I drove all three today, as I'm considering these vehicles.

Quite an interesting day!

For vehicle dynamics, the overwhelming winner was the M35 (non-sport, btw), followed by the RL with the GS a very distant third. The M is a very sweet handling car, that responds fluidly and accurately to input from the helm. The RL felt muted and distant. The GS, well, is a Lexus after all

For ride, I liked the M35 (though it's not the softest ride, it's beautifully damped) followed by the RL with the floaty GS coming in third.

For quiet, the RL was the winner, followed by the M35 and the GS (somewhat surprisingly, the GS was louder than the competitors, especially tire noise).

For power, the M35 was the clear winner, followed by the RL and the GS.

For the interior quality, the RL wins hands down, followed by the M35 and the GS.

For solidity, the M35 won, followed closely by the Lexus, with the RL in third (again, a test car with numerous creaks).

Fun to drive? M35, with the other two not even close.

For technology? The RL wins hands down....you could spend all day running through all the menus. The GS and the M35 tie for a distant second. though the GS Bluetooth wouldn't work with my Treo 650. The lane warning system in the M35 is quite cool, and I didn't think it would be. Both the GS and the M do NOT allow data input for the nav system while the vehicle is in motion, which would make for a very unhappy co-pilot.

I'm still waiting to drive an M45 before deciding, but right now, my order of preference is:

M35
RL
GS300 (not even close).

Hope this is interesting.... let the games begin....

 

I also drove all three back to back. I agree with everything you say. The lexus is dead last by a long way. I hated the touch screen navigation and the interior buttons. Some of the buttons were covered by plates and the saleswoman told me that those are used for the 8 cylinder model. If I am dropping 50 large I do not expect to see reminders of what I didn't pay for in the car!! The Lexus did have the best exterior looks but this is not saying much for any of the cars.

M35 drove best by far. It was not even on my radar screen but after driving it it now is.

I really wanted the like the RL but it really is not a drivers car. Steering was to boosted for me.

Liked the M35
RL was cool but did not drive as I expected
Lexus was a looser. Any one who buys this car must be an old lady.

 

heh...I knwo what you meant by this joke but do note that not all Lexus cars lack the driving dynamics...the IS300 is killer in this area.

 

What would you expect they do? Design a whole new dash for each car that has a different option combo? Come on man...

I drive the RL so apparently it is a driver's car

Um, not everyone who buys cars looks for the car that can carve up the road the best. I am sure mnay young guys will buy the GS so it isn't for old ladies...

 

And your point is? So why didn't you just buy the M? No games except to say that you prefer one over the other. Go for it and enjoy!

 

fifty rocks, like your user name. Very appropriate to this thread. So, was the M35 you drove AWD or RWD? If RWD, that could help its handling and power. I guess I will test drive the M to find out more but will certainly drive the AWD version to compare apples to apples. For me I was willing to take a chance on the somewhat sedate driving dynamics of the RL even though the GS and M weren't out yet because I took a look at the early interior photos and decided back then I could not see myself in the M or the GS. Thanks for your post, it may not help current owners, but a good opinion is helpful to those still shopping.

 

(Also Posted in a Similar Thread)

After taking friends around to see the new Lexus and Infiniti competition (and having them drive several models), I'm happy to report they bought a new RL. (They skipped Mercedes with all the bad press about reported problems. And they didn't consider the BMW 5 Series or Audi A6 since they didn't like the looks of either one.)

Now I know there's bound to be differences of opinion on this (with plenty of sales going to each brand). But I'm just letting you know that after two days of exhaustive comparisons, the RL won this battle hands down.

If you're interested, my friends found the RL to have the superlative cabin, the quietest drive, the most features for the money, and the best looks by far (they found the Infiniti way too Nissan looking). While I would have supported their choice no matter what, I must say I agree 100% with this outcome. The color of their new baby is called Celestial Silver (I believe). Mine, which I bought back in mid-October, is Nighthawk Black Pearl.

 

It was the RWD version...the dealer at which I test-drove the M35 didn't have an AWD version yet.

The RL really has its strengths, no doubt. It's a fine car, with by far the best executed and coolest interior. As you point out, the M35 does betray its origins much more than the RL.

The post wasn't intended to help (or hurt) current owners, but rather provide some info to those considering a purchase (as am I, once ski season is over and my MDX goes up for sale).

One question for you...how do you like the ride of the RL. During both times I test drove it, it seems a bit pitchy to me....not that the car doesn't stay flat, but it seemed a bit on the jarring side to me. How do you find it after extended use?

thanks!

 

No flames from me; although I have the RL, I'm sure I would be thrilled with any of these cars.

But I still can't get over that you can't input to the NAV while in motion in the GS and M. You've heard of people with a poor sense of direction? I have NO sense of direction. None. I can easily get lost just miles from my house. So the no input thing would cause me much angst. The RL's nav is simply superb. But I know that's not the deciding factor for most people, especially those that post on these forums.

But really, I don't think you can go wrong with any of these cars. Heck, I'm just happy I'm not driving an old Pinto.

 

LOVE the ride. I have not experienced the pitchy/jarring feeling. The SHAWD is terrific, absolutely noticeable and effective when the car is pushed in the corners. Take the RL into a sharply curved highway ramp and let her rip. Or go find some twisties.

I have not driven the other cars (and I don't plan to), so I can't compare, sorry.

I'm not trying to sell anyone on the RL. Quite the opposite, I rather like driving something that you don't see all over the road!

 

No flames here, either. I'm an RL owner and I've test driven the new M35, M45 Sport, and GS300. I completely agree with all your comments. In my book, the RL and M are pretty much equal, but with different strengths, and the GS is a distant second, with its only strength being it's unique exterior looks (love 'em or hate 'em). The M is definitely more fun to drive, although the RL can hang in corners like no other car I've ever driven.

 

Great review by fifty_rocks.

The most important deciding factor for me if I was to choose one of these is the crash test results. Anyone has an idea when these tests are usually done for a new car such as the M and the GS?

 

Car and Driver has the M45 Sport tested at a G force of 0.86 g, while the RL has it at 0.89 and the NSX has 0.90 for comparison.

How should one intrepret these numbers?

 

To clarify, the 0.89 for the RL is Acura's number, and Car and Driver has it at 0.87.

 

The larger the number, the greater the ability to stick during cornering.

 

I was considering the RL until I drove the M35. Why do yo say for technology the RL wins hands down? It's got less impressive features than the M: the M has ventilated seats, adaptive cruise control/pre crash seatbelts, active head restraints, backup camera, lane departure warning system, etc, etc. You can even get the M with a premium package that includes reclining/heated rear seats and a motorized fold-down DVD screen on the ceiling...
Where does the RL wins hand-down in this area?

You can input data to the NAV by using the voice recognition feature, can't you? By the way the nav system is great on the M (and you can watch DVDs on it while the car is stopped and in Park; of course, that's a bit over the top but still pretty cool).
I always thought the RL looks better than the M. The RL looks very classy (Jaguar type of thing) while the M feels and looks sporty (BMW-like). Only my opinion. Both cars are wonderful.

 

I'm just guessing, but he may have been referring to SH-AWD. It makes the RL stick like glue in corners. The RL also has NavTraffic (not available in all cities) that will tell you traffic speed and warn you of accidents ahead of time. That's some pretty impressive technology that, for most people, would probably be more useful than the fold-down DVD screen, reclining rear seats, etc. in the M. Personally, those are things I would never use, but I do use SH-AWD and NavTraffic. It all depends on what is important to you.

 

I really wouldn't list the reclining rear seats as an advantage. Here is a pic from the flagship Q45 with the rear seat in reclining mode...as you can see, it's not all that it's worked up to be. In fact, it's pretty useless. And the M35's wheelbase is only about 1 inch longer than the Q45, rear leg room measurements are the same for both cars.

 

My wife is 5'2" and I am 6'2" so if she was driving then maybe I could use that feature. Nice option if we were to ever sit in the back. We never sit in the back seats so it would be useful for us. The interior looks pretty good in this picture though. The rears seat looks comfortable though except for the leg room in recline mode.

 

Just a reminder (cause from the post, I couldn't tell if you were aware), that is the Q45's interior, not the M35/45.

 

Oh, my bad dog.

Thanks, foe the correction

 

SH-AWD is an incredible thing, indeed. But honestly, how many people buying the RL will get to use this to a reasonable amount of its potential? Yes it makes you corner like a kart but in my daily commute on Highway 101 (San Francisco Bay Area) I don't give a damn. That's one of the thing that surprised me in the RL, while I agree the technology behind this feature is impressive, you cannot buy a RL without this option. I pay more for something I don't want. Of course you will tell me that people buying the RL do it because of SH-AWD :o)
You can get a M with or without AWD, although I'm sure the Inifiniti system is not as smart as SH-AWD.

NavTraffic is a cool feature and one of the thing I wanted the M to have. Nissan just signed with XM to have that service provided to properly equipped vehicles but I don't know what that means in terms of updates: would it be possible to update the nav software in the M to get NavTraffic when the service is implemented for Infiniti? I sure hope so.

Yeah, those reclining rear seats do eat up a lot of legroom, I would like to see them working in the M though. I'm hoping the pic you showed is with the driver's seat fully backward...

 

Well, guess what??? I don't live in SFO and I don't take Hwy 101 everyday, so I do give a damn. I do not give a damn about sitting in my car to watch a DVD because I can do that in the comfort of my home... or reclining the back seats because I never ride back there. As I said, it's all in what's important to you.

 

I can only assume that they are not. Cause with the seats not reclined, there is a significant amount of legroom.

 

dseag2, just curious, how does SH-AWD help your everyday driving (it's not ironic, it's a question). How many times can you feel SH-AWD engage when you drive your RL in a typical day?

 

The driver's seat in that other pic is fully backward. Here's another example of the Q45's reclining seats:

 

your point is well taken, SH-AWD probably won't make much difference to most people's daily commute, however,...

I go out of my way to choose as many of the twisty-turny roads I know of, just to enjoy the SH-AWD. I only wish there were more of these roads in my area and fewer cars around (safety first) whenever the opportunity to 'punch it' presents itself.

I would really like to try the car out on a closed course just to gauge how far you can push the SH-AWD. I do not have much experience with AWD (the MDX I traded doesn't count), but I am having a lot of fun with this car !!

btw, I work at home and don't have a daily commute, so most of my driving is just for the fun of it.

 

Thanks for these other pics DownUnder!
Now, that doesn't look too bad, especially since the M has a bit more legroom than the Q45. I just wonder how far back the front seats are in these pics.

 

The M does not have more legroom than the Q. They are both listed at 37.3 inches per their Edmunds spec sheet.

 

The front seats looks like they're more farther back then in the middle position. Here's a pic that appears to have the front seats all the way forward with the rear seats fully reclined.

 

[QUOTE=nicolasj]SH-AWD is an incredible thing, indeed. But honestly, how many people buying the RL will get to use this to a reasonable amount of its potential? Yes it makes you corner like a kart but in my daily commute on Highway 101 (San Francisco Bay Area) I don't give a damn. That's one of the thing that surprised me in the RL, while I agree the technology behind this feature is impressive, you cannot buy a RL without this option. I pay more for something I don't want. Of course you will tell me that people buying the RL do it because of SH-AWD :o)
You can get a M with or without AWD, although I'm sure the Inifiniti system is not as smart as SH-AWD.

One thing about the SH-AWD that is not mentioned by Acura or on the forums is that it is engaged when the car is going through curves, not just during cornering. If you want to confirm this just look at the MID when taking a curve, but do it at your own risk. Does it make a difference in how it handles curves? I believe it does. So next time you go into a curve a little to quick, it will stablize the car more than if it didn't have the SH-AWD.

Since the M45 Sport handles very well from the reviews so far and it has a g less than the RL, I would say that the SH-AWD does its job just as well if not better than the M in making the RL a good/great handling sports sedan. This is what a lot of the owners want.

 

The RL does indeed have ventilated seats...just clarifying. Click image to enlarge.

 

Yes, but exactly how do you get two reasonably sized people on the driver's side? From the look of it this is yet another great marketing gimmick that fails to deliver in the real world.

Pete

 

For Canada. For the US market, it doesn't.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but IMO, for those reclining seats to actually be useful, the Q would need a long wheelbase model. I can see those reclining seats working in something like this:

 

OH man, that's stupid! Here, you might need them MAYBE 4 months out of the year. It makes no sense why a winter wasteland would get them when places like California or Texas don't even have them as an option...

 

Unless you're close to seven feet tall you're not going to have the driver's seat all the way back. Sure your not going to have the legroom of a Maybach 62, but you'll still have enough legroom to recline the rear seat all the way with two average sized people on the driver's side comfortably.

 

The specs and the picture from nicolasj do not seem to agree with your guess, unless your average sized person is smaller than mine

There is not a significant difference in the cockpit size according to Edmunds...a couple of inches only, yet the reclining rear seat looks like it has removed about 6 inches of legroom from the rear...all towards the front seat.

I'm not sure I'd like to be in that reclined rear seat for any long distance....but the proof can only be found by sitting in the car. Anyone who has looked at the Q45 live tested this feature out?

Pete

 

On Wednesday I'm trying a M35 AWD with the Premium Package (which includes the reclining rear seats), I will post my impressions on Thursday...

 

Who rides in the back seat anyway. The M's reclining seats look great if you don't have any legs. BTW the 01 Ford Escape I used to own had reclining rear seats and so does my 04 Trailblazer.