I drove it, the car was just a tad to small for me. Other then that I thought it was an awesome car, its shifter is a tad smoother then the 6MT G35 Sedans and (in my opinion) handles somewhat better then the G35. But if you factor in the price difference, you can't beat the G35.

Bottom line is, the BMW is better but not so much better that it justify's the price difference.

 

I test drove a 330i Steptronic v. a G35 auto, so I imagine this is still relevant. I almost bought the 330i. Size was one of the reasons why I went with the G35. BMW builds a great car, though at a bit of a price. However, if you plan to lease the car, BMW's offering some great lease rates right now. If I had gotten the 330i, it actually would have cost $2,000 less on the drive-off payment, be about $10/mo less on the lease, and cost about $200/year less on insurance. To be fair, there was about a $5,000 difference on the price tags -- 330i w/o Nav v. G35 w/ Nav. Still, if you're leasing, price isn't the factor you'd think it is. The insurance penalty on the G35 caught me off-guard, especially since these cars are neck-and-neck in performance.

That being said, I'm happy with my G35 and don't regret my choice one bit.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

I hate to post anything negative, but... I did read someone mentioning vibration in the shifter.

[img]/w3timages/icons/frown.gif[/img]


chinee
'03 Infiniti G35, Desert Platinum
'02 Toyota Sequoia, Silver Sky Metallic

 

Well, there is a trade-off. To get the car with this performance and this price, some of the luxuries went out the window to compensate. There are no rain-sensing windshield wipers, the driver's seat memory does not include mirror memory, the passenger's seat is 4-way w/o lumbar, while the driver's is 8-way w/ lumbar (and the lumbar is a mechanical lever), the dead pedal seems to be recessed to far in relation to the other pedals, and if you get the Nav then you're left with a tiny glove box and no place to put the owner's manual. Also, if a full-size spare is important to you, pay attention -- not all G35's come with one. The G35's sport suspension doesn't absorb bumps as well as the 330i's sport suspension, but it's close. I don't find any of these particularly annoying, and I was actually aware of them before making my choice. But these are the little things that one might miss on a test drive if you haven't wasted a couple of work days browsing the websites. [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img] Is this more what you were looking for?

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

Yes, the car makes me smile every day. [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img] Also still attracts positive comments and stares almost daily, even though they've been out for almost a year now! Never regretted not buying the 330i even after I test drove both.

<font color=green>GG</font color=green>

 

Ahh. The Smiles per Mile factor. Yes, they're both very high on that one. Every time I drive it, I get a grin. I'd say it's about 95% of what a car should be. But then, I have the automatic. [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

G35Couper, test drove the 6MT sedan today, sedan w/auto and the 6MT coupe. The sedan 6 is the same as the coupe in shifter feel. It simply kicks butt. Short click, click shifts with plenty of control over the power. Good visibility out the sides (once you remove the dealer sticker !!) and rear. Looks like the premium package is the way to go. You can start smiling now, you're going to dig it. ...dean



Seattle area

 

I test drove the BMW 330i 5MT with the sport package this past weekend after reading what you wrote. You were absolutely correct about that car. Man was it nice. I’m waiting for my G35 6MT sedan which is due in this month. I have only driven the auto G35. If the auto G35 was the only version offered by Infiniti, I would seriously consider the BMW. But after reading posts on the G35 6MT sedan and some magazine test drive results, I can’t wait to drive it myself. You can get all the feedback from others, but until you sit your butt down in the car and drive it, you won’t know.

78 Porsche 911 SC Targa
03 G35 6MT Sedan (arriving in March) [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]

 

Go to this link for a review on the G35 6MT Sedan http://www.freshalloy.com/site/home.asp

78 Porsche 911 SC Targa
03 G35 6MT Sedan (arriving in March) [img]/w3timages/icons/cool.gif[/img]