pelucidor

Many of you know that my backup car (if I hated the RX-8 during test drives in June) is the G35 Coupe with 6MT/Leather/Premium at $34k. Sadly at the Houston auto show my wife looked at how difficult it would be to get an infant in and out of the back seat and said "No Way!". The good news is she absolutely loved the RX-8's appearance and practicality, and is beginning to show surprising interest in it's engineering and performance. So now I have no backup plan and the pressure is really on Mazda to produce a spectacular vehicle .

I've noticed several forum members either have a G35 or are considering it as an alternative to the RX-8. My question is why do you think these two cars are competitors and how do they compare in your opinion. I am not trying to start a flame-war for either vehicle so lets keep this polite. I'll go first.

I am looking to replace my IS300 in August with a RWD vehicle with a terrific manual gearshift, great steering, nimble handling and good performance in corners and in a straight line. It must have 4 seats (rear seat for baby due in May) and reasonable trunk space for a fold-up stroller. It has to be around $35k fully loaded including Navigation, and have excellent reliability and dealership service. It seems as if the RX-8 should fit these needs perfectly and it is cheaper than I expected at $33k with every option.

My thoughts on the Infiniti vehicles...

G35 Sedan
Experience of vehicle:
Test drove several times (once by myself for 30mins )
Read every single review
Almost bought one last August (got Acura MDX Touring instead)

Pros:
Love the power and speed (way better than my IS300)
Good handling, steering (better than my IS300)
Hugely spacious - bigger than an A6 or BMW 530 I think
Good auto-manual but would prefer real manual
Interior is good in parts (excellent quality leather seats)
Loads of equipment with Leather/Premium/Sport/Nav package at $35k
Value for money at $35k ($8k less than equivalent BMW 330i, $6k less than base 530i)
Infiniti dealership experience, service and reliability

Cons:
Missing manual gearbox (available in March 2003?)
Interior is bad in parts (center tunnel plastic, ugly buttons on wheel)
Ambivalent about styling


G35 Coupe
Experience:
Read about (every single review), sat in, keep avoiding test-drive (no time)

Pros:
All the pros for the Sedan plus
6-speed manual
Love the styling (rear bumper a bit big however)
Love the Brembos on the 6MT
Interior better than Sedan

Cons:
Two doors not aceptable to my wife anymore
Smallish trunk, but OK for my needs
Probably can't afford Navigation ($1k over my $35k limit) unless I get car below MSRP
Bad news for Nissan and their 350Z (j/k)



In summary I like the G35 but having seen how great the G35C and the RX-8 look I can no longer consider the G35 Sedan which I almost bought. And sadly now I can no longer consider the G35C due to wife requirements for the baby, leaving me with the RX-8.

Anyone else...?

sheylen

Posted by pellucidor:

.In summary I like the G35 but having seen how great the G35C and the RX-8 look I can no longer consider the G35 Sedan which I almost bought. And sadly now I can no longer consider the G35C due to wife requirements for the baby, leaving me with the RX-8.


Listen to your wife, she sounds like a very sensible person to me, and buy your RX-8

m477

I looked into the g35c, but the main reasons I decided against it were:

1) Similarly-equipped RX-8 is over $4,000 less.
(RX-8 6-speed GT = $31,100, G35c 6-spd w/Premium pkg = $35,345)

2) G35c about 400-500lbs heavier

bwayout

... except have yet to sit in an actual RX-8 (if it comes to the Dallas autoshow, I'll be there)

I was planing to get an RX-8 around fall or early next year ... except I suddenly had to replace my old car and had to postpone my RX-8 plans for a little while - so, I just bought, last weekend, a new PROTEGE5 .

I was really looking at the Acura RSX and thinking that my wife would NEVER go for the idea of not having back doors, so I was also looking at the Protege5 becaue Mazda was offereing 0 down and 0%, plus it has 5 doors vs. 3 doors on the RSX (Our family car is a 2000 Passat that she drives), but on the day we were going to buy (whatever car - it was my choice) she finally saw both of them and perfered the RSX ...



But we decided that with going with the Protege5 we would be able to pay less and save that money toward the RX-8

:D

And now she loves driving my Protege5 and looks like I'll be using the Passat ...

:p

The only thing I'm unsure of the RX-8 is the trunk size? Pelucidor, did the one you saw have a spare tire?

A friend at work has the G35 coupe and it does have a spare tire...



Edit: I'm in no rush now, since I now own a Protege5 - BUT I'll be counting the days till I trade up ... in about 3-4 years

:D

cueball

The G35's backseat is hard to get into. At first I thought is was ok because it seemed to have decent room back there. Then I sat up and hit my head on the rear window. I am only 5'9 and there is no headroom back there. It's not a problem when it is just a baby, but if you want to ever put adults back there make sure they aren't over 5'7.

pelucidor

Sheylen - yes my wife is very sensible (except for the bout of insanity when she agreed to marry me). But she has come a long long way from wanting an Lexus ES300 to replace my IS300 (I slowly moved her to the G35 and now to the RX-8 - took over a year of brain-washing by reading reviews to her when she is sleeping and leaving pictures around the house etc). The auto show viewing sealed it.

Bwayout - no spare tyre in the RX-8 and no run-flats either. Just a can of fix-a-flat in the trunk to handle slow leaks. I think this is a good idea - whether due to luck or clean road surfaces I haven't had an 'explosive' flat tyre in 18 years of driving, and only two slow punctures where the tyre took days to deflate (the RX-8 has a tyre pressure indicator in the dashboard).

m477 - the G35 is more expensive but you get more toys, and of course world class service from the Infiniti dealerships. Lexus is till tops in my book but Infiniti is way better than Acura, BMW, MB etc. However I am impressed that the Mazda has a 4/50 warranty and roadside assistance, not to mention free loaner cars to more or less match the 'prestige' brands.


Back to the G35 - anyone else own one or have an opinion on how it compares?

m477

Like what? The RX-8 GT ($31k) and G35c w/premium pkg ($35k) have pretty much the all the exact same options/equipment.

bwayout

If you have any speciffic G35 coupe questions, I'll try and get my friend (who owns a black one since December) to answer them.

He loves his - except when it rains and he has to drive through a fastfood place and since there is no rain gutters, all the rain water pours inside from the roof top ...

Buger

I think that the G35 is probably more of a competitor to the RX-8 than the 350z is. The 350z is more of a competitor in price but the G35 is more of a competitor in purpose since it aims to provide a bit more practicality in addition to the performance.

I didn't think that the G35 would handle as well as a 350z with the extra weight but some magazines surprisingly have it doing better than the 350z in the skidpad and slalom.

Hopefully the RX-8 will get it's share of buyers who like the practicality of the G35 and the price of the 350z.

Brian

wakeech

are the factory tyres the same??? that could easily make the difference, i mean, if they were different... also, that 6% difference in weight between the front and back (350Z)... i'm still not convinced that it's a good idea for handling.

Buger

Hi Wakeech,

If the factory tires are different, that could explain the difference. Any 350z or G35 owners have any input on this?

It still just doesn't seem to make sense to me that Nissan/Infiniti would compromise by having lesser tires on their "dedicated" sports car while having better performance tires on the G35?

Brian

zoom44

higher price sometimes equals better stuff. so maybe they are paying for more than just the name. when i was at the car show i thought the g35c had better interior materials than the z. i didn't notice the diff. in tires but i wasn't really looking as i figured they were the same.

deks

I seem to remember some car mag thinks the g35 is better balanced with the extra wheelbase and/or weight distribution, so it gets better handling numbers in some measurements.

I sorta looked at the g35, and I should go drive it, but it just doesn't excite me as much for whatever reason. Intellectually it's a great car, but it fails to push my emotional buttons. I think part of it is that I prefer the 3 series in that category, although I'm not sure it's worth the extra money. But if I got a g35, I'd feel I was compromising for budget reasons, whereas the rx-8 is unique enough it's not really in the sports sedan category for me.

pelucidor

I do believe that in most reviews of a G35C I have read (where the author has also reviewed a 350Z) they think the G handles better. I think the Z has crap tyres (Bridgestone RE040) compared to the G35C (Michelin Pilot Sports) - that could explain a lot. A minor part might be the slightly better weight distribution due to longer wheelbase etc (I think it is 52:48 for the G35C against 53:47 for the 350Z but I could be wrong).

The uniqueness of the Mazda is a major selling point for me too. A lot of car manufacturers can make a great car like a G35C or a 330i or my IS300 if they put their minds to it (may not be cheap mind you). But only one company can make a rotary engined 4-seat sports car.

gusmahler

I'm thinking about the same thing. I have a baby as well. Actually a toddler now, so I don't have to worry about the stroller. I completely agree with your assessment of the G35 Coupe. No way I could put my baby in and out of that back seat. It has to be a 4-door for me. I may have to go with looks as well. The RX-8 looks better than the G35 Sedan and looks different from most cars on the road. For those that think your car makes a statement about you, the RX-8 makes a bolder statement than the G35.

You mentioned that you already have another car, so I think the RX-8 would be a good choice as well. It would probably be too small to be a primary car, but if you have an SUV, so you can go grocery shopping etc. with the child, you don't have to worry about trunk space.

Hank Woods

The G35 cooupe was really tight for headroom for a 6'2"
person with a long torso.My head was in, but I had limited
visibility in the upper part of the windshield. I am going to buy
a RX-8.

applejax

I'll remove all the specifics for my opinion and make one simple statement from experience with a baby:

Get rear doors.

pelucidor

Applejax: Nice and succint. IF baby THEN need rear-doors. I like it.
BTW that avatar looks like one I've seen on s2ki - any relation?

Gusmahler: The RX-8 is for occasional baby use - normally the baby will be in the MDX with the wife driving. The RX-8 will be my daily driver for work etc. And I agree the RX-8 looks stunning from almost every angle.

Skyline Maniac

My advice: Get a 4 door with high safety margin for your family. Sacrificing the G35C for the RX-8 due to family reason doesn't make sense. Why? Service, reliability, customer satisfaction, but most importantly - safety. Not to make too many priliminary assumptions, but a sub 3000lb car with 9k redline and lacking a fixed B-pillar doesn't sound safe to me. If I had a wife and baby who will frequently sit in the car, I'd rather get a sedan or bigger car. My honest suggestion would be to check out the FX35. The new Infinit FX35 offers a lot of performance for a SUV, it sounds and drives similar to a G35C, and looks very unique and bold. Show the car to your wife, maybe you will both agree that would be a better all around family car for a little bit more money. After all, spending over $30k at a Mazda dealer and get treated poorly doesn't sound like a good deal to me at all.

I own a G35C, but I wouldn't have bought it if I had infants. The ride is quite compliant, but it is not soft or very forgiving. Manual tranny is fun and all, but only to the driver. No doubt most if not all passengers would prefer to sit in an auto tranny car that is smoother and quieter. I find it hard to imagine the RX-8 being a 'safe car' after all the factory weight reduction. It's a sport car hybrid with 4 doors, but overall it's still a sport car. Ride comfort is not there, safety features are not there, sits too low, shakes too much, I really doubt your wife or baby will be happy with the RX on the road. Again, the key here is your priority. I would place my family obligation over my personal interest and get a FX35 or another SUV/Wagon/Sedan instead of considering sport coupes/hybrids.

Hercules

If ya keep posting like this people are going to scream "troll!"

Anyhoo... the RX-8 has more rear seat room than the G35 Coupe. It has more passenger comfort than it too. The RX-8 also has a 4 star crash test rating for Europe, Japan, and the US.

As per the firm ride... it's safer for your car in most respects. While it might be more jarring to the passengers there's a reason it's stiff.. it keeps your wheels planted on the ground and also absorbs the potholes and such that would cause your tires or rims undue damage. Personally I'd tell the passengers to deal with it or buy me a new tire because my suspension sucks.

As per Mazda dealers... every dealer is different. I went to three before I decided on who I was going give my money. It's the same thing everywhere and at any dealer though some dealers (Lexus comes to mind) are generally better than most. But they also get company incentives to do so.

Manual tranny is *JUST* as smooth as an auto if not smoother. I don't know where you pulled that one from. Good clutchwork and good shifting make it just as smooth a transition from gear to gear than an automatic.

You are speaking about the RX-8 like you own one. Your comments are coming mainly from a G35 Coupe and they are duly noted. But most people have already taken into consideration what problems and advantages will come as a result of getting the RX-8, and guess what... they put their money down on the RX-8.

And lastly, just to do the anti-trolling... the RX-8 beat the G35 Coupe in Car and Driver's comparison test for a lot of things. I posted the article in Media so you can take a look at that. There's not much the G35 Coupe offers that the RX-8 doesn't deliver on except power which for most of us here is fine at what it is. While not as fast as the G35 Coupe, it's a lot more fun (per every review I've read) and for most of us... that's what we are here for.

On a side note, that FX35 SUV from Infiniti is really nice looking but is no replacement for a sports car or sedan. The reason the RX-8 is lightweight is because its very nimble, moreso than the G35 Coupe and 350Z which are signifigantly heavier cars. A truck that adds more weight on top of that would be even more boring to drive. And we can't have that

Just remember where you're posting before ya do Don't take any offense we are just happy that every review thus far has just met or exceeded our expectations of the car we will all soon own.

Skyline Maniac

No offense taken, I understand where you are coming from. All I am saying is that neither the G35C or RX-8 would make a good family car, which seems to be what the original poster is looking for. The argument for G35C vs RX-8 vs 350Z vs 330ci can go on forever, but that's not the topic here. I own a G35C, and I love it, but I don't think it would make a good family car, neither would the RX-8. (which seems to have stiller and less compliant ride base on magazine reviews) I know a SUV or wagon wouldn't be as fun as a sport car, but if practicality and safety are important issues, then you gotta give up something. The FX35 doesn't seem like such a big compromise, especially after a short test drive, A personal fun car is very different from a family car. For a family car, it's more important to be practical most of the time, and fun once awhile. In that sense, I think a sport sedan or cross over would make more sense than a sport car with back seats.

bwt: I have never sat in a manual car that can deliver the smoothness an automatic tranny can give you. You'd always notice the shifting especially at low speeds. I suppose it's possible, but you would have to be very patient and take it easy. Everytime your foot comes off the gas pedal, it makes the ride not as smooth. Automatic might shift slower, but it hides the shiting feel better for normal driving.

Also, you might want to recheck the magazine comparison of the G35C vs RX-8, the RX-8 won base on mostly a 500+lb advatage, which is HUGE. I doubt people buy the G35C for performance though, because there are many cheaper, lighter, and faster cars out there when it comes sport cars. (ex. Evo8, WRX STi, both new 4-seater sport dedicated cars that would have beaten RX8, G35C, and Mustang in that comparison given what they were looking for)

cueball

I have read that the FX45 has a fairly harsh ride due to the 20" wheels and stiff suspension, so I would asume it would be no worse than the RX8. As for saftey, you would rather put your family in a top heavy car that is more prone to roll over and thus have a greater chance of killing someone? I can see where you are coming from with your saftey concerns with the RX8, but in most instances it is just as safe as the FX45. Not to mention that it is SUVs like the FX45 that are making the roads unsafe for people who drive smaller cars.

m477

Funny. This is exactly what I predicted about this comparo, which is that Nissan and Ford people would try to claim that the RX-8 victory doesn't count for whatever reason.

Quote:

(ex. Evo8, WRX STi, both new 4-seater sport dedicated cars that would have beaten RX8, G35C, and Mustang in that comparison given what they were looking for)

The RX-8 had a perfect score in nearly every category that really counts, (fun to drive, handling, braking, etc) so I really doubt that.

gusmahler

Maybe I'm just driving the wrong cars, but I can always sense when my automatic is shifting. It may be smoother than a manual, but I can still feel it.

As for safety, you may be right. An SUV or larger sedan is probably safer, just because of the weight factor. For those dismissing Skyline Maniac as a troll, I do know people whose main criteria in shopping for a car is safety. It's not like the RX-8 is unsafe, just not as safe as an SUV. As a positive, the RX-8 probably has better braking than an SUV and should be a lot harder to roll over.

Toadman

Does Sparco, Recaro or Simpson make a child racing seat with 5-point quick-release harness? :D