iambgood

I was dead set in buying a brand new Infinity G35 coupe, however caught a glimpse of the TL A-Spec. (Which is probably why I subscribed to this site, to get some input) Anyway, I was really impressed with the G35 however the interior dash just looked cheap, and the Navigation system just seemed to get in the way. The TL has definitely got some hot features, and the ABP and camel combo is sweet (especially with the A-Spec package). I am planning to buy in March '05 after all the snow leaves the area, but was hoping to get some feedback from some people who had the same dilema at one point. Any Advice?

rets

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JWhite1301

Scroll down 4 post and you will find the same thread going on. Also, you can search for G35 and find alot of info on this site.

zax123

Unless you were looking at the G35x, you might want to consider the TL a little more because of the fact that it's front-wheel drive which in my experience (in Montreal) is much better on snow than the rear-wheel drive cars I've driven.

F23A4

The mods here should just post a 'G35 vs TL' sticky and be done with this. Especially since most noobs arent 'search' saavy.

05BlackTL

TL is a little bit faster than the G35 sedan. I think the G35 coupe is faster than a non Aspec TL. Personally, I like the TL's styling a lot better. THe G35 coupe is pretty sweet with the wing though. I needed a four door for work so it wasn't even an option. sedan vs sedan the TL wins by a country mile.

Note: A country mile is longer than a city mile. But, shorter than a continental mile. :lol:

Oswald Vater

What 05blacktl said. If I were looking for a 2-door, the G35 would have been the car. However, because I needed a 4-door, the TL won out hands down and going away.

wavshrdr

I too thought about the Infinity in both coupe and sedan. Bought the TL as it was much more comfortable to me. Engine was smoother and it was still strong. I rented a G35 from Hertz for a while and the mileage TOTALLY sucked and my TL is getting about 25% better than the G35 did. I could have even picked up a used extremely low mileage G35 sedan for about 10K less than the TL but still bought the TL as I liked it that much more.

No matter what I always felt cramped in the G35 (all verision) and I was always touching elbows with my passengers. I also hated the seats in the G35 over time as the seat controls kept stabbing me under my thigh. Maybe if I wasn't built like a linebacker it would have helped but I wasn't the only one to voice this complaint.

Acura nav is far superior to the Infinity. I personally prefer RWD or AWD over FWD but the TL was such a good car in other ways I went with it instead of the Infinity. It has a sleek elegance about it without screaming boy racer that appeals to me as I like to drive fast without attracting a lot of attention from the police.

PoochaKannInc

Search in the "Cars & Bikes" sub-forum. Use the keyword "G35" and you will have a list of threads up the wazoo for you to peruse.

rontatuaf

A Spec doesn't make the car faster. In fact it adds some pounds to the car so in straight line acceleration it may be a tiny bit slower. If you get the A Spec suspension package it adds greatly to the cars cornering.
I do agree on your choice of cars though.

aw1

I really like the G35 coupe but was not in the market to get another coupe since I had a 2000 Accord coupe at the time. Decided to get the 05TL instead of the G35 4 door and the 330i. Really liked the 330i but was kind of small and pricey with all the options. G35 was nice also, great engine, but the interior sucks!

Lore

While all that is true, it does reduce the coefficient of drag (or whatever the technical term is) ever so slightly... That may be just enough to compensate for the additional weight.

NFLblitze1

I had the SAME EXACT problem........i was head over heels for the G35 because its just so nice and classy and extremely fast...but i felt the need to give other cars a chance and i took the TL for a drive and i was just stolen away from any thoughts on the G35...definatly go with the TL...its worth the luxury and the Navigation is top notch for your money

wavshrdr

While the Cd (drag coefficient) might be reduced I haven't seen anything to verify this in writing other than to read that Acura allegedly tested it. Sometimes aero aids such as spoilers and wings aren't there to reduce drag inasmuch to reduce lift or sometimes increase downforce on cars to improve stick at high speeds.

For example F1 cars can corner at higher "G" loadings at higher speeds due to the downforce of the applied by the aerodynamic aids and under body tunnels. Often this does increase drag but they can balance drag vs. lift.

Another thing to consider that even if the Cd is reduced by aero aids sometimes they also increase the frontal area (such as in a chin spoiler) and this can to some effect counter the increase as you must take into account the entire frontal area of the vehicle (don't forget to include the cross-sectional width of the tires) to calculate the total drag on a vehicle.

Drag in the "aerodynamic sense" is a mechanical force generated by a solid object moving through a fluid. Our cars are the solid object in this case and air is the fluid. You could also think of drag as "aerodynamic friction". This is also affected by the interaction of the gas (air) with the bodies of our cars.

I'd like to see the results of the testing to see in what areas they "improved" the car. Supposedly it was both drag and lift but I haven't seen any concrete numbers. The stock TL has a pretty good Cd. Last I read it was .29 vs. .30 for both the NSX and TSX. I can't seem to find the Cd any more on Acura's website. Maybe it has changed. Not many cars are better than that which aren't Hybrids. The Lexus LS430 is probably the best and one of the MB's is pretty good and a Vovlo S60 and the Lexus ES 330 beat the TL. Other than that I can't think of any cars that are better than the TL out of the box.

I still want to see what the A-spec package actually does for the Cd and lift numbers. I really doubt that for 99% of the people that they will get any real benefit from it other than curb appeal.

fast-tl

PHEW! I'm glad someone posted this. Don't know why people get the impression that A-Spec adds power.

fast-tl

Soon the G35 will have 298 HP when you opt for the manual transmission. That change is coming next month according to the brochure.

iambgood

I totally agree, haven't taken the test drive yet (cause i'll probably buy it right away) but the interior of the TL looked alot better than the G35. I'm a few months out of college and am trying to either keep my jeep as a winter car and get the TL or put it down for the TL. Anyway, what color combo you get? I'm still torn between the green or the blue.

A-TLvic882

You can easy compare now with my post
































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ResearchFreak

Great job A-TLvic882!! I noticed that it said Fog Lights are not available on the TL, but we have them on our 05 TL. (At least I think those are fog lights!)

Mindworm

Those are old Sedan pics...the new one is much more svelte and closer in many respects to the best looking car on the road -- the 2 door G35 coupe. (For people with real incomes -- not crazy $$$, that is.)

If I was NOT concerned with practicality, the 2 coor coupe would have won hands down. Especially with the '05 upgrades. They close the gap nicely on the interior differences. (TL is still far and away better, but the G is moving up from crap to acceptable...) And the new 19" rims...wow. That car is loaded to bear.

Still love my TL, but it's not the same animal. Apples to oranges, imho...

Montez

The TL does win in the styling dept but the TL is not faster than the G35......... Look out for the 05 G with that added power if you are a dragger.

GaleForce

That comparo is way off. The TL has fog lights, the headlights are not auto (they are auto OFF), and they have HIDs. I picked that up right away, I'm sure there are some other problems too. Overall its a nice comparison though .

da_illist_onE

Awesome comparison!!! Good job.

iambgood

Awesome post, thanks for the side by side comparison.
I will have to say the test drive with the G35 was impressive, the interior lacked but the handeling and the horsepower made up for it. The TL A-Spec, with ABP and camel interior just looked amazing. That's the one that caught my eye and I think a test drive may clinch the deal (if I can ever find a dealer that has that exact car). I'm still up in the air but I've got some time to make the decision, no need rushing into it and regretting in the end.

hbreiden

iambgood,

Nice to hear from another Ashburn resident. Now this is only my opinion, but why would a 23 year old with no kids want a family sedan. Don't get me wrong, I like my TL, but I really love the look of the G35 Coupe and the RWD. I think your concern for the weather is a little unwarranted. In the last 30 years, I would say Northern Virginia has averaged 3 or 4 days a year of really bad weather. Throw a good set of Blizzarks on the G35 Coupe for 3 months and enjoy the car the rest of the year. Time for the family will come soon enough. This is from a car enthusiast with 3 kids and a fond memory of my 1972 240Z.

95gt

Now sort of agree in theory but a sedan really is more practical for everyone. I was 23 when i bought my cls and really wish I had gotton a 4 door. especially now that I have a kid. My car is not that old and as everyone knows the value is in the basement so I really wish I didn't have to sell it right now. problem is it is damn near useless with a carseat in the back.

If you like the looks of the sedan go for it (either tl or G). The benefits will never go away while the looks benefit of the coupe will go away with age (looks fade). I will say in the last 2 years NOVA has gotton some pretty bad weather for a good amount of time so keep that in mind. I had a mustang and pretty much almost died a few times before getting the CLS. Now snow means nothing to me.

Good luck

Mindworm

You won't go wrong with either....

Chingrin

I agree with the Ashburn guys! No Wife, No Kids!!! Go for the G35 Coupe!

EZZ

I love these G35 debates. Now you will see TL_6SP come and start flaming and it'll go to hell

To the original poster, you should get the TL because of your geography. RWD is a pain in the snow. The g-coupe comes with summer tires only in manual trim so you'd have to invest in a good set of snow tires on 19s. You'd probably be better off buying a dedicated set of 17s for snows IMO.

The G35 sedan is about as fast as the G35 coupe in manual trim. BTW, the G35 recorded a 13.96 stock in the 1/4 (sedan) and a coupe recorded 13.98 stock (slips are on G35driver). I'm curious if any TL ran those times yet. Also, it seems the A-spec is faster due to better traction. Someone also mentioned that the A-spec reduces the torque steer and the bounce in the suspension...may be worth getting.

hypertech

At first, we liked the G35x better. But, after a few more test drives, the power difference was not enough to score an point for the G35x, and the interior took a heavy hit. On our budget, we could not have had the nav on the G35x, but I'm not sure I liked the pop up spring loaded screen anyway.

Also, there are a lot of mileage complaints with the G35. I reliably get 25 in the city and 30 on the highway which in my opinion is damn good for a car with 270 hp.

Overall, it is a personal choice. The styling won us over.

Wehn you decide, let us know which you chose and why. Don't mind the flamers if you go the way of the G35x.

F23A4

Good post. Neither one are bad choices....just choices. Now, picking a Pontiac Aztec over a Lexus RX330 would be a BAD choice.

avs007

Not that it will mean anything, but the Navi screen is powered for 05'. So no more spring action. And if you leave the screen up when you shut the car off, it will automatically close, and automatically pop up when you start the car again. The 05' also adds proximity key, just like in the FX. The 05' also has an MP3 player.

But you can't go wrong either way.... I would also try to find a way to squeeze a navi in your budget. That's the one thing I'm kicking myself when I got a TL for my wife. Though I didn't feel that way, until I got Navi/G35 Coupe. I used to think I would never use it, but now I wouldn't buy a car without it... The address book feature is probably the most useful...

NFLblitze1

yea first off....the one thing i didn't like about the G35 was they put a 19th century clock on the dash in place of the navigation system which is just...uch makes it so ugly and the g35 all of their featuers were like combined into each other and it makes it look as if the car has nothing and the Sound System in the G35 is TERRIBLE...even if UPDATED....the updated sound system in the G35 probably dosn't even equal the TL without the updated sound system....its so hott.....

but my the combos in my car....are satin silver and ebony black on the inside with the sports package which comes with the sports seats and preferated leather....trust me if u get the TL get the sports package its worth it...

Yoda117

yes, but the Navi screen in the 05 is more prone to issues now that it is powered.

BTW: IntelligentKey = easy theft (done a bit of reasearch on it).

the 05 has the MP3 player, but the TL has the DVD-Audio (which sounds AWESOME!!!)

I almost got the 05 G35x... almost. Despite the nasty salespeople in my area I almost tossed down 40K on it with the options. Then I drove a TL... drove really nice, seemed quieter on the interior, had a MUCH better interior, better sound system and navi, the voice recognition was a cool thing to have, as was the bluetooth compatibility, better gas milage.

And it was nearly 7K cheaper and looked much sharper IMO (the back of the G35x is still ugly).

On top of that, it was over 10% cheaper to insure (fewer accidents and higher survivability ratio, about the same on theft).

For me it was a no-brainer... I pick up my AM TL with Navi this Saturday

avs007

I think you'll love the TL

Interesting though, that you found the TL to be 10% cheaper to insure. My wife's TL is about $100 per month MORE to insure than my G35 Coupe is. I even called around, and found this to be true of most of the providers. (At least here in PacificNW).

Hopefully you got a good deal on your car. The local dealerships here (both Acura and Infiniti) suck, so I bought my wife's TL 150 miles out of town, and my G35 from a dealership about 4,000 miles away.

aloedesign

I test drove both, and just thought the g35 had a loud unpleasant (whiny nissan) sounding engine compared to the -you cant tell youre hauling ass- quietness of the TL.
For me the bmw z4 was my "TL or coupe" option ( i like em, i dont care what you think!) They are a lot more agile feeling than the g35 and also really weird looking, if you're into that sort of thing. but between the z4 and TL, I got the TL (duh), because it would do ok in the winter, would be more comfortable as a commuter vehicle, and i would be less tempted to drive it incredibly wrecklessly, as compared to a roadster.

Dobber

You couldn't go wrong with either choice. I compared the G35 coupe with the TL and went with the TL because of the nicer interior,good looks, and four doors. I looked at the G35 sedan and didn't like what adding two doors did to it. A nice looking coupe morphed into an ugly sedan. It looks like they made the sedan as an after thought. It reminded me of the 280Z and the 280Z 2+2.

avs007

I meant 100 per 6 months, not each month... Well, 170 to be exact, but whatever....

MOMOTL

I was thinking of buying the G35coupe but did not like the interior of the car. THe car was a bit tight and especially the two seater in the rear can barley even fit a kid at the back. I liked the front of the car but hated the looks of the rear. Then I put my eyes on the TL and loved everything about it. Exterior/Interior/and the way it drives. VEry roomy and most important "Confort" was top notch. Very smooth V6 power and the car I beleive has better gas mileage over the G35. You can't go wrong going for the TL that for sure!!!!!

Tunerman

False, they are basically equal in speed. But the G35 in times show to be a HAIR faster. The 05 G35 will be faster period.