G35 sedan vs. Audi A4 1.8T quattro

[SmoothieG35]

Hi all,
I'm a potential new owner of a '03/04 G35 sedan. Looking right now between that and a '02/03 Audi A4 1.8T quattro. Just wondering if any current owners when through the same comparison.

Looking for a sports sedan that has good performace, luxury and reliability. Wondering how they compare for resale in a few years too and gas mileage.
Thanks!!

[BigPuppy]

I have an 05 A4 Avant 1.8T USP and I can tell you that as far as acceleration and speed is concerned it will not come close to matching the G35 unless you are looking to upgrade the ECU. It gets much worse if you are considering tiptronic as I've found it to be pathetically slow.

Reliability on the A4 will be more of an issue with the 02/03 so I'd try to move into an 04+. Audi has made great strides toward improving reliability in recent years, but find one with good service records that can give you some inclination to its long-term reliability. The rule of thumb seems to be if you have 2 or less mechanical or electrical issues during the first 12 mos/12K miles then you've got yourself a good one.

The G35 retains a greater % of its value...I was recently offered $24K (from a couple of different dealers) on trade for my 18 month old Audi that stickered @ $38K, so buying pre-owned should absolutely work to your advantage.

As for luxury, I personally would not define the A4's interior as being luxurious. However, without question, Audi offers the "tightest" package of quality materials and craftsmanship that is logically laid out in a very elegant way. Don't know how to describe it exactly, but I can tell you that after 18 months, I'm still amazed by how it hits the mark almost perfectly. I would go so far to agree with folks who call it THE best interior in the industry. With the Ultrasport Package I have the sport suspension sitting on 18's that rides nearly as harsh as my G, yet there has not been 1 single rattle or squeak at ANY point.

Contrast this with my 06 G35 Coupe where I'm always feeling like original designers lacked direction and any semblance of balance - it starts with the aluminum that feels overdone, continues to the dash that looks like it was lifted from a minivan, and culminates with that annoying volume button on the right. Funny enough, pictures of the new instrument cluster layout on 07 sedans look very similar to the Audi design. Guess it's true what they say - imitation is the best form of flattery.

Hope that helps and good luck with whatever decision you make - they are both fine cars!

[Klubbheads]

There is nothing exciting about the A4 even 3.0. My friend has a 2003 3.0 A4, it just amazes me how slow the car is for having 225 hp. I can only imagine how the 1.8s accelaration is. Hanlingwise its crap also. Too much body roll and understeer. I don't know why someone would buy that car for its performance. I got to admit the interior is very nice.

[G35ftw]

I have raced an 05 A4 2.0T in a Lexus RX300 SUV with 2 passengers and beat it with his front bumper lined up with my rear passenger door.

I think that should give you an idea of how incredibly slow the A4 is.

[codeflux]

^^^ you should have destroyed them both.

[G35ftw]

Originally Posted by codeflux

^^^ you should have destroyed them both.

I think u misunderstood. I was in the rx300 w/ 2 passengers and we beat the A4 with only the driver. There was no G involved.

[BigPuppy]

Originally Posted by G35ftw

I think u misunderstood. I was in the rx300 w/ 2 passengers and we beat the A4 with only the driver. There was no G involved.

Lol a stock A4 is certainly not the fastest car around but no way is it RX300 slow, especially if it was a 2.0T on the B7. Now had you said RX350 I probably wouldn't have given it a second thought.

Sorry but there must've been only 1 participant in that race...

[boosterM]

Originally Posted by G35ftw

I think u misunderstood. I was in the rx300 w/ 2 passengers and we beat the A4 with only the driver. There was no G involved.

nah. really?

[jbongo]

Will pick up my G35X tomorrow, but I test drove both the A4 and G35 before making a decision. IMHO the A4 was slower, noisier and a bit too cramped for me...and I am only 5'7" 165 lbs.