I ran against a '98 E36 M3. He got a better launch than me and was ahead in 1st. By 3rd gear I had caught up and we were about even. Shift into 4th and I just take off on him and pull about 1 car length to the end of the 1/4mile. If we kept going, I don't think he would have caught up. I pretty much just kept the lead.

 

The 1995 M3's have a lower displacement engine than the 1996's. This would account for a lower weight in your comparison... As far as 1/4 mile times (see my sig)

 

I also have owned both and yes the //M3 would win all day with equal drivers. I had a 96 cosmos with Dinan stg 5 upgrades and the list goes on. I love my G though it gets just as many looks.

 

^^^ I think it's silly to compare a modded M3 to a stock G, or a modded G to a stock M3, or for that matter, a G to an M3.

And, who really cares if our cars could beat something BMW put out almost TEN years ago. That's kind of pathetic that we are relegated to comparing the G to something that's almost a decade old. For shame, gentlemen, for shame.

 

Actually, it's "kind of pathetic" that our cars are merely comparable to something BMW put out TEN years ago, at least performance-wise. For shame, Infiniti, for shame. And Neff, do you really think 0.2 liters of displacement weighs close to 332 pounds? Maybe 50 tops. The weight advantage holds. Good point, I know. Thanks.

 

Not really... just look at current M3. Maybe next gen G will be comparable to its performance. Maybe not. M3 is no joke and BMW do their homework with each M cars they produce.

 

Actually, I think it's pathetic that you're looking at it that way. The M series has always been on the cutting edge of performance and it's still one of the quickest cars ont the road (E36). The G35 was never meant to compete with anything "M" in price or performance...it's competition is BMW's entry-level luxury car, the 3-Series. Now if you're just comparing a regular E36 (328) or even a E46 (330i), then it would be pathetic if the G35 couldn't match it. Even the 2005 330i ZHP at around $45k still can't match the E36 M3, so the G35 running with it or even beating it is actually a compliment. A better comparision would be the E36 M3 with the R34 GT-R and the upcoming GT-R (R35) with the E46 M3, The R34 specimen being a souped-up version of a lesser car...just like the M.

 

E36 M3 and R34 GT-R? Hell, even E46 M3 doens't have a chance against R34 GT-R.

 

Hey, that's a fair comparision. The M's are tweaked versions of regular BMW cars and the Skyline GT-R (R34) is a tweaked version of a regular Skyline (V34?). The R35 will actually separate the bloodline between the Skyline and the GT-R. The R35 will be a direct competitior to the M3 ( a high performance GT) and if Infiniti uses the same price stategy as when they introduced the G35 and M45, then the GT-R should cost between $50-$55.

 

I own both and love both. They are both great cars. This discussion really means nothing because you might beat an M3 one day and lose to another one on another day. Who really cares? If you're buying a G to race people and beat them, you've bought the wrong car. That's not its purpose. The M3 is built to race, otherwise its a 325 or 328 or 330, right? There's no race version of the G from the factory.

Neff, your times are great, I hope i can achieve those when i'm done with the break-in period.

The numbers i put up are subjective from a magazine. But, of course, that all depends on how good the driver is . Its just for a rough comparison.

And btw, i still have my M3 and it still runs great. Never had problems with it, i guess i'm just lucky in that regard.

 

the thing is that the U.S. version of the e36 M3 is really a 328i with a bored out motor and with the european suspension. The euro version has 321hp and 260lb tq with individual throttlebodies, glass headlights with projectors. The U.S. version is sadly not a true M3, I use to have a 97 so i know this car. The 95 are the easy to mod and a fully modded one will indeed be able to beat a fully modded G. If the U.S. and and euro were the same i wouldn't be in a G right now. For those who know, vanos sounds sick as hell.