J.A.S.

This review just came out. Because they were staying below $40, the reviewer compared the 289 hp TL (no tech) with the 325 hp G37. He liked both cars but said "if you put a gun to my head, and forced me to choose..." well, I'll let you read it.


http://thewheeldeal.blogs.fortune.cn...sedan-journey/

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

I just think it's funny that when these people compare cars they don't do it fairly. How do you test a base TL vs. a fully loaded G37 (42,135), a fully loaded AWD TL is 42,995 and AWD w/ no tech is cheaper... why were they willing to spend more on the G than the TL?

GearDriven

fwd vs rwd I would take rwd every time...but why aren't there more reviews of the AWD platform?

PetesTL

The CTS is the closest competitor to the 4G as far as I'm concerned.....performance, ride quality, price, amenities, and even styling to some degree are all very similar.

tm86it

That's a terrible article... flaws in approach and the article itself.

1. Picture is of a TL SH-AWD, not TL Tech as noted.
2. Picture is of G37 coupe, not sedan.
3. Logic of comparing a base TL with more $$ and bigger engine G37 (as noted above) is stupid at best... should've compared TL SH-AWD which has about same price and better performance.

Probably others... don't waste your time clicking and reading it!

KeithL

Ditto, the reviewer really did a horrible job.

blakura

I can't believe this made it past the editor, the numbers were all wrong, the pics definitely were not of the vehicles tested. There's a freaking pic of a G37 Coupe

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

hey are they hiring? I think I can do a better job at writing those articles...at least I know the G37 has 328hp not 325...

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Since when does a G37 do a 0-60mph (auto) in 5.0 seconds?

GearDriven

Some errors aside, it does bring up the point of Acura not being a very enthusiast-oriented brand. Prior to SH-AWD, the only Acura I had ever considered was an NSX, and it was only availability that led me to buy a Porsche instead of the NSX.

Most of the other cars have merely been for old folks to jaunt around in and the "tuner" crowd to grow up into. However, SH-AWD turned that onto its head... I was barely, remotely considering Acura until I actually sat and test drove the SH-AWD package back to back with BMW, Audi, Mitsubishi EVO, and my Porsche...it definitely came out on top with all things considered at that point.

S2000 Driver

Completely agree.

pokin

Wow! I agree. Regardless of opinion, this is a poorly written review. Intern comes to mind.

Frankly, most news shops hold no product review credibility in my book.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

lol since the 2009 model with the 7AT.

F23A4

LINK

PetesTL

It's amazing how Nissan/Infiniti engineers are able to squeeze so much out of the G's engine and drivetrain year-after-year (That same engine in the new 370Z is able to run with a V8-powered M3 now--amazing!). Now all they have to do is redo the interior and improve the refinement and I might just be sitting in a new G in a couple years.

TL|GTX

The SH will not have better peformance, the G35 Sedan or G37. But i gotta say this review sucked, but the pic of the G37 Coupe is sexy.

csmeance

DOHC, lighter rotating mass, higher rev range, compression ratio change, better exhaust, intake, etc. Its just really how much the manuf. wants to spend making the motor better.

JD23

Per Car and Driver:

Curiously, the additional power didn’t do a lot for the G37 at the test track, where we logged a 0-to-60-mph time of 5.2 seconds and a quarter-mile run of 13.8 seconds at 104 mph. Although quick, those digits lag 0.1 second each behind the best runs posted by its 3.5-liter predecessor (5.1 seconds and 13.7 at 104 mph). Admittedly, the results of various G35 Sports ranged as high as 5.5 seconds to 60 and 14.1 seconds through the quarter, and our G37 was a nearly factory-fresh car with a green motor, so there’s a chance the latest G could improve its results. Curb weight could also be a bit of a factor, as the G37 rang in at 3703 pounds, 120 pounds more than the slimmest G35 Sport we had previously weighed.

The transmission improvements and increased hp seem to be negated by the increase in weight.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

That article from Car and Driver is for the 6MT G37 sedan.
Here is the link to it:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...cs+page-3.html

Motortrend did a test with the G37 7AT and they got 0-60mph in 5s. Here is MT's article:
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...est/index.html

"Zero to 60 now takes only 5.0 sec, with the quarter-mile obliterated in just 13.5 at 105.3 mph. "

PetesTL, lol, did you mean to say "V6-powered M3" instead of V8? I mean the V8 M3 is a mid 12's car trapping at well over 110mph while the 370Z is a 13's car trapping well below 110mph.

But ya, like csmeance said, DOHC IMO is the main difference. It's sad that Honda doesn't have any DOHC V6 anymore. I think Nissan can still improve on the VQ engine though. I mean it's still pretty far away from what BMW did to their 3.2L I6 M3 engine with 343hp and 269lbft of torque. Nissan with its DOHC V6 still can't match (or is barely matching) those numbers with an extra 0.5L of displacement. Granted, the M3 engine is a special unit.

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

I'll take a quality motor (Honda) over one that falls apart (BMW) any day of the week.

JD23

I never saw that Motortrend article before. It looks like the consensus is that the G37 is faster than the G35 0-60, but not necessarily by 0.5 sec. I'd like to see a single publication test both the 6MT and 7AT versions, as I'm curious to see how they compare.

F23A4

I think it was only the earlier S54 motors (IIRC 01-02 M3 models) that were prone towards failure. I have not heard much about other BMW engine failures though. That said, Honda has had its share of problems with automatic transmissions (mainly J-series vs AT) around the same time so, pot-kettle-black IMHO.

JD23

I'm really curious what the durability will be like for the much acclaimed 3.0 L twin turbo engine. In general, turbo engines have a shorter lifespan and are more problematic than NA engines and it seems like the 335 has had its share of reliability issues since being released. I know the initial models had a problem with oil overheating.

S2000 Driver

The 3.0 L twin-turbocharged engine was the deal breaker for me in not buying a BMW 535i xDrive Sedan.

Given that I typically keep my cars for 10 years, I could not see the turbocharged engine holding up for that length of time without experiencing significant mechanical problems and incurring substantial associated expenses.

For longevity, normally aspirated engines are the way to go.

Legend2TL

Apparently the early 335i's had alot of problems with oil temperature, the oil cooler (water/oil type) was increased in capacity. My wife's co-workers husband is a BMW tech and said the info is all over the BMW forums. Folks who drove 335's in warmer climates and/or drove aggressively (autocrossing,...) had problems with oil overheating.

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

Difference being Honda corrected their transmission issues whereas BMW motors still have issues (see above).

F23A4

I hope you didn't just jinx my 07 AV6.

CleanCL

iTrader: (4)

I hope I didn't just jinx myself.

I think there was a pretty good run of the transmissions from 04-07 without problems, and the RL proved the SH-AWD can be reliable in a sedan platform.

cp3117

I agree...The problem with the S54 was the connecting rod cap wasnt produced by the supplier upto BMW specs and this in turn was what made it so hard to find the problem.
The new 3.0L turbo had some cooling issues (as legend2TL stated) and i believe even a fuel pump issue very early on in its production but has since been solved.

I sure wouldnt mind owing any BMW engine with all the awards they get for their expertise.

http://www.galwayindependent.com/mot...secutive-year/

What amazes me though about Honda's Tranny issues is that even after they discovered their design flaw in their 5AT you still hear of people having their 2 and 3rd transmission replaced even after the problem was apparently fixed.

Its nice to hear Honda is finally joining the rest of the industry and should have a 6AT shortly but i would imagine some people that are aware of Honda's AT history will be very hesitant on ticking off that option box. (At least for the first few years anyway, untill they can prove themselves).

They make such good MT, why is it so difficult for AT?

Legend2TL

The Honda 4AT/5AT was more a component vendor quality issue than design. When manufactured correctly with the proper dimensions and heat treating the 4AT/5AT's work extremely well. From what I read the endurance testing at Honda go into 200-300K miles. There were different external sources for the trans-axle counter shaft, one of those vendors did not follow all the dimensions and processing steps on the Honda documentation. The one trouble vendor hundreds of thousands of the shafts, some installed into Odyssey's, Accords, and 2G TL's. This was documented very well on a LA Times article from 2002-3(?), great article but no longer online.

The re-piping of the ATF onto the 2nd gear is essentially just a band-aid. Supposedly the gearboxes of other vendor(s) have been by and large trouble-free. Which is why sometimes you hear of a transaxle with 300K trouble-free miles.

So in short, OK AT tranaxle design, bad vendor quality checks and inspection.

Not sure about all, but all the people I've talked to have had good support getting rebuilt gearboxes. Honda/Acura covering the majority of the cost even for some second owners in out-of warranty cases. However Honda's reputation has taken a big hit, even some of the soccer mom's I know are aware of the problem.

In terms of BMW motor's my major issue with BMW North America is almost no goodwill after the warranty expires. I've know a few BMW owners who had some minor to major engine problems which cost them thousands which BMW did not cover any of the cost.

iforyou

iTrader: (1)

Ya, 0.5s is more like comparing the slowest G35 time to the fastest G37 time, which isn't very fair IMO.

crxb

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...ight=fuel+pump "Common issue that has never been really resolved. " some cars even have been through more than 1 replacement HPFP - even on almost new cars