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Infiniti G35 vs Audi A4 vs BMW 335i

88 messages,  Last post on Jul 30, 2008 at 9:29 PM

You are in the Infiniti G35 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Infiniti G35, Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Car Comparisons, Sedan

Messages Page 3 of 10

#15 of 88 Infiniti G35 vs Audi A4 by spi5

Apr 18, 2008 (1:49 am)

Replying to: sjaieve (Apr 16, 2008 10:17 am)
I recently tried to buy a car. Being a RX-8 stick shift driver for 4 years, I decided give myself a bit rest. Not to play heel-toe anymore despite it is fun. My next car - good handling and fun to drive are must. Plus I need reasonable commute car to pickup my daughter everyday.
 
My target car is everywhere - TL, IS250, 328i, G35...Basically all near luxury sedan w/automatic transmission. Just without A4 which I never think of it.
 
After countless test driving and research. TL is the best bang for the bucks. I can get it for 31.5k plus tax w/nav. Interior is OK - like upscale accord, full of gadgets....
 
Two reasons I did not choose it - 1. I'm not a fan of its look. Here in SF Bay Area, an TL just look like transparent to us. I won't turn my head to see it anyway. 2. Handling is OK - better than accord, but it is vanilla. From RX-8 to TL, TL handling is boring.
 
I thought G35 sedan is my best choice. Being change style in 2007, now the back of G35 finally gets better. Not particular nice looking but it is not ugly at least. I was always wondering why G35 coupe is such good looking car and infiniti just can not transform it into sedan.
 
2008 G35 interior is much better than before. It is now better than my RX-8 GT inside. Being a RX-8 owner, I may set a high standard fo this car. OK, after test drive twice over 1 hours, I can tell you why I did not choose this car - the lack of refinement. It is powerful - yes. And then? Where those smooth linear output like RX-8 or BMW inline-6? I really don't like it hop-liking start. Suspension? Too stiff. Both BMW and RX-8 are better handling car and also keep the comfort of transportation. So the handling and comfort can be co-exist. That what I call - refinement. Interior is on par of TL. However, being newer model than TL, something like key less start is really good feature. It is a good car, but not for my age.
 
Let's talk about the king of driving machine - BMW. OMG, I feel connected right away when first time I sit in and drive it. 50-50 weight distribution is no kidding. I feel I can do anything. The handling may be even better than my RX-8? Not sure, but it is very very excellent. One word - CONNECTED. Inline-6 is so linear. So joyful to drive it.
 
It did not make it. Why? Couple reasons. 1. The looks - E90 (2006+) model does not look better than its old model. Some of my friends call it angry shark in the front. Anyway, not bad looking but also not good looking. 2. Again, here in SF Bay Area, the 3 series car driver may be more than honda civic. It is so common car here. A lot of people want and can buy it. My budget is for 328i not 335i. It just look like you can not afford 335i so you buy 328i. My friend - a BMW-driving-only guy - talk to me - why 328? You should get 335i....Anyway, I'm just not ready to spend 40k on a 335i. 3. The image of certain 3s drivers. Few of them think they are on top of world just because they are driving bimmer - sorry, it is not. The bimmer is truly a king of all cars, but not you. Want a sports sedan? Get a stick shift! Don't drive an automatic and think you are good. Being saw too many punk kids driving bimmer around. It really does not give me good image on "personal taste".
 
Forgot to mention the interior - who cares? This is a damn good car to drive.
 
IS250. I always love Lexus luxury feel and hate it camry like handling. This IS is true best looking car. So nice looking that I can lick on it. Interestingly, handing is responsive - not like camry. However, I cannot feel connected. Probably too many electronics assistance. I can live with that since I need to drive an automatic after all.
 
It did not make it. Again. Why? The back seat is so tight that I don't think my family will be happy after 1 month. Also, IS 250 may be more than 3s on street now in Bay Area - Ah... I like SOME having same taste as me but not everyone.
 
Never thought about A4. From the picture, it is such old fashion car inside and out. It turn out to be an idea from my wife - she think A4 is a nice looking car - just not as good as IS250. Since we turn down the IS because of its tight rear seat and we have no other list in our pocket, we walk into Audi's lot and take a look of A4. I was thinking I won't buy it anyway. But no harm to see it.
 
I was wrong. Despite the ibis white A4 looks not as sleek as IS 250, it looks more like classic. And we do not see it much on the street. That is a plus to us. The more I see it, the more I like it. My wife told me that Princess Diana was driving a convertible A4 so she always like the taste of it. Anyway, I am now no offense to its exterior.
 
How about the old fashion interior? From the picture, it really look so dated when you compare to all above cars. Especially the IS 250, it almost pop up from the picture. I aways think Lexus can make most luxury feel among all car maker. Ha! I was wrong again. When I sit in the A4 w/Luxury package, I was attracted to it refinement from material. Yes, the style is old. However, you can feel the luxury. For example, the wood trim is real wood. The aluminum door handle is real aluminum not painted one. Lighting in dark is so nice. Everything you just can not feel from the pictures. No plastic feel. Fit and fitness are top notch.
 
Back seat - still a bit tight. But much better than IS 250.
 
Quattro is unique. You feel four wheels grab tightly on the ground. 2.0Turbo is nice and smooth, too. Not as good as either BMW or RX-8. However, it is still a lot of fun to drive. Much better than TL which is FWD.
 
I think A4 is quite underrated in US now. So the sale number is no good. That gave us a good chance to get a killer deal.
 
The Ibis White A4 2.0T quattro is now parking in my garage. Now the only thing we need to worry is the reliability issue.......

#16 of 88 Re: Infiniti G35 vs Audi A4 [spi5] by rascal99

Apr 18, 2008 (6:28 am)

Replying to: spi5 (Apr 18, 2008 1:49 am)
Well, it sometimes surprises me how much the culture or attitudes on the West coast is so much different then here in the East. What people think of your ride really has factor in what one buys in Cali. The attitudes here in the Southeast are much more conservative. People buy what they want regardless of what others think for the most part. That's not to say someone doesn't buy an M5 for some bragging rights or to be seen in, but the socio-ecomonic reasons are just not as important.
  
I think you will like your A4. After being a 3 time BMW 3-series owner I was ready for a change and got the A4. So far I am not disappointed. The handling could be improved a bit and the car is not as "athletic" as the 3-series; but, it has other virtues. I have had no problems with my car in +30k miles. I thought I would have the A4 for three years and get something else, but I may just keep her. We'll see. Enjoy your ride

#17 of 88 Re: Infiniti G35 vs Audi A4 [rascal99] by spi5

Apr 18, 2008 (11:37 am)

Replying to: rascal99 (Apr 18, 2008 6:28 am)
OK, the reliability might not be a problem. The resale value might be a problem despite I really love the car.
 
One of reason I got A4 is I had a super deal. It is 2007 Audi 2.0T Quattro w/ 3,800miles on it. 6 months old. It come with premium, Convenience package, bluetooth, Beige Birch wood decorative inlays....just without NAV. Car condition is pristine. Feel 99.99% new car. Invoice (Not MSRP 36,000) on a new car like this is $34,200 and I paid $25,500. If I talk about OTD price, it will be around $10,000 difference.
 
Which all seems good. However, its price drop like rock. That is why I'm worry about its reliability. I would like to keep it more than 5~10 years because it really not easy to sell these used Audi.
 
OTOH, A4 is such nice car and I really enjoy it.

#18 of 88 A4 reliability by waygrabow

Apr 19, 2008 (7:35 pm)

I keep reading comments about questionable Audi reliability which really is counter to our experience. We have an 2003 A4 1.8T quattro with 60,000 miles. It has been problem free; not one tiny issue in all those miles. We have changed tires and windshield wipers, but that is to be expected. We take it in every 10,000 miles and the dealer services it for free; then we drive it problem-free for another 10,000 miles. Couldn't be more perfect. We live in snow and mountain country; so quattro (awd), handling and climate control are important. This is the only Audi product we have ever owned. We are considering replacing the Audi, simply because we are now financially able, and, of course, a new Audi seems to make a lot of sense to us. Our other two vehicles are domestic and Japanese respectively (we are also pleased with both of them), so we are not tied to any one brand. I stop by this board to see what other vehicles we should be considering.

#19 of 88 Re: A4 reliability [waygrabow] by sjaieve

Apr 19, 2008 (9:19 pm)

Replying to: waygrabow (Apr 19, 2008 7:35 pm)
If you are considering the G & the A4, take a test drive over 2-3 days, thats what I did, the first clears a lot of misconceptions about lack of refinement & noise levels, these are myths (for the auto, not sure about the manual), the second & third clear any additional questions you might have.
 
One thing I have observed about G owners is they dont post on these comparison threads a lot, except for comparisons to the 335i. I guess we have a "meet you on the interstate" approach

#20 of 88 Re: A4 reliability [sjaieve] by spi5

Apr 19, 2008 (10:39 pm)

Replying to: sjaieve (Apr 19, 2008 9:19 pm)
Too bad that I cannot get a chance to test drive both for 2~3 days.
 
However, something won't change even you drive both extensively.
 
What shine G is its powerful engine and handling. Again, I was a Rx-8 owner, not that kind of stop light running king person. I love 335/328 Inline 6 and rotary's smooth and linear power curve. So a hop liking start is just not my taste. I guess this won't change even I drive G for 1 year. Besides 335i now is more powerful than G.
 
G's handling is OK. However, it transfer bump and holes from the road without filtering much to you. I understand that stiff suspension is a factor of sharp handling. But BMW and Mazda mix these two dilemma very well. That is what I call - refinement. And this cannot be found on G and I also don't think it will change for longer driving experience.
 
That said, if I never drove RX-8 or BMW before, I will definitely think G is excellent. But the truth is - few others just do it better.
 
Anyway, I'm A4 owner now. Let me said something for my own car. I found that A4's handling is interesting. It is very light when the speed is low- almost as light as my the other car - RX300. And it became sensitive and heavier when you driver faster. I understand that most car has this setting. However, A4 just push those two further apart.
 
Went to Muir Wood today, a lot of curve road. Quattro really shine! No over steer.

#21 of 88 Re: A4 reliability [spi5] by sjaieve

Apr 20, 2008 (4:01 am)

Replying to: spi5 (Apr 19, 2008 10:39 pm)
What interests me with your posts is you compare the G with the 335i and you bash it for the lack of refinement and "hop like starting". What you forget is the fact that the "hop like starting" was an issue with the 07 model, there is a fix for that now and the 08's, I own one, do not have the issue. Did you see the Accolades post I included. Here it is again
 
http://g35driver.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120626
 
I can understand when you say the G is not as refined as the 335i in perfomance, I think it will be difficult for me to argue with that, and I wont even try. Thats a good comparison. Now this is where you lose me, you then conclude that because the G is not as "refined" as the 335i, the A4, I think you have the 4 banger is therefore the better car. I have to disagree profusely with that. I think the first thing you need to consider is handling for a 200hp engine cannot be compared to a 300hp engine. I used to have a 200hp engine and I can assure there is nothing like the thrill of having 100 extra horses just available for you to use at your will. On the link above, most of the reviewers, there is over 10 of them will tell you the G handles very well, only the 335i beats it in handling. Also, the G comes with AWD if you need that.
 
Now, I wont even start with you on the other stuff that comes with the G and not offered on the A4. BTW, I think the Lexus IS250 is a better car than the A4 4 banger. It offers a whole lot more, maybe except the handling. However since you are wrapped up with handling, then I guess the A4 is for you.
 
At this stage I will say congratilaions on your A4.

#23 of 88 Re: Quattro [sjaieve] by spi5

Apr 20, 2008 (7:28 am)

Don't worry. I don't know if A4 is better than G or not overall. And I have no doubt that G can run fast. If you saw my first post, I had a detail explanation on why I choose it. I just do not need a car for race track.
 
I've passed that age like - my car is fastest, my car is coolest, my car is the the best....
 
Now I choose the car base on the taste of it, fun to drive and again - "refinement".
 
For example, for the fun to drive - RX-8 > 335 > 328 > A4 > G > IS350 > IS250
The looks - IS > A4 > 3s > G
The refinement - 3s = RX-8 > A4 > IS > G
The speed - 335 > IS 350 > G > RX-8 > 328 > A4 > IS 250
 
Of course, the above is just my personal rating. If someone ask my wife, she will simply turn down 3s and G because of looks which I do like those two cars. BTW, she hate the looks of my RX-8, too.

#24 of 88 Re: Quattro [spi5] by sjaieve

Apr 20, 2008 (10:59 am)

Replying to: spi5 (Apr 20, 2008 7:28 am)
Glad you love your car. From your rankings above I can clearly see where you are coming from. I think you already know what I value.
 
Do you know what my solution was with the wife. I convinced her I know a lot about cars. Now I make all the car buying decisions

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