G25 Coming Soon?
#46
01-20-2010, 05:59 PM
#52
01-20-2010, 11:04 PM
I'm not sure where the idea that Infiniti is a shade above Acura in the luxury car segment came from, and that a G with a VQ25 would then lower the brand's image? My impression was that Infiniti wants to be the *sporty* Japanese luxury brand, not the *slightly more prestigious than Acura* brand... especially considering that there haven't been any wrong-wheel-drive models since they killed off the I35 back in '03 or '04.
Infiniti does need to bring the VQ25 over, as long as it's *not FWD* and gets good gas mileage it will be a hit.
And for anyone afraid that the 2.5 will bring down Infiniti's image, I don't think anyone could argue that the IS250 has hurt Lexus's image at all. Also if this is your opinion, you should be ashamed of your car every time you see someone in a Versa or a Sentra because they're all driving a Nissan, and so are you.
I'll tell you what hurt Infiniti's image: when they took the perfectly awesome FX45 and M45 and lowered themselves to put the weak VQ35 in both. Those were sad times for FX and M owners.
edit: changed RWD to *not FWD*
Infiniti does need to bring the VQ25 over, as long as it's *not FWD* and gets good gas mileage it will be a hit.
And for anyone afraid that the 2.5 will bring down Infiniti's image, I don't think anyone could argue that the IS250 has hurt Lexus's image at all. Also if this is your opinion, you should be ashamed of your car every time you see someone in a Versa or a Sentra because they're all driving a Nissan, and so are you.
I'll tell you what hurt Infiniti's image: when they took the perfectly awesome FX45 and M45 and lowered themselves to put the weak VQ35 in both. Those were sad times for FX and M owners.
edit: changed RWD to *not FWD*
Last edited by Joe_Camel; 01-20-2010 at 11:10 PM.
#53
01-21-2010, 12:13 AM
FX and M owners have never known it differently. There has always been the 35/45 and in the case of the new FX, 35/50.
An engine that can move a 4,300 lb. behemoth to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds is not "weak." In fact, I have owned both and I personally think the FX35 is more fun to drive than the FX45, if for nothing other than you can "step on it" more frequently in the course of daily driving. The FX35 is "edgier," if anyone knows what the heck I mean by that.
#54
01-25-2010, 06:04 PM
infiniti is considering FWD for the G25 
from autoblog:
from autoblog:
Loyalists will accept a less powerful 2.5-liter G-Series in the model range, but how will they embrace a front-wheel drive model from Nissan's upscale – and enthusiast targeted – Infiniti brand?
Larry Dominique, Nissan North America Inc.'s vice president for product planning, hinted during a recent interview that Infiniti is considering an entry-level vehicle (or a family of models) based on a front-wheel drive platform. This isn't unfamiliar territory for the Japanese automaker. Shortly after the brand debuted, the front-wheel drive 1991 G20 (based on the JDM Nissan Primera) arrived on the scene. It was followed several years later by the 1996 I30 (a gussied-up Nissan Maxima). By 2005, in a strategy designed to compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti had reverted back to an all rear-wheel drive lineup led by the 3.5-liter G35, and later with a few all-wheel drive models.
According to Dominique, many buyers do not know, or care, whether their vehicles are FWD or AWD, citing the Acura TSX and TL models as examples. "Those buyers are OK with it... I think we could deliver Infiniti off a different platform and deliver the experience Infiniti customers expect," he added without going into detail.
Larry Dominique, Nissan North America Inc.'s vice president for product planning, hinted during a recent interview that Infiniti is considering an entry-level vehicle (or a family of models) based on a front-wheel drive platform. This isn't unfamiliar territory for the Japanese automaker. Shortly after the brand debuted, the front-wheel drive 1991 G20 (based on the JDM Nissan Primera) arrived on the scene. It was followed several years later by the 1996 I30 (a gussied-up Nissan Maxima). By 2005, in a strategy designed to compete with BMW and Mercedes-Benz, Infiniti had reverted back to an all rear-wheel drive lineup led by the 3.5-liter G35, and later with a few all-wheel drive models.
According to Dominique, many buyers do not know, or care, whether their vehicles are FWD or AWD, citing the Acura TSX and TL models as examples. "Those buyers are OK with it... I think we could deliver Infiniti off a different platform and deliver the experience Infiniti customers expect," he added without going into detail.
#56
01-25-2010, 08:55 PM
#57
01-25-2010, 09:25 PM
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FWD Infiniti? That's the worst idea I've heard in the last year (GM Dropping Pontiac was the last worst idea I heard)
Something that's always attracted me to the Infiniti brand (over Nissan) is that the complete lineup is either RWD or AWD. If they do this, it's definitely going to bring the Infiniti brand down.
Something that's always attracted me to the Infiniti brand (over Nissan) is that the complete lineup is either RWD or AWD. If they do this, it's definitely going to bring the Infiniti brand down.
