test drove a 325i ($36k) and 330i ($45k) today
 

this was the last car out there that i have not driven that is in the G's class...and i had read many good things about it...i also DO like the controversial looks of the new design.

i drove a bare bones 325i with sports pkg and a fully loaded besids idrive 330i.
i must say i was dissapointed. its smaller then it looks imo. first off the 325 didnt have power seats and this was a huuuge inconvience. there are 5 different handles to adjust the seat. it made it extremely annoying. the backseat is good for an 11 year old or younger. no adult will enjoy sitting for over 10 min back there. fairly small trunk and it is an "option" to have fold down back seats...wow, nice touch....on to the drive.


i like the leatherette--very nice to avoid the leather premium. i like the interior better then the G. it is more lux then sport. love the puch button ignition--simple but i like it. the pedal in both the 325 and 330 had this annoying deal...you would give it some gas and you went reeeeeeeal slow, so you gave it a tad more and your head when back. some kind of lag on t6he pedal in both models. like it was stuck. it is very low to the ground making it a fun drive, but hard to get out of. still a very fun drive and it did handle very well...very well. even distrubution...51/49.

the base stereo was better then the upgraded bose in the G.
all in all though, pretty dissapointed. it didnt leave me with teh joy of driving what i had hoped had been a special car. for my needs, the G is the best car around!

I would have a hard time owning a car with fake leather. "...and just slide your yourself onto the luxurious leatherette seats of my BMW." Give me a break, BMW. Good job Infiniti making real leather standard.

Leatherette does have several advantages. That said, I still like real leather much, much better - but I am willing to care for it, and some folks aren't.

Edit to say that if I were to ever hear someone say "slide onto my leatherette", I would be forced to give them a courvoisier. :D

yes i agree....full leather in a bmw all the time...

....this past week i was driving our 2002 330ci (SP, PP, Heated Seats, xenon)....and there are many many aspects of the BMW that the infiniti name could never touch....mainly build quality, handling, and over all road feel

now the G35 coupe is a blast to drive..styling is fresh, the "hugging" effect you get in the drivers seat i love..the 330ci is much more "opened spaced" inside and you sit higher in the seat...my shoulders are above the window edge even with the seat down to the lowest point..but this is not the case in the G35....

but I would never stand out there and say the $42,000 330ci leaves me dissappointed..i love it as much as my $40,000 G35 6MT (every option)..and I probably will be trading in the G35 for the newer M3 when its released..all great cars for car fanatics to experience...

damn 45k for 330I id get m35 instead bigger and better

Did you do this test drive at the BMW Test drive event at Reliant Park in Houston? Cuz I was there also, and I too wasn't impressed with the new 3 series.

I don't mean to pick. I'll give you the handling and road feel, but you have got to be kidding about build quality. I've test-driven three BMWs over the years and ridden in a few more, and the one area that was uniformly disappointing about all the cars was their build quality. There were particular issues with panel gaps and dash rattles. I suppose every one of the cars could've been built on a late Friday, but c'mon... build quality. Funny guy. :p

The tip of the iceberg, and hardly new news: http://members.roadfly.org/jason/m3engines.htm

Ya, I have to chime in on the build quality too. Having owned a BMW out of warranty I'd never, ever, do it again. I don't think I'm alone.

Sorry for the post!

Well, from looking at the latest studies down by JD Power about customer satisfaction and dependability, Infiniti is ranked higher than BMW and Mercedes. Mercedes is way down the list and everyone can tell you that their quality is nothing like it used to be.

I'm sure BWM does some things better than Infiniti but they should since they are much more expensive. I just don't see how you can directly compare two vehicles that have a big price difference.

I too used to own a BMW. An e36 M3 to be exact. I agree that BMW uses higher grade materials in some areas of the car but that does not universally translate into better fitment and overall quality.

my 330ci is for sale as of now go here ==>330ci V-tech

Forgot to mention the german engineering factor as well....+1 for the engineering marvel....-1 at times for durability....

2nd thing I forgot to mention is that this post is not going to get anywhere in a G35 Forum...LOL... :p ..rock on G35 owners.... :)

The only Infiniti that can come close with respect to build quality is the M. The materials are beautiful and everything is seemingly as it should be. Perfect. The G is not so BMW like but that is ok, at 46k the 3 series is ok but I you shouln't have to get raped to get a OK powered build quality car. Get the 5 and have a real great car at that $.

As mentioned in another thread and featured (price reference) in the new Motor Trend comparo, there is no 330 on the planet worth $47K. BMW has lost their mind.

BMWs are very nice, very overpriced cars. Period. (IMO)

this is basically my argument with the 3series owners. to get the full satisfaction of owning the new 3 you can get a bigger, faster and better car (imo) then the 3