+1... ATL traffic and 6mt wouldn't go together well for me.

 

I live in LA, right where the 405 and 101 connect, recently named countried busiest and most packed "bottleneck" i have a 6MT. its not as bad as people make it out to be, keep it in 1-2 and leave distance, you wont need to shift

 

Transmission choice is a personal preference. Everyone chose what they did for a reason. Performance aspects aside, you cannot deny that a 6mt is more fun to drive than a 5AT. The launch and rowing of the gears in an AT is no where near as exciting as one in a 6MT. The original posted said he was bored with his car and I feel that his transmission choice contributes to that boredom.

 

Harley, that's funny, because yes I was looking at the Jeep a few weeks ago. So you're right on the money. Dealers are currently charging 10-15K over MSRP, which is a game I will not play. I have found myself looking for more performance wise, and ultimately my choice with the G didn't fit that bill. My mistake.

As far as comfort, reliability, and resale value go, I'm not sure. The SRT wins with its seats, although I found the G to be very comfortable for me. Reliabilty wise, I had an SRT-4 not long ago and had zero problems. We had a Chrysler Town and Country for over 100K miles with no problems. So I guess I'm saying that I have a lot more confidence with American products than before. Infiniti squeeks and rattle complaints, are actually more than I had in my 2000 (500 hp modified) Camaro!! So no worries for now. Resale, of course the nod would have to be Infiniti. However, the SRT is a very limited production vehicle, so time will tell. As looks go, this is obviously subjective. I truly like the look of the G. I also love the aggressive look of the SRT. One thing I can say is this. I was at MIR (Maryland International Raceway) two weeks ago. I drove my G there to meet some Charger guys. Needless to say, people were drooling over the Charger and never gave the G a second look...This was by everybody of all ages, not just racers. So judging by my experience, the public loves this look.....

Oh, and one last comment. The SRT's have been tagged with a gas guzzler tax, based on 14 city. But the reality is these cars get in the low 20's on highway (as evidenced by real owners). Which is actually better than I've logged on the G (why the G sucks gas like it does still confounds me. this is my 4th VQ car and the only one that sucks on gas mileage).

 

LOL +1

 

God help you. Here on the DC beltway, second to LA in traffic, there is NFW I would deal with this on a daily basis. This WILL get to you, in time

Average commute time around here (not mine thankfully) is over 1- 1 1/2 hrs each way...what is yours? If you can convince us that 2-3 hrs of your day is in a MT car in stop and go traffic, and it's not that bad, then you need evaluation???

 

According to the 2005 JD Powers info Infiniti ranks 6th under Lexus and a few others, but above Honda, Toyota and Acura...Dodge ranks 25th. As far as comfort, I was speaking more of the quality of ride and how smooth the tranny and engine run..the VQ has won quite a few awards. Most G35 squeaks are easily fixed and come from the same spots (windows/dash) while the overall feeling of the car is very tight. Of course the Charger will get more looks, it's only been out a few months but I don't think it will age as well as the G35 has for the past 4 years. I would be shocked if the SRT can manage to maintain it's sticker value, much less the additional MSRP people are paying. I admit the Charger is the perfect car for someone who want American Muscle in a 4 door sedan.

 

I totally agree. Just before I bought my AT Acura TSX last year, I had driven MT cars for the previous 13 yrs (240SX, 300ZX TT, G20t) through sh!tty stop and go 405 fwy Los Angeles traffic.

I find that driving my AT Acura is no easier than the MT cars. With the manual, you can really just leave the car in 1st and roll along almost w/o ever touching the brake pedal when in heavy traffic. I also find that using the clutch and shifter makes me feel more comfortable on a long drive as my leg and butt won't fall asleep.

But, the biggest thing I hate about my automatic is the complete lack of control over the precise moment when the transmission will upshift or downshift. There have been times were I roll out into traffic and floor it and the transmission pauses for a split second before downshifting and accelerating almost killing me in the process. Other times, when I'm going around a curve and I downshift the auto into a lower gear, the transmission won't shift right away. It shifts in the middle of the turn causing a dangerous handling situation.

After over a year of automatic transmission Acura hell, I'm looking to get back to a manual transmission Infiniti.

Downsides to a manual transmission are - 1. wife can't drive when we have to switch cars and 2. You're pretty much stranded if you sprain your ankle or knee. Heavy traffic should really not be considered as a negative issue for MT cars.

 

IMO, it's really no worse than in an automatic. I commuted between Torrance and Santa Monica on the most congested fwy in the world for about 6-7 yrs in my manual 300ZX and my manual G20t. Sometimes I would take the freeway, sometimes I would go all surface streets b/c the traffic was so bad. On average, the commute time ranged from about 1 hr to 1 hr 20 minutes each way.

As I stated in the previous post, the greater activity level of driving a manual transmission (operating the clutch and shifter) actually made it more comfortable for me.

Recently, I had to to commute for a week in my auto Acura TSX to another office farther away (about 1.75-2 hrs each way). I got really uncomfortable just sitting in the car. My left leg fell asleep and my back really started to ache. I never had these issues when commuting in my manual transmission cars.

 

I agree, I think a manual transmission is just as easy, if not easier, to drive in traffic than an automatic.

With an automatic, all of the stress is placed on your right foot, calf, and thigh muscles (unless you left foot brake, which I don't do). With a manual, you do more work but it's spread across left and right. You can actually coast in second during medium to heavy traffic, where in my auto car it's constantly brake-gas-brake-gas because there is little to no engine braking.

SoCal, king of equally horrible traffic and drivers.

 

Good old Atlanta - I lived on Marietta for a while and spent time everywhere throughout. You can burn out a clutch 6 mos. If you do the normal 1.5 to 2.5 hour one way to work routine, plan on engaging the clutch about 50 times/mile.

 

Good points. I'll stay active on this board for a while and let people know my impressions after I actually own the car (next week). I'll try to stay very objective in my evaluation, as well. One thing that I will continue to make very clear. I love the G and think it's absulutely the best car in it's class (with the TL and the IS350 right with it). Speaking of this class, has anyone driven the new Passat with the bigger motor? Looks nice on paper.

 

I almost bought the last model Passat, but VWs electrical gremlins scared me away. If you think rattles are tough to pinpoint, wait until a mechanic tries to fix electrical glitches. Personally I think you'll like the SRT much more than the G35 due to your muscle car background. I actually got toasted by a SRT Neon...THAT was embarrasing!

 

I think you missed my point. I do not expect the G to give the driving pleasure of the Cayman, but I was just surprised how numb the G felt after driving the Cayman. Of course I have the same sensation when I drive my wife's 5.7L Jeep Grand Cherokee after driving my G. It is all relative.


Kevin