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Sedans BMW 3-Series Article Comments - 2007 BMW 335i vs. 2008 Infiniti G37
87 messages, Last post on Jul 03, 2009 at 6:14 PM
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Article comments for Comparison Test: 2007 BMW 335i vs. 2008 Infiniti G37 - After driving the 2007 BMW 335i and 2008 Infiniti G37 Sport, we wonder if the people who built them thought about anything besides going fast. (more)
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Replying to: kiddo92 (Aug 26, 2007 3:12 pm) I'm not sure the G37 is going to rate very high on the Autobahn "pecking order". 
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Replying to: pbinteg99 (Aug 25, 2007 4:34 pm) I am a newbie to this forum and I am indeed having a trouble to decide which car (335i coupe or g37) to choose. That is why I come here to ask for input and advice. I am pretty sure the package I want: manual, premium, sport, and navigation on both cars. I have tested both cars and here is my feeling. a) g37 has a better handling than g35. it has more power and you can easily go above 5000 rpm in low gears (up to 3rd) to feel the strength of torque. The visual accessibility at the driver seat is slightly better than 335i (my friend said it is because Infiniti did a good job to make the front seat virtually larger) but the stick vibrates a lot (you can actually see it -- 335i's stick also vibrates, but not that much). It is easy to make a turn even without the 4WAS. The car is bigger than 335i so the parking needs more attention (the rear camera doesn't help you a lot). b) 335i is supposed to have more torque in lower rpm. Interestingly, I felt this enormous power when driving an automatic 335i and using its paddle shift; it was even stronger than my friend's BMW 550. However, I didn't feel it when I drove a manual 335i. To me, I feel no difference between manual g37 and manual 335i. My friend (a BMW lover) told me that I have to keep the rpm right around 1400 when shifting the gear (using double clutch?), because this is where the twin-turbo produces the maximal torque (and it drops down above this number). So it seems a bit tricky to do that. To be honest, it might just be my lack of skill in driving turbo-equipped engines that makes these two cars not much different from each other. I was also told by a BMW technician that the automatic version of 335i has a better computerized control over the twin-turbo to maximize the torque. But I am not sure if this is the case. c) g37 has a fetal problem of the rear seats. I am an Asian but all my female friends are around 166-174 cm tall. None of them can fit into the rear seats, not to mention me and my male Asian friends. I don't know why Infiniti keeps this design because it appears that g35 coupe had the same problem. Moreover, the passenger in the rear seats will suffer from sunshine in southern California because the rear window is just above her head (and there is no sunshade blocker or something like that). When the car passes a bumper, their heads will hit the roof. In comparison, my friends told me they feel no difference between the front and rear seats when sitting in 335i. d) Most of my female friends complain that the outlook of 335i coupe is boring, especially the tail. They said even the 335i sedan looks better (and it is cheaper than the coupe). For the interior, they have opposite opinions. Some said that 335i interior looks boring as well. Some said g37 looks nice but also looks fragile and of low quality (plastic, things that cannot last long). Interestingly, when they realized the fatal problem of the rear seats in g37 and the more they looked at 335i, they got used to its shape and more of them leaned to 335i. They said it looks plain but seems safer. e) Comparing the price, there is $5000 difference. So g37 seems to be cheaper. But considering the 4 year free maintenance offered by BMW, it seems that this difference doesn't matter because each brake rotator will cost $800-$1000, not to mention the oil change etc. I was also told that Infiniti tends to make the rotator thinner, so you have to change it after 20000 miles (25000 miles for BMW). So, these are my input and I hope to get some responses as well, so that I can make up my mind. Unfortunately, for the package I am looking for, neither car (335i or g37) will be available in southern California; I have to order trough the factory and that will take 3 months or so. But I will still appreciate any input. Thank you very much.
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Replying to: guochin (Aug 29, 2007 2:10 pm) A) - B) Your friend who suggested shifting the 335i at 1400 RPMs has no clue what he or she is talking about. Long story short, drive it hard and shift near redline. C) The back seat in the "G" is suitable only for small children (IMHO), and then only at night or on cloudy days. D) The only opinion about looks you should care about are your own. Hey, you're buying the car for you not everyone else. E) Cannot comment about the brakes on the "G" (other than to say that I too have heard anecdotal reports of them wearing out early), however, I usually get 35,000 to 40,000 miles out of my BMW brakes. Said another way, the BMW "free" maintenance program does go a long way toward reducing the price difference between the two cars. F) (errr, well, you didn't have an "F", but you know what I mean) If you must factory order your car then you might want to take advantage of BMW's European Delivery Program. If you do then you should easily be able to negotiate a deal for $1,000 to $1,500 over European Delivery Invoice, meaning that the 335i will actually cost you less than the G37 right from the very beginning. Best Regards, Shipo |
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Replying to: guochin (Aug 29, 2007 2:10 pm) Here's my scorecard to date- 1) exterior appearance - I like both but in different ways - BMW - elegant, Inf- sensuous. So push 2) Interior - Inf - modern, classy, comfortable; BMW - old school, good materials, comfortable, can't see the radio with sunglasses on - big demerit. Big Advantage - Inf 3) Options - you can get a BMW exactly as you want it with numerous color choices and combinations. You can get an Inf only how they think you should want it - limited color choices, to get the manual you have to order the sport package, etc. Advantage - BMW. 4)Practicality - Inf has managed to make a slightly bigger, heavier car with less rear seat room and a smaller trunk. Advantage - BMW. 5) Gas mileage - Well you don't buy these cars for the mileage, but I'm disappointed that Inf followed the G35 with a heavier car with a larger engine that gets worse mileage. Advantage - BMW. 6)BMW's "free" service. I don't think this is worth a whole lot. BMW suggests a ludicrous 15,000 miles between oil changes. So what does the 50K service get you? Three oil changes and a radiator flush - $200. Anything more serious would be covered under a standard warranty anyway. I mentioned this to the BMW sales guy and he didn't disagree. Irrelevant to a buying decision. 7)Long term reliability. You'd have to go with Inf based on past performance. Also, certain parts are likely to be less expensive for Inf since they are shared with Nissan. 8)Cost, the big one. I ran the numbers on leases and with BMW's high resids and low MFs the gap narrows considerably. My numbers put the G37 about halfway between a 328 and 335. My guesstimate was the 335 would cost about $1,800 more over a 3 year lease than the g37, not a huge amount. So, without haven driven the G37 my current feeling is that if I could get a decent lease deal on a 335 (I drive more than the typical 15K miles a year) I would go in that direction, but if I couldn't and had to do a purchase I would go with the G37 for reasons 7 and 8. Hope that's helpful. |
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Replying to: trewquis (Aug 31, 2007 4:13 am) Au contraire... this is certainly worth money. BMW's "free" service covers such items as brakes (rotors & pads) to wiper blades and everything in between. This means wear & tear items that are typically excluded in maintenance plans. My '03 530SP, which was initially leased and then purchased under CPO at lease end, has only cost me one set of replacement tires. Period. My 1-year old Pirelli P-Zero Nero's (at time of lease turn-in) with 10K miles were replaced with new Dunlop SP Sport2000's, the OEM tire on my car. I have yet to pay a dime for any maintenance, and I am by the book on this. I get as much joy looking at and driving this car as the day I picked it up...
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Replying to: lovemyclk (Aug 31, 2007 11:07 am) For most 3-series buyers, 50K free maintenance costs BMW less than $400. |
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Replying to: guochin (Aug 29, 2007 2:10 pm) Since you are in SoCal, with the traffic around here don't you think you could be happier with an automatic? A friend of mine who has driven sticks for years recently got a Honda Accord and opted for the automatic since he was so sick of constantly shifting in the stop-and-go traffic. Regarding the rear seat, if that is a really important issue than look at sedans versus coupes. As an aside, my wife and I sat in the rear of a G37 and were pleasantly surprised, but we are just average height people. As for the sun, get the rear window tinted. As I've stated previously and elsewhere, even if these cars were priced exactly the same, I would still have reservations about BMW reliability and maintenance expense based on my own experiences (and those of several friends and acquaintances). Throwing turbos into the mix on ANY car seems to asking for trouble so that is another reason I would opt for a normally aspirated car over a turbo car if the two cars were at least similar in performance characteristics (as these two are). I really don't know what the BMW "free" maintenance is worth versus what you would have to actually spend out-of-pocket for what they will be giving you. All I know is that no matter how I look at these cars (when similarly optioned), it seems the BMW is at LEAST $5k more. I know the BMW diehards are quick to respond ED! ED!. But not everyone can arrange their schedules and plan a vacation to somewhere they might not want to go just to save a few bucks on a car. When you figure in your time to "jet" to Europe to pick up a car and the other expenses, I wonder how much you really "save"? Doug
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Replying to: dougsilver (Aug 31, 2007 3:02 pm) I will also throw twin turbos into my '09 purchase with no reservations. After driving the '07 335, I see no downside risk for this performance feature. Regards, OW
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Replying to: circlew (Aug 31, 2007 4:42 pm)
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Replying to: dougsilver (Sep 01, 2007 9:52 am) Since I will lease the '09, long term reliability is not an issue for me. As cars get even more complex (as you have presented with the turbos), the given is some parts will fail. You pay up front or later. I choose to pay up front for the added performance and return it in 3 years. Regards, OW
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