vicneo

Any thoughts... i am a inadvertent techy...am floored by the collission avoidance system esp if it works

any thoughts

should i buy the accura when it comes out or the infinity mx35awd with the tech journey packages

paul_philly

C'mon man, you're asking that question on Acurazine?. Mostly everyone here crossed shopped both cars and choose the RL for different reasons. Some preferred the SH-AWD over a computer selected AWD. Some (like me) loved the M, exception being the interior. Some decisions came down to who was offering the better deal.

Just a suggestion - don't let a single feature sway you. Drive both cars, negoiate your best deal, then purchase the vehicle that's right for you. Can't go wrong with either one...

If you buy the RL, don't forget to post here.

ASP

search the forum . . . this has all been discussed MANY times . . .

crazytsxmods

Well if you like the interior build quality of a chevy cobolt I would go with the mx35awd. If you like the RL, I would go for it because everytime you look at the Infiniti at a light you are going to be like dam, do they use the same plastic parts supplier as GM.

vp911

Agreed.

nicolasj

Dude you can't even spell COBALT right so how can you possibly know it's the same plastic parts in there as it is in the Infiniti? Not even funny. And WTF is a "mx35awd"?
I'm sorry but this is just a load of bull. Comparing a $50k car to a $12k POS... You have some nerves. You may have the best plastic parts in the world but you did not make the list of most reliable vehicles for 2006...
And yes I do own an M.

Steve C

LOL!

CrazyMods is way too funny & I like the entertainment value of his post!
Seriously though, he is giving you very poor advice!
The M interior is gorgeous & materials are very well made!
"Build" quality is A++!!!
Interior style & function will be more of a factor as to which car you choose, among many other considerations. The RL interior to me has more of a luxury edge, as opposed to the M's "Sport/Luxury feel.

It really is a combination of features/options & driving styles we each have that will gravitate you to one car over the other.

My advice, take your time, go back to your favorite Acura & Infiniti dealers several times to sit, play, & road test both these very fine vehicles!

I did, & chose an M35x over the RL because I liked:
Backup Cam
heat & cooled seats
Laser Cruise
*Aud/Vid RCA Input jacks w/AUX function on NAV screen to play remote device
*Split Screen NAV map option
*BirdsEye view NAV map option
*DVD videos can be played on NAV screen (player is in console)
Full sized OEM alloy spare wheel
Choice of XM or Sirius (I chose Sirius, had to have it)
Tire pressure monitor system displays actual tire pressures in PSI for all 4 tires
& a few other "subjective" items that concerned me about the RL that made me feel the M was a better value.

I put *'s next to the NAV features that the RL does not have, because in a previous post CrazyMods noted the "M" NAV was inferior to the RL, but he fails to mention why. I'm not saying these features make the M NAV better, just different!

In the end, my only regret is that I cannot own both.
Every time I see an RL at a stop light, I know that its driver made the right choice for his needs & wants, and that he is enjoying it as much as I do my M.....and that is what makes both the RL & M such great cars!

CrazyMods, you are missing the point dude!

DCRL

I wouldn't "make book" on Steve C's views either. His post is littered with opinion and misstatements (sorry, dude, but it is). The playing of DVDs on the NAV screen can be done with a hack, but is not legal (and is possible on the RL with the right equipment too). A backup camera is available for the RL (and can be retrofitted for 2005 models as well). The aud/vid input jacks are available on the M, but only with an enormously expensive option, as in the rear-seat DVD system. The full sized spare wheel is a joke, since it does not properly sit in the well and takes up a huge amount of space from the trunk. And the question of look and fit/finish is entirely in the eye of the beholder (on both cars).

Best advice, I believe, is for you to judge both cars for yourself. Period. Test them thoroughly. Enjoy the comparison and learn from it. No matter which way you go, it's going to be a big investment.

vicneo

well I am looking to compare the RL 2006 with the tech package to the M35x

here is what I can figure out

comparing RL w tech and dealer fitted sonic parking assist and rear camera w M35x w premium packet

Rl = aprox 53 K +1.5 kfor dealer fitted options ( best guess)+ 615 dest
M35 = 54290

RL has collission avoidance system that m35 doesnt
m35 has lane change warning system and ventilated sseats etc.

dont know how much either dealer will negotiate with either car.

for info on the 2006 acura go to acura.com

Steve C

DCRL,
I did not litter my post with "opinion". If I did, please point those opinions out!
I respectively wish to counter your comments on what you read to be mistatements by me, as you list them, and in doing so clear up any M misconceptions.
I emphasize "respectfully" because I have much respect for you, and your opinions & postings you make to the group! My post was intended to diffuse the idiotic comments CrazyMods made, a poster who is funny, but I have little respect for his opinions!
So, that said...here goes my answers to to your comments!

1). The playing of DVD's on the Infiniti screen is not a hack.
It is viewed while vehicle is in park. It is a feature & is engineered to to so, it is not a modification of any sort!
No "additional" equipment needed (as on the RL)!!!
The hack is if you wish to view it while vehicle is in motion. (In motion only the audio portion will play, The video resumes when you stop & put trans. in park).
How much $$$ would it take you to retro your RL to play DVD?


2). The Aud/vid jacks are not an enormously expensive option......in fact, an M35x with the Tech & Journey pack, & splash guards is $50,900 USD MSRP & gives you a lot of nice features in addition to the jacks. MSRP on the RL is very close!
How much $$$ would it take you to retro your RL to have a backup cam?

3). The "Mobile" Entertainment option for the Rear seat Video is indeed a $1500 USD option, but as you can see if you reread my post, I did not make any mention of it because it would not have been fair. I am glad you pointed out that it is available to those that would like it though! Yes DCRL, choice is nice!

4). "Full size spare is a joke?.....LOL! That is your opinion, not mine! I won't comment on the "pro's" of having one...if it is not your bag....that's cool dude!
The M full size tire & wheel assembly is big.....I give you that! You lose an additional 4" of trunk floor height with the spare! I'll take that trade off any day to have a full spare & correct wheel assembly! If you feel it is not for you, you can opt for the spacesaver (as the RL only offers). Yes DCRL, Choice is nice!
No need to pay $200 for the full spare option if you don't like!
The full spare incorporates a modified floor to accomodate the full spare & size difference. It fits like a glove as engineered to do so by Infiniti!
My wife was more than pleased with the trunk space the full spare offered, as it was a concern to her before purchase!
BTW, if I wanted to retro an RL to accept a full spare, will it fit in the wheel well?
If you install the spacesaver on your RL, where do you put the wheel you take off?
Now DCRL, if there is a joke anywhere in your comments about a full size spare, it may be here!

5). "And the question of look and fit/finish is entirely in the eye of the beholder (on both cars)."
Indeed DCRL......I cannot agree more. It is subjective, I would not fault either the M or RL here. You must be mistaking me for the comments CrazyMods made!
I would never bash the Acura RL....it is a sweet ride indeed!

Your Honor......the defense rests. The prosecution may now take the floor.

vp911

This could turn into a great debate. Vicneo - as far as your question is concerned - you are going to generally get biased answers here. In my opinion I would go with the RL especially if you live somewhere where it snows. The SH-AWD is no joke/gimmick - it kicks ass and I can only wait to drive in the snow with it.

Rob L

I'd say RL as I think it has the better interior, exterior and more advancedr AWD system but then again, I chose the RL rather than getting the new M so obviously I will say RL.

All I know is you have to drive both and see which one fits your needs/personality better. I doubt you will go wrong with either car so it isnt like one choice is bad because again, it just comes down to personal preference.

ASP

here we go again . . .

bluemule

I agree completely. I could make a long list of what I prefer in either car over the other. My dealer sells Infinity and sent me a brochure, but I didn't test drive one until my first RL service. It's a very nice car and is highly recommended by Consumers Reports (I'm a life member).

I didn't particularly come away from that test drive feeling that I'd made a poor choice by purchasing the RL. I'd likely felt the same way if I had purchased the Infinity.

Test drives are OK, and speaking for myself only, I personally would not be able to decide whether I preferred one car over another unless I had driven each vehicle for a few months. I'm only now beginning to feel comfortable in my RL...and I took delivery in June. During that period, I felt much more at home in my '94 Honda. However, now I'm uncomfortable in the Honda and wonder how I was able to put 459,000 miles on it and not feel claustrophobic and underpowered.

Old habits are hard to break.

Fred

vp911

Wow. That car lasted a long time!

Steve C

Yep! I agree 100%
By far the hardest choice I have ever made between 2 cars!
I couldn't go wrong either way!
No "poor choice" pick of the litter between these 2 autos!

If I were in a game show & had to pick between 2 curtains not knowing which was the M or the RL, I would not be disappointed one way or the other!

crazytsxmods

Hey Nicolasj. Don't be hatin because you only have enough money to own one piece of shit.Did I touch a nerve. This is a forum and to my understanding we all have opinions. If someone tells me the paint on my RL is crap I will be like you know he's right. I have stated that myself. Get on some prozac and learn how to except critisism. If you read enough posts hear you would have already heard me make fun of my spelling and that is old news. Crazy cannot spell so I dont even try. As far as spelling I am not very good. I do so well I don't have to write very often so I usually pass it on to someone like you in the office to proofread. Is that spelled right. Please let me know thanks.

crazytsxmods

Oh and I do like the M allot, all I said was I do not like the interior as much. Hech my wife wants an suv and we are shopping the FX. Do I like the interior, no not as much as the MDX IMHO but the performance,handling, and exterior styling blows away everything in its class.

vp911

Sorry, kinda going off topic here... but the FX def. has the best handling, and personally I actually liked the materials better than the MDX But, if I were to purchase another SUV, I would get the MDX over the FX because the FX has a leaky sunroof well mine did - and a few others that I have also helped get repurchased under the lemon law.

crazytsxmods

Thanks, sorry to get off topic Vic. We do love the FX but I will have to look into the sunroof problem you mentioned. We might wait for the new MDX to come out and see what that looks like. Everytime I see a fx35/45 with the 20" wheels pull up next to me in black and I hear that exhaust note. Is exhaust spelled right. I dont want to make anyone have a temper tantrom. I drool.

vp911

Yes, exhaust is spelt correctly. Ineed the FX with the 20" wheels is an awesome looking vehicle. crazytsxmods - feel free to PM me about the sunroof problem.

Anyways, lets get back on topic. One thing with the 06' Tech packae is the adaptive cruise control. I had this on the FX35 and hated it for two reasons. One: the laser from the ACC would make my radar detector go off every 10 seconds. I ended up putting duct tape over the sensor so I could use my radar. Two: if using the ACC, going around a curve on a highway, if there is a semi truck going in the other direction, the car would slow down because it thinks the truck is directly infront of me but the CMBS - I speculate is similar to what I had in the FX - and I never had a chance to see how well it worked or not - it was repurchased after only a few months of ownership.

hondamore

1. Why would I want to sit in my parked car and watch DVD's on the Nav screen??
2. In 30 years of driving, I have never used a spare tire (knock wood). I think that the vast majority of people use their trunk regularly and thus would rather have 4 inches more depth to the trunk than a full size spare that never gets used. Yes, having a full size spare allows the option of driving for days or weeks or months with the spare in place and the damaged tire neatly stowed away, but what if you drive over a nail during that time? If you damage a tire, get it fixed or replaced immediately. The temporary spare tire necessitates this wise course of action.
3.The wood trim in the M looks cheap. Period. Even the Infiniti salesman that I dealt with confessed that it is a flaw.

Steve C

Yes Hondamore,
Those 3 points are your opinions, & I will not knock or comment on them, because those are truly important/unimportant or useless/poor features or aesthetics for your desires or taste! Subjective, but valid opinions I can respect!
I would like to discuss item #2 if I may however:

It is true tires are better then ever. You may never use your spare, but it may be nice to have if you curb up or damage one of your 4 wheels!
Presto, nice new shiny wheel & tire out.....scuffed up one is now the spare! Sweet yes?
As far as the comment you made:

"If you damage a tire, get it fixed or replaced immediately. The temporary spare tire necessitates this wise course of action.

That sounds good, and it may work for you, but not for me.
I do not feel I need Acura to assist me in necessitating tire repair by not offering me a full size spare option!
I'm a big boy, and understand the need to get a damaged tire replaced ASAP whether I am substituting it with a temporary spare or full size one.

johnhayd

I'm hoping to buy an RL soon: I've been waiting for the 2006 RL so I could have CMBS too: It sounds like a great safety feature. However Consumer Reports published a list of reliable vs unreliable cars on it's website this week. Everyone probably knows that the Infiniti M was listed as a very reliable car. In the text of the article, they listed the RL as having average reliability.

As many people have said, I need to drive the two cars back to back and decide for myself. I've test driven an RL twice but have yet to drive an M.

vp911

I wonder why they listed the RL as average reliability? Perhaps because of the original electrical problems.

Steve C

Perhaps.....
But that would not deter me one way or the other if I liked the car!
The warranty is great & should address issues as they arise.
If I had a concern about it, I would just spring for the extended warranty for the extra peace of mind. I did on my M because all this techno stuff will cost $$$ to repair, (regardless of who builds it)!
Japanese car quality is the benchmark all others are striving for, & Acura is right up with the best of them! I think MB would love to have Acura's "average" rating these days!
I think an average rating today is akin to an above average rating of a few years ago!
The benchmark keeps going up, & that is good for the consumer!
We can thank the Japanese for that!

Rob L

how can a site comment on the reliability of cars that are less than a year old? Do they drive the hell out of the cars to see how they do with lots of miles on them?

as for the full size spare tire stuff....I just think it is downright cheap to include a dinkie ass spare on a car of this price. It is more of a principality issue with me than the actual tire.

hondamore

If I scuff or damage a wheel, I fix it or I buy a new one AND I didn't have to compromise trunk space for years. Sweet yes? Smart yes? Why don't you buy an extra windshield and store it in the trunk in case you damage your windshield, you would have a perfect windshield ready and you could then store the damaged one in your trunk. Maybe store an extra driver's seat in your trunk as well just in case the leather gets ripped. The point that I was making is that the use of spare tires is relatively rare and to pay extra for a full size spare and permanently compromise trunk space just in case such a rare event happens, is lacking in logic.

DCRL

Steve C, I do not want to argue with you. My points were that the features you mention may not exactly be "pluses" to prospective buyers once they know the limitations behind each. (Such as those mentioned today by Hondamore.) Further, my meaning of "joke" regarding the full size spare is simple, though probably not communicated well enough. When I had a Passat, it came with a full size spare. But that spare actually fit in the well below the trunk lining. In the M, the spare does not. It sits up and takes up considerable room, very much like an afterthought. Had it fit in the well, it would indeed be a nice feature. But it doesn't.

And the viewing of DVDs while the car is parked is no feature at all to me. I would rather see a movie elsewhere. But you can have your own opinions, of course. I respect those but respectfully disagree where noted. Take the use of an iPod for instance. The M cannot connect one without the rather expensive DVD system, but the Acura now offers a much less costly connection, and verbal command for it as well (an industry first). And regarding that DVD system, the one offered in the M is vastly overpriced (admittedly my opinion). For the same money (or near) you can have two screens of similar size placed in the back of your RL's front headrests aftermarket. The result takes up no space in the ceiling, blocks no view reward for the driver and offers both rear passengers different viewing options.

But everyone has their own preferences. So my concluding advice was to thoroughly test and evaluate both cars. That way, a prospective buyer can have a little fun before dropping a large amount of change on a car.

Steve C

Now really Hondamore, you are out of control now!
Your analogies using a spare windshield & seat is really ludicrous!

The only compromise in trunk space I can think of occuring is where to shove your damaged tire & wheel if you need to install your space saver on the car!
What if you had your family in the car & a trunk load of luggage?
Where would you toss that tire & wheel?
Now that lacks logic more than anything else I can imagine!

Giving up 4 " of trunk space that most will never miss to have a full spare does not lack logic IMHO.
If that 4" really makes or breaks you, maybe a minivan would have been more inline!

vp911

Ok guys. Let's try to get back on topic now. You guys are talking about spare tires and he wants to know about the tech pacakge

Steve C

Of course DCRL,
There are accomodations that must be made regarding some options on both cars! We all accept that!
As men of good charactor & taste, (DCRL, Hondamore, RobL, VP911, Bluemule to name others in company), I would like to say & believe we are truly having lighthearted discussions, & not arguing like a bunch of idiots!

As you stated,
"features may not exactly be "pluses" to prospective buyers once they know the limitations behind each"
2 RL features for me that fit into what you are saying would be inaccurate NAV traffic reports & losing OnStar unused minutes you paid for!
That would aggravate me more than Hondamore would be aggravated by lugging around a full sized spare!

In my original post that started all this, I did not critique those 2 items. I understand how difficult it is for OEM's to integrate non OEM systems & get flawless results! I commend Acura for offering them, they are just not for me!
(Give me the North Canadian RL with cooled seats for those hot Texas summers)!
Now that "defies logic", (as Hondamore would say)!

Regarding DVD headrests, they rock, & I would like them myself.
Jaguar has them, they are nice for all the reasons you mention.
I anxiously await those that produce them to broaden the application.
They seem to fit alot of GM stuff! That will be my first mod!

Until then, I have asked the wife to pick up some microwave popcorn.
I am sending out an invitation to you & Hondamore to come watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in my M35x while parked in my driveway.
Do you take butter with your popcorn? Will Hondamore mind sitting in the back seat so he does not have to look at the M's hideous wood trim dash up close?
I fear he might carve his initials in my rosewood trim, so I may ask him to leave his pocket knife in my compromised trunk besides my full size spare, if there is room for it!

Steve C

Hehe....sorry about that VP! We di stray a bit!

vp911

You can have a full-size spare tire debate in the thread I just created.

msu79gt82

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...rts-usat_x.htm

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...=1130506405853

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/...06405853#below

Some interesting tidbits from CR
The chart on their website lists the vehicles in order; so the Ms are second best sedans overall, behind the Lexus GS in terms of reliability.

Of the 48 cars that earned the lowest rating, 22 carry American nameplates, 20 are European, 4 are from Japan (all from Nissan and its Infiniti division), and 2 are from South Korea.

Of the 31 cars that earned top rating, 29 were Japanese. Of these, 15 were from Toyota and its Lexus division and eight were from Honda. Some redesigned or new Japanese models from Toyota and Honda, however suffered "first-year blues." The new Scion tC and the redesigned 2005 Acura RL, Toyota Avalon, and Honda Odyssey earned only average reliability scores, for example.

Note (large sample size): Our 2005 reliability survey, the largest of its kind, reached a milestone this year--we've gathered responses on more than 1 million vehicles from Consumer Reports and ConsumerReports.org subscribers, the most we've ever received.

Note that the Infiniti M has been out for over a year and a half (Nissan Fuga in Japan) and is not technically a first year model like the RL is.

nicolasj

I own a piece of shit? Ok that's your point of view, like you say we all have opinions. Yours is particularly stupid and useless... Stating that the Infiniti has GM-like plastic parts... Obviously you haven't spent much time in a M! Constructive criticism is one thing, making ridiculous, false statements is another.
And I paid my M45 CASH so my job is obviously not proofreading for morons like you - did I touch a nerve? I own a car, and unless you paid cash for your RL, you own a LIABILITY, go think about that before you swallow your viagra pill.

vp911

I see this thread is going nowhere good anymore.