Hi All,

Debating between purchasing a g35 sedan or a TL and I'm just trying to get info from actual owners. I have a couple of questions that would help me make my decision.

1) Has anybody driven a RWD G35 in the winter without snow tires? How bad is it? How necessary are the tires? How much better is it with the tires?

2) How many KMs per tank do you normally get. I've seen similar discussions in the sedan forum, however most are in MPG and MILES. It would be nice to see what Canadians are getting especially with our climate.

Any answers would be appreciated!

Thanks.

 

Well, I can certainly add my .02 cents to your two questions.

The first year I purchased my G, I drove all winter without snow tires. While I made it safely through the winter with cautious driving, I certainly would not advise it. The VDC works very well and really controls slippage, but I noticed a huge difference the next winter with 4 snow tires. IMO, winter tires are a necessity. I would still consider winter tires a necessity on the TL also. Winter tires are for winter driving....period!

As for KMs per tank, it obviously depends on your driving style. As for me, I do not baby my car too much, but do not drive it overly hard either. I average close to 600 kms per tank and that is a combination of highway and city driving.

I hope this helps.

 

I use snows....
The only way to go RWD or FWD... It's mainly about stopping ability.
Just got back from a 3800 km trip to the East coast..

- RWD car with a few performance mods (intake & exhaust)
- mostly highway (~ 80%), but...
~ no cruise control,
~ usually around 120 km/hr & somewhat aggressive driving..... love those mountain roads

Averages for the trip
L/100km = 9.89
Imp MPG = 28.56
US MPG = 23.78

 

Can't complain with those numbers Ian!

 

No complaints here...
My only problem was that my cheek muscles were getting sore

 

Did you guys check out the TL when you bought? What made you pick the G35 over it? I'm so torn between the 2 cars. I like certain things about both, so I'm having a heck of a time deciding.

 

I never took the TL out for a test drive prior to purchasing my G. I always loved the TL's interiors, however I just couldn't get by the fact that it is FWD. I am sure you haven't heard that one before! I have driven the TL since I purchased my G and glad I made the choice that I did....not that I was debating the TL at all.

Both cars are VERY nice, but the two are also VERY different. Have you driven both cars?

 

Lol, I can see you now Ian.....3800 KMs of "perma grin".

 

nope...
Performance & handling were my primary concerns.
.....nothing with FWD entered the picture for me.

The G35 & TL are both great cars;
If you don't mind FWD then it's a tough decision.

 

1) I just bought my sedan in August, but I'm shopping for winter tires and wheels right now. I grew up driving RWD vehicles in Saskatchewan, so I don't need convincing - my '74 Z-28 Camaro 4spd was helpless in snow on summers, but would go anywhere with snow tires on it.

2) With "break-in" style driving, for 100% city mileage I am getting about 500km on a 68 liter fill, 13.0/100km or 21.7 mpg (Imp.). On a recent highway trip to Quebec City (cruising at 110-115 kmh) I got 9.1/100km or 31.0 mpg (Imp.). Only 3,800 km on the odo so far.

 

I always thought of the TL as a "passenger's car" and the G35 as a "driver's car"

Don't get me wrong, the TL is still a very nice car. It's too bad that it isn't RWD though.

 

I looked at the TL but after several FWD vehicles in a row, I really needed to get back to RWD. The '06 330i was the only serious contender in my search.

 

Welcome to G35Driver, Pvansh, and g/l with your forthcoming purchase.

Irrespective of the FWD/RWD choice, to me the G's looks are far superior. I've had both the Sedan and Coupe versions and they are equal attention getters, far more than any other of my many rides.
My suggestion would be G all the way, and depending on your location, I'd suggest either rear drive Sedan or Coupe (shod in snows for winter) depending on space and doors needed, and also the X Sedan for the ultimate in grip, again with snows for best traction and safety.

As you may be aware, the Rear drive and AWD Sedans come with all season rubber but the Coupe comes with summer rubber which is dangerous at best in the cold months.

Typical mileage with my Sedan was low 30 mpg's on the hwy, dropping to mid 20's in town.
The Coupe was not quite as good at about 30 tops on the hwy, and low 20's in town.
Warmups and cold weather driving seem to affect the VQ more so than other rides I've had, tho not too adversely.

Good luck with your choice......let us know what you decide

C.

 

I and a buddy of mine were car shopping at the same time because both of our leases were expiring soon so we did it together. I wanted to get the G35 Sedan and my buddy was looking at various cars from different car makers. We had a good time shopping since we laughed at the useless sales people and their cars that were deficient in our expectations. For the most part there were only 2 cars that impressed him and they were the TL and the Charger HEMI. I asked him to try out a G35, but he had a concern with the RWD and the fact his driving experience was all FWD.

He did tryout the G35 and loved the sound of the engine rumble, the seating position and the feel of the car. But he was looking for gadgets I think and the G35 is really not a gadgety kind of car, its certainly a driver's car. Both of us did try out the Charger and the TL and I might add that the Charger is quite a BEAST if you asked me, but the MPGs on it was enough to make the Exxon Valdez look like a milk spill when given the boot.

My impressions of the TL was certainly a good one, but the lack lustre of the handling was much to be desired given the fact that I grew up on RWD, but had no choice when FWD was the most popular when it came to cars. The interior wasn't really up to par with issues with trim and fitting. The engine was quite nice, but the wind up of the torque felt rather slow. The Acura dealer did not have any 6 speed manual cars and my only choice was to test drive the auto-5 speed they had at the lot. Putting the TL in manual mode drove right bonkers!! I hated the tranny when it auto-shifted when I specifically wanted to hold that gear when I was taking a corner. I did feel the rear of the car roll when some oversteer was applied, but the VDC did not pick up on the wheelspin from the rear. Highway driving was smooth and when additional acceleration if needed at highway speed to overtake cars was there and fairly fast as the car was in the RPM range anyway.

Its styling was kind of mundane old looking come to think of it, even though it was black with the horridly puke looking butterscotch leather interior. I think what I really liked about the car was the front end and the fact that when you put the TL in reverse the side mirrors would lower down to the road to show your alignment with the parking spot, again gadgets. The car was more luxury oriented than being a luxury sports sedan and how it got classified as a sports sedan is beyond me as it certainly did not feel like one.

The G35 was a different story.... I did test drive a G35 sedan, but an auto-5 speed, however I did have a baseline of performance from my girlfriends coupe so I was a little biased as to what to expect. The G35 sedan matched or equaled the performance expectations I was looking for given the fact that I was going to gain another 18 HP with the 6-speed manual if I decided to get one. The handling was just superb and the torque was almost at the sweet spot. Cornering with the G35 was really nice and handled like it was on rails. I did scare the crap out the salesperson when I was cornering harder than the tire's traction could handle, but it was all good. I had no issues with the auto-5 speed as it held in gear as I expected until I shifted up. Comparing the weight ratio of both the TL and the G35, it was certainly no challenge here as the G35 was a much closer ride to BMWs remarkable 50/50 measurements.

After the test drive I was hooked and the impression of the drive stuck with me until me and my buddy decided on our final choices. He ended up with the TL and I got the G35 M6 Sedan. I still think he got screwed in the fun department on the TL, because everyday is a GRIN when I am driving.

Eeyore.

 

Well put Eeyore....
Got to luv that grin