I have been following this site and other G35 venues for a while as I try to make up my mind about my next car. Time to part with my old reliable 4dr. GSR and I am having a tough time making the final choice.

My list has been pared down to 2, the G35 Sedan 6sp and the new Legacy GT Ltd. I have taken both for a test drive and and would like to choose in short order. AWD is not a pre-requisite, but the only option available in the GT. Need to have a manual so the X is out.

My +/- rating for both;

G35
+ Power, handling, roomy, stereo, cache, engine note
- interior layout, tsb's for brakes and seat, thirsty

GT Ltd.
+ Power, AWD, interior materials, value, modability
- Rear space, stereo, quiet exhaust note

Your feedback would be greatly appreciate.

 

Hey, I am in the exact same boat as you. In fact, I started a Leg GT opinion thread in "Other Cars" a while back. You may want to check it out.

Right now, I'm leaning toward the G35 even more. I can do several things to get the G's performance up, but I can't ever "buy" the Legacy VDC, Infiniti's J.D. Power quality numbers, reclining rear seats (though not a huge deal), factory medium-dark silver (Diamond Graphite color) paint, factory stereo that's worth a crap, HUGE trunk, and better fuel economy (the G's numbers are better, BTW).

All I can do to the Leg is patch up some of the holes in it's features, and make it unholy fast. Since this is going to be the family hauler, I want all the safety crap I can get, and the G beats the Leg in my books...at least until I drive it. Of course, I still need to drive the '05 sedan, too...

_________________________________________
Me failed English? That's unpossible!

 

I apologize in advance if this comes across the wrong way...my intention is only to help, not to bash. With that said, any Subaru isn't even in the same class as any Infiniti. If all you're looking for is speed or mods to increase power, then you could consider many others like a Honda, Acura, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Pontiac, or that Subaru WRX, etc. Infiniti is ranked in the same quality and class level as Lexus, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes. 'Subaru' shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Infiniti (or Lexus or BMW or Mercedes)! However, if you're looking for a decent $25k car - sporty, 6-cyl., good safety profile, fast, quality interior, loaded...take a look at the Mazda 6, Nissan Altima (although the Altima can push $30k with all the goodies and I believe it didn't do all that well in crash tests), or the Audi A4 1.7T for near $30k (4-cyl turbo).

So, if cost isn't an issue and you want a higher quality car (that's very sporty, has many great features and options, and is very fast), why wouldn't you choose an Infiniti over a Subaru?

The only other cars I considered for the same price or less expensive as the Infiniti G35 are the Mazda 6s (because it's safety is rated very high, it has a 220HP engine, good features, it has a MM 5AT, and it looks good), Nissan Altima 3.5SE (for obvious reasons), and the Acura TL. I've had 3 Lexus' before and loved them all because of the quality, safety, status, power, ride, and comfort. We used to be a Lexus family; now, we're an Infiniti family ;-)

My wife and I also have an '03 Infinti FX35 w/ Prem, Sport, & Technology packages and love it, so it made sense for me to go with the Infinti G35 Sedan (especially after I drove a one as a loaner car one day...that sold me! ;-)



2004.5 G35-S 5AT Black/Willow - Prem, R. Spoiler, Navi, Infiniti Sport Wheels, Alum Pedals, Dark Tint, Z Tube, K&N Filter<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by bsgoren on 06/23/04 12:58 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

Well I got to test drive a GT wagon over the weekend and I can tell you it would run circles around my wifes G35 sedan. Oh, and much nicer interior too. That surprised me in a good way! We might ditch the G35 by the end of the summer at this rate.

2004 Sedan -- 3M Clear Bra - Bought on eBay and DIY -- Rocky Mounts bike racks!

 

Interesting, but it's still a Subaru. I guess it depends what you're coming out of and what's important to you; not trying to be snobby, but if $$ is not the issue, then I think it would be difficult to go from an Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Audi, or Mercedes to a Subaru or a Chrysler for example. I know when we were searching for a new SUV/Crossover, although some alternatives were tempting (like the Chrylser Pacifica), it didn't seem right for us to go from a Lexus RX300 to anything less in quality, safety, features, and performance. We chose the Infiniti FX35 loaded and we love it.

Another example would be that new (very small) Chrysler Crossfire which is supposed to be one very cool coupe and convertible -- basically a Mercedes (especially after they put the supercharged SLK 350HP engine in it), but if you've been driving a Mercedes, a BMW, or similar, do you really want to pay $40k+ to drive a Chrysler? There is a noticeable difference in quality; it's not just status.

I'm sure the Subaru Legacy is a fine car for the money. Hey...to each his own ;-) ...just my $0.02.

BTW - What's Subaru's bumper-to-bumper warranty? Don't forget Infiniti has a 4-yr./60k mi. warranty (Lexus, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes have 4 yr./50k mi. or 4-yr./60k mi. warranties...just something to think about if you're going to keep the car a few years or more (even on a lease).



2004.5 G35-S 5AT Black/Willow - Prem, R. Spoiler, Navi, Infiniti Sport Wheels, Alum Pedals, Dark Tint, Z Tube, K&N Filter<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by bsgoren on 06/23/04 01:18 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

FYI, Subaru is tired of the also-ran status, and is trying to push up market with the new Legacy. It isn't quite on par with the G35 for many things, but it also doesn't have some of the nagging little issues that are part of G ownership. From what I hear, the fit and finish, dash materials, layout, comfort, and overall "feel" of the car are such that it is squarely in the TSX/A4/325 range, trading some luxury for performance and overall quality.

I'm still pretty damn hooked on the G, and will likely go with the '05 barring any glaring problems or concerns. But, it is a worthy competitor it seems, on more levels than performance.

_________________________________________
Me failed English? That's unpossible!

 

"Well I got to test drive a GT wagon over the weekend and I can tell you it would run circles around my wifes G35 sedan. Oh, and much nicer interior too. That surprised me in a good way! We might ditch the G35 by the end of the summer at this rate."

Either you need to drop the crak pipe or I need to recheck everything I know about cars. I doubt it's the latter. G sedan has .9 skid, 66 or so slalom and 1/4 mile times way better than the meager 15 + they quoted the new GT at in the lastest C&D.

I can appreciate your excitement - perhaps you are just a subbie at heart or all of us G drivers are the crack addicts!

The fact's are the subbie slower even in turbo form per C&D and there is now way it handles as well..have your wife reset the ecu and get grandma out of there!

PS the subbie still looks a little like a subbie - not bad but....not great with that little compact front end look...


2003.5 DP 5AT Sedan (E-thing but Nav)
14.2 @ 97.18
Z-Tube
K&N Drop In & Airbox Mod
10 Wire Hyper-Ground
Crawford Plenum (V4)
UR Crank Pulley
Polk EX-3500 Tweeters/Shock Sensor/H-Liner
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by SixFive on 06/23/04 01:29 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

Are you talking about the 15.6 sec time they reported? That was for the Outback XT. That is a totally different car.

I'm not trying to convert anyone to Subarus here. I simply will advise you guys to take this car seriously as far as performance. Subaru is notorious for under-rating their cars numbers, and this is already at 250/250 w/ AWD. ECU flash and cat-back are anticipating power gains similar to the Forrester XT like this: http://cobbtuning.com/forester/images/ap-fxt-stage2.gif
That is significant, especially for $1595 (w/o cat) to $1745 (w/cat).

_________________________________________
Me failed English? That's unpossible!

 

What plays for Infiniti is great service, loaners, etc. What plays for Subaru is that 1k of mods will put you in 260-290whp range and that's a force to be reckoned with. Also as you pointed out G is a pig when it comes to gas. My buddys Forrester XT is getting 22-23 mpg in the city and close to 30 on highway.

New Legacy is an awesome car and if I didn't buy G earlier this year, I'd be all over Legacy GT.

Good luck with your choice.

***04 G35s 5AT/Sport***
***04 Volvo XC90 T6***

 

Subarus are nowhere to be found here in S. FL; they may be a bit more popular in the NE where they need the AWD in the winter. When I was high school (in MA), my friend's mom had a Subaru XT Turbo Coupe. It was a very neat car for the time (totally unlike anything else -- very futuristic looking and technologically advanced for the time period) and it was very fast. We loved to "bomb" around in it, but that was 1986 and 18 years later, Subaru is still no more popular or not up to par with the top lux brands. I suspect that although they're trying harder now to compete with higher-end cars, there will be no more Subarus on the road in the U.S. in 2005 and for years to come.

Also, from the C&D and MT articles on the '05 Legacy, I noticed that the torque is much lower than the G35 (more in the range of the Acura TL) and I didn't see if the '05 Legacy is FWD or RWD...another thing to consider. FWD vs. RWD and Torque are the main reasons why I chose the Infiniti G35 over the Acura TL; other than those 2 issues, both cars are very similar in quality, features, power, safety, and cost.

I guess if you're a real Subaru fan, you might get very excited about this much improved Legacy, but for the rest of us, it's just another Subaru which just doesn't compete with Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes and wouldn't be on any short list...sorry, I don't think so.



2004.5 G35-S 5AT Black/Willow - Prem, R. Spoiler, Navi, Infiniti Sport Wheels, Alum Pedals, Dark Tint, Z Tube, K&N Filter<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by bsgoren on 06/23/04 02:15 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

bsgorgen,

New Legacy has variable torque distribution, with 45/55 f/r setting most the time. As far as perfromance, my friend's Forrester pulls on me a little bit. We never raced past 60mph or so, so I can't say about their performance past that. On top of that Forrester is heavier than Legacy.

First mod that most turbo-subie owners do is gut the uppipe, that nets close to10whp. Than some people install manual boost controller from ebay for 40$ which is pretty ghetto, but adds another 20+whp depending on how insane they are. To get 30whp we, G35 owners, must spend more than a grand.

I think you could be in for an unpleasant surprise next time you try taking on a new Legacy owner of which invested some time and less than $100 in mods. You definately wouldn't even be able to touch it if it will have upgraded turbo, something like VH30 from STi.



***04 G35s 5AT/Sport***
***04 Volvo XC90 T6***

 

I understand the relatively inexpensive easy mods that can be done with this Subaru, but I wouldn't feel the need to "take one on" since 1. It's still just a Subaru (not a BMW, Lexus, Audi, etc.) and 2. I very rarely actually see one, let alone pull up next to one at a red light.

My main point of all us going 'aound and around' about this is that I, along with most others on this Forum and anywhere in for that matter, would consider any Subaru to not be at the same level of quality, style, safety, and class of an Infiniti, Lexus, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes. The Subarus compete with Ford, Chevy, VW (perhaps), Volvo (perhaps), Chrysler/Jeep, Toyota, Audi (if they're lucky), etc. and other mfgr's with AWD cars & SUVs. They do not and will not compete with the lux brands...sorry to inform you on this, but it's true. If you want pure speed without quality, I hear the Pontiac GTO is a killer!

I'm sure the new Subaru Legacy is a powerful vehicle and can be easily modified to significantly increase HP and speed, but most will agree, they would rather drive an Infiniti than a Subaru. There's more to life than speed; speed will only get you to the 'end' faster ;-) And, yes, I've done some basic mods to my '04.5 Infiniti G35 Sedan to increase power and improve the sound, but I certainly didn't do it to race a Subaru!



2004.5 G35-S 5AT Black/Willow - Prem, R. Spoiler, Navi, Infiniti Sport Wheels, Alum Pedals, Dark Tint, Z Tube, K&N Filter<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by bsgoren on 06/23/04 04:20 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

I didn't mean to say that Subary is in the same category with us prestige wise. But rather performance wise, which you seemed to have doubted, or at least so I thought.

I drive G, even though there are many cars in the same pricerange or lower that will kill G.
It is a status thing for me.




***04 G35s 5AT/Sport***
***04 Volvo XC90 T6***

 

P.S. And if I ever wanted pure speed, I would have never gotten rid of my 95 240sx. Last year of OBD1. My service advisor at Serramonte Infiniti has simillar car to what mine could have been.

On the budget of 15-20k that thing will own everything on the road, even most bikes. 500-550whp in 2800lbs car.



***04 G35s 5AT/Sport***
***04 Volvo XC90 T6***

 

Agreed. I wouldn't race a Chevy Corvette or a new Pontiac GTO (same engine I think) or a Honda S2000 (which my direct neighbor has), but I think my car is a higher quality, more prestigious, safer, and plenty powerful car with better features (and it's a blast to drive. ;-)

I would be interested to see how my G35 fairs up against the new Chrysler 300 V8 (Hemi V8 or not...that thing is as heavy as an M1A1 Abrams Tank ;-) There are definitely a few I would potentially have some fun with...a BMW 330i, an Acura TL, a Honda Accord V6, an Audi A4 or TT, a few modded "pieces of s---t," etc. but some I wouldn't even think about like a BMW M3 or a Merdedes CLK55, etc.

The Infiniti G35 is no doubt one of the fastest sports sedans on the road (stock or w/ mods) but it has it's limitations just like any other car. Quite honestly, I wouldn't even think about a Subaru, not because of it's power, but because it's just not on the radar.



2004.5 G35-S 5AT Black/Willow - Prem, R. Spoiler, Navi, Infiniti Sport Wheels, Alum Pedals, Dark Tint, Z Tube, K&N Filter<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by bsgoren on 06/23/04 05:05 PM.</EM></FONT></P>