dseag2

I totally understand what you're saying. The only problem for me personally is that it is the other drivers I mentioned that really need this, but I'd be the one buying it as part of a "technology" package (on Infiniti) just to get keyless entry, etc. Ultimately, it costs additional money. If Acura included it on the RL, the price would inevitably increase.

Fortunately, Acura put just the right mix of features in the RL for my particular needs, but I certainly understand there are other people who would be willing to pay for more.

jrock65

Some excerpts from the C&D article on the M45:

"Infiniti claims the rear-seat room to be on a par with that of the Lexus LS430 (at 46 cubic feet, the M45 has two fewer than the Lexus), and sure enough, we found space back there tolerable even for a six-foot-five passenger."

"In the M45 Sport we flung about on the roads of the Angeles National Forest, this behavior became highly addictive."

"The sweeping, wave-shaped dashboard has a shallow contour angle that makes the surfaces recede from the occupants, thus increasing the perception of space. All in all, it is a pleasant environment."

"we think the M45 feels remarkably organic at the controls when being hurried along. It turns in willingly and hangs on tenaciously. The steering is naturally weighted and wonderfully precise."

"a five-channel DVD Bose Studio Surround stereo with 14 speakers (two in each front seat) that has to be heard to be believed"


http://caranddriver.com/article.asp?...&page_number=1

Rob L

i still am surprised its skidpad number isn't higher.

and that car is loud at idle. well, no loud but higher than what i expect in a luxury sedan.

i still think the speakers in the seat is a silly idea...at least on paper

machination

I agree with C&D, with all those flat buttons the dash does resemble an ATM:

machination

The other thing I find interesting about the M is the acceleration time; the new model spanks the old model, with the same engine, though it's heavier. That suggests either it was overrated before, underrated now, or they got the gearing right this time.

Rob L

Yikes. I think the layout for the dash is horrible.

I hate the look of the stereo with the knobs being inside the wood trim. Looks tacky to me.

The seat heat/cool knob is also in a silly place..IMO of course.

What is up with the chore/aluminum strip running along the dash but doesnt join up in the middle? Looks weird to me.

I notice there is a voice button underneath the joystick control...is there not a voice button on the steering wheel? If so, that is dumb and defeats a little of the purpose of using voice control rather than fish for buttons on the center stack.


I also do not like the wood they use based on the pic.

8-)

Is that an analog clock above the CD player?

jrock65

IMO the interior of the M is beautiful and calming (w/ the wood).

The RL interior is nice too, but more "techie".

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

That's just an Infiniti quark. They've always done the analog clock thing.

8-)

I like analog, including analog clocks. But not in my car.

It looks like the clock is not easy to read, especially while driving, due to the viewing angle. It appears to to be placed too low. Just my opinion, I'd really have to sit in the car to know for sure. Anybody know?

hemants

Cdn pricing for the M has been announced.

It looks like the Base M35 will be about $10k cheaper than the RL. I'm sure AWD and all the tech/sport goodies will add close to $10k.

We'll see.

Rob L

It is a given it will increase the price by 10 grand CDN seeing as how adding this stuff to the U.S. car is like 10 grand.

I bet the price for the M35x with similar goodies that the RL has will be 72-75grand CDN. That is my guess. Still a good price for the car I am sure and it will have some stuff (laser cruise, that lane departure system) the RL does not so I guess that will account for some of the increase in price.

I hope to read about how the M35x is overpriced here just like I kept reading about the RL being overpriced.



On another note, I agree that the location of the clock in the M is stupid and the analog clock itself is stupid to have in a car.

You know, I think the interior looks fairly nice and I am sure it has great material quality but IMO, the layout flat out sucks. I am sure this will get overlooked by many simply because the car has a V8 option that has incredible performance...but if there is anyone who truly feels that car has a better layout than the RL then damn, that will amaze me.

mungoac

Love that infiniti clock

AcuraRLBlue

Does anyone know the HP for the M35 AWD? That clock is retro.

Stevens24

M35 AWD will have 280 hp equipped with just technology package it will retail for $53,700. M45 withsimilar package will be 56-58k depending o sport or not. the 40-43k version is with NO options.

jrock65

If you're talking about the U.S. prices, you are wrong. The M35 AWD with Journey and Tech packages is $49,960. Moreover, it has things such as Lasercruise, cooling seats, and rearview camera.

jrock65

The M35 has 20 less hp, but 10 more torque. I expect the 0 to 60 to be about equal to the RL's 6.7s.

The M45 with Journey and Tech is $54,310.

AcuraRLBlue

This will make it a competitive alternative to the RL.

rets

The price of new M (US FUGA)???

Rob L

Just got my R&T and read the M45 review...

This is why I love car reviews. There is never the same sort of "standard" in how the reviews appear in the mags and it is silly to me. yes I realize that different people can do the reviews and yes, I realize they will focus on different aspects but come on...In this review it talks about the M's skidpad and slalom figures yet in the RL's review it says notta. Why not? The RL's figures are pretty impressive especially when one takes into account it got its figures using all season tires known to not be that great in the performance area. You slap some summer tires on the RL and I'd love to see what numbers it would get. Just find it funny that in the RL review hardly anything was talked about the performance yet in this M45 it is almost all they talk about.

Oh and once again, I know they are only pictures but I was less impressed by the M's interior than before. Again, the layout stinks and the materials based on the pics don't look all that impressive compared to the RL or models from lexus, MB, etc. but I know they are just pics and real life may prove me wrong. I shall see. I will go out on the limb and state that my belief is that the RL interior is better designed/laid out and has better materials and when I get a chance to sit in the new M my belief here will be shown to be true.

Rob L

oh and they said the M45 posted the best skidpad figure for a production sedan they have tested. Interesting because back in 2001 they got 0.91g with the IS300...I guess they either forgot about that test or do not care about the past.

I know it does not matter but I just found it funny the info they gave was false.

jrock65

Yes, prices are on infiniti.com

BTW, the Japanese Fuga doesn't offer the 4.5L V8, at least not yet.

jrock65

March Motortrend Comparo.

1) M35 (Non-sport)
2) RL
3) 530i sport
4) STS V6
5) A6
6) S-type

M35 stats:
0-60: 6.3
60-0: 118 ft
1/4 mile: 14.7@92
slalom: 64.4
skidpad: .86g

I guess the GS was not available for testing. Dunno why the E320 was not included.

DownUnder

Those are some impressive numbers for the M35. I'm guessing it was the RWD M35 right? What did the RL get BTW? And I'm surprised the A6 placed 5th.

machination

The RL came in 2nd place, and the A6 actually placed 4th instead of 5th.

Rob L

What were the stats for the RL? Why did they choose the M35? Was it just the fact that it performed better or did they feel it had a more luxurious interior? Oh that is right...motortrend doesnt give a shit about anything but performance unless the car they like the best also has a great interior..only then do they mention it and act like it is important to them. hehe

I also would like to see a test on the M35x so hopefully one of these mags will do a test on it but I doubt they will since RWD versions of the M exist.

vishnus11

damn im pissed..didnt get that issue (yet). But anyways....

The road and track issue that everyone's talking about...if u look at the cruise noise levels at 50mph and 70mph they are 82db and 78db!!! This is pretty darn loud. Flip a few pages back and the scion tc tested has 50/70 cruise noise levels of 68 and 73 respectively. I think the RL's cruise noise level at 70 is about 68db.

Pretty interesting...either I read the whole thing wrong an need to get my eyes chjecked.....or R&T made a typo ...or the M45 is pretty darn loud

jrock65

I think it must have been a typo, since C&D got 67 db for 70 mph for the M45 Sport.

Rob L

yeah the dB levels for the M45 HAD to be a typo...or they ahve the windows open as they did the sound reading.

If the M45 was that loud it'd be louder than almost all supercars out there and well, that wouldn't jive.

ResidualFreedom

from the interior pics I personally like the M45 dash..... the RL gauges.... and the RL doors....

The exterior are so different it IS basically your personal choice...I think the Lexus looks like a stretched Chrystler 300M with a Bubble in the rear seats... maybe some Magnum stylin' too. In my opinion it's way to "hearsey"..

No meaning to sound bais.. I wouldn't even consider the Lexus on the exterior stylin... it is "fugly".. from bumper to bumper it looks like a "dogs breakfast!!". Either way too many chefs in the kitchen during the design period.. or way too much drugs in the room!



The style points would have to go to the RL and the M45. The RL has gone in it's own direction.. more of a "sporty-luxury style" than the other designs, it looks fast standing still... I like it ,


... I like the look of the M45, clean cool and simple.. but it looks too similar to the G35 Sedan... however I can see how some people might want the "simple-sleeper-luxury" look that was started (I think) with the eairly 90's Audi's... leaving the M45 leading the "simple-sleeper-luxury" catagory.


It's all personal preference.. I might take the M45 over the RL... maybe not. (I'd love to be in the situation of deciding...either way) Depending on what I want out of the car....

I might be alone with this but the Lexus wouldn't even be in the running...

ResidualFreedom

according to the workplace safty act if your work area has a constant 83dbl you should be wearing hearing protection.... because 8 hours of constant 83 dbl can cause hearing loss.

Just so you guys know... I thought that was pretty funny that the cars run around that level, but I guess because we are not in our cars for 8 hours constantly it's not an issue. By those standards truck drivers either have very insulated and quiet cabins or they would eventually have deminished hearing..... "what?"

DownUnder

I dunno but I kinda like the new GS it's not my favorite design but it doesn't look that bad. Although that huge C-pillar looks like a big blindspot and could make it harder to back out of a parking spot.

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

This is the first close up picture in a light color I've seen of the M. Those buck teeth up front and some of the lines look odd and somewhat out of place. Hmm....

Karl_in_Chicago

Looks like a G35 with oversized wheels and an Infiniti badge. Ho-hum, the RL looks much nicer IMO.

jrock65

MSRP's

2006 GS300 AWD with Nav 49999 (without levinson stereo)

2006 GS300 AWD w/out Nav 47024 (without levinson stereo)

2006 GS430 RWD w/Nav and chrome 58743 (nav and chrome are standard)


The above was posted by someone else in another forum. I can't vouch for the authenticity.

dseag2

The bottom line is it all boils down to personal taste. This segment is the "sweet spot" for me, so I was expecting at least one of these carmakers to knock exterior design out of the ballpark, but none did. Maybe I'm just getting jaded, but none of them really gets the adrenaline flowing.

The RL certainly didn't blow me away at first, but I have developed more and more of an appreciation for the design over the past 2 months that I've owned it.

What does blow me away every time is the interior. The blue lighting, the two-tone taupe, the pewter and silver trim... really classy. And I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a car that allowed me to change the color of the nav display from blue to gray to white to brown just to keep things interesting. This is where I think the RL really shines.

jrock65

Excerpts from the MT comparo is trickling in:

".... several staffers preferred the RL's blend of luxury and performance, but others felt it lacks the visceral immediacy and tactile feedback to the steering, throttle, and brakes that are hallmarks of a true driver’s car. Second place but barely. You'll find those qualities, and more, in the first place finisher, the Infiniti M35. Though not as powerful as the Acura RL, the M35 proved the quickest, thanks to lower weight and closer ratio gearing. The Infiniti's front-midship layout provides near-perfect weight balance, and the chassis communicates texture and grain that makes the driving experience all the richer. Of course, the Infinity's cabin is hushed and exquisitely trimmed in rich leather , real wood, and techno toys , but look, traffic just cleared. Time to put down the joystick and grip that steering wheel. When the road is yours, and yours alone you'll want to be behind the wheel of the Infiniti M35."

"... like all BMW sedans over the last three decades , the 530i leaves no doubt that it is a drivers car. It has great poise, finely balanced weight distribution, and a turbine smooth in line six, and it tied for first place in Motor trend's figure eight test. So why isn't the 530i the overall winner? We found the middle BMW polarizing, some editors enjoying its harder edges but many flummoxed by the unpredictability of its Active Steering, confused by obtuse iDrive functions, and repelled by its "flame-buoyant" styling. All agreed that the third place 530i offers the least value for the money"

Rob L

The 06 Lexus GS is now on Lexus Canada's website and you can see what features it has and also build it. As has been stated (I think earlier in this thread) the loaded GS300 AWD comes out to 77 grand CDN. All it really has loaded up over the RL seems to be parking sensors and rain sensing auto wipers. Sorry, but unless it is as quiet as the LS430 and handles better than the M and RL I do not see how it is a contender. It also is pretty equal in interior dimensions with the RL so I'd think the room inside should be about the same as the RL unless Acura has some funky way to measure stuff.

Hmm, I wonder what 1sicklex and other Lexus fanboys (again, I am a huge Lexus fan but am not blinded by the L) will say about this car. Before dimensions were released they went on how it would be much bigger than the RL inside and it appears it isnt.

All I know is based on all this initial info and the look of the car inside and out, I am glad I did not wait for it. I actually thought the price would be a bit less too. Unless this car handles like a banshee it would seem to me Lexus dropped the ball. Sheesh. Thanks guys.





Hmm, so it seemed like the MT comparo was a very close one between the M35 and RL.

jrock65

I would think that "Second place but barely" meant that it barely placed above the 3rd place 530i.

Rob L

yeah...I read it wrong. hehe