Puahahahhaha ...and I just heard from a Canadian the other day that Nissan sucks..

 

Not sure how well Nissan does other than the Infiniti division but if I look at the 370z I see a pedigree and a good performing coupe and good looking too. Nissan has a really good background making sport cars. I think what you get for $ with the new Z is a bargain. I hope they'll be smart enough to make more than one trim (few different engine options with few different price range) sometimes in the next few years.

 

You do realize that nearly every car company out there have MCR's before releasing a completely new model, right?

 

When I say "backseat" I mean in terms of sales and recognition.

No question Infinti offers good and in some cases superior products, and I don't need to reference the G to prove that. I still have auto mag comparisons from the early/mid 90's stored on my old HD (along with some vintage ****), where the Q45 was woooping the LS' a$$ in comparisons. However, the Q still took a back seat while the LS' recognition and sales grew.

And while it's true all companies refresh their cars, these refreshes are far more important to Infiniti because their sales tend to drop dramatically. The G is their bread and butter vehicle which is probably why we have seen multiple refreshes for this car.

I see it as an issue because I think they be doing it to recover sales and keep interest instead of maintaining current numbers and possibly generating new interest and more sales.

 

I don't know if I'd completely agree with you on that. BMW introduced the 330i in 2006. Did a g35/g37-esque engine swap from 330i/335i 1 year later with the 07 and did a front/rear fascia car refresh redesign for the 09s. Seems to VERY closely follow the same pattern as the Infiniti. New G35 in 07, engine swap g35/g37 for 09 and front/rear fascia car refresh in '10.

I don't think it's because Infiniti is more downmarket or taking a back seat or necessarily losing buyers. I think it's that the market as a whole is so tight and competitive and that the cars make huge leaps and bounds each cycle update that the manufacturers need to make slight updates to keep up with the trend while they're still redesigning the new model

 

Than why did you say they taking the mid cycle refresh just to catch up?

Infiniti does not sell a lot due to few things. One is the amount of dealership. Some people have to travel 2 hours to the nearest dealer. That is not ideal for buying. I know I would not buy if I had to travel to another city. I am sure lots of people turned off by this too.

 

Yep, that's the article that notes less brake fade in the Acura.

I agree that, if you want an automatic, the 7 speed in the Infiniti tromps on the TL. I'd like to see the same comparison of the 6MT versions. When I drove the TL, it's taller gearing and final drive make it feel quicker than the Infiniti. C&D got to 60 in 5.2 with the TL SHAWD manual, which is in the same ballpark as the G37 S 6MT.

It's going to come down to a value decision for me. With MSRP of a 2009 G37 6MT with premium and Nav coming in 3200 below the TL, it seems the odds of winning my business are in Infiniti's favor before you take into account the poor exterior aesthetics of the Acura.

 

The wheels suck, but I love everything else. The interior improvements and wood look great. The wood is very similar (if not the same) to that in the FX and EX; I'm even starting to like it better than the aluminum.

Overall good job, especially the headlights and non-sport front bumper (old non-sport bumper looked atrocious).

 

Agreed. The vertical lines leading from the inside of the headlights to the bottom of the bumper (sport model only?) hint at the audi/vw grill treatment.

The jumble of plastic below the bumper line looks awful, but a lot of cars have the same problem (like new e-class).

 

Not my thing ... I love clean lines and wit this revision the G looks closer to the ungodly ugly Maxima. The G had such nice clean lines in the front and this looks all carved up and top heavy too.

 

i love the headlights. but i hate the middle part of the lower grille...that is way too NISSAN looking...looks like a Maxima with that...its just a rectangle box with horizontal lines which is NOT sporty at all. The current 07+G-sedan lower grille is much sportier. I am not a fan at all. I like the the headlights, foglights and g37 coupe like grille. But the rest is not even sporty...the rims are hideous infiniti needs to put 19s on the G sport sedan.

 

I think the marketeers are holding back the potential of the sedan to protect the higher MSRP coupe sales.

Did you ever notice the sedan actually weighs about 60 lbs LESS than the coupe? I haven't looked at the 370Z's weight - might be close there, too, although the Z must be saving a few pounds with no back seats.

Take a G37 sedan, flare out the fenders to fit the Z car's wider tires and bigger wheels, drop the suspension like the coupe sport package, and you might find the G37 sedan out performs the two coupes in handling as well as acceleration with 4-door practicality.

Another hint, the markers don't want the sedan to attract potential coupe buyers: 328 hp in lieu of 330. It's the same engine in the same engine bay. I suppose the sedan might have a more sedate exhaust system sucking an extra 2hp in the name of a quieter note.

 

You are totally right, just add the new VK56, and you have an M3 killer..

 

love it except for those wheels

 

I was considering the TL but the dealerships were complete aholes. They wouldn't quote me on the email and then they wouldn't give me a good quote on the phone. I had to come in. Screw that. The incentive is probably no where near as good as an 09 G

plus what's up with FWD luxury cars..? Lexus/Infiniti/BMW/Mercedes/Cadillac all have RWD cars.. Only cars like Audi and Acura get away with FWD. Plus the TL is a weird looking car. Looks good but cheap.. lacks prestige.