Es350 Or Infiniti G35 Sedan? Help!

[Reza ES350]

Hi there Everybody!

I've been reading about the G35 sedan and the ES350. Loving both cars. And I'm finding it very difficult to make up my mind, which one?

My friend has an LS 430, but I can't afford that :(

So The ES350 is what I'm eyeing.

To me the ES350 is a reliable, smooth, comfortable car. but it doesn't have a soul. The G35 has only soul. If you ever sat in a 06 mustang you'll understand what i mean by soul and character.

Please don't think that i'm dissing the ES. I love it! but thats how I feel.

I want to buy a car by end of August. If you guys could help me with pros and cons of both cars I'd really appreciate it :D

Thanking you in advance for your help no matter what.

Much love Guys and Gals. ^_^

P.s: I've always wanted a lexus ever since my dad brought the office LS 400 and I took it for a test drive. That car was Smooooooooth!!

[rjt65]

Ok u know we are mostly tainted here. :P

Background: I bought mine end March Obsidian Black on Black, UL package, ML stereo with nav, etc. I was looking at Infiniti's, Volvo s80, others, and I love my car!

My thoughts.

You are correct ES350 is a LUXURY car which is very fast going straight. On curves you better slow down (or else the brakes will slow down for u themselves!) Coming from a 99 Maxima Sports edition (could take curves flying in that) I really appreciate the smooth ride. Like wearing comfortable slippers. You will have rougher ride (feel more bumps) in sportier cars, but they will handle curves better.

It is bigger than the g35. I am over 6 1"-wide shoulders etc. I just did not fit right in the G35 or 37 so it was not a consideration (I looked at the M35's)

A neighbor of mine went from 2 Lexus to 2 G35s (white is his wifes, black is his), he is going back to lexus (Leases 3 year's) at the end of the lease. simply said he feels Lexus is a better overall luxury car and made better.

Another note: why not the G37 those look much hotter IMHO than the 35 if that is what you are looking for. Also, if you want away from 350 Lux-comfort and more for sport you should consider the Lexus IS (think that would be better compare for the g35).

good luck and let us know what you buy! :)

[mhawkin1]

We have had Nissan's and Toyota's - much better luck with the Toyota's.

I would guarantee the Lexus experience will trump that of Infiniti.

The 350 and the G are very different cars; I feel the design of the 350 will age better than that of the G. The G's interior left something to be desired for me.

If handling and such are of main importance to you – maybe the G is for you.

Sorry - not a Nissan fan here.

Good luck to you - keep us posted!

[#1Banker]

I would think that the term "guarantee" would be a bit much in comparison to the two vehicles in question.

I have been watching this forum for a while now to see what "issues" there are with the ES as I have been considering purchasing an ES and actually drove one last week to get a feel for it.

I am currently in an Infiniti G35 coupe and it is my fourth Infiniti that I have owned so first and foremost anyone who tells you that there is any major reliability issues with an Infiniti has absolutely no idea what they are talking about and that is a fact that I would be happy to continue to argue indefinetely. Both car lines had their inception in 1989 with the first model year in 1990. Lexus leaped ahead over Infiniti due to a much much better and well laid out marketing campaign then Inifiniti had ever hoped to initiate. That has a lot to do with the early on perceived "prestige" of owning a Lexus. It would be a mistake to equate an Infiniti to a ford for example.

Having said the above, Both car lines are great with well crafted automobiles targeting their respective markets. Lexus chose luxury over sport (which seems to be reversing in newer models) and Infiniti chose sport. The ES is a very nice quite and luxurious car. It feels very classy in the cabin and I was very impressed with the ride for a FWD. I had only three concerns with the vehicle/ dealer that I am currently trying to work through in my decision to purchase one: 1) I do not like the fact that it is a FWD versus RWD (and yes I understand it is a sister to the Camry and that is why it is FWD), however, there is a night and day feel to a RWD and I prefer it better. 2) I did not like the fact that the dealer charges $129 for an oil change and "inspection" of various items that are covered as part of a normal 27-point inspection at each oil change with my Infiniti dealer for $45. This is a blatant extortion tactic of Lexus customers and 3) I do not like to be inconvenienced and the dealer stated that a loaner would not be provided for an oil change. A loaner is always provided for any service item at an Infiniti dealer, even a rattle.

Granted, the above are nit picky things probably only cared about by me personally but as I said overall I was very impressed by the ES. I did not like that it does not have the hard drive music player that the G35 has and voice activation is only for the navigation and not for the audio and climate as in the G35 or so I was told as the ES I drove did not have nav.

Regarding the G35. This car is built for sport first and luxury 2nd. While the car does feel luxurious on the inside it is not the same type of luxury as in the Lexus. the interior has recently been updated and im my opinion is very eye catching and very well thought out and laid out. you are getting alot more of the technology gadgets and alot more for the money than the Lexus and the Infiniti VQ engine has been in the top ten engines for reliability for the past 12 consecutive years. these engines can easily do 200K miles with proper maintenance with no problem. the G35 has excellent handling and is a super fun car to drive. The exterior lines are very much cutting edge.

It all comes down to personal preference. Take me for example, in owning a 2dr sports car I have realized that I prefer a luxury car. While I am Inifiniti loyal, the obvious luxury car choice would be the M35/45, however, I am not in love with that car and I do not want to spend over $50M for a car and I must have all the gadgets. The G35 would certainly be a great car to own but it feels more sports car inspired versus flat luxury like the ES. Hence my Dilemna.

I would be sacrificing some technological gadgetry with the ES and the FWD versus RWD or AWD is a huge sticking point for me but the luxury interior and class of the ES is equally appealing and could possibly make up for the fact that it is a FWD. This is a very tough choice for me but again it is personal preference.

both cars would be a great choice but I say again, there are no reliability issues with an Infiniti. You may have an occasional squeak or rattle but most cars do and they are fixable with little to no inconvenience. I would tell you to drive both, weigh the options of each and the price and go with you gut.

Good luck. :)

Brandon

[nlkccom]

If you're looking for smooth ride, it's a no brainer, go with ES350. That's one of the reason I got mine. The ride is so smooth. Some of my friends are very impressed by how smooth the ride is, and one of them got a brand new BMW 5-series, which like the G, it's a SPORT sedan. They are great for fast cornering, but because of the stiffer suspensions, you'll feel every bump on the road.

Also, if you want realiability, stay away from Nissan/Infiniti. Their cars will be problematic much quicker than Toyota/Lexus.

[#1Banker]

Also, if you want realiability, stay away from Nissan/Infiniti. Their cars will be problematic much quicker than Toyota/Lexus.

Ok, I know I am new here and being a rookie I truly do not want to be disrespectful but the above comment is just absolutely not true. Just agreeing to disagree here not trying to start WWIII or anything. :)

I have owned two Infiniti J30's (1-202K miles 1-133K miles) and a Q45 (147K miles) and I am religious with maintenance. Both lasted many years with no major mechanical problems other than a new transmission at 160K miles on the J with 202K miles on it when I sold it.

[mhawkin1]

#1 Banker - the word guarantee was in reference to the ownership experience... not the cars themselves.

[#1Banker]

#1 Banker - the word guarantee was in reference to the ownership experience... not the cars themselves.

MHawkin - No I know what you were saying. I did not mean my reply to be rude. The Experience is neck in neck but to be honest I guess Lexus would push a bit ahead. While Infiniti service has a bit more positives from what I have studied the plushness of customer spoils would certainly go to Lexus as my dealer does not have a putting green out front or a cafe in the dealership, which I must say I am a bit jealous of.

BUT.....I can't buy a car based on those two things alone you know. :)

[Reza ES350]

Thank you guys. I loved your reply's and they really helped.

Brandon: What you said is exactly what i'm having trouble with. Loving the G35 for its gadgets, lines and RWD but not a fan of its hard ride. And the lexus's luxury feel and smooth ride is what i love but its a FWD. Which I dislike.

I work in the shipping industry and parking at the ship yard causes the cars there to be covered with paint. small particles but it destroys the paint job. So to work i drive a 2002 CRV which means my wife will be driving the car to and from work (25 min drive, 10-12 miles each way. ). And me the rest of the day and weekends.

I'll try to get my hand on both cars and drive them for a while before deciding which i'm buying.

Thanks again guys and if you think there is something i need to know kindly post it :)

I'm loving the ppl here :D very helpful and honest!

Come september I'll post pics of the car I decide to get :)

Wish me luck.

[#1Banker]

Reza,

One more thing. I believe the '09 model year is bringing the Infiniti G37. I hear you on the smoothness. The G35 sedan really is a very smooth ride (especially compared to my current G-coupe, which feels like the old Corvette my family once had), however, the ES probably is even smoother. On the smoothness of rides alone I would say the cars are virtually neck and neck.

I do think that the G37 sedan may not be as smooth when it hits the market because they are basically planning that thing as a 4 door version of the current 2 dr G37. I will say that the thing will be SMOKIN fast!! But as I said it comes down to personal preference on what is going to make you happy.

[rjt65]

Brandon: I think you were given bad info by whoever was with you in your ES test drive. It is a shame some sales reps DO NOT know the tech pieces of the product they are selling!

First: Voice activation is not only for the stereo, (I speak concerning the ES 350 with ultra lux package, Mark Levinson stereo and nav) -I do not think the voice activation is cut down in the lower packages-hopefully a 350 owner without Lux and NAV can respond ). you press voice act button than can say temperature 70 degrees, and bingo both front climates go to 70 degrees, and it works for audio too (phone and music)

I rarely use voice activation though easier to press buttons on the steering wheel or screen. some features are 'greyed out' when driving and you have to either pull over or use the voice activation.

correct on hard drive though with 6 cd's, and ipod connector (other mp3 players too) in the console, and the ability to play MP3 data files (massive storage when saving mp3's in native data file) a hard drive is not needed IMHO. I rather just keep my ipod up to date!

You are spot on with the oil change rip-off, some in this thread go to Toyota for same parts service and pay half price.

I had nissan stanza, nissan maxima for 18 years (both new to 9-10 years) and the experience was gr8, but On the Maxima i ran into some heavy repair/Maint. bills.

cheers

quote: Granted, the above are nit picky things probably only cared about by me personally but as I said overall I was very impressed by the ES. I did not like that it does not have the hard drive music player that the G35 has and voice activation is only for the navigation and not for the audio and climate as in the G35 or so I was told as the ES I drove did not have nav.

Good luck. :)

Brandon

[01 Ultra]

Reza -

Another vehicle for possible consideration would be the Acura TL. It seems to be a bit more centered between the luxury of the ES, and the sportiness of the G. Consumer Reports ranks it very high on both owner satisfaction and reliability.

Best of luck & let us know what you decide.

[#1Banker]

rjt,

Thanks so much for the correction. That is good to know. I thought that it was strange that you could not voice activate the radio and climate as well as Nav but that is what the salesman told me. They were pretty busy and the only other demo I guess they would allow you to drive that had nav was out on a test drive by another prospect and I didn't push the issue. I plan to get the Ultra Lux model with Nav, ML, etc. I am a techno gadget guru, what can I say.

That

[rjt65]

NP and welcome to the club!

This is why these boards are gr8, a lot of people are mislead with the salesman, and (I am techie too) I remember showing the salesman how to do some things (i never saw the system or used it before test drives) on the nav.

I was not liking the bumps in my Maxima so from sport to comfort ride i went!

here is a list (was on one of the lexus owners forums, this or club lexus ) of voice commands:

Voice commands:

Below are the new voice commands

NAVIGATION

Change Screen map, help, cancel

Change Map Scale zoom in, zoom out

Change Right Map Scale right map zoom in, right map zoom out

Change Map Direction north up

heading up

map direction

Change Right Map Direction right map north up

right map heading up

right map direction

Change Guidance Mode dual map, dual map mode

single map, single map mode

arrow guidance

turn list guidance, turn by turn guidance

freeway guidance

intersection guidance

compass mode

Reg Marked Point mark this point, mark

Check Route entire route map, route overview

current position, current location

next destination map

first destination map

second destination map

third destination map

fourth destination map

fifth destination map

final destination map

Change Route quick 1, quick

quick 2

short

route, short route

detour

detour entire route

Delete Destination delete next destination

delete final destination

delete all destinations

Guidance set destination

suspend guidance, stop guidance

resume guidance, start guidance

repeat, repeat guidance, repeat voice

louder

softer

Points of Interest (POI)

General nearest (POI)

Restaurant restaurant, I'm hungry

american restaurant, american food

chinese restaurant, chinese food

continental restaurant, continental food

fast food restaurant

french restaurant, french food

italian restaurant, italian food

japanese restaurant, japanese food

mexican restaurant, mexican food

seafood restaurant, seafood

thai restaurant

other restaurant, other food

Shopping convenience store

department store

grocery store

home and garden

pharmacy

shopping mall, shopping

speciality food store

other retail stores

Automotive auto club, triple A

car wash

gas station, gas

lexus dealership

parking, parking lot, parking garage

service and maintenance, auto service

rental car, rental car agency

toyota dealership

other automotive stores

Travel airport

bus station

campground

commuter rail station

ferry terminal

hotel

rest area, rest stop

train station

Recreation amusement park

botanical garden, zoo

casino

cinema

golf course, golf

historical monuments

horse racing

marina

museum

national and state parks

ski resort, skiing

speedway

sports complex, stadium

theater, performing arts

tourist attraction

tourist information

video rental

winery

Community city center

convention center, exhibition center

court house

fire station

government offices, civic center

higher education, university, college

hospital

library

parks

police station

post office

school

Banking ATM

bank

other financial services

Other beauty and barber shops

coffee house

dry cleaning

health and fitness club

ice cream parlor

other business facilities

Icon Off hide all icons

Destination

Setting Route set destination

show list

address

change state

change city

change street

change candidate

change house number

home, go home

Route to Previous Point previous point start, go to start point

previous destination

Route to Quick Access quick access number 1 …

quick access number 5

"Value While Displayed" enter destination

add to destination

replace destination

cancel

yes

no

Audio

Select Audio Mode radio

AM, AM radio

FM, FM radio

FM1

FM2

CD

CD changer

SAT

Audio On/Off audio on

audio off

Radio Operation seek up

seek down

Disc Operation track up, next track

track down, previous track

disc up, next disc

disc down, previous disc

Climate

Auto AC On/Off automatic air conditioning on

automatic air conditioning off

Temperature Raise/Lower raise temperature, warmer

lower temperature, cooler

Adjust Temperature 65 degrees …

85 degrees

Help

Help Commands help, command help, command list

Phone

Calling dial by number

dial by name

correction

yes

no

delete

next candidate

cancel

quote name='#1Banker' date='Jul 16 2008, 05:07 PM' post='319908']

rjt,

Thanks so much for the correction. That is good to know. I thought that it was strange that you could not voice activate the radio and climate as well as Nav but that is what the salesman told me. They were pretty busy and the only other demo I guess they would allow you to drive that had nav was out on a test drive by another prospect and I didn't push the issue. I plan to get the Ultra Lux model with Nav, ML, etc. I am a techno gadget guru, what can I say.

That

[SW03ES]

The ES is a much smoother and quieter car than the G, even the new one. The G is a nice mix between the IS/3 Series feel and the feel of the ES, but it is sportier and does not ride as well.

Infiniti is making some great cars, my main concern is lower quality dealers (at least here) and less dealers, coupled with lower resale.

[Sul6an]

Hi there Everybody!

I've been reading about the G35 sedan and the ES350. Loving both cars. And I'm finding it very difficult to make up my mind, which one?

My friend has an LS 430, but I can't afford that :(

So The ES350 is what I'm eyeing.

To me the ES350 is a reliable, smooth, comfortable car. but it doesn't have a soul. The G35 has only soul. If you ever sat in a 06 mustang you'll understand what i mean by soul and character.

Please don't think that i'm dissing the ES. I love it! but thats how I feel.

I want to buy a car by end of August. If you guys could help me with pros and cons of both cars I'd really appreciate it :D

Thanking you in advance for your help no matter what.

Much love Guys and Gals. ^_^

P.s: I've always wanted a lexus ever since my dad brought the office LS 400 and I took it for a test drive. That car was Smooooooooth!!

Well, my friend left his infiniti M45 with me last summer and let me tell you this IT WAS AMAZING! if your looking for soul this is the car your looking for. forget the G35 save up and get the M45. The ES350 is great and all, dont get me wrong i own one myself, but if i could trade it for an M45 i wouldnt think twice.