My New G Ride

[dcfish]

personally, i do not like the new M's. The rear brake lights in circles are weird to me. the dash also seems to complicated with all the buttons. but i do like that large slab of wood

lexus is getting more expensive every year, partially because the brand is gaining for prestige.

are we suppose to use the parking brake everytime we park? i only use it on hills.

The parking brake should be applied everytime the car is parked, Just like everytime you fill with gas you should check the tire air pressure and check the oil. :whistles:

[SW03ES]

do you have a kid? why not an IS350? or maybe the next G35 when it comes out?

No kids yet, but I don't like little cars. I drive a LOT, and the IS is way too small and stiff for me, as is the G35.

As for the M, theres a couple things about the styling that I find a little strange, the rear lights are one, and from the front it kinda looks like an Altima, but overall I like the car more than say a new GS. The ES is still more my kind of car, but the new interior is so cold...

And yes, the parking brake should be used every time you park. The transmission is not designed to hold the car in place by the parking prawl alone, despite the fact that everybody thinks it is.

[lexuus]

i was looking at the M35 when i was buying my IS. i actually really liked it, it was spacious, drove well. wasn't too powerful and i didn't want an M45. the buttons on the dash were a little awkward but easy to get accustomed to. i am not sure how intuitive navigating through menus would be. personally I think the bourbon (brown) leather would be best. but i know that you want a silver car and i don't think u can get silver/brown. also the wood in the M isn't like the wood in a Lexus. its not glazed or smooth as glass and its similar to wood you would find on a regular wooden desk, but there's plenty of it so that's a plus!

I'm not sure if you are into German cars but if you do go in for an M35 it might be worth checking out an Audi A6 3.2. it drove wonderfully and it looks great on the exterior and has a very well appointed interior.

[SW03ES]

Yeah I actually like the matte finish rosewood. Doesn't get smudged like high gloss wood, and its different. BMW does it too as an option on the 7 series. I like the willow interior actually (the almost white) but it would be a PITA to keep clean. If I got one I would get Diamond Graphite (a silvery grey) with a black interior probably.

I like Audis too, but I've had bad experiences with VW products.

[lexuus]

im not sure i have ever seen a silver gray M. and i sure have seen a handful of them. is it that light green metallic? and also looks like you can get brown leather with diamond graphite so if ur gonna get that car go for the brown leather!!! sorry its probably my obsession with brown leather :D

is your ES a lease? if so when is your lease up?

[SW03ES]

My ES was a lease but I bought it out of the lease about 18 months ago. The best part about it is its 100% paid for LOL. I will lease again though for the business deduction.

The diamond graphite is a kind of smoky silver, I'll see if I can find a picture.

This is Diamond Graphite:

This is a good color too, this is "Umbria grey"

Is this the brown interior you're talking about?

Thats a little much for me, I'm more a black interior kinda guy.

I do like this interior with grey though, since only the seats are grey and the rest is black.

I like the stainless trim too, although I'd want wood.

[Rx330driver]

the stainless steal trim might be easily scratched...looks like it at least., especially near the clock area.

thats not so much brown leather as yellow. lol

[blake918]

Anyone know what that slot next to the trunk release is for (I couldn't find out anything about it on Infiniti's site.)?

I really like that umbria grey color--that's a really sharp looking car! I wouldn't want diamond graphite just because there are so many Infiniti's that are that color!

[SW03ES]

True, there are a lot of them out there in the Diamond Graphite.

What I like about Infiniti is they don't limit the interior and exterior color combinations the way Lexus does. Lexus pigeonholes you into really only one interior color per exterior color. The Umbria Grey comes with black for instance, and you'd only be able to get a Lexus that color with a tan interior.

Blake,

I think what you are looking at is the slot for the smart key in case the battery fails. You plug the key fob into that space and it will start. The button underneath that is for the lane departure warning system I think.

Rx330,

Thats the camera fooling you, in reality the leather is a very deeb brown, almost the color of a catchers mitt.

[SW03ES]

This picture is a little better:

[lexuus]

True, there are a lot of them out there in the Diamond Graphite.

What I like about Infiniti is they don't limit the interior and exterior color combinations the way Lexus does. Lexus pigeonholes you into really only one interior color per exterior color. The Umbria Grey comes with black for instance, and you'd only be able to get a Lexus that color with a tan interior.

Blake,

I think what you are looking at is the slot for the smart key in case the battery fails. You plug the key fob into that space and it will start. The button underneath that is for the lane departure warning system I think.

Rx330,

Thats the camera fooling you, in reality the leather is a very deeb brown, almost the color of a catchers mitt.

Yeah i was right about diamond graphite it is that light green metallic. its a good color i just wouldnt want it since its on so many M's already. i personally think that the brown leather is really classy. sit in a brown leather M and hey maybe u will fall in love with it. so what do u seem to want the sport or luxury edition?

[blake918]

I think what you are looking at is the slot for the smart key in case the battery fails. You plug the key fob into that space and it will start. The button underneath that is for the lane departure warning system I think.

Ahh, ok! What do you do with a smart access Lexus if the batteries die?

I read in a Car and Driver review that those lane departure basically make your radar detector worthless, and you can't turn them off (you can mute the sound, but you can't shut the system down completely. I can't remember if they were talking about an Infiniti or an Audi.). I'd have to look for a fuse to pull or something to disable that system! LOL

[amf1932]

I've been following this interesting thread. I also loved the brown leather interiors so much that I remember buying one of the Cadillac convertibles I owned in the 60's with this color interior. They called it, "Saddle Leather". I sure wished that they offered that color in the ES350 instead of the "Cashmere". It's kinda light, and I'm always worried about staining it. On the way down to Maryland recently, my wifey had a ball point pen in her lap that contacted the seat and made a line of blue ink on the seat. I freaked out, but luckily I was able to remove it using some Armorall that I had in the trunk. It wasn't the ideal cleaner....but it worked.

SW......what type cleaner would you have used in this situation?

[lexuus]

I've been following this interesting thread. I also loved the brown leather interiors so much that I remember buying one of the Cadillac convertibles I owned in the 60's with this color interior. They called it, "Saddle Leather". I sure wished that they offered that color in the ES350 instead of the "Cashmere". It's kinda light, and I'm always worried about staining it. On the way down to Maryland recently, my wifey had a ball point pen in her lap that contacted the seat and made a line of blue ink on the seat. I freaked out, but luckily I was able to remove it using some Armorall that I had in the trunk. It wasn't the ideal cleaner....but it worked.

SW......what type cleaner would you have used in this situation?

yeah the IS would be perfect if i could have gotten it black on brown. right now i have blue onyx on cashmere, and my only complaint is that the floormats get dirty (in color) too quickly.

[SW03ES]

Yeah i was right about diamond graphite it is that light green metallic.

Actually its not green at all, its a smoky silver. There's another color thats a light green. It looks greenish in that picture, but in person its not. My mother has an FX35 in Diamond Graphite, nothing green about it. BMW has a similar color, its a smokier silver.

sit in a brown leather M and hey maybe u will fall in love with it. so what do u seem to want the sport or luxury edition?

I've sat in it, Lexus has it on the LS430, the SC430, and it was availiable on a Sport Design GS too. Its nice, just not my thing. I prefer straight black, or the Infiniti grey is okay since its just the seats and the door trim. I've had other colors and they just get old to me, black however is timeless.

Ahh, ok! What do you do with a smart access Lexus if the batteries die?

They have a slot too, as does our Prius.

I read in a Car and Driver review that those lane departure basically make your radar detector worthless, and you can't turn them off (you can mute the sound, but you can't shut the system down completely. I can't remember if they were talking about an Infiniti or an Audi.). I'd have to look for a fuse to pull or something to disable that system! LOL

No idea about the radar detector (don't use one myself), but I don't see why people need a warning system to tell them they're leaving their lane, whatever happened to driving? LOL

SW......what type cleaner would you have used in this situation?

Water and Woolite 6:1. I carry a little spray bottle of it and an MF towel in the trunk for just that emergency. Thats another great thing about black lol.

This is the willow interior I like:

It probably would be a !Removed! to clean, but I love interiors like that. Lexus' tan is too dark, they have this color too (Ecru) but only on the LS and SC.

My main concerns with getting an Infiniti over another Lexus would be:

1. Resale. Not as big an issue for a lease, but it would be a huge one for a buy.

2. Product integrity with age. Lexus age like no other cars on the road I've ever had experience with. Driving a Lexus with 80k miles is like driving most other cars with 10k miles, all the parts and components all age beautifully, as does the car as a whole. Wouldn't be a huge issue on a lease, but I drive a lot and the car would still have 75k miles after a 3 year lease. 75k on a Lexus is nothing, but on an Infiniti? Who knows.

3. Dealer service. I love the treatment I get from my Lexus dealer, but I've heard mixed things about Infiniti service. Probably has more to do with the individual dealer than the brand.

Thats pretty much it...

[Scott M]

Nice pics... I'm liking the new Infiniti.

I've been on the Lexus IS fence for a while now.

Being from MA, I've test driven the IS 250 AWD and loved the car but disliked the lack of power.

I love the IS350 but the RWD may cause issues in the winter months.

I'm liking the new 07 Infiniti G35x but have the same concerns with value and reliability.

I'll test drive the new G before making any decision.

One issue I have is that Lexus is 5 minutes from work.

The 2 closest Infiniti dealers are both well over an hour away.

That'll make it tough for service visits. :(

[SW03ES]

I like the IS a lot more than the current G35, but who knows about the new one...

[Scott M]

I like the IS a lot more than the current G35, but who knows about the new one...

Oh, I completely agree when comparing 06 models.

But the 07 G does look good to me, considering my need for AWD and my want for power. ;)

[SW03ES]

Yeah its a shame you can't get the IS350 with AWD.