c230_kS

overall, which one is better

czachari

The infiniti was a lot roomier. It somehow felt cheaper than the C230 even though it had more standard features. The Bose on the Infiniti is infinitely better than the Bose in the MBZ. What's up with the Germans and their substandard stereos?.
The instrument cluster is a lot nicer than the C230. It had power everything.

The auto did not feel like 260+ HP. Definitely a LOT cheaper than the c230.

I think the Benz is the better car, of course I have to wait until after my first service visit to see if they can take care of some of my concerns.



CZ

galaxygrrl

C-class recieves the worst relability rating from consumer reports and the G-35 the best. That would make the decision for me.

FrankW

that's not a very good comparison. G35 is far more superior as a car and a coupe and a sports car. C230k sedan wins in brand name image and value for being a MB.

czachari, the question was about the G35 coupe, so it'a 280hp...

b4chow

go for the G35... if i were to trade my benz in for any car it'd be that one...

Guest0001

get the benz

tom incredibie

it all depends on what you want. i couldve gotten a g35, but i got my c320 sport instead and i dont regret it. my friend recently just bought a g35, and i must say that thing is a MONSTER!!! the only thing that i regret not getting is full leather and yes the infiniti's stereo is wayyyyyyyyyy better

jpb5151

My wife and I both think that the Benz looks cuter.

czachari

At the time of purchase the Sedan only came in auto and I am telling you it did not feel like a 260+ hp engine. Maybe the tranny sucked. My 189HP C230K stick feels a LOT faster than the 260hp auto G35. The fit and finish in the G35 was weird. It would be really good in most places but if you looked around you could see the places they missed. For example, the bottoms of the footwells where the plastic meets the carpet, there were gaps.
The germans are better at hiding their cheapness.

Anyway, this is my 1st Benz and the jury is still out as far as quality goes. The G35 fell out of the running after I test drove the new A4 1.8T and the C230K. Both of them feel much more solid than the G35.

CZ

BlackC230Coupe

Your talkin like the g35 is *****n Enzo or something, no infiniti is far more surperior than a mercedes they may be qucker and better handing then some models but i think the term far more surperior is rediculous in this comparason.

FrankW

the G35's quality is top notch other than the design of the center console is ugly. It might not feel as solid as a C-class over time, but that's the way japanese cars are. Still there's no comparison, one is a coupe the other is a sedan. CLK320 vs G35 would make more sense, but the CLK320 would just get it's *** handed to it performance wise and price/value wise.

okay, my bad...correction: superior performance wise and quality/reliability.

with that said, if it's up to me. I'd get the C230k sedan cuz it's cheaper than the G35 coupe and it's a MB.

Outland

How can a new car have a great reliability rating? More BS from Consumer reports.

G35 Coupe and the C230 Sedan is an apples to oranges comparison. One is a coupe, the other is a sedan. The price difference is pretty big, but if you were to give me both at the same price, I'd probably opt for the G35...cheap interior, rough ride, loud interior notwithstanding. Also, I'm not a sedan guy So, any Coupe gets the nod all the time from me

AndrewK

I have to say that I would pick the Mercedes. If the comparison was 350Z vs. C230, I'd go with the Z, but IMO the G35 (especially the coupe) is brutally ugly. It reminds me of the hideous Lexus SC430. No matter how great the car was otherwise I couldnt get over how ugly it was...

vyse

Occurences of these G35 VS C-whatever threads pop up more often than new cases of SARS! And all they cause is bickering between members and no actual constructive debate. I wonder what the person who started this thread wanted to gather from the replies; "overall which one is better"? There's always strengths and weaknesses in cars, it's always hard to say which one is better. Unless you're comparing a 10-year-old Toyota Tercel to the Mercedes, you're pretty much going to get no answer. Actually, I can even argue for the Tercel saying that it's most likely got cheaper insurance, and no one's going to steal the car.

speedfrk

Wow, you are the only person I've ever heard that likes the 350 styling more than the 35coupe. I do agree that the SC430 is hideous.
I will say this about making a choice between the Infiniti and MB, you will have less problems with the Infiniti. JD Power ranks MB far behind Infiniti for CSI and 5 yr durability- that is for the entire brand, not a particular model. If you are the kind of person that doesn't have time to keep taking your car in for service, do yourself a favor and buy something other than a MB. If on the other hand you live just down the road from the dealer and you like their cookies and loaners, MB might be just the car for you

Tai230K

I think it comes down to what kind of image you want to project.... 4 door Benz image with 189 HP or a 2 door Infiniti Image with 280 HP..... Interior wise Benz Wins but Infiniti doesn't lose by much.... YOUR CALL!

BTW - These two are very different cars... now if you were comparing the G35 Sedan and the C230 Sport sedan then that's a different story.... Benz all the way...

nyca

look at the Crossfire. drive it today, very nice.

zimmer26

First person I've heard say they dislike the G35 coupe more than the sedan, r u kidding? The coupe is saweet especially up close, two downsides: its pretty darn small, the interior hardware is cheesy. I drove the G35 sedan auto and thought there could be eight cylinders under the hood, I mean this thing was totally torquey and I had no problems doing smoky tail happy tricks that I'm not really able to acheive in the C230. Maybe czachari had a defective one or something . Sedan is a little big for my taste and it wasn't available w/manual so it really wasn't an option, great car though, and I'm sure the coupe is even better.

czachari

One with Sport package and one without. They were both autos though. Of course, I was driving my 740i Sport to the Infiniti dealer so the torque on the 740i is huge but 0-60 is similar between the 740i and the G35 on paper but when I punched the G35s there was a lot of noise and very little go. I think the C230 stick can beat a G35 auto even without a pulley. I will verify my findings after mine is broken in and I can GTech it.


CZ

galaxygrrl

I have a c-coupe and I have test drove the g-35 about 4 times know. I think Tommy is right (I hate saying that) there is so much more performance in that car. It's the same engine as the "Z" (love the "Z") and it 's rocked.

At the end of the day, I think you need to ask yourself if you want to be in the shop a lot, because you risk that with a MB, you just do.

But both cars are fun. Not a bad choice.

zimmer26

Maybe your coupe actually has an AMG supercharger and really puts out 235 hp and 255 ft-lb of torque? But seriously you've got no chance at beating one before hotting up your ride and I'd strongly advise against it until you unless you really enjoy the G's funky rear end styling!

czachari

G35 Auto is rated at 6.51 secs 0-60 by MT. And that's probably by brake torqueing the engine before launch. My 740i did 6.3 (GTech) without brake torqueing and when I drove it back to back with the G35 Sedan (auto) the G35 felt a LOT slower. My seat of the pants dyno is usually quite good at estimating things like this.
My C230 is now at 740miles so within a week or so I'll whip out the trusty old GTech and see how it goes. You guys have to remember that infiniti cars usually don't live up to their HP claims. I don;t know if their gearing or trannys suck but that's been the case. German cars on the other hand meet or exceed their HP expectations.


CZ

czachari

My 3100lbs MCoupe with 240hp and 250lb/ft was doing 0-60s in the 5.03-5.23 range repeatedly so I would expect a similar number from the C230 if it had that kind of power.


CZ

zimmer26

Sorry for calling your sedan a coupe but its no less relevant to my point that if the G35 felt slow to the point that you honestly feel that your 230K sedan will be it stock for stock, manual to auto then you'll be disappointed to see that it can't. But while we're nitpicking, your M coupe weighed 3175 and only had 236lb/ft of torque- very nice, and quick car though no question, my brother has a 97 4dr. The G runs in the low 6s in just about every test I've seen on it, 6.51 must have been a bad day or something. I think I actually recall one of them getting sub 6, but that may have been the coupe. Low 6s (G35) or low 7s (your car), one thing's for sure- you'll still look better and the inside of your car will still be nicer so just enjoy it and don't get too wrapped up in the numbers. The new SRT-4 will beat a very long list of very nice, quick cars out there but that certainly doesn't make it better now does it? I must admit it would be tough to stomach getting dusted by a Neon, but what can you do?

czachari

The reason I pointed out mine was a sedan is that the sedan is a bit lighter than the coupe which makes a difference.

The MCoupes were underrated by the factory. All the dynoed coupes came out at more than 250lb/ft of torque. The torque was very evident when driving it. You could accelerate in 5th from 1000 rpm. The C230 has NO low-end grunt.

The G35s that did low 6s and sub 6s were the coupes with the stick. I am sure stick to stick the G35 will beat the C230. Stick C230 to Auto G35 I doubt it. I think the Neon is fast but the new Mitsu EVO Lancer did 0-60 in 4.5 secs. Saw it last night on MT TV. And, for less than 30K. Topped out at over 160mph. Slalomed faster than most other cars in the top speed comparo they were showing. And, that's with a 2liter 4!

Anyway, only a week away from GTeching the C230


CZ