I am in the market for a new sport coupe or sedan. I have been "following" the G35 Coupe since it first hit the market, so I know this vehicle pretty well without having bought it yet. Compared to my other vehicle of choice, the '05 Acura TL, I have to say that I am unimpressed with the quality of the G35 interior and audio system. I do LOVE how it drives, and I absolutely love the exterior shape/design/lines of this beauty. It always catches my eye on the road. It just seems unfortunate to me that the quality of the interior doesn't "flow" or match with the quality of the exterior and its drive performance.

Conversely, I am not as hooked on the Acura TL exterior or its performance in comparison, but its interior and audio system are amazing in my opinion for this class/price of vehicle.

Anyone care to echo or comment on this sentiment?

 

I can relate. I came from the best auto interiors in the world, Audi. NOBODY does interiors like Audi, and their new stuff is amazing. The acura TL is along the same lines, just more tech heavy. You have to step back and realize that the two cars you're comparing are priced in the mid-thirties. If the TL had rear or all wheel drive and handled / performed like the G coupe, they could price it in the mid / upper 40K range. If the G coupe had an Audi interior, it would be priced in the mid / upper 40K range.

So, accept the fact that in the low / mid 30K price range, there are going to be compromises. Are you a driving enthusiast? then there is no comparison, the G coupe stands alone. Do you just LIKE to drive, but enjoy a luxurious interior and all the gadgetry? ....then you should like the Acura. I personally love the driving experience and the G coupe delivers in that respect. the TL doesn't. nice car otherwise.

 

So Ryno...we meet again


And I fully agree w/ his opinion.

 

its a tough life keeping up with two forums!! ...back to the darkside

 

I agree with ryno. It depends what your priorities are. If you're more into driving than listening to the radio and playing with gizmos, then the G35 Coupe is the right car for you. If you buy a car for its radio performance, and you get orgasms from plastic quality and ergonomics, then the the Acura is probably the better car for you.

It is a shame that the interior of the G35 isn't of higher quality and with better ergonomics, but its one of the car's few flaws. I suppose one could argue that if the car had a nice interior on par with Audi, that it wouldn't be as inexpensive as it is. I mean you get a lot of serious performance hardware for your money with this car - putting in a more expensive looking interior would mean something else would have to give (either an increase in price, or some performance hardware deleted). But part of me thinks that Nissan could improve the interior greatly without adding much cost at all.

As for the radio, I could care less. I'm not an audiophile, and the Bose systems sounds good enough to me. I would rather listen to the exhaust note, but that's the kind of motor head I am. I would never buy a car based on its stereo system - I don't care how good or bad the sound system is. Its the rest of the car that matters the most. You can always upgrade its sound system with unlimited aftermarket possibilities.

 

The TL DEFINITELY has the G beat on the interior...no question about that. I test drove the TL and was almost sold on that car until I went over to the Infiniti dealership and test drove a G35 coupe. There was no turning back to Acura after that. Everyone's gonna tell you the same thing about "do you like to drive or be driven" or whatever it is they say. One FACT I can tell you is that I get stares all the time (from my friends and from complete strangers) and my friend's TL never gets a head turn.

 

Your points echo many of my thoughts. The first car I ever owned (right out of college) was an Eagle Talon (2+2) which I loved to drive, so I miss that feel of driving a good, "taught" car on the road (though the Eagle is obviously not comparable to the present-day G).

Then the married-with-two-kids thing hit and I now drive a 4Runner Ltd. Plus, I suffered the emasculation of buying my wife a minivan last year so we now have two large vehicles and 98% of my driving is without anyone else in the car. Hence, my eye on the TL and the G. I really like the interior & audio of the TL, but prefer the driving "experience" of the G. I only wish that Infiniti dumped the Bose (Blatantly Overpriced Sound Equipment) for a higher quality system and tightened up some of the interior "knobology".

Still on the fence as to which way to fall...

 

I was under the assumption that they did tighten up some of the interior "knobology" in the '05's.......personally, coming from a '01 ACura Cl-S, i can say I like the interior of my G than my previous '01 acura.

 

I completely agree with all the opinion here. The G35 coupe 6MT would be perfect for the price if it has the interior of the TL. But that's life, you have to make sacrifices. That's why I end up getting the G35c w/ 6MT. Personally, if I was in the market for a 5AT sedan, I would have bought the TL instead. But nothing perform/handle and look as good as the G35c(exterior). I think Nissan can sell our cars w/ the same interior quality as the TL for the same price, but they decided they want more profit, that's all. I mean, the engine is the same V6 in all other Nissan/Infiniti (just different tune), the platform is share by 4 different models and soon, a variant of that platform will be used in the M35/M45.

 

Have you extensively driven a G35c? Even if you had a GREAT stereo, you probably couldn't hear a thing. The G is noisy noisy noisy compared to the TL. I personally think that a great stereo system would be lost in the interior road noise that the G generates.

 

I agree that the G35c is not the quietest car, but it's not that loud. I think I have a pretty good audio system now. When I crank it up above 10 (still have stock head unit), I can hardly hear the road noise anymore. When I crank it up above 16, all I hear is music. So I think the G can use a better stock stereo. But to me, it doesn't really matter, because stock stereo will never be good enough.

 

The choice was easy for me. These are two different cars with different personalities.

IMO:
Sedan vs. Coupe.......Coupe!
The TL wins on interior, space, and probably comfort (vs. coupe).
The excitement factor definately goes to the coupe.

Even on long trips, I enjoy the coupe vs. sedan (G). Just more fun to drive on the hwy. Although, if traveling with 4 total, the sedan would be the choice.

I don't care about the radio or gadgets....I drive with the radio off anyways to hear the music from the exhaust! Intoxicating.....

 

Really?? I didnt seem to have this problem, but that is mostly due to the platform I am coming from. I have a RSX S and the firewall does little to hold back the sound from the engine (which I do like, no complaints). But at a point, it is a bit annoying since I have to rev it like mad to have any fun.

I welcome the G35s sound personally.

 

I was in the market for the TL vs G35C as well. The TL's a great car and I
especially liked the interior and the exterior looks kickass too.

But I was going for performance and rear wheel drive, so this time I chose the
G35C in 6MT.

I still consider the TL as a future candidate. I think the TL's more
of a commuter type car than the G35C, so will see how things turn
out when im ready to return my beater 04 civic lease that I use
during the winter.

 

I was very impressed with the Technology and interior quality of the TL but couldn't get away from the fact that it felt like a faster v6 Accord with more torque steer. As far as stereos go, the G's can be upgraded to suit your needs while the Acura's custom dash puts a stop to that, not that the stereo isn't already very good. But if you are concerned with power and more importantly handling, go with the G.