torqueaholic

I just test drove one again for only the 2nd time in my life, and I must say its a sweet car! the interior isn't even that bad IMHO, and the seats are REALLY, REALLY nice!

Scrib

Yeah, I like it too... The interior doesn't rub me the wrong way like it does some others.

However, the back seat is small, as is the trunk. I like my boat, errrr CL because it has both a back seat (with headroom) and a trunk to haul golf clubs in.

eclipse23

I've taken it out twice, and if I could have gotten a good deal on one I may have owned one but as far as I am concerned I'd take a 6spd G35 over a 6spd CLS any day of the week and twice on sundays.

Zapata

too heavy and the interior sucks. Nice engine.

Aegean_Blue6

I only drove the auto, the engine pulled real well, it handled quite nicely, and it of course looked sweet. The lack of trunk made it impractical though (I've only got 1 car), and the auto G didn't have the wheeeeeee factor of the 6-spd CL-S. When I went, they only had one 6MT G35, and were only doing test drives after a written agreement to buy the car, and the $6K more vs. the CL-S was too much for me to do. I'd guess they're easier to test-drive now that the hype is down a bit.

What did you think of the clutch, compared to the CL-S? I've heard occasional complaints about the stiffness, but most folks don't seem to mind.

torqueaholic

Wow, I can't believe those arogant dealers! won't let you test drive unless you agreed to buy? I would have signed the paper, driven the car and walked the F&*K out! I didn't drive the stick, so I can't give you feed back on the clutch.

cusdaddy

Too heavy??? It weighs less than a CLS

Also, have you ever sat in one. I thought the interior was terrible from pictures, but in person it's not THAT bad. Yes, the CLS is nicer, but it's not bad - Seats are awesome

Zapata

I've sat in one and driven one. Engine is nice but for that kinda of money I want a nicer interior and something which weighs less. I'm sure ppl will dig it, just not my thing.

INFAMOUS-TYPE-S

Should have bought one

torqueaholic

the handling is unbelieveable! it will definitely school a cls6 in the twisties. From what I've been seeing on their forums, the 6speed pretty much runs a 14.1 stock

Aegean_Blue6

The line was that it was the only 6MT they had coming in for 6 months, and didn't want to demo it. They'd sell it for MSRP to the first buyer, and could afford to wait till that buyer showed up.

I'm sure I could have signed the paper with a clause that if I didn't like it I didn't have to buy it, then found some nit-picky thing and walked out. It wasn't worth the hassle at the time, though, I was just there on a lunch break and didn't have the time to mess with it.

As a side note, auto vs. auto I do think the G35C is a better package than the CL-S in stock form. In sport-shift mode, the G35C will hold every gear until you upshift, which neither the G35 sedan nor the CL-S auto will do. It ruins half the fun, on city streets by the top of 2nd gear when you're ready to shift into 3rd, you're already probably well over the speed limit.

Shawn S

The interior is just like it seams in the pictures.
UGLY, CHEAP and 80’s looking style. :thumbsdn: :thumbsdn:

Shawn S

torqueaholic

still, I don't think its "LEGAL" for a dealership, to hold a customer at ransome like that! They can't do squat when your walking out! I would have raised hell/called the police!

torqueaholic

take a test drive! you'll forget about the interior when you take a turn at high speeds! trust me!

danny25

Beautiful car, but not as good of a value as a CLS. And not roomy enough to be my only car. I don't have a problem with the interior, I kinda like the aluminum trim actually.

Sarlacc

Since the dealership owns the car they can legally do whatever they want. They dont want people like you whipping around town in and then getting into an accident. It happens all the time and most dealers would rather prevent it if possible. Hell i sold hondas and couldnt even get permission to drive an s2000. why, some schmuck customer got cocky and then wrecked one on the highway causing this huge ordeal and not that dealer will no longer allow s2000 test drives unless you are seriously buying the car.

Oh and find a friend who will TEACH YOU TO DRIVE A STICK ALREADY! You'll get more out of it.

Chaptorial

When i was shopping for the CL we went into the Infiniti dealership b/c i wanted to compare with the G35c. In person i thought the outside looked great and the interior itself, while small, wasn't at all bad. I could not however fit comfortably in the drivers seat and therefor the car was no long an option.

kevin034

The G35c is tits.

Zapata

Weight: 3435 lbs. g35 6MT

lou_RENAMED

What can I say that was the first car I looked at when I wanted to trade my 02' in....the best things about the car is outside appearance and engine. I heard the 6 speed is not that good....can't tell you from personal experience cause I only test drove the auto. The interior is not that bad but the buttons on the right side of the drivers seat is retarded not to mention fully loaded G35 6 speed with Brembo cost close to 37K. Great looking car though but no way as good of a bargain like the CL-S and the CL-S has Comptech which rules the aftermarket dept. I know Nissan has Nismo but I like Comptech products the best. A S/C CL-S 6 Speed with Brembo will own the G35 anyday granted it will cost the same but the CL-S would be a sweet ass ride capable of low 13's fully loaded and warranted

torqueaholic

you do know that salesmen themselves have been known to get into a few accidents now and then! in fact I remember this one story about the wrx(when it first came out), where a salesman wrecked the car, and killed the customers, while he was trying to "show off" high speed handling! I can understand the G356 being in high demand back then, especially the stick, I can even understand the silly markups, but PLEASE! these people are CROOKS anyways! they have insurance on their demo cars anyways, up until the customer pays for it! think about it! why did they pull this crap with the G356? its a nice car and all, but please! I'd expect that kind of crap from a ferrari dealership, because, at least you can understand the 300,000 reasons behind their logic! people have and will always test drive, cars, and making me feel guilty for redlining it, or joy-riding is silly because in the end, they end up discounting, and selling off the demos!

torqueaholic

whats the use of all that speed, without the handling to go along with it?

Zapata

Perhaps your accord can't handle but the 6MT holds it's own.

torqueaholic

the accord vs cls arguement is so old now, that even I am tired of beating the dead horse! who can you handle better when I have a reworked version of your chasis, minus 300lbs weight?

lou_RENAMED

Handling is very important but remember with upgraded brakes you can hold the speed closer into the turn and with the S/C you will will haul ass out of the turn. Sport Compact Car did an article about this comparing the Integra Type R and the Miata both were put same tires and both made same numbers at the track. The Integra had better gearing, better brakes, and quicker acceleration...while the miata just had incredible handling but coming out of the turn sucked ass. Both can give you great performance but power and brakes are equally as important.

heyitsme

i like the car overall. the interior is definately different which i liked. i didn't think it was lacking in quality, liked the gauges and steering wheel setup, the seat controls are convenient but i think i'd rather just have them on the side of the seat for a cleaner look, and i wish the brake lights were more like the gtr's.

Aegean_Blue6

It's not just the insurance, though. I had just gotten done telling the salesman that I'd want to buy a new car that hadn't been demo'd, with less than 15 or 20 miles on it, preferably <10. Lots of people feel the same way. They probably couldn't get as much for it if they let 20 people test drive it and "see what it can do", it'd have 100+ tough miles on it before it was even broken in.

In the end, as sarlacc23 said, it's the dealership's car and they can do what they want, with the possible exception of some sort of discrimination in who they let take test drives.

torqueaholic

watch this video, to get a handle of what I mean

right click save as

torqueaholic

lou, here's another video that shows why RWD is SO much more fun!

right click save as

heyitsme

that typeR vs miata comparison doesn't sound all that great of an example considering the typeR has nice handling to begin with. sure you can muscle your way around the track to get nice times but i think a lot of people enjoy a car that has nice straight line speed teamed with a suspension that can take the turns fast also instead of slamming on the brakes at the last second into a turn and then flooring your out. whats the point of going to a track if all your going to do is slam on your brakes everytime a turn comes up? you might as well find a long stretch of straight road and go.

torqueaholic

the youngman simply doesn't understand "rear wheel drive dynamics!"

lou_RENAMED

Maybe if your comparing a Mustang to the G35 but the CL-S didn't do that bad against the bMW. Not to mention that upgrading the tires the wheels and the brakes would close the gap even more....then you can do the springs sways, strut bar and Konis. Would all these mods bring you to the same level I doubt it but it won't be so different.

Granted it would be great to have a RWD CL-S but it doesn't seem so in this case now does it??? Performance the CL-S is is outgunned with a FWD setup, a smaller displacement losing pounds of torque, the CL-S is heavier than the G35 and it still seems to perform better or if not equal for less money. Nothing to take away the G35 is an awesome car period....it DID take the thrown away from the undefeated BMW330

Meth

I test drove 2 while shopping around for my cls and I"ll tell you this...you can't compare the ride with our cars.

It's much harsher...yes it might handle a bit better at the limits, but as a daily commuter and primary vehicle cls blows the big nissan away.

If I was 10 years younger and had rich parents and didnt' have to worry about insurance/practicality I would get one

torqueaholic

it definitely is harsher! actually WAY harsher than my accord, for instance. However the Z is FAR worse than the G. But if you think about it, both cars have to be harsh in order to deliver track worth handling, ala BMW. now two things The G didn't have that my accord had plenty of was:

1. torque steer(although its not that noticeable)
2. understeer(much improved with my eibachs on, but still there)

Aegean_Blue6

The argument for the CL-S being a better value breaks down if you have to add $2000 brakes, springs/konis ($1000), 18" wheels and new rubber just to compare it to the G35 6MT. You could throw on headers to make the HP more similar, if not the torque, but the value benefit of the CL goes down even more.

For me, if that's the car I wanted, I'd have probably gone with the G, it's a great car too. Performance wise I'm sure the 6MT G35C takes my 6MT CL-S, but as has been mentioned previously, the CL-S offers value, a useable trunk, more comfort for daily driving, and in many ways in stock form really isn't all that inferior in performance to the G - especially with sways!

Just my 2 cents. I'm certainly not against modding, I've got the sways and would think about putting other stuff on if I end up with money to burn. Given a choice between buying and modding vehicle A or purchasing vehicle B, for the same total price and performance, I'd probably take B.

torqueaholic

get comptech springs! that alone will make more of a difference than sways! Lower that 4X4

1SICKLEX

G35c is tits. There is and will be MORE aftermarket support for this car. It's a winner.

torqueaholic

Alright, now that we have beaten up on the cls/G35c, how about I ask you guys this: For those of you who've driven the G35C, and bmw 330CI, which do you like better, and why? as a CLS owner, which would you pick?

Aegean_Blue6

New springs may happen, but then the lifetime of the struts goes way down, making the overall job more expensive. It's probably next on my list of things to add, after a Basslink in the trunk. The sways solved most of my problem with body roll, though, so if the springs are more for cosmetics than performance it'll be harder to justify.

torqueaholic

comptech springs lowers the car about an inch. thats not going to wear down your stock struts that fast! and besides, its comptech, so your covered by warranty!