OK.. I've had the G for almost two months... Here's my comparison. These are MY opinons & observations YMMV.

As from my prevoius post about this issue, First the TL's good stuff.

Door locks - the G does not auto lock when you start driving (i do miss that). Advantage TL.

Gauges / Lighting - No doubt about it the TL's blue gauges were cooler, the G's guages / intramentation is nicely presentated, but the orange is kind of "80's ish". Advantage TL

Now the G.

Seats / Interior - Gotta give this to the G. The fit, finish and seats seem much better. Additionlly, I find the G seats have better seat and side bolsters although the lumbar support is manual not power. The TL is slightly larger insde than the G and has a larger glovebox and map areas. So far the only rattle comes from my aftermarket 12" sub. Advantage slightly G

Performance, This is not a fair comparison, but more observation. The TL is FWD and mine was a 5 A/T. My G is RWD 6 M/T 298hp sedan. Turn off the stability on the TL and the front end will bounce all over. Turn off the stability on the G and you can slide the rear through turns. There is no comparision between these (or any other FWD car) when driven hard. If not driven hard then they a both great cars. The 6sp G far out performs and out accelerates the TL. G - Hands Down.

Ride, The TL was A-Specd and had a CT RSB. It was tighter than the G. The G has factory "sport suspension" 18"s and rides great. At first I thought the steering was not as "tight", but after a couple of weeks I realized the g's steering is tight, there is no torque steer fighting the control. Advantage G. The RWD really helps this.

Audio, strickly a matter of opinion. Some of the G guys HATE the bose, some say it's fine. It's louder for sure, plays MP3's on CD's and has better bass (though an aftermarket sub is a common mod). It's not surround, and may not have quite the imaging. I've decided to tear out the bose and go aftermarket.

Some additional notes: TL has more "user customizeable" features, MID Settings, computer, possably a bigger trunk. G seems a little better put together, has more tourqe (again 6 sp helps), more power, nicer wheels and tires, and is more comfortable to me. The G also has a dipstick with about 5 bends and twists making it a challenge to "insert the dipstick in the hole". G owners may tend to be "more mod oriented" than the TL owners. This may be because the G is an extension of the Nissan Z. Also, on a sidenote my wife and I were treated much better by Infiniti than Acura (attempted to buy a 6 M/T TL), despite the fact that I was an Acura owner.

Atheistics: This is a stuffing or patatoes issue. I've had people tell me they thought the TL looked more aggressive, I've had some say they G looks sleeker and more luxurious. I've read Acura markets the TL as an entry level luxary / sports sedan (emphasizng luxary). Infiniti markets the G as an entry level sports / luxary sedan (emphasizing sport). Perhaps that is the best way to describe the difference between the two.

In short either is a great car, and both should probaly be driven before buying either one.

CMT1

 

Good Comp.

In the snow the TL would win cause of FWD

 

Great comparison.

The only disagreement I have with you is that seat comfort. Im in the minority there, I know, but I had to disregard the G as an option because I was uncomfortable after 15 minutes.

 

Good read.

 

Thanks. Yes, In a snowy climate the TL might be a better choice, however I'm in Phoenix. Never mind snow, we can't even get any rain!!! It's been something like 130 days since our last rain. However, that is an excellent point. If I still lived in New England that would have to be a considering factor.

Last week during the the NE blizzard - 78 degrees here , but in August 115

 

lol

 

Actually it was the seat comfort (or lack of) that kept me out of the G, and I wanted to buy one prior to the launch of the 3G TL.

 

Thanks to the balanced and objective review! The only point I would open for disussion was the interior finishes. When I drove both cars I found the TL's interior to be "more substantial" and it seemed more appealing - again IMHO. I guess there were 2 deciding factors for me as to why I chose the TL. The first was FWD vs the G's RWD. I know I could have gotten a G35x but that was more than I wanted to dole out for a car. Second was tne navi on the TL - that sold me! As far as power goes, again, you are 100% correct. That said, the TL is "spirited" enough for me. I'm coming off a true performance coupe and I've been dodging tickets for waaaaaay to long. I'm afraid my number's comin' up soon so I'm bailin' before I get nailed lol. Again, thanks for the review - hope your enjoyment of the car continues!

 

Great review! Fair and balanced. I am shopping now for a new car and have methodically narrowed my choices. The Germans are off the list! I'm down to Acura and Infiniti. Lexus might be a dark horse, but odds are against it. I won't go over all of my thoughts, etc... in this thread, but I did want to comment on the Acura versus Infiniti dealership comment that cmt1 makes.

I think that the quality of the dealership is highly circumstantial depending on the dealer ownership. Unlike the car where a company has engineers, standards for manufacture, blueprints, etc..., the dealership "acceptability" factor can swing wildly off the chart. I have been in a few Acura dealerships while shopping and must say that they have been very nice and patient with me. I also have been in Infiniti and they were nice as well. Lexus was very nice, hot chocolate for the kids, etc...

I also make it a point to walk through the service area when I am evaluating a new car purchase. I give my local Acura dealership high points here. They were friendly and you could eat off the floor. I have also been in a few dealerships where "dump" might be too nice a term. I can't see how they are in business.

In the end, I am sure that there are great/good/horrible dealerships for Acura/Infiniti/all the rest. The type of dealership that is convenient to you is... the luck of the draw.

Nice review, cmt1!

 

My analysis pretty much came the the same conclusion as his regarding luxury/performance vs performance/luxury. The fact that I live in an area which can get a lot of snow sortof disqualified the G for me.

 

Since I live in Florida the FWD/RWD is mute. However, while the G does have better performance, the TL has better interior. The one thing I did find recently was the poor rating the G got for rear end safety, actually, it was all the Infinity's that have bad rear collision safety ratings. I also found that the G similarly equipped is $3000 more than the TL.

Now I just have to wait til Christmas before I can buy MY TL. I am going to get '07 NBP/Ebony W/Navi. The waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiting is the hardest part!!

 

This is interesting, I went to buy a 6SP TL (@ Bell Aucra in Phoenix) in late December. Despite the fact that that is where I purchased my 04 TL from my wife a I were treated very shabbily. They had a complete take it or leave it atttitude. The G listed for almost 3k more than the TL and when I left infiniti they had beaten the Acura price by 1K AND put $937.00 in my pocket. The net was almost 2K savings with the Infiniti, and the financing was @ %1.9. I'm with you on the FWD being mute. The G interior is not quite as fancy, but it is ALOT quieter. So far the only rattles are from my 12" (aftermarket) sub or the clasp on my brief case.

I actually like both cars alot, and driving either can be fun. Most of my driving is comutting to the office, so wether the car is a G or a TL, you usually can't drive it to it's potential. Actually if you think about it most people probably can't push a Chevy Cobalt to potential on the way to the office. Therefore it comes down to what you like and how you are treated. My feeling is the dollar speaks loudest, my wife was interested in the new RDX, however since this we are leang towards the murano / FX35. Mack, the sales manager @ Bell Acura, arrogance may have cost Acura 2 sales. Hopefully if this trend continues they will change the way they treat and deal with customers.

 

If they sold it to you for 1K under TL MSRP, that is still about $2K more than you would have paid for the TL. Invoice for the G comparably equipped is approx $35,400, where the TL is about $32,800. Now, if your telling me you got them to sell you the G for $30K, then you are the man!!

 

Actually there was nothing to it. They seemed to dying to sell the G (or atleast the 6MT. $30,500 including 1k infiniti cust cash (@ end of year) AND 1.9% financing. I financed so little that the mgr ask if we want to buy a baot, remodel our kitchen, etc. We could have a extra 25K @ %1.9. I just had him round it up th the next K and figured I'd use the $900 for mods. Had I thought about this longer, I could have borrowed more placed it in a CD earning 4.5%, and made 2.5%, but I don't like debt and enjoy having a $260 payment on my G. I sould mention that my TL was paid off at the time.

CMT1

 

Well, if you got the 06 G w/navi for $30,500, I want the name of that dealer, hell, for that kind of deal I'll go to Phoenix......

 

Pinnicale Infiniti on Frank Lloyd Wright in Scottsdale. The G is non navi, 2005 sedan 6 speed. It has premium, sport (suspension & 18" wheels) & areo packages. At year end infiniti had 1K customer cash, $500 marketing assistance, & 1.9% financeing. This seemed pretty good, however. mostly what I comared it to was a similarly equipped TL. As I said they beat Acura by 1k, and put $900 in my pocket.

Hope all works out...


CMT1

 

That explains it!!!!