G35

Test Drive: Infiniti G35 and G37

Published by G

Over the weekend, I test drove the G35 Journey + Premium and the G37 Base. I’m still very torn as to which I’d like to take home. Based on the quotes I’ve been getting, the G37 Base seems seems to lease a little bit better due to a higher residual value. It’s been such a dilemma for me lately that I decided to write a comparison which you can read below.

Performance: In everyday driving, the extra 30hp that the G37 provides is not very noticeable. They both provide a lot of low-end torque and potent acceleration. The steering on both vehicles is very light and nimble, making them both a pleasure to drive. Edge: Tie

Exterior Styling – In terms of exterior styling, the G37 has a lower profile, smooth lines and aggressive stance. The G35, compared to the G37, look a bit pudgy. Edge: G37

Interior Styling – They look very similar inside. The fit and finish is great and the materials are massively upgraded from the previous generation of the G-series. A 7″ info screen doubles as a video screen if you decide to hook up a dvd player or a gaming console to it using AV jacks. Video will not work while the vehicle is in motion, however, I’m sure the after-market community has found a way to by pass that. Edge: Tie.

Driver Comfort – I prefer the driving position of the G37. There is a difference since the G37 sits a bit lower and it makes me feel like I fit into the cockpit vs being on top of it. Edge: G37

Passenger Comfort – The G35 excels here obviously since it’s a 4-door sedan. There is more head room in the back and it’s easy to get in and out. This is not to say that the G37 is extremely uncomfortable for passengers, the main issue I have noticed is that rear windshield extends further up into the roof, exposing rear passengers’ head in direct sunlight. This makes for a very hot ride during the summer season. Edge: G35

Creature Comforts – Having a premium package on the G35 Journey certainly adds a load of fancy features such as moonroof, bluetooth, ipod control integration, dual climate controls, auto steering tilt, etc. Not to say the G37 base is poorly equipped, but having the premium package does add quite a few “bells and whistles”. Edge: G35

Trunk Space – Surprisingly enough, the G35’s trunk isn’t THAT big, but certainly at least 33% bigger than the G37. They are very similar in width and length dimensions, however, the G35’s trunk is a bit deeper than the G37s. Edge: 35

Price – The G37 has a MSRP of $35,215 and a sale price of $32,916. The G35, on the other hand, has a MSRP of $35,665 and sale price of $32,993. Unfortunately, due to lower residual value, the G35 will cost anywhere from $10-$22 dollars more per month, depending on the term and mileage you choose. Apparently the insurance increase is insignificant (about $3 per month), making the G37 base cheaper to lease. However, this won’t be the case if you opt for the G37 Journey + Premium or any other trim for that matter. Edge: G37

Overall, some of these categories tend to favor sedans over coupes (such as trunk space and passenger comfort), making the G35 the obvious choice. If you are usually the only one in the car, don’t carry passengers or pick up people at the airport on a regular basis, the coupe is certainly the more “driver oriented” of the two. As for me, my heart tells me the G37 is what I want, but the G35’s premium package is enticing me to reconsider. I could opt for the G37 Journey with Premium, but that will set me back another $40+ a month, which is about $2000 more over the life of the lease.

And then there were three (maybe four)

Published by G

I’ve been putting a lot of thought into the final 5 cars on my list and decided to scratch out the Acura TL. The car is a fairly common ride in SoCal. I like them like prime rib, medium-RARE, the TL is more like medium-well around these parts. Another reason is the rate hike, making the lease less attractive than it was back in March. So long, farewell, Auf wiedersehen Good Night!

Here are the remaining candidates in order of preference:

Infiniti G37 base – I’m working on perhaps getting this at $200 under invoice price…still waiting on some quotes. I’m shooting for around $1350 drive-off (1st payment, tags, bank fee, doc fee, etc…) and $414 a month. This car is stock though, so i don’t get all the fancy technology stuff the Journey offers. Its not to say that this comes poorly equipped, the standard list of features isn’t too bad actually. My main reason for lusting after this ride? the styling and the 330hp V-6 engine, which by the way, gets slightly better MPG than the Mazda CX7’s 4cyl Turbo.

Infiniti G35 Journey – Same as the G37 in terms of pricing. Working on $200 under invoice for ideal price. It should be around the same drive-off, but about $2 less per month (wooo-freaking-hoo), $412.

Mazda CX-7 GT – I like this car so far because its got potential to become a better deal. I know I can probably work it some more and get it under $400 a month with no more than $1000 drive-off. Plus this puppy is fully loaded, with the exception of RES (rear entertainment system), which is fine since I don’t have kids…yet. But everything else is there, including the poor gas mileage.

Afterthoughts

I’m keeping the Accord V6 coupe in the back burner right now…the money factor kills me, but I think if they are willing to sell for invoice it would really help offset the bad rate. This is more like the worst, worst, worst case scenario. It’s a long shot, but it’s still a shot since I really like the overall aspects of this car.

How do they drive you ask? No freaking clue, I haven’t even taken the time to go test drive them, but I am planning to go this coming weekend. It would be a good opportunity to get a feel for what I can get for my trade-in as well. I could probably wait another month to see if the rates improve too, but I’m getting rather antsy…which is not a good thing.

May 2008 Lease Rate for 08 Infiniti G35/G37

Published by G

2008 Infiniti G35 Journey Sedan
24 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 70% of MSRP – .00126 Base Rate
36 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 60% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2008 Infiniti G35 Sport Sedan
24 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 69% of MSRP – .00126 Base Rate
36 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 59% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2008 Infiniti G35 X Sedan
24 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 71% of MSRP – .00131 Base Rate
36 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 61% of MSRP – .00150 Base Rate

2008 Infiniti G37 Coupe
24 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 74% of MSRP – .00184 Base Rate
36 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00192 Base Rate

2008 Infiniti G37 Journey Coupe
24 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 72% of MSRP – .00184 Base Rate
36 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 62% of MSRP – .00192 Base Rate

2008 Infiniti G37 Sport Coupe
24 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 74% of MSRP – .00184 Base Rate
36 Month/12k miles/yr – Residual 63% of MSRP – .00192 Base Rate

Here are more rates (added 5/12/08):

G37 Base
39mo/15k – money factor 0.00190 – residual 61% .Base Rate

You should be able to estimate the residuals for the G35/G37 journey and sport (+/- 1% or 2%) by looking at the other numbers posted.

My Thoughts: The rates have dropped a tiny bit compared to last month. The problem is that the residuals have dropped some as well. Overall, payments should be around $10 less than last month. So things are definitely getting cheaper, the question is, is it going to get cheaper next month?