Review: 08 6sp coupe vs 08 AWD vs 04 6sp coupe
#1
09-16-2007, 09:45 AM
Review: 08 6sp coupe vs 08 AWD vs 04 6sp coupe
I took my 04 in to have the creaky seat fixed and during this time I had an 08sedan AWD rental. When I picked up my car yesterday I couldn't resist taking a drive in a 6sp coupe. For the positives, I am only going to focus on those things that were really excellent since we all know a lot about these cars.
First the sedan:
Pros:
Really nice power from the motor.
Seat materials very nice.
Fast sunroof and windows.
Strong sound system
Cons:
Surprisingly tight back seat behind the driver.
Seats were stiff as boards
Poor visibility
Loose suspension
Gas pedal is almost impossible to modulate--it is either all on or off! I read about this many times, but couldn't imagine how touchy this pedal could be. you really have to be careful you don't rear-end someone.
Brake pedal is also very touchy. As soon as you stab it you are at like 80% stopping power.
Not a great sport shifter.
Some things that I think are common to all cars but take away from the automobile experience:
Why do you need 4 different ways to change a radio station?
I find no benefit in pushing a button vs. turning a key--but I understand that not having to have your keys out is OK.
My very odd observation:
The side view mirror supports are painted body color. In this graphite car, when you are driving the reflection from the broken white lines in the road causes a flashing reflection visible below both the driver's and passengers side mirrors that is really annoying b/c you are always seeing the blinking out of the corners of your eyes.
Now the coupe:
Well, to start off, I have now verified that I do not like what the new coupe looks like in person. It's just not proportioned correctly and the bumpers are just not right.
Interior is basically the same as the sedan. The thigh support is operated manually and feels cheap and plasticky.
The suspension is still way too loose and the tires are too small. In general, I think they have taken the coupe from a sports-luxury coupe to a luxury-sports coupe.
Visibility is good. Brakes have a good, quality feel.
The power: well, I don't care what the dynos say, this car lacked torque and did not feel fast to me at all. The sedan seemed to pull much harder than the coupe. The coupe revved to redline fast, but there was no "wow" when you stepped on the gas. In all honesty, during the 30 minutes I test drove the coupe, it did not feel faster than my 04 and definately felt as though it lacked torque. The engine was way smoother than the older motors, however.
Next huge problem: the clutch on this car is awful. If you thought the first gen clutches were bad, wait till you drive this one. Not only is the engagement still waaaaaay high, the clutch is also really light which makes it very, very difficult to find the friction point smoothly because the travel comes up so light and fast. These clutches are really a problem.
So, at the end of this I tell the very nice salesman that the car was nice but didn't blow me away. I got back into my 04, turned the key, and got on my way and was never happier to be back in my car.
First the sedan:
Pros:
Really nice power from the motor.
Seat materials very nice.
Fast sunroof and windows.
Strong sound system
Cons:
Surprisingly tight back seat behind the driver.
Seats were stiff as boards
Poor visibility
Loose suspension
Gas pedal is almost impossible to modulate--it is either all on or off! I read about this many times, but couldn't imagine how touchy this pedal could be. you really have to be careful you don't rear-end someone.
Brake pedal is also very touchy. As soon as you stab it you are at like 80% stopping power.
Not a great sport shifter.
Some things that I think are common to all cars but take away from the automobile experience:
Why do you need 4 different ways to change a radio station?
I find no benefit in pushing a button vs. turning a key--but I understand that not having to have your keys out is OK.
My very odd observation:
The side view mirror supports are painted body color. In this graphite car, when you are driving the reflection from the broken white lines in the road causes a flashing reflection visible below both the driver's and passengers side mirrors that is really annoying b/c you are always seeing the blinking out of the corners of your eyes.
Now the coupe:
Well, to start off, I have now verified that I do not like what the new coupe looks like in person. It's just not proportioned correctly and the bumpers are just not right.
Interior is basically the same as the sedan. The thigh support is operated manually and feels cheap and plasticky.
The suspension is still way too loose and the tires are too small. In general, I think they have taken the coupe from a sports-luxury coupe to a luxury-sports coupe.
Visibility is good. Brakes have a good, quality feel.
The power: well, I don't care what the dynos say, this car lacked torque and did not feel fast to me at all. The sedan seemed to pull much harder than the coupe. The coupe revved to redline fast, but there was no "wow" when you stepped on the gas. In all honesty, during the 30 minutes I test drove the coupe, it did not feel faster than my 04 and definately felt as though it lacked torque. The engine was way smoother than the older motors, however.
Next huge problem: the clutch on this car is awful. If you thought the first gen clutches were bad, wait till you drive this one. Not only is the engagement still waaaaaay high, the clutch is also really light which makes it very, very difficult to find the friction point smoothly because the travel comes up so light and fast. These clutches are really a problem.
So, at the end of this I tell the very nice salesman that the car was nice but didn't blow me away. I got back into my 04, turned the key, and got on my way and was never happier to be back in my car.
#2
09-16-2007, 10:33 AM
Good review, but I assumme you mean 08 and not 06.
I was thinking about going to see this thing in person because I like the interior so much, but I went to Infiniti's website and the only way I could get this car is if I got black so some of the lines wouldn't show as much. I'd also have to paint the grill black at that point b/c it's just too damn big.
So basically before even getting the car I 'm worried about the look: no thank you.
I have NEVER like Infiniti styling on ANY vehicle other than the 03-07 coupes, and the new coupe has not changed that so far.
I was thinking about going to see this thing in person because I like the interior so much, but I went to Infiniti's website and the only way I could get this car is if I got black so some of the lines wouldn't show as much. I'd also have to paint the grill black at that point b/c it's just too damn big.
So basically before even getting the car I 'm worried about the look: no thank you.
I have NEVER like Infiniti styling on ANY vehicle other than the 03-07 coupes, and the new coupe has not changed that so far.
#3
09-16-2007, 10:37 AM
Interesting review... thanks for sharing! 
From a styling perspective, I really like the '08 Coupe. I saw it at a dealer in black, and it really looked good. It's definitely more upscale-looking than the older model, and I'm not surprised to hear it's been toned-down a bit from a performance perspective. Inifiniti is clearly targetting the BMW 335i coupe, and is pushing more to the luxury end of the spectrum as an alternative to the BMW (which is emphasizing performance over luxury more and more these days).
I think they're trying to split the difference between BMW at the performance end of the scale, and Lexus at the luxury end (with poor, old Acura off in the corner wondering why nobody wants FWD sports/luxury-sedans).
I'm curious to drive an '08 M6 Sedan with the Sport package, to compare it to my '06. Have any M6 Sedan owners done a comparo?
From a styling perspective, I really like the '08 Coupe. I saw it at a dealer in black, and it really looked good. It's definitely more upscale-looking than the older model, and I'm not surprised to hear it's been toned-down a bit from a performance perspective. Inifiniti is clearly targetting the BMW 335i coupe, and is pushing more to the luxury end of the spectrum as an alternative to the BMW (which is emphasizing performance over luxury more and more these days).
I think they're trying to split the difference between BMW at the performance end of the scale, and Lexus at the luxury end (with poor, old Acura off in the corner wondering why nobody wants FWD sports/luxury-sedans).
I'm curious to drive an '08 M6 Sedan with the Sport package, to compare it to my '06. Have any M6 Sedan owners done a comparo?
Last edited by 350Zed; 09-16-2007 at 10:42 AM.
#4
09-16-2007, 11:22 AM
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#6
09-16-2007, 12:55 PM
#7
09-16-2007, 01:50 PM
I saw the G37 in person last weekend as well and didn't think it looked impressive. The side angle looks nice, but I don't like the front and the rear is absolutely terrible. The rear seriously looks soo cheap and almost reminds me of the new Tyburion or something of that nature. The Infiniti Brake calipers look pretty cool though and the interior is a lot nicer than the previous generation g35 Coupe's was.
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#8
09-16-2007, 02:24 PM
#9
09-16-2007, 03:19 PM
Yeah, the new clutch was a REAL dissapointment!
It made driving on backroads tough to shift, rev match and get back on the gas due to how careful you had to be with the clutch.
Regarding the interior-I guess I am old fashioned about my cars even though I am not old! I think they are becoming too much like a computer and less like a car. I just kind of like simplicity (and the 04 is very simplistic!)--give me gauges and analog in a sports car and I'm fine. I actually think the Z's have one of hte best sportscar set-ups out there: a radio and three ***** that control everything in the car--leaving space for useful items like oil pressure and battery gauges.
The leather in the new cars is much better as are most materials, but all in all I couldn't stop looking at the leftover 07 graphite coupe next to the 08 in the showroom! The 07 just looked so nice and muscular and correctly proportioned unlike the new coupe.
It made driving on backroads tough to shift, rev match and get back on the gas due to how careful you had to be with the clutch.
Regarding the interior-I guess I am old fashioned about my cars even though I am not old! I think they are becoming too much like a computer and less like a car. I just kind of like simplicity (and the 04 is very simplistic!)--give me gauges and analog in a sports car and I'm fine. I actually think the Z's have one of hte best sportscar set-ups out there: a radio and three ***** that control everything in the car--leaving space for useful items like oil pressure and battery gauges.
The leather in the new cars is much better as are most materials, but all in all I couldn't stop looking at the leftover 07 graphite coupe next to the 08 in the showroom! The 07 just looked so nice and muscular and correctly proportioned unlike the new coupe.
#10
09-16-2007, 07:00 PM
Originally Posted by PEtaG35
Yea the Z is a beast now with the new motor
They're probably going to wait a year or two to put the VQ37 motor into the Z since the VQ35HR was only in it for one year beginning in 2007(the one with the redesigned hood). I'm expecting to see the VQ37HR in a Z chassis possibly in 2009 and definitely by 2010.
I'd probably be more apt to getting the new Z when they put that motor in it, rather than getting another G35 Coupe... because I don't like the look of the new Coupes and they got way WAY too heavy with this new generation(somewhere around 3650 to 3700 pounds, depending on how it's equipped). If they can get this motor into the new Z and keep the weight under 3400 pounds, it will be a very quick car. The current 350Z only holds a very slight advantage over the G35 Coupe in flat out performance, but I expect that a Z with the VQ37HR will hold a much greater advantage over the G37 Coupe due to the expected magnified weight difference(just a guess).
#11
09-16-2007, 07:31 PM
Originally Posted by partyman66
I'm pretty sure the 2008 Z is not going to have the 3.7 Liter motor(VQ37HR). I was looking into this a few weeks ago, and everything that I found listed it as having a more highly tuned VQ35HR that puts out like 313 HP.
They're probably going to wait a year or two to put the VQ37 motor into the Z since the VQ35HR was only in it for one year beginning in 2007(the one with the redesigned hood). I'm expecting to see the VQ37HR in a Z chassis possibly in 2009 and definitely by 2010.
I'd probably be more apt to getting the new Z when they put that motor in it, rather than getting another G35 Coupe... because I don't like the look of the new Coupes and they got way WAY too heavy with this new generation(somewhere around 3650 to 3700 pounds, depending on how it's equipped). If they can get this motor into the new Z and keep the weight under 3400 pounds, it will be a very quick car. The current 350Z only holds a very slight advantage over the G35 Coupe in flat out performance, but I expect that a Z with the VQ37HR will hold a much greater advantage over the G37 Coupe due to the expected magnified weight difference(just a guess).
They're probably going to wait a year or two to put the VQ37 motor into the Z since the VQ35HR was only in it for one year beginning in 2007(the one with the redesigned hood). I'm expecting to see the VQ37HR in a Z chassis possibly in 2009 and definitely by 2010.
I'd probably be more apt to getting the new Z when they put that motor in it, rather than getting another G35 Coupe... because I don't like the look of the new Coupes and they got way WAY too heavy with this new generation(somewhere around 3650 to 3700 pounds, depending on how it's equipped). If they can get this motor into the new Z and keep the weight under 3400 pounds, it will be a very quick car. The current 350Z only holds a very slight advantage over the G35 Coupe in flat out performance, but I expect that a Z with the VQ37HR will hold a much greater advantage over the G37 Coupe due to the expected magnified weight difference(just a guess).
Source:
http://www.egmcartech.com/2007/08/03...epower-engine/
#12
09-16-2007, 07:49 PM
just an FYI, but you could have fixed your seat yourself and not have ot suffer the stealership - move the seat all the way forward, lift the seat up to its highest position, on the side closest to the door, look for 2 bolts....one is at the very back of the rail, another is like 1/4 way down (I believe they're 13mm and 11mm) - remove both nuts, gently tug the seat towards the door a bit, then tighten both nuts in.
If you tugged the seat too far towards the door, it will make an "under-pressure" noise, kinda like a creek....then just repeat the above and don't tug it so much this time.
5minutes tops
If you tugged the seat too far towards the door, it will make an "under-pressure" noise, kinda like a creek....then just repeat the above and don't tug it so much this time.
5minutes tops
#13
09-17-2007, 07:08 AM
Originally Posted by 2EFNFAST
just an FYI, but you could have fixed your seat yourself and not have ot suffer the stealership - move the seat all the way forward, lift the seat up to its highest position, on the side closest to the door, look for 2 bolts....one is at the very back of the rail, another is like 1/4 way down (I believe they're 13mm and 11mm) - remove both nuts, gently tug the seat towards the door a bit, then tighten both nuts in.
If you tugged the seat too far towards the door, it will make an "under-pressure" noise, kinda like a creek....then just repeat the above and don't tug it so much this time.
5minutes tops
If you tugged the seat too far towards the door, it will make an "under-pressure" noise, kinda like a creek....then just repeat the above and don't tug it so much this time.
5minutes tops
Excellent. I am going to keep this in mind. They replaced the entire seat frame and the seat is now really nice and tight like brand new. I'm sure this will probably happen again out of warranty and I'll have to fix it.
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