Hi all.

I'm contemplating getting a G35x Automatic trans.
In the interest of saving some money, I'm thinking of skipping the premium package. I would really like to get it, but I'm afraid getting the base 35x is going to be a stretch enough.

Looking at what is included in it, I'm not sure I'll really be missing it that much. Let's take each item:

Moonroof- I might miss this a little. It's a cool thing to have, and it probably increases the value/resale of the car. But I have a moonroof on my TL and I think I've opened it twice in three years. So do I really need it?

Rear AC vents- A nice feature, to be sure. Especially if you find yourself in the back. But it's a small car, I'm sure whoever ends up in back can handle it until the car heats up/cools off.

power tilt/telescoping steering wheel- I thought this was really cool when the salesman showed me. But I'll be the only guy ever driving the car. So I'll set the wheel to my taste- ONCE- and then never have to again. So this ends up being a pretty worthless feature.

Bose stereo- This is one feature I'll definitely miss. I'll probably have to put in an aftermarket stereo at some point when I have more money.

Can someone help me out on the other premium package features? Anything I'll really regret not having? Are the seats the same? Is there a difference between leather seating surfaces and leather seats?

Any thoughts on this matter are appreciated.

 

I test drove a base G35 with only sunroof and the only thing I found lacking was the stock stereo, no bass at all.

 

I have an '04.5 G35 Sedan, but I believe the Prem. package in the '05 model is the same or similar, so don't forget the HomeLink buttons (on the rearview mirror), Auto-Dimming rearview mirror (so you don't have to flip it day/night), Memory Driver's Seat (unless it's a std. feature on the base model), and Auto On/Off headlights (which is also very convenient). Personally, I wouldn't have gone with the G35 without the items in the Prem. package; I think it contains some of the entry-level lux. ammenities that I expected to get with this kind of sports sedan. But then again, I got a few extra goodies too! You get what you pay for, but it depends what's important to you. It's your decision of course...

 

watch out becuase i was going to purchase an 05 G but i didn't want the premium package and they told me it was going to take between 3-4 months to get one,becuase it had to be made, because almost all the G's they have on the lot already have the premium package.

 

One thing I would definitely like about the '05 Premium Package is the auto tilt/telescoping wheel, just push a button to tilt the wheel, much better than the handle IMO.

 

I dont think anyone mentioned the rear reclining seats in the Premium Package.. for some reason, I kept thinking that was the coolest thing to have and for a while, it was one of the big "pluses" for getting the PP, for me.. but after I got my car, I realized (1) I probably won't sit in the back seat and (2) I dont really care how comfortable it is for most people in the back seat and (3) most passengers never even realize they recline (although some have said something to the effect of, "wow, these seats really lean back far" or "wow, its pretty comfy back here"..

Also dont forget the PP comes with the intelligent key.. definitely has cool factor (aside from always having to explain to people why you dont have a key in the ignition) but its cool being able to leave your key in your pocket all the time..

That said, I think the PP is a little steep.. around $2,000 from what I recall.. but I think it does include a lot of features that (1) definite a more luxurious car and (2) give the car a little more "wow factor".. to be honest, yeah, I could live without the PP, but now that I have it, I'm glad I got it..

 

In retrospect, I think the premium package for the 6mt isn't worth it for me, even though I have it. Frankly, the parts of the premium package that I did like (intelli-key, rear HVAC, auto-assist seats) aren't available for the manual transmission. Like you mentioned, the other features such as the Bose stereo, moonroof, and power tilt/telescope aren't so impressive to me.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd probably get the base 6mt and save the $3000 in options. I'd be able to put in a killer aftermarket stereo, and the rest would be the same. The premium package is much more attractive if you choose the automatic transmission.

 

If you expect the Bose system to give you more bass, think again. It is crisp and clean but "bass-less." The head units are exactly the same. The Bose feature is a crappy little amp and additional speakers. I had to add a sub to mine to make it sound like a "premium" sound system.

 

I was a little disappointed with this feature. The seats don't recline back that much at all. I would rather they fold down like I had in my I30. IntelliKey sounds really cool though.

 

everyone fight to sit in the back seat of my car

 

With all due respect to everyone who calles the Bose system "bass-less", there is a difference between accurate reproduction of the original sound signal (which this unit excels at) and eardrum-damaging, earth-shaking, hear-it-seven-cars-away bass. If all you want to do is annoy your neighbors and fellow drivers in traffic with the thumping, by all means consider an alternate stereo system, because this one is not for you. If you do want to hear accurate, nuanced sound with plenty of oomph behind it, then you'll be quite pleased with it. The Bose system does come with a seventh speaker, a low-distortion woofer on the rear shelf, which the base unit does not have, IIRC.

The rest of the features are very nice - it's not just the power seat and power tilt/telescoping steering column, it's also the fact that when you turn off the ignition and open the door, the wheel moves up and and out of your way and the seat moves back to give you more room to get out and back in, then returns to it's proper position as you start the car. The Intelligent Key is very hand, especially if you have two drivers, as you can set the seat and steering column for each and link it to their Intelligent Key - when my wife opens the door with hers, the car knows she'll be driving and selects the second set of memorized positions. Also, I have a HomeLink system, auto-dimming mirror and auto headlights on my Eddie Bauer Explorer and it's nice to keep them all with the G - you don't realize how much you appreciate not having to keep track of that annoying remote for the garage until you don't need it anymore. Dual-zone climate control is handy, too, if you routinely carry a passenger.

Anyway, I'm glad I got it on mine. I can do without the boy-racer bits from the aero package and the bigger wheels - this is my daily-driver not a replacement for my late, lamented Civic Si, after all - but the convenience features of the Premium Package are very nice.

 

I don't think that the PP is worth it, the slaerep did I vehicle search and found 2 cars with only the sunroof. We came to an agreement on the price - but the other dealers wouldn't give them up. I was going to order a G35S MT w/o PP, but the slaerep called me up and said that he'd give me a car w/PP at the same price we agreed on. Different color than I wanted - but the deal was to good to pass up.

On the MT, you don't get the intelligent key or the memory seats that move out of the wayon entry/exit. I do like the Homelink transmitter, I have a gate to my communtiy and the garage door programmed in - it just looks tacky to have remote controls hanging off the sun visor.

 

Can't think of a Premium Package C item that I don't like..

Sunroof - didn't want one but hadn't had one in a car in awhile. I like tilting it with the windows down - get plenty of air circulation without blowing the inside of the cabin into next week. Especially nice at speed.

222-watt Bose® premium audio system - sounds great and love the 6CD in-dash MP3 capability. I have an 'extensive' MP3 collection and it's nice to be able to carry 750 - 1000 tunes in your dashboard. Eat your heart out TL.

Steering wheel memory - Nice feature when swapping between the wife and I.

Power tilt and telescoping steering wheel - very nice for adjust on the fly capability.

Reclining rear seatbacks with adjustable outboard head restraints - I'll NEVER be in the backseat of this car - the furthest I'll go is the passenger seat. My wife likes them though..

Dual-zone climate control with microfiltration - extremely cool feature - no more wondering why I'm sweating while my wife is shivering.

Auto on/off headlights - nice feature for dummies who forget to turn their lights on. I leave this is manual mode - don't want the xenons turning themselves on just because I pull into the garage..

Electrochromic auto-dimming inside mirror - have this in my truck and have gotten used to it. I like it.

One-touch open/close rear windows - in south Texas in the summer time it will be nice to bump all 4 buttons and get the heat out of the car. Nice.

HomeLink® Universal Transceiver - as stated above - no more remote on the visor.

Intelligent Key - very cool. The first few days I kept pulling the fob out of my pocket to open the door. Kept reaching for the keys too, when leaving the car. With this you can even get in your trunk while leaving you car locked and never put your hand in your pocket. Seats and steering are coded to the fob as well. Walk up, press the little button under the door handlke and unlock and open the door - everything moves out of the way. Get in and turn the key to power and all your settings slide into place. Very cool.

Rear air conditioning vents - my homies won't sweat in the south Texas sun.

Full size spare tire - on a real aluminum rim to match the rest of the car. A nice touch, and will add to the life of the tires if you move it into the rotation schedule.

For me it was worth it. There were 2 cars on the lot that didn't have it, but I never gave them a look. The prices on the PP equipped cars were competitive and I liked the features.

:-)

 

The Bose system in the 2005 coupe does NOT come with the seventh speaker. I have driven a 2004 G sedan with the seventh speaker and it sounded good. If my 2005 G Coupe had the seventh speaker, I might not have needed to add a sub. Believe me, I am not one who wants to "rock the neighborhood." I find that annoying as hell. I just want a system that sounds good INSIDE of the car. The 6x9s on the rear deck have a cutoff around 90-100Hz and if you think that lends itself to accurate music representation, we have different ideas of
what quality is. With the exception of acoustic jazz (which I love), classical, and oldies, most music makes use of frequencies below 90hz. If you listen to these types of music, the Bose sounds great. It had great clarity. But if you listen to anything that utilizes bass as a prevalent part of the song, you are SOL. I'm taking about artists like Beck, Nelly, Korn, System Of A Down, Beatie Boys, Kraftwerk, Tool, etc.