No. The focus was on the G35. I'm not surprised since I also drove the IS350at the limit (well . . . I tried to until its VDIM system got in the way) and it's electronic nannies (VDIM) get in the way of driving the damn thing so no one really knows what it can do. At least with the 330 and G35 you can turn the DSC/VDC, respectively, off.

 

WTF does "It may not be a BMW, but it is the closest thing yet any rival has made" mean?

Perhaps all BMW owners need is the marque on the hood to justify their over paying for a car that is equivalent to cars that cost $10,000 less.

 

10,000 more with free maintenance and the feel u get when driving a BMW.
50,000 miles u spent about 40(average price of oil change although i pay about $60) *16.6 = 666.66 just for an oil change. You add the "7500 mile" srvice "15,000 mile" service "30,000 mile" service and so on, see what u come up with, Plus better interior. So i dont think any BMW owner is overpaying for what they get.

 

Its nice to know that Infiniti is taking BMW really serious. It'll make all Infiniti vehicles better.

"By the early 2000s, Infiniti was facing extinction. Its own impending doom being perhaps the best motivator, the company rededicated itself to developing a dynamic and powerful line-up of sporty luxury cars. Car and Driver reported that Infiniti executives invited members of the motoring press to a meeting where they "swore never again to take their eyes off BMW." Although this effort began with a completely redesigned Q45 flagship for the 2002 model year, it was the G35 that finally turned sales around for Infiniti in 2003. A compact sports sedan far exceeding the capabilities of its Nissan Primera-based predecessor (the G20), the Nissan Skyline-based G35 became an instant hit. The release of the sport tuned FX45 sport utility vehicle piggybacked on the G35's success. The FX45 combined sports-car handling and performance with station wagon-like versatility and all-weather capability. In 2004, Infiniti graced the G35 with an all-wheel drive (AWD) option in an effort to sway buyers from all-wheel drive mecca Audi."

"Today, Infiniti's sales and reputation continue to increase impressively as Carlos Ghosn follows through on his vision to break Infiniti away from its Nissan roots. The G35 series helped re-define Infiniti as the "Japanese BMW", an image it continues to cultivate. This reputation has been enhanced by the FX35/FX45 SUV, and the redesigned M35/M45 for the 2006 model year. The M35/M45 has already garnered impressive acclaim from the automotive press, winning an eight-car comparison test in Car and Driver, and has proven very popular in its first few months of sales."

 

Isn't the BMW recommended service (that being all they will do for free) like 10,000 miles or so? That would only be like 5 free scheduled maintanence visits, other than the brakes.

 

Well I checked on the BMW website, here is the link:

http://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/5/530iSedan/techdata.htm

 

IMO, throwing up numbers like skidpad and slaloms is just silly. "Handling" is a term that encompasses too many dynamic properties of a car to be measured by such single-dimensioned metrics. If you want solid metrics, do it top-gear style with a real race track.

Even then, one car can put down slower numbers and still be considered to "handle" better. Take the new z06 versus the viper as an example. C&D recently put the two on the same track, and although they put down marginally better times in the z06, they were much more comfortable driving the viper at those speeds and levels. *That's* handling.

 

the stock bmw def. handles better than a stock G, but if you do suspension upgrades the G is just as nice. I went and drove a new 3.30 just three days ago to see what they are all about. we went down some windy roads and the handling was nice, but my g with Z suspension is better beyond that everything is more or less the same except the navi interface which is much better in the BMW (iDrive). And no car has the smell of bmw leather, very unique feature, nicest smelling cars on the market LOL

You guys know BMW is releasing a new 3 series in several months with a bigger engine?

 

Having tracked my G at many BMW Club events, the general consensus has been along the lines of "Wow, pretty nice car...if I weren't such a BMW guy, I would think about it."

 

All my BMW drivin in laws drive my car and say...wow they went after BMW when tuning that car! BMW's are built with a very purposeful design that few others have accomplished mimicking. Acura designs everything now with BMW in it's sights, but only Infiniti has RWD and the handling piece together enough to come close. When the father in law drove my G, he said it was very reminiscient of his old 535i in the 80's. Very taught, purposeful stance and a built for corners. He said nothing like mercedes or lexus or Jaguar. Very much like BMW.

Being like BMW is not so bad, but it's very nice to have some choices and be able to save money. The 07 will not make BMW lower prices. The cache of the Infiniti brand is not there such that they can charge 10k more than everyone else, let alone 30k for the motor with *****! When people have to have that badge, it's the manufacturer's ticket to rape your wallet...

 

Options? Larger wheels/tires? Leather? Gas in tank? It all adds up.

Trey, post was to adress G35r1d3h saying that "BWM will outhandle G because it is BMW". Silly remark was countered by silly static data, everybody is happy.

 

I can taken on any BMW when stuck on the 405 in traffic

 

A note on the 5 Series can beat a G35...

I don't think they're even in the same class, especially not with regard to price. In Car & Driver's eight car luxury shoot-out, the 5-Series finished 5th (ironically), while the M45 finished 1st. Comparing the G and the 5-Series is apples to oranges IMO.

I've never driven a BMW, so I'm not going to pretend to make an educated comment on performance comparisons. But I will say that I do like Infiniti for their overall corporate attitude on their cars. Infiniti may be focused on competing with BMW's vehicles, but the company itself is hungrier than BMW. Infiniti is working hard not just to close the gap between itself and BMW, but to outright beat them at their own game. At the same time, they're providing superior build quality and value. Infiniti wants to beat BMW badly, while BMW is content being BMW. Nothing wrong with either, but I like the competitive nature of Infiniti.

IMO, it comes down to the nameplate, not the performance. Performance enthusiasts will be the first to switch over from BMW to Infiniti should Infiniti someday make a vastly superior product. But the majority of BMW's fan base will stay at home, because they're in it for the status factor.

 

Sorry, I misunderstood.

 

Pretty funny... look at the ad all the way on the bottom, "motorpulse"... it's the new 3 series lol