Is the Infiniti G37 REALLY better than the BMW 335? 001 is in Seattle and he intends to find out.

G37, for now, will only be better than 335 if it's powered by twin turbo VQ25, not a NA VQ37. That said, it is a great achievement already.

However, FM platform is still too heavy. When can NISSAN really learn from MAZDA? RX-8 feels so much agile than current BMW 3, which is starting to feel clumsy and has to rely on twin turbo engine to make up the performance, and most importantly, justify its price.

Anyone who owns a G35 knows the new generation is pretty much the same as the first generation, driving wise. There's only so much you can get by changing the front suspension. That said, I predict the next generation Skyline, w/ new platform and tt engine(I wish), will leave BMW 3 no comparison.

hey random comment, but....
I live in Seattle! Hey Agent001!!!

You mean the skyline gtr becouse the G37 is the skyline.

No production BMW so far can compete w/ GT-R. Maybe Z10 in the future. what I mean is the G, which is Skyline in Japan.

I bought a BMW 330 2 years ago (E90) over the previous G35 because of the shoddy interior. Otherwise (IMO) the cars were equal. The G37 doesn't look that much different. Lots of gray Nissan plastic. Granted the E90 isn't the most luxurious but it stands head and shoulders above the G37's interior.

It's a shame because my lease is up in less than a year. I guess I'll be rolling it right into a 335/535.

Personally I think the Lexus IS350 is better than either. More luxury and more sport than the BMW and Nissan.

The IS350 is a great car, but it cannot match the dynamics and road feel of the G/3-Series.

David, don't say stupid things please.

The G37 is a compelling value for people. It is the only Japanese made luxury car that can go toe-to-toe vs a BMW and have a chance to win.

The BMW is still the better car, but now the question becomes, "Do I want to spend another 2.5k (the difference is cost of ownership for three years) for the 335?"

Most people will answer yes, but the G37 will still sell very very well.

Definitely Wabbit.

Pay no attention to David989, he cant help but to say stupid things. He fell and busted his head as an infant which led to his Retard-ish-ness-sis.

trolling fool

The G37's exterior is very sleek and sexy, and has a very nice interior over the BMW, which isn't a hard feat to accomplish. I do however truly like the way the 335i looks; it's the best-looking BMW out right now.

As far as driving dynamics, we've had several car mags tell us the G37 has edged out the BMW, but I guess the jury's still out until 001 gives us the definitive answer. Of course none of it will really matter. I appreciate both cars for their magnificent exterior design.

BMW makes a very specific "sport sedan" interior. They make their cars to be the Joy of Driving. The materials are quite expensive, and is not made to be a "luxury" car. BMW is a sports car company, and builds their vehicles accordingly. Of course some people prefer overstated oppulant luxury, therefore other brands offer that.

I will probably get deboosted alot for this post, this is the truth.

meant to say "this is the truth"

lol im stupid. I typed it right the first time.

Qwazywabbit,

I've said that time and time again. BMW's focus is not luxury cars as much as Mercedes' Audi's and Lexus's focus is. However people don't like it when I say it.

I would disagree with you about the materials being "quite expensive." If they are, then BMW is getting hosed for them. I've sat extensively in a new 330i and nothing felt expensive.

Good then we agree Will.

As far as the materials, I know you have your opinion, just like everyone else. This is what I meant about being more subdued intentionally. I can tell you they use real wood in ALL their models, expensive Dakota leather(a very thick,specially textured grade to prevent sliding), lightweight composites, real metal (not painted plastic) on the trim bits, and a very nice headliner.

I have sat it all makes of cars. The luxury guys have great leather, but it is too smooth--you slide. It is more expensive to use a textured leather. All luxury makes use real wood, but they dont do it in all their cars. BMW and Merc do.

Aside from the aroma of leather, which is very nice, leatherette is preferred in most parts of the world. Only in America is leatherette seen as inferior. Leatherette breathes like leather (so you butt wont sweat), is more durable, wont crack or age, and is very difficult to stain.

I would say there is alot to be said about leatherette.

You must be talking about the more expensive BMWs like the 7-, 6-, and more optioned-out versions of the 5-Series.

I've been in a new 3-Series and 5-Series. Neither had leather or wood in them. The dashboard was filled with black plastic.

And if Lexus offered a manmade textile on their seating surfaces, this whole site would be up in arms about it, I guarantee it. "Lexus isn't a real luxury brand, they offer fake wood and fake leather." I'm telling everyone right now that Lexus does NOT use fake wood or leather on any of their products!

Will, if you sat in a new 3-Series and seriously couldn't see the real wood (or real aluminum) trim that is right in front of you, something is wrong. It runs the entire length of the dash, a big thick piece of it, and it's on the door armrests and shifter console too. There's no way you could miss it.

Are you not in the U.S.? I don't know what the trim options are in Europe (you can still get cloth seats there for example), but here in the U.S. in a new BMW the only one that you'll ever find leatherette in with any regularity is the 328 (most still have leather), occassionally a base X3, and once in a blue moon a base Z4. Even then there's plenty of real wood or aluminum.

The G35/37 deserves this recognition. With most negative comments coming from the interior design and materials - its actually a good thing. Where the G shines is in performance - and that's what its suppose to do, perform. At nearly a $10k premium you buy the cache, heritage, etc. of the bimmer. But a true enthusiast can be just as happy in the G.

As for the new GTR, I mentioned in another thread that this twin turbo engine should end up in the G as an M3 competitor. With the dynamics of the G platform, it would compete the best with the M3 - just as the G35/37 is a better 'driving' alternative to the 3 series now, over the IS, A4, and C-class.

loaded up the price difference is $5200, $2600-3800 (three years and four years) of which you'll end up paying in maintenance on the G that is included on the BMW.

Another factor are lease rates. Because BMW's lose so little value, monthly payments on a lease are surprisingly low. A loaded 328i, for instance, selling for around 46k can have lower monthly payments than a loaded G35 at 40k. Fun little tidbit

GS, I didn't use the word "free", I said maintenance was "included". But it does narrow the gap in terms of ownership cost to only $2-3k, and for that money I'd take the 335i. The 335i has outperformed the G37 in every comparison and has been named the winner in almost all of them, the few it didn't were due to higher price and one where it overheated. In fact the 335i Coupe is so highly regarded in comparisons it's been named the victor in every test I've seen it in against the upcoming S5, where it plays basically the same role the G37 does here with similar performance (though much closer between the 335i and S5 than the G37 and 335i), and lower cost (though a much larger difference between the 335i and S5 than the G37 and 335i).

And please before I get deboosted read what I am saying without putting any brand bias on it. All are great cars, I'm not disparaging any of them.

JRobUSC, you are probably not very good at math or never bought a BMW. There's a lot of hidden cost. It's more like $8,600 difference when loaded as close as possible.

Since 335 doesn't even let you choose 19" wheel so far, I did the comparison w/ auto. For G35 auto I put in Premium and Sport package and ends up $38,615.00. For G37 I think it's reasonable to add $1000 so it'll be 39,700. For 335 I put in Premium(so I can have powered leather seat and bluetooth), Sport package(so I can have 18" wheel), Steptronic auto tran and paddle shifter, Comfort(keyless) Access, 6-Disc CD Player, and ends up $48,215.00.

I appreciate the free maintenance of my Bimmer, as it helps out my gal a lot. However for my G35 I'm spending about $400 annually for maintenance. Adding new brake rotor and pad at the end of 50,000 miles, the total cost will roughly be $2,000. Therefore, the price difference is really about $7,000(tax included).

So far I'm very happy w/ the reliability of G35 since I already got a new CD/Radio set for Bimmer(free) and there's lots of body parts noise which I'm gonna complain to dealer next time.

Although Bimmer is more precise amd easier to approach, sometimes I feel the car is doing too much for you and leaves a distant feeling, kinda like a good auto drip coffee maker. G35, on the other hand, is rougher and got an attitude, you feel so engaged in driving something w/ a personality.

g37 is a great alternative, but 335i is the better car.

for $10K extra it had BETTER be!!!

its not 10k ya dolt.

The price difference is $5k. And even if it was $10k more, which it isn't, the best line came from Edmunds.com:

"I don't know what the price difference is, but the BMW FEELS $15k better."

have you driven both of them? No, you havent. The 335 is a smoother ride, even with the occursed run flats.
The 335 is a FAR better daily driver.

Go drive a 3 yr old G35, and you will get a sense of Japanese "refinement". It is a rattlebox. I have traded 7 people out of their G35 for this exact reason.

I hate the rear spoiler design for this car, they should have designed the rear without the spoiler in mind.

Infiniti deserves a lot of praise for G37, especially for being able to undercut BMW by so much. I think whoever buys either will be a lucky owner, it just depends on if your willing to spend extra on that extra bit of finesse and grace that the BMW offers.

Either way, the rivalry between these two manufactures has produced some excellent pieces of automotive engineering.

The spoiler on the sport is much better than the chrome one.

The BMW is still the better car, but the G37 is a nice alternative if you want to spend less money. Motor Trend preferred the G37 over the 335i because the overall package was sublime. Good power and torque from the best V6 engine (in my opinion) in the world (but still no match for a 335i), decent styling and decent handling.

I like both cars very much, I would buy a G37 over a 330i Coupe but not the 335i. But make no mistake here, the BMW is still the better car here.

Still no match? It's a great match.

Here's a completely objective argument:
If you're going to include the free maintenance as part of the 'value', then how about the long-term durability of the turbo? This is a first for the 3-series, so which will have more problems? Can you say, Audi S4? That's nightmare as a second-hand car.

Although these vehicles compete head to head, they still offer a different experience to different buyers. I would buy a G37 today, and a 335i if I was 10 years older.

The N54 TT is much more powerful than the VQ 3.7l from the Nissan. It has more torque, equal horsepower and is more fuel efficient.

That's what you call fat? I'd hate to see what you call normal.

every comparison out there has the BMW as the better performer. I have seen one article where the BMW overheated and they picked the Infiniti. Also, have seen another comparison where the G37 was plagued by problems with the car during the test. Both are nice cars, but the BMW is by far the better value. People may argue this but look at the facts: The 335 is larger inside, has alot more storage, is faster, stops better, a more exciting engine, and a tighter response to it. In all the comparisons, the G won basically on price, but if you take into account maintenance, BMW assist ( version of onstar for 4yrs ), resale & size, then the BMW easily comes out on top.

um, i hear you. At work my computer is slow. These pictures are stupid and pointless. Agent 00-whatever, please only post pictures of the cars.

I like the pictures. It shows some personality and brightens the presentation. I get tired of looking at only cars all the time. Good work 001

"20 Pushups for a dollar"

Priceless.

The interior really isn't that much different from the previous generation. Never particularly cared for the interior or headlight design (the word 'generic' comes to mind).

I hope Infiniti focuses more on the driving characteristics than the horsepower (handling, steering feel, brake feel, throttle response, shifting, etc.). HP is overrated, but it seems that Japanese only want to focus their attention on that. I think a better comparison would be between this and the IS350.

Can we trust Agent 001 to tell the truth :o)

The G37 is HEAVY!!!! It is 200 pounds heavier than the 335i. The first rough estimate between comparable performance cars is to put them on a scale!!! (why do you think Lotus is so good with only 180 HP). Please guys and gals don't take this personal but it seems to me that Infiniti finally figured out that beating BMW is not possible and they moved more towards Lexus/Acura/MB path by adding more toys to mask performance. If they really wanted to beat BMW they desperately needed to shed a lot of weight, design it for better weight distribution (54/46 is ridiculous for luxury/sport car that they claim to be), and add torque not HP. 19" tires, large rotor brakes, and 4-wheel steering cannot beat physics. If you are heavy inertial forces will kill you (Newton knew that a few hundred years ago. The 335i is truly a special BMW that many fans have not seen in while. In a few years Infiniti may understand that performance does not equal bigger engine and add weight. BMW has increased the gap in the performance arena and has left Infiniti scratching their head. I apologize to Infiniti fans for this I just want to be realistic.

If a person had the money I can't see them chosing the infiniti. The G35 is a great offering for the money and the main area I would really criticize it is the interior which is quite plastic-y. A 335 interior with black leather & black wood looks totally slick, much better in comparison.

Not to mention you can easily boost the 335i HP and torque to something like 380/350. Edmunds tested the stock 335i to be only 0.2 seconds behind a Ferrari F430 in 0-60. With a black box, watch out.

The materials used in the bimmer are nicer, but it looks ugly as sin. The wood looks fake with those round spots and it's cold an univiting.

I dont care what you think. Go ahead and deboost me til my comment disapears.

A Ferrari F430? The 335 is excellent but whatever F430 your talking about must have been driving backwards. It can sprint to 60 under 4.2 seconds without breaking a sweat.

I would buy a G37 over the 3 if I had the money. 2 reasons why. The BMW is not as good a car and too much of a status symbol. And everyone has one. Most people that buy the BMW buy it because their friends have one. Most people that buy a G35/37 buy it because of its superior performance.

The 335 is just too darn good, almost too good, that this Infinity doesn't *QUITE* outdo it. I think BMW did TOO good of a job. For example the 335 is faster around the track at Virginia than even the M-coupe is - this is attributable to better balance, even with less horsepower.

http://www.caranddriver.com/assets/download/lightninglap_results.pdf

I say all that to say this: the G37 doesn't quite oust the 335.

Off it better than BMW 335i, it look better both the interior and exterior and it had a whopping 330hp.

I will get G37, reasons
cheaper
reliable
same performance as BMW
and I m not a race car driver but want to be

you should have just stopped at "cheaper", the rest of those reasons are either unproven or just wrong.

What on earth is this "magic German feel"? I have never heard of it.

Is this some American invention?

Lexus.

Infinity G37 is a great entry level sport coupe. For an extra few bucks the BMW would seem to make a better choice. Nice random pictures 001.....

This G37 is a really beautiful car. People have their choices and i see that many bloggers like the german brands more, but, for me i want to have something different and rather discreet. BMW is great, but i think that there are just too many of them. And also the styling of the G37 seems very pure, simple, yet unbelievably beautiful to look at. You can just take a look at it you may think that you are looking at a sculptured piece of art, not something as mundane as a machine used for transport. And also the initial tests suggest that the G37 seems to have caught up with the BMW 3 coupe. Definitely hands down I'll pick the G37 because of its great performance, but mostly because of that gracious, swoopy, and that ultra sexy look. This truly looks eye catching.

Every major magazine has the 335i beating the G37. So which magazine is differing?

4.91 second 0-60 on the 335. Like I said, BMW may have done TOO good of a job here.

For a 3.0 twin turbo engine, this is kinda slow.

If you haven't, go take the 335 for a test drive. The German feel/magic or whatever you want to call it is real. I used to be in the same boat prior to testing the cars out. Other than the price difference, it's not even close to the same feel. I'm sorry, but the G37s exterior imo, is a step backwards. Not nearly as agressive as the G35. It has become too soft/round and approaching Eclipse territory. The interior... same ol' story (okay, slight improvement). Again, I'm speaking solely on the overall quality/feel of the car.

If one wants to discuss "status," or just overall presence, again it's the BMW. I see a G35, G37, etc. I'm not taken aback. It's nice, but just doesn't have that specialness to it. They've become so abundent with the teenage/college tuner, etc. that it's tainted the classiness (if it ever existed). BMW is just BMW - if you haven't actually tested one, no picture or description will justify the feeling I'm speaking of.