Just thought I'd pass on some thoughts about my test drive today. Not much new material here so every little bit helps:

I happen to be in the area today of an Infiniti dealership and decided to drop in to see if they had any new G37's. I didn't expect there to be any but was told that they had 2 in, one being a 6mt. Salesman was a really nice guy and within 5 minutes I was on a test drive. Black on Black with Nav, etc. As a reference, my current car is a 335i 6mt and my previous car was a G coupe 6mt. I was curious to see how different the new sedan was relative to my old G coupe, and how it compared to my 335 now that I've had it for awhile. First off, I didn't like the sedan wheels in the pics but they are better in person in my opinion. I still like the previous sport version better but I think these will grow on me. The interior is familiar - I liked the white stitching on the seats and the steering wheel was meaty. Started the car up, and got that familiar VQ burble that is very absent from my 335. Shift into gear and suddenly remembered how short and precise the shifter is on the G's - something also absent from my 335. Clutch was very light, lighter than I remember it. Unfortunately, the clutch is still very on/off, and getting smooth shifts off is tough. I still like the "snikety" shift action just wish they would get the engagement right. Power is more than adequate although still not torque rich like the 335. I didn't really get on it, but when driving at slow speeds in higher gears, you can notice the difference compared to the BMW. Ride was not as smooth as the bimmer either, and I found the tires to follow cracks in the road a bit too much. I don't seem to have this issue with the 335, even with the crappy run flats. Just enough sound comes in the car which I like - although now that I've gotten used to the quietness of the 335 at speed, I think I may prefer it. Handling seemed good with nice steering weight. Navigation system much nicer than the one in my 335 - backup camera also nice. The interior overall is pleasing, but although my 335 has a very "Germanic" (boring) interior, the material quality I feel is better. The dash for instance has a soft feel to it in the BMW, compared to the harder textures in the G. Overall, I think the 335 is a notch higher in terms of overall feel. It just feels a bit more substantial - from the steering, power, noise, and general composure. For sure, the new G37 is a HUGE improvement over my G coupe, a car I loved. I guess overall, I was hoping that the clutch engagement had improved and that the car had the "maturity" that I feel in the BMW. If so, I think it would have been a no brainer as my next car. At this point, I would still consider it, but maybe only if the BMW lease rates get to where they are out of my price range. Right now, it's looking like the 335 is an $80-$100 difference per month to lease (compared to the 08 G which I imagine will be the same case for the G37 soon).

Sorry for the long post, but just thought I'd pass on my thoughts from my test drive.

 

Thanks a lot for the thorough write-up. It's cool that you have experience with both a G coupe and 335 to bring your test drive experience into relation with cars that many of us are already familiar with.

I was also hoping for word that the clutch had improved for the 09 sedan but I guess that's not to be. Still, whenever mine gets here I'll be ready to take what I can get.

 

great to see your experience coming from a 335i. it's all about the value and dollar which Infiniti always made sense

 

+1 Nice write up about your experience.

What dealership?

 

thanks everyone. Holmann Infiniti in New Jersey. Salesman's name was Stephen. If I remember anything else I'll post it.

 

Thanks for the review. My 2007 335i 6mt lease is up in May of 2010. A new 2009 335 with the same exact content as my 2007 stickers for 5K more than it did in 2007 (more than 10% increase in 2 years). Another likely price increase in 2010 along with poorer lease rates will likely influence me away from leasing another new BMW.

What I'd really like to know is how well the viscous LSD really functions on the G. My biggest complaint with the 335 is the open diff. With all that torque across the rev range, it is just too easy to get one wheel spinning and the traction control shutting down the fun. My car prior to the BMW was a Maxima 20th Anniversary with MT and VLSD, which didn't seem to help much, though.

From my point of view, I can get used to the on/off clutch (I never had a problem with the Maxima's same nature). I still prefer the shifter mechanisms on Hondas and the Infiniti Gs I've test drove over the BMW.

I'm disappointed my winter wheels won't fit the G, but they're the same offset and bolt spacing as a G8, which may be another contender if it'll be easy to find a 6MT G8 by 2010. It'll be a tough choice on what to do, but a fun test driving process to go through. If I find I have the same "feelings" about quality and "substantial-ness" of BMW vs. the others as the OP, I may be tempted to buy my current vehicle as a CPO and enjoy the Bimmer another few years under warranty. My used 335 has a buy option at the end of the lease for around 27K, a little more than 10K less than a new G37 equipped the way I'd want it (basically Sport 6MT with premium package only).

 

Look at the yen/dollar exchange rate. Japanese cars are likely to see stiff price increases too if the trend continues.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=USDJ...=on&z=m&q=l&c=