Jim Banville

Okay, I test drove the G35 (sedan) this weekend. HATED IT! Okay hate is a strong word. I MUCH prefer my almost 100HP less C240. The Infinity has a cheap plastic interior, the brakes are WAY too sensitive (I had also read that in an Infinity forum) and the "ride" is very unrefined. The steering wheel feels very small. I pushed against the top edge one of the front fenders near the headlight and it MOVED! I'd summurize my test drive in the G35 as "Power is nothing if that's all you get".

KWiK

It takes more than just HP to make a good car. Stick with the C240, it's a nice car and I think smoother than the C320.

nevide

jim's comment is exactly what edmunds said about the G35 sedan.

MarkL

Took a quick spin in a G35 sedan a couple weeks ago, but it started raining, the salesguy came w/ my wife & I, etc... Looking for a replacement for her vehicle. Seems like the new Infiniti x35's (I35, G35) are somewhat lacking in the interiors, but I'd have to try it again. Agree, not in the same league as the C's. Also, the leather in the demo I saw looked pretty wrinkled already -- didn't catch the mileage but it concerned me.

BTW, Car & Driver listed the G35 coupe and sedan on the top 10 list for 2003.

nevide

IMO magazines such as car and driver and motortrend are more suited towards performance driver who doesn't have the money to get a luxurious car but still wants raw power.

FrankW

Disagree on that.

BMW 3-series is on the list and it's not cheap. Top of the line M3 cost in the mid $50k with a little more option you can easily top $60k.

also, 5-series was on the list for 5 straight years since 1997. Is that a cheap car, NO.

If what you said is true, then shouldn't the Camaro and FireBird be on their list every year, till they finally dissapear this year.

and i'm sure the G35/skyline cost more than the C-coupe (that is till the C320 coupe comes out)

nevide

hey, compare that to other articles that mostly appear on their magazines. Mustangs, rsx, civic, accord, etc. etc. Rarely a car such as porsche, MB, Jags, Audis, and upper class VW got their main spot light. BMW is another case since IMO they are more oriented in the enough luxury lots of performance category rather than the lots of comfortable luxury category and mediocre performance. For ex, M3 would more likely to get into the mags than a C32 xuz C32 is not as fast but IMO again more comfy. Look at the comparos that they often do, almost always performance comparos and sometimes luxury comparos. IMO again, an MB owner like us should look more to a magazine that focuses on luxury since IMO, MB buyer won't look too much on the performance factor. What's MBs motto: quality, and not raw power. Again, this is just my POV and I subscribe to both mags cuz they're fun to read.

FrankW

M3 is more likely to get into the mag because it has the luxury features and the sports car like performance to go with it. Same here, i read these mags because i'm a car fan. I could care less about what the outcome of their test are. My first car was the 2000 328Ci, i got the car because i truly love that way it looks and it has great performance to go with it. I now have my c32 for the same reason.

Outland

The interior does look cheap. It looks like a low end panasonic 'all in one" stereo.

MB should step up the plate and even the power situation.

nevide

I really do hope so but then the price will go sky rocket high.

Outland

Probably

I think giving the 240 the 3.2L motor(at the current price) and upping the C320 considerably to 250-300HP would be a great idea...

A C30 CDI Sedan would be a great idea too!

CHATMANR

Smoother? Really? How so?

Mike T.

The 2.6 L engine has a far shorter stroke than the 3.2. Short stroke engines are, all other things being equal, smoother than long stroke engines.

speedfrk

Most of the mags definately lean toward the performance side of things when "grading" these cars. They readily admit that one of the most important things in their ratings is the "fun to drive" factor. That is why cars like the Miata do so well year after year. But they did not totally ignore the cheap materials in the G35 interior-it just isn't as high a priority to them as it is to many of the people on this forum, I guess. One magazine (Automobile I think) said the interior looked like they lifted it right out of a mid 80's Datsun. But they still gave it Car of the Year. You can tell their bent is towards performance when they look at 17 or 18in wheels for example. They are more interested in how they improve handling, and most of the posts I see here are interested in how they improve looks. These guys are hard core, and could drive circles around most any of us, but I think the thing they miss is that most people have to drive their cars for daily transportation, sit in traffic, etc, not just test at a track and take road trips up the PCH to see how fun a car is. So you do have to take what they say with a grain of salt, and decide whether what is important to them is important to you.

604_kpEscoba

i could of got the g35 but man that thing is ugly...
first i think its too bulky looking second the interior looks so cheap
as well as the whole overall appearence is kinda ugly.

anyone get kinda mad that all the magz have very little on the c240? and when they do they remark very lil or somthing along the line of its rather "slow"

jrct9454

And wound up with our '02 C240. For us, the tiebreakers boiled down to two elements [perhaps there was a third...more on that later]:

-The ride of the C was more suited to our needs and wants; we didn't need a sports sedan, but a touring sedan, and the G, even with the standard suspension, was a bit firmer than I thought I wanted for the long run.

-The seats, particularly in the standard G, were simply not in the same league as the C [or every other MB we've owned]. This is a really big problem in a car intended for long trips.

So all that horsepower, which is indeed very nice to have, was simply not enough to make up for the two biggees noted above. As for styling, which seems to concern a lot of people for reasons that mystify me, I think both cars are equally handsome. Certainly, interior finish favors the MB, but not dramatically so.

The final factor is that our one and only area Infiniti dealer is twice as far from our house [75 mile roundtrip vs 40 mile roundtrip] as the MB dealer. This by itself would not have cut any mustard if the two cars had been really equal for our purpose, but it was in the back of my head as we thought through the decision.

As equipped for us, price would have been about equal.

bagwell

sorry guys but I like the G35 !!

I've sat in 2 or 3 and I think the interior is fine, just as I think the MB is fine (not spectacular...of course COMAND helps!!)

don't forget to include a little thing called reliability in your assessment(s) !!!

Jim Banville

Drive one and let us know what you think of it's "ride" as compared to you Benz.

Someone here earlier compared the G35's interior to an all-in-one Panasonic stereo. When the new Altima came out several months ago, we drove one of those. I commented to my wife that the dash looked like one of those giant boomboxes Infinity dealers need to stock up on replacement center consoles. Lots of people are going to be complaining about scratches in a few months! They should have given it a dimpled or otherwise textured finish. I do like the way the driver and passenger temp controls can be adjusted simultaneuosly on the G. The G falls victim to the "all buttons same size/look" syndrome. I like the way the climate controls and stereo controls on the Benz are separate and easily distinguished from the other. The dash/console buttons on the G are also awfully small

nevide

after reading all your posts, I just ride my coupey up to des moines to try out the notorious G35. I've seen one before but never tried it. It's true the interior wise, it's very different from MB in styling. The G35 is somewhat cheesy for me. Too much silvery plastic. Quality is not much of a different from the coupe and 240 I assume but the "ride" is wayy.... different. No comparison baby. I have to admit that the head thumpin effect that you got from the G is really nice but how often are you going to use it? I drove one with the sport suspension and boy isn't it rough. As soon as I got out of the dealer's lot, my head just bump from going down a ramp. Not good. Overall, I would still pick my coupe over the G coupe but if somebody wants to give it to me, I wouldn't mind. To buy it, maybe not. Oh, and the center console is pure confusion. People say that MB controls are confusing. Try G's control.

bagwell

with 17's I don't think my car rides that smooth..its pretty firm.

re the G35 control ---- in reviews it was THE C's controls that were said to unnecessarily complicated, although I don't find that to be that case...but then again my VCR is NEVER flashing 12:00 either.

Jim Banville

I do wish the C had the simple 3 knob layout of most other brands - 1 temp knob with blue (cold) changing over to red (hot), 1 fan knob and 1 function knob (ACnorm/ACmax/heat/vent/defrost?mix[defrost&heat]). The problem is that since the C has dual front controls, it needs moe complicated controls. I'd like to see a "BOTH" button that when pushed, it causes the passenger's settings to switch to duplicate those of the driver's settings. Thereafter, both driver and passenger controls would follow the changes made only to the driver's side of the climate control. When I'm alone in the car, I don't like making changes to both sides of the dual control climate control. My wife and I switch out who's driving the car so this happens often. The passenger could always press "BOTH" again to take over control to his settings. Or they could make it where when the passenger makes a change to his controls when in "BOTH" mode, "BOTH" mode is switched off.

autobarn

It seems that some of you are missing the point. The G35 is a great all-around car. Yes there are compromises like the cheap interior (I'm not crazy about it either), but look at what you get. A GREAT v6 engine, more room than just about anything in its class, sharp handling (esp with sports package), great performance (handling, braking, engine is a given), all for in the low 30's. That's why it gets so many accolades. Yes, the ride is harsher than a c240, but it's a "Sports" sedan.

The c240 isn't really a sports sedan...just a nice entry-level luxo sedan. The c240 has compromises as well. An anemic engine, small wheels, the cushy ride becomes a wallowy ride in the curves. So the point is, just choose the car that suits your driving style. I've never seen anyone drive a C class car more than average driving speed, because the drivers of the C are usually more relaxed, cruiser type drivers.

Jim Banville

NOT! The only "great" item I saw was acceleration.

The "great" V6 engine is LOUD! Wife hated it. The braking is WAY too sensitive. Go to the Infinity forum and read that from several owners of this car. We hated the very small steering wheel.

The engine isn't "anemic". Yes, the car doesn't snap your neck. This has everything to do with the way the COMPUTER allows the engine and trasmission to operate. I got the same "slow" acceleration from the A4, Passat and BMW (all German V6 sedans) I drove before choosing the C240. Once you get going, the computer allows the power to come up very quickly. I have NEVER had trouble flooring the pedal on my C240 while already doing about 70 and passing ANYONE on the interstate in short order. "Small wheels"? Are you saying a 1" difference in wheel size is a big deal? The C240 I own has a suspension that soaks up bumps in the road, but is in no way wallowy like... say, a Cadillac (I've driven those too).

I agree. If you want a cheap interior, bumpy ride, loud engine, overly sensitive brakes, but very good acceleration, get the G35. If you want a nice interior, smooth yet taught ride, smooth engine, good brakes and so-so drag-strip type acceleration, but perfectly decent public street acceleration, get the C240

bagwell

I agree 100%...

I liked my C320 sedan when I got it...but when sitting next to/compared to my buddy's 330i w/sport pkg...mine was a little blah...so I got the 17" AMG split spokes which helped the car a lot...handling and looks (IMO)

bagwell

this will effect ride quality....even the Eibach ride more harsh...no more "soaking up bumps in the road"

and yes 16 to 17 inch wheels do make a big difference in ahndling (improves) and ride quality (worsens)