I have 4000 miles on my x... maybe I am a bit more used to it now vs my CLS that had 83000 miles and a second tranny..

The x definitely has better low end torque. The CLS made its torque down low compared with the new TLs 3500 vs 5000 rpms...(232/238) The 05 G35x makes 270ft lbs of torque at 4800 rpms...so as much torque as the tl has horsepower.

The G is geared differently than the TL and you will be around 3000RPMs at 75 MPH (about 2000 at 75 in the TL). I have only taken my G to 100 and I assure you it does that nicely. I can only get it to kick down one gear (5th to 4th) when I hit it at 65. On the original CL S tranny I could get it to kick down to 3rd. I am not sure if the 05 TLs allow that. And, I have not tried to SS shift my G at 65 down to 3rd just yet. I want to see what the max range is for that gear before I do that. The CL S was about 108 for the top end in 3rd. The complaint for the CL was that the gearing was too tall in 4th and the car would lose races after 110 (if you want to race that fast!).
That's not there on the G but I think the G35x red lines at 6400 RPM compared to the CL S that did at 6900. I do not believe the G35 car has a dual stage intake.. You could feel it in the CL S but you do not notice it in the G if it does.

Therefore, gearing would be the only reason why the TL would be faster than a G at upper ranges. (Now I am talking a G35x here). The G35x is 3650 pounds and a bit heavier then the other cars as well.

 

Thanks for the very detailed comparison between the two cars Sounds like I won't have much trouble passing most cars out there; except maybe a GTO, Corvette, M3, etc. But in the winter none of them will be able to keep up

Just curious, does the fact that the X delivers 25% of the power to the front wheels from a start even on dry pavement help the initial acceleration? Does it keep the tires from spinning if you floor it?

 

I don't know about initial acceleration - but during a major snow storm, my X drives like you're floating over the snow. It is simply amazing to be in that much control during bad weather.

 

If burnouts are your thing, this isn't the car for you. The 25%/75% split does indeed keep you from spinning off of the line.

Simply put, this car delivers the best of both worlds: AWD traction when needed and RWD dynamics the rest of the time.

BTW, it performed flawlessly during the last big snowstorm here.

 

I guess you need to consider how much snow and how many snow days you'll really be driving in during the year. I've never lived in Indiana so I can't comment on the their winter season and snow. I live in Kansas City and I've had my 03 G sedan RWD for almost 4 months now and I've driven in three snow events now plus one small ice storm. The most snow I've driven in was ~5" of dry powder snow which I find is the most dangerous because it's terribly slippery. Contrary to popular belief, KC is actually hilly and not once did my G get stuck or put me in a situation where I thought it wasn't going to make it. The "slip" light was coming on when leaving from a stop, but otherwise the car tracked and drove straight. In the other two snow events (3 to 4" of standing snow) the snow was quite a bit wetter and the G was completely fine, even from stops. Rarely did the slip light come on. In our ice storm, I didn't venture out until the streets had been treated and the ice was a non-issue, but I did go to some ice covered parking lots just to see how the car would do. It does get around on the ice, a bit slowly though, but any car regardless of drivetrain will have trouble on straight ice. My tires are the EL42s with 26K miles. I find the traction control, brake-force distribution, and stability control does a great job of keeping this relatively high powered RWD car under solid control. BTW, the fastest I drive on packed snow is about 30mph.

In Kansas City we usually get 6-10 snow events with most events being 3 to 5" and every once in a while a 8"+ event. The snow down to 1 to 2" is usually removed by the snow crews within the first 6 hours of it falling and usually the neighborhoods are the last to be plowed. It's rare I have to drive in 4"+ snow and if we get a big snow event, I don't drive in it unless it's absolutely necessary (ie emergency).

If it were me, I just get snow tires and rims. To me, AWD is pretty useless unless you live a very snowy region. The price and MPG penalty isn't worth it. My wife's car is a 98 Legacy GT wagon AWD and the car is great in the snow, but she works at home and the car rarely sees any snow use what so ever. Like most women, she likes the security of AWD.

 

Take it from a Canadian who knows about snow... get the RWD and invest in a good set of winter rims & tires. My G is just fine in the snow. The VDC is awesome.

keep this in mind: all-wheel drive won't help you STOP any faster... last I checked, all cars had 4 wheel brakes. If anything, the all-wheel drive helps you GO faster, hence get into more trouble. A good set of snows will help you stay on the road and that is the most important thing.

Nokian WR or Dunlop M3 are good sport winter tires. Get a second set of rims, and go down to 16".

 

I really really don't want to change tires in the winter. Besides, how do you decide when to change them? What if it snows once in November and then not again until after Christmas? You have changed your tires, then it's dry again for another month or more, so you lose the extra performance that you would get with the all-season tires. I know to drive carefully in the winter, but I'm just afraid from what others have said that if I get the RWD and don't change the tires, I'm going to get hung up on more than one occasion. It sounds like the X will allow me to handle any conditions with a high degree of confidence even with the stock tires.

I'll be leasing, so it won't be as much of an increase for me to go to the X as it would be if I was purchasing.

Also, doesn't the X give you benefits in all kinds of weather? Such as when it's raining?

 

"Also, doesn't the X give you benefits in all kinds of weather? Such as when it's raining?"

Yes, it does. It is certainly a valid point about braking (that is what SUV owners seem to forget, as I see them speeding in all kinds of stuff). But the AWD helps get up hills, even at reasonable speeds, that you might have trouble with otherwise and I think it is more likely to keep you going the direction you want, although I have not driven the RWD in the snow.

 

Ernest,

Rent a RWD G35 from Enterprise (unlimited mileage) and come up to Chicago. I'll let you flog my X car if you let me play around with the 2005 car, and we can both get detailed impressions about them.

I feel you really need to drive them both, as the experience differs greatly, IMHO.

Wayne

 

I'm not sure, but I doubt that Enterprise in Lafayette, IN has any luxury cars available to be rented For that matter, I have yet to see one 2005 G35 in town.

Given my concern about winter driving, I don't see how I can do anything besides get an X or a FWD car.

But I'll keep your offer in mind......thanks!

 

Snow tire technology has come a long way in the past few years. The tires aren't near as noisy nor do they have subpar handling nor do they wear out really quickly. When it comes to determining when to put them on, watch the weather information and determine if it's a valid hazard. Honestly, people have been driving in inclement weather for decades now in high power rwd vehicles including 2WD pickups with no weight in the back and all the power focused in the lower rpms. Technology now is to the point where RWD isn't much of a problem in the snow. Traction control and stability control make it so that you can drive quite safely, even with 260hp+ at your disposal.

As for wet weather, again traction control and stability control are key along with good tires. Sure AWD will squat down and accelerate on a wet surface, but a RWD G with the TC and SC engaged will do about the same. With the TC/SC engaged on a wet surface, I can go WOT from a stop and the tires will spin for a split second, then the power is cut and the brakes are engaged to keep the spin to nill yet the car still accelerates decently. Same goes for when the back end gets loose on a wet surface. The back end will step out 6" or so and then the SC immediately stops of the slide and brings the car back into line. Now if I turn the TC/SC off in wet weather, the car will spin horribly in 1st and 2nd if I'm greedy with the throttle and it's quite possible to put the car in a ditch if I got to frisky in a turn.

BTW, I'm not trying to convince you that the G35X is a crap car. I'm just telling you that the RWD is more than capable in inclement weather. Remember, this isn't a 400hp/400tq Vette with 12" wide summer tires.

 

Agreed with Dave B. Get performance snows and you won't regret it. Just put them on when the temp is consistently near freezing and put the all seasons back on when you think the temp will generally remain above freezing.

If you get caught in one brief snowfall with the all season tires, the TC will keep you in line, just take it easy. If there is snow so bad you can't get up a hill with the TC on, perhaps you should have stayed at home... do you think AWD and "all season" tires would help you stop if you were going DOWN that same hill?

Go to some car web sites and check out the countless articles about the benefits of performance snow tires. You don't wear the same shoes in the winter and summer, do you? (despite the fact that your body is all-feet-driven).

 

Here's some experience from the Great White North, - Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, - where we have 6 inches of snow still on the ground today and winter lasts from Nov thru to April. I leased a 2003.5 G35 RWD sedan with the 5AT and have had very little problems with it in snow or ice.
At 42,000km I had to replace the stock Turanza M/S tires and went with Toyo Proxes TPT tires which seem to work better in snow.
I have not switched to winter tires and have had no problems with salt or sand wrecking the stock rims.

70% of the time it is how you drive in snow that makes the most difference, and the other 30% of the time it wouldn't matter if you had winters or not - usually travelling too fast to properly control the car for the road conditions.

Lease the sedan with the 5AT and with the extra that you save over the X, take some rally or ice driving lessons! Great fun and could save your life too!

 

what are you looking for? if you are going to lease this car and not invest into some performance, then go with the x. if you are looking to mod this car, go with the rwd. i have g35x and i wouldn't trade it for a rwd. i've seen a coupe spinning out of control this winter while my car was fine. i have to say, i like speed (that's why mine is boosted). drove all winter with my sc on the x. i couldn't tell there was snow on the ground. but you have to be careful, the car will go fast, but you have to slow down as well. good luck, one way or the other, you'll have a great car (as long as it's a g)

 

I'd venture to say that the coupe was probably on 18" summer rated tires. Wouldn't you?