Is G35 a direct competitor of Legacy?

[crapy]

I have received some e-mails from the dealers in the pass few weeks: 1. 2004 G35 cloth , 25K 2. 2004 G35 leather, 27K 3. 2004 G35 with premium + sports + etc, 30K 4. 2004 G35X loaded excpet NAV, 32K .... All of these prices are before face to face bargaining... So, I did a search, and I found out that most of new owners can get it 1~3K below the above prices... It seems this will really affect the sales of GT in the coming few months. No wonder I see so many new G35s on the road in the pass few weeks... Any comments? I think Subaru should really provide more options to potential purchasers as soon as possible.

[some6uy008]

If you asked on a G35 forum, they'll burn you at the stakes for ever comparing their Infiniti to a Legacy. But if you compare on price and spec. Yes it is, in my opinion.

[ih8vtec13]

Dude its an Altima with more power and better features, they realy need to get over them selves, it's just a bunch of re-branded nissans, like acura and lexus are luxury hondas and toyotas.

[sduford]

So it's an improved version of an already pretty darn nice car, what's worng with that? What's the GT? Oh, wait, it's an improved version of a Subaru! I fail to see the relevance. The G35 is a very nice car, one that has won lots of awards, and that has been put ahead of the 3 Series by many reviewers. In many ways it is quite a bit more refined then the Legacy, it all depends what you're looking for I guess.

[gtguy]

The G35 is a very nice car, without question. It's unfortunate that the X version doesn't come with a manual, or Subaru would really have some problems selling a $30K LGT Ltd. Kevin

[carman493]

I would have to say it is close in comparison. It has a better name being Infiniti and all, so most people looking for a name won't shop subaru. But those who look for value for their money along with performance for the money would go for both. The G is also RWD, which is a great feature that alot of BMW type people look for. The funny thing is that even though the G has more HP, the Legacy is much faster from a roll and a stop. I have played with many a G35 sedans and my car always pulls pretty hard on them.

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

It's a rebadged Nissan, just like an Acura is a rebadged Honda. It's like putting a silk hat on a pig.

[PGT]

[quote name='ih8vtec13']Dude its an Altima with more power and better features, they realy need to get over them selves, it's just a bunch of re-branded nissans, like acura and lexus are luxury hondas and toyotas.[/QUOTE] Like, dude, it's not. :D G35 shares the same basic VQ motor design and FM chassis, but that's where the similarities end. Heck, the Murano and FX use the same chassis. Altima = to FX35 or FX45? Dude! No way. You also forget that the G35 has rear wheel drive with AWD optional on the 'x' model. Saying the G35 is an Altima is not accurate in the same way a TL is not an Accord. They may be based on the same chassis and have basic parts the same, but that's where the similarities end. Try driving G35 vs Altima and TL vs. Accord and you will see they are not clones like the GM cars of old.

[PGT]

[quote name='jedimaster']It's a rebadged Nissan, just like an Acura is a rebadged Honda. It's like putting a silk hat on a pig.[/QUOTE] Acura only exists in the US as a marketing idea. The cars are sold everywhere else as Hondas (Honda Integra, Honda NSX, etc). Woops.....I almost forgot the canucks! The folks up in the great white north get the Acura nameplate too......they even got a cool 'EL' which we didn't, which was just a rebadged Civic.

[sduford]

Forget the name badge, call it the Nissan G35 all you want. It is still as different from the Altima as the WRX is from the Impreza. And like the WRX, the G35 is a lot of car for the money.

[c_hunter]

The G35 is a nice car, and it is based on a RWD platform (shared with the Z). I don't think it has much in common with an Altima, except maybe that all of the cars mentioned here are using some variant of the 3.5L V6. BTW, those prices are for 04s, which the dealers are trying to clear out. You should be looking at the 05 models and compare those to a Legacy, both in MSRP and what you can deal for (we all know you can get a Legacy at or below invoice, which makes it a pretty good deal). The 05 G35 has a lot of nice improvements over the 04 (especially the interior, which is still not as nice as the Legacy's in my opinion). So if you shop, look for an 05. Craig

[05LegacyGT330Ci]

Yes I think he G35 is an direct competitor. Not one I would consider becuae there is no wagon but if I was looking for a sedan or coupe I would take a long hard look at one.

[Driver72]

[quote name='sduford']Forget the name badge, call it the Nissan G35 all you want. It is still as different from the Altima as the WRX is from the Impreza. And like the WRX, the G35 is a lot of car for the money.[/QUOTE] Ahh, no that's NOT correct either. The WRX IS an Impreza, just a turbocharged and more sport tuned one. The G35 has absolutely NO relation to an Altima. They share the same EXCELLENT 3.5 VQ engine, that's it. The G35 basically shares the same chassis as the 350Z, FX35/45. The G35's interior is not a polished over Altima, 350Z, Murano, anything. The G35 is a car built around the 350Z chassis and shares no interior or exterior parts with any Nissan models, save maybe a few small things like the steering wheel, which I think Nissan started using in some of their models. Other than the fact that the Infiniti G35 uses a few lower rent interior parts than what you should find on a 35K car, it is a great car. Oh, and yes, price and performance wise, the G35 IS a competitor to the LGT. And the reason they're offering such great prices on the 2004 models is because about 2 weeks ago, the 2005 models began showing up in dealer showrooms. They have a mild restyle to the front and rear of the car, as well as a redesigned interior (still not the greatest though). But most importantly, they gave the 2005 G35 sedan 20 more hp and 10 lbs-ft of torque!

[wunderkind]

It just seemed like the VQ keeps dolling out every year with every model changes. Amazing engine. The g35 sedan IMHO is still very ugly. The front end somehow resembles that of a toad. However the coupe is just pretty. Why i don't know. Can someone from a design school tell explain?

[John M]

They're similar unless you plan to mod. Then with the Subaru 2.5 liter turbo and AWD, you're ready to rock down a proven mod path. Your choices for the Infiniti are "NOS" or a $5k turbo kit. And along those lines, I never understood why add-on turbo kits used HUGE turbos when they run 6-7 psi. What a waste, both in price and in lag.

[SWortham]

The G35 has a few things going for it. Namely, it's sold as a coupe as well as a sedan. The coupe version is sold as the Skyline in Japan, so you know it's gonna be nice. With the coupe, you can get the optional underbody paneling which will eliminate lift, and it has 298 HP in the 6-speed manual version. Pretty tough competition. But to me, the sedan doesn't have the same kind of appeal, and I'd consider the Legacy GT sedan to have the upper hand in this case. On the bad side, Infiniti styling is kinda goofy when it comes to the front-end. The long stretched headlights just don't look good. Infiniti also does not have the reliability of a Subaru, and they pile on a little more weight with this car than the Legacy GT.

[GTLegs]

IMO i enjoy being the only legacy on my college campus well heck i havent seen one in a 100 mile radius which i travel often... and on my campus alone i see at least 5 to 7 different G35s daily.... I like being different especially in a Legacy GT

[Therax]

It's not just the G35 coupe, the G35 sedan is also originally the current Japanese Skyline. People get far too up-in-arms about brand engineering. The Skyline brand gets it in particular, because of the legends surrounding the GT-R model, but in Japan the Skyline is very comparable to the entire BMW 3-series line. You have your sedan, you have your coupe, you have your factory-tuned performance beast (M3, GT-R), and up until the previous generation, you had your wagon, too (sold under the Stagea name). All with various engine choices and trim lines. Yes, I cross-shopped the G35 before settling on the LGT Wagon. The Leg is considerably cheaper for those who want an MT (don't forget that to get an MT in a G35, you need to step up to the Sport model, which is a considerable bump in price). The G35 sedan's styling is awkward, but on the flip side it's very roomy inside, more comparable to a 5-series BMW than the 3-series it's actually targetted against. The G35 coupe is a much sleaker design, but to achieve that the roofline slopes down much faster, which compromises back seat room quite a lot. The VQ is a delightful engine, and has it all over a turbo motor when it comes to linear response and smoothness (which is important in this market). In the end I settled on the Legacy for cost, refined styling, a dramatically improved interior, and that lovely panoramic sunroof on the Limited Wagon. It has more room than a G35 coupe, and is to me more attractive than the G35 sedan.

[Therax]

[quote name='Patagonian GT']G35 shares the same basic VQ motor design and FM chassis, but that's where the similarities end. Heck, the Murano and FX use the same chassis. Altima = to FX35 or FX45? Dude! No way.[/QUOTE] Actually, the FX, G35, and 350Z all share the FM platform, for "front-midship engine, rear/all-wheel-drive." The Altima is built on the FF-L platform, for "front-engine, front-drive, large (as compared to the Sentra, etc)," so the only thing they share is the engine. :D Actually, the Murano is built on the FF-L platform as well. Despite their apparent similarities, the Murano and FX cars are quite different.

[Driver72]

So you know, for 2005, the G35 sedan with a 6 speed manual also comes with 298 hp! It's now 350Z fast. No doubt the Coupe looks the best, but the sedan is far from ugly. It has a unique look that everybody knows. I'm still thinking about it to replace my ladies 2002 Maxima. The 3.5 V6 is just such a SWEET engine! As much as I love turbocharged cars, I can hop into the Maxima, right after driving the LGT and I just marvel at the 3.5's engine. I flop both ways in the fact that, I really like the feeling of turbos boosting, but love smooth linear, torquey power from NA larger displacement engines as well. A lightly turbocharged (so there's little lag and it's not so peaky) large displacement 6 cylinder would be ideal for me. Smooth, powerful, quiet, torquey, FAST! Man if Nissan/Infiniti would of put a small (say 4-6 psi boost) turbo on there 3.5 VQ, I don't care what it was, I'd probably buy it. That would give say the G35 Coupe 330-340 hp...sweet!

[gurpman]

I was impressed when they announced the 2005 G35 6MT would have 298 hp. That's like WRX STI power. But then I found out: 2005 G35 Automatic: 280HP @ 6,200RPM/270lb-ft @ 4,800 RPM 2005 G35 Manual: 298HP @ 6,400RPM/260lb-ft @ 4,800RPM. So the manual has 260 torque, not such a big advantage over the GT considering the G35 is heavier. Don't get me wrong, the G35 will walk away from the GT from a roll, but it's no STI beater. Yes infinity=nissan except I've heard the dealership experience is quite different. I need a wagon, but if I were in the market for a sedan I would be considering both cars.

[Driver72]

yeah, I'm not sure why Infiniti did that either. When Acura announced it's new RL would have 300 hp from it's 3.5 liter, I thought, "wow, that's going to be pretty sweet." But then I saw it's torque rating of 260 ft-lbs, and then I thought, "geez, that's WAY too low for an AWD, automatic luxury car these days. Heck the 350Z has 274 ft-lbs of torque when it's hp rating is 287, so why can't a 300 hp 3.5 liter make AT LEAST the same torque as the 350Z?" Then what does Infiniti do, release the power ratings of the new G35 manuals and sticks it at 298 hp and 260 tq. It's almost like they didn't want to have a higher power rating than the Acura. I mean, come on, at that point, just tune it or call it 300 hp, most manufacturers "round" their power ratings off anyway, so it wouldn't be anything different. Do we REALLY think our cars make a perfect 250 hp 250 tq? And, if tuning the manual G35's gave it 20 hp more than the autos, how in the H3LL could it have 10 ft-lbs less torque? Doesn't make sense, except when you consider the 350Z. At 287 hp / 274 tq it's combined power output is 561 With the new G35 manuals rated at 298 hp / 260 tq it's combined rating is 558 If they would of rated the G35 manuals with more torque they would of eclipse the power of the 350Z and the G35's would SURELY be faster than Nissan's own sports car. Infiniti couldn't let that happen. Next year is the 35th Anniversary of the Z car, and it's rumored that version will be rated at 305 hp. For 2006 along with a mild redesign, I'm sure ALL 350Z's will get 305 hp and probably somewhere around 280 tq! But don't kid yourself, the current G35 sedan manual with 260 hp and 260 tq in a manual does 0-60 in 5.8 seconds and the 1/4 in 14.2 @ 100 mph I'm guessing the 2005 sedan manual will do 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and 1/4 in 14.0 @ 101.5 And as you said, a current 260 hp G35 sedan manual will walk away from our LGT's from a roll. The 2005 G35 even with an auto now will pull away from us on a roll. We'd need a Stage 1 reflash to keep up with a 05 G35 manual.

[wunderkind]

Ahh... but u'd forget that in the real world, elevation comes into play. That's why you read posts after posts of why GT owners pull away from the NA G35s. Boooost babie. Viewing the numbers of dyno charts and 1/4 mile times lead me to believe that Subaru is under quoting the GTs hp/tq in order to manage a difference b/t the STi and Legacy.

[PGT]

[quote name='wunderkind']Ahh... but u'd forget that in the real world, elevation comes into play. That's why you read posts after posts of why GT owners pull away from the NA G35s. Boooost babie..[/QUOTE] Not an issue for those of us who don't live above 1000ft. [quote name='wunderkind']Viewing the numbers of dyno charts and 1/4 mile times lead me to believe that Subaru is under quoting the GTs hp/tq in order to manage a difference b/t the STi and Legacy.[/QUOTE] You are correct about this point, though I think the HP rating is accurate. The torque rating is low by 20-30, from the dyno plots I have seen out there. [url]http://irregardless.us/GT/dyno_plot.jpg[/url]

[EyeFlyIsTheEye]

Not all Skylines are expensive or invincible like the GT-R, and in Japan, it's considered an entry-level sport sedan, going up against the Honda Inspire (Accord V6), Toyota Altezza and the Legacy. Personally, I think the Legacy competes well against a G35 and even cars like the 5-Series.