mention, I felt 30 years older when behind the wheel.

Ok agree on the expensive to maintain but not so much if you can do the work yourself. Completely disagree on the boring handling comment; especially on the M3 series. The e46 and e90 are hands down best handling coupe/sedan currently available.

[wingFeather]

Don't get me wrong, the E46 M3 did handle quite well, it just was boring "IMHO" (YMMV). Most people consider that type of handling steady & would call the M35 "darty". I just happen to prefer darty Call me weird...

One thing that irritated me about doing the maintenance myself was the cost of oil. The M3 used six quarts of Castrol TWS 10-60 at $20 a bottle from the dealer (unless I wanted to go online & pay $15 per, wait a week & lose money on shipping). That was almost $140 each oil change just for materials, whereas on the M35 you can do it for $20 minimum.

Then there was the dreaded SMG pump failure, which was always in the back of my mind. $$$

And when you go to resell, the buyers are insane. I had people I didn't know getting the service history from the dealership near them, then asking me why the so-and-so service wasn't done. When I told them I did it myself, all hell would break loose

I realize this can be seen as splitting hairs...

[gavnator]

When I take my M35X in for service I get an g37X as a loaner. Yes the car is definitely quicker but it's not for me. That's not to say it's not a nice package. It is, but my M has more room, rides better, is quieter. Your have to look at the target market; the G is targeted at the the BMW 3 series and the M is targeted at the 5 Series. Given that target market and from a service cost perspective, I'd take my M over a 5 Series all day long. My brother lives in Houston and has a late model MB E550 Sport (06 maybe??) and i can tell you I do not believe it rides any better than my M. I've driven it many times. It's definitely quicker, but talk about getting bent over for service. My next M will most likely be an M56 off lease.

[DaSerb]

just to add my opinion on all this....

It looks like V6 vs V8 combat....

I had a G37S as a loaner...and to tell you the truth....it does not come even close to M45 in power and luxury...not to mention interior size.
Maybe I just got spoiled with m45 that anything other than that seems low end.

[wingFeather]

2006 G35 sedan: 14.7 seconds in the quarter mile.

2006 M35 sedan: 14.8 seconds in the quarter mile.

1/10th of a second is not worth giving up the interior room and appointment of the M class. The G does "feel" faster, but as I stated earlier - feelings can be deceptive, and you get a lot less in terms of luxury. Don't be too hard on yourself!!!

Maybe I just got spoiled with m45 that anything other than that seems low end.

2006 M35 sedan: 13.8 seconds in the quarter mile. You're not imagining things. It is definitely fast. You just have to replace the engine every few years j/k