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Luxury Performance Sedans

10338 messages,  Last post on May 01, 2013 at 3:12 PM

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What is this discussion about? Lexus GS 430, Acura RL, BMW 5 Series, Volvo S80, Audi A6, Infiniti M35, Infiniti M45, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Cadillac STS, Sedan

Messages Page 55 of 1034

#540 of 10338 kyfdx by lexusguy

Jan 26, 2005 (11:49 pm)

"Gee.. I read a little bit.. haven't you noticed?"
 
Nope, as you seem to think the new M is the old car with a body lift. "The G35 was basically an all new car, on an all new platform." So is the M. The old car sat on the Q45s platform. The new M rides on a specially developed stretched and tweaked G35 FM platform. Rigidity is up in huge amounts over the G35, and by about 50,000% over the old M45. The old M never offered a V6, and it didnt have AWD. The transmission has been significantly revised, as evidenced by fastest in class acceleration. It handily whoops the 300hp Acura RL, and offers every luxury feature that the competition has, including a few that they dont. Who else has LDW and rear wheel steering?
 
"For more Infiniti success stories, perhaps we could discuss the Q45? Or the J30 (another mid-size debacle)."
 
Hey the J30, a car from 1992 or so. That sure is relevant to 2005 Infiniti, isnt it? For Infiniti success stories with Carlos Ghosn at the helm, how about taking a look at the G35 and FX. Infiniti is here to stay, and as of right now they are stomping on Acura and gunning for BMW.

#541 of 10338 by merc1

Jan 27, 2005 (12:12 am)

Hey guys I draw the line at the Infiniti J30, my aunt loved that car! Get off it...lol!
 
M

#542 of 10338 M35 / Acura RL / Audi A6/ Lexus GS by gabman

Jan 27, 2005 (6:32 am)

Interesting debate that you guys have going on here. As a current G35 and Acura TSX owner and a soon to be M35 Owner ( just awaiting a test drive), I will weigh in with following comments.
 
Acura RL - Test drove it when it first came out,had a nice feel to it and lots of bells and whistles, everything was fine until I asked the price Cad $ 72,000.00, laughed at Sales Guy and told him to call me when they drop price by at least $10,000.00.
 
Lexus GS 300 - Saw it at Auto Show, even though car is supposed to be at dealers in late February, Lexus saw fit to display this car at the show on a rotating round stage with a DO NOT Touch sign on it. Why even bother showing it if one could not properly check it out. From what I was able to see, not worth the CAD $ 68,000.00 that they are asking, perhaps if they would have seen fit to let us look and sit in it I may have a different opinion. Tough luck Lexus, I need to get a car now.
 
Audi A6 - Test drove and obtained all pricing, really like this car however......
Base price is CAD $59,500.00, added in exact options that are in the M35 as follows.
Premium PKG - $4300.00
(Sunroof, Bi-Xenon adaptive headlights,Bose,Wood)
Convenience PKG - $ 1450.00
(Driver info,seat memory,homelink,dimming mirror)
Premium Leather $ 1500.00
Rear parktronic $500.00
Voice Recongnition $500.00
Advance Key $1100.00
Tire Pressure monitor $350.00
18" mags/4 season tires $1400.00
and now we are up to CAD $ 70,600.00
80,000 KMS warranty instead of M35 100,000KMS
Must state that AUDI includes ALL service/parts for duration of warranty whereas Infiniti does not.
 
BMW 5 Series - Very nice car, spoke with a sales guy at the auto show, told him what I wanted ( actually what I would settle for given my budget)
told me he would call me Monday morning, am still waiting for the call.
 
M35 - has everything and more than I was looking for plus very good lease rates given very high residuals as this is a 2006 model.
 
I could enter this debate over the pros and cons of German/Japanese but the bottom line is that I change my car every 3 years, I have loved driving my G35, Infiniti has been very good to me, reliability has been excellent an no other manufacturer can offer what Infiniti is offering in their new M35 for the same or even close numbers.
 
Time will only tell if I made the right decision. Back in '91 I leased a first generation Q45 for 3 years, landed up keeping it for a 4th year because I liked it so much. I think Infiniti got it right with the G35 and everything else that is following it.

#543 of 10338 Re: M35 / Acura RL / Audi A6/ Lexus GS [gabman] by cdnpinhead

Jan 27, 2005 (7:34 am)

Replying to: gabman (Jan 27, 2005 6:32 am)
Helpful post, Gabman.
 
Remember your early participation in the G boards a few years ago.
 
Keep us posted as your "M" adventure continues.

#544 of 10338 Re: kyfdx [kyfdx] by jrock65

Jan 27, 2005 (7:42 am)

Replying to: kyfdx (Jan 26, 2005 11:09 pm)
No one is saying that the M will sell better than the E or the 5. It'll probably sell about 2000 per month though
 
As lexusguy said, the 2006 M is a totally different car from the 2004 M. About the only thing it carries over is the V8, and a tweaked one at that.
 
By your reasoning, no non-established car can ever be successful in this segment. If you offer a compelling car at a good price, people will start noticing little by little. You build a reputation over time.
 
As far as sales going down near the end of a model run, that is true with almost every car. However, when the G35 Sedan first came out, it sold about 3000 per month. Now, they're selling about 4200 per month.
 
It's very interesting that the people most "concerned" about M sales seem to be the BMW crowd.

#545 of 10338 Re: M35 / Acura RL / Audi A6/ Lexus GS [gabman] by gbabaluk

Jan 27, 2005 (7:44 am)

Replying to: gabman (Jan 27, 2005 6:32 am)
Right On Gabman!
I'd feel sorry for the Acura RL BUT the Canadian marketing people must have been smoking something the day they priced the new RL! This could be the Edsel for Canadian Acura delaers. Sell one or two and then stop selling them.
I too own an early production G35(04/02 build date) and it's been bullet proof.
Anyway, enough said about the RL. The M in either the 6 or 8 will be tough to beat.
Have a great day Everyone;
Babs

#546 of 10338 Re: kyfdx [jrock65] by kyfdx HOST

Jan 27, 2005 (8:00 am)

Replying to: jrock65 (Jan 27, 2005 7:42 am)
1) Having owned eight Honda/Acuras.. I doubt I can be called one of the BMW crowd.. even though my wife drives one... I'm not sure what you mean by "concerned"? Isn't this a forum to compare luxury sedans? Where should I post these comments, concerning my opinions?
 
2) My reasoning isn't that there will never be a successful competitor in this segment... just that it is probably the toughest segment to crack..
 
3) Okay, okay... I know the "M" is an entirely new car.. I got that.. I read.. really.
 
4) The G35 is a big, big hit in the $30K-$38K range..... I don't disagree.. name another "succesful" car from Infiniti.. (Please don't say I35).
 
5) Infiniti has a recognition problem... Many people have never heard of it... It might not seem that way on Edmunds, but to the average car buyer, they are a non-entity... I heard a big secret the other day.. People that spend $50K on a car... they care about the brand... even the biggest driving enthusiasts..
 
regards,
kyfdx

#547 of 10338 kyfdx by lexusguy

Jan 27, 2005 (8:12 am)

If they keep winning comparison tests and making the 10 best list, Infiniti will get noticed. I, for one, am now seeing almost as many FX45s on the road as Lexus RX, and quite a bit more of both than Acura MDX.

#548 of 10338 by jrock65

Jan 27, 2005 (8:13 am)

1) Hm... for some reason I thought you only owned Bimmers. Sorry about that.
 
2) Agreed. It is a tough segment to crack. No one is saying that the M will be sales leader. I'm thinking, if the RL with one $50k variant can sell 2000 per month, the M with 3 variants ranging from $40k to $55k can sell 2000 per month. Acura never had success in this segment either. There is more competition now, especially from the GS, but I think that the M is a compelling enough car to be successful.
 
3) .
 
4) The FX: It sells about 2800 per month, not bad for a non-conventional SUV. Again, "successful" does not mean breaking sales records or anything. The QX: It sells about 2000 per month. Not bad for a $50k vehicle. The G35 Coupe: It is the best selling luxury coupe in the U.S.
 
5) Infiniti does have a recognition problem. But it's much better than say, 3 years ago. I think the M is good enough for people to take a look.

#549 of 10338 Re: kyfdx [lexusguy] by kyfdx HOST

Jan 27, 2005 (8:15 am)

Replying to: lexusguy (Jan 27, 2005 8:12 am)
I don't disagree with the quality of the cars (somewhat)..
 
I see a lot of FX45s, too.. But, then again.. how can you miss them?
 
I'll have to check, but I'm guessing they are far, far behind the sales of the RX..

Messages Page 55 of 1034

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