Not a good question to ask here in a Subaru message board. It all depends on your personal wants and needs. Thats the bottom line. Each is the top in its class, but they are both in a different class. You need to decide what YOU want.

 

Im inclinded to agree with the above the STI will be a favorit here, but


Both have Brembos
Both have WHeels (big ones)
Both are 6speed
Both Have Six disc from some stand points they are alike but

one goes 0-60 under 5 (STI ) one takes 5.9-6.1
Awd RWD
.?? on skid .92
Areo dynamics of a brick .28 Coef of Drag
loud in side quite
seudette seat but more support leather power comfy seats
Forced induction big NA 6
easy to mod $$$ to mod
1st gen motor issue solid tested (slower) motor
36k warrenty 60k warranty
no loan car for repari loan car
lousy dealers lousy dealers
Subaru Infinity


It will come down to weather you want an great GT car with leather and all the amenities or do you want ***** out performance.

PS used to sell Infinity

D

 

G 35 offering a 6 speed already?

heard they are coming next year.

 

Hi Ditchhanger,

I don't understand how folks are saying the G35 is "heavy and kinda on the slow side". The G35 will smoke 90% of everything it sees on the road including the much more expensive Porsche Boxster S and run a hair behind the 911 4S (Tiptronic) from a stand still. You wouldn't call those guys 'heavy and kinda slow', would ya? Nor would I.

The G35 Coupe was my 'fallback' in the event the STi came in at $33K or more MSRP. Now that we know the price is $31.5 plus change I was cool with the STi for sure...until I visited the NY car show this past Saturday and saw them both in person.

Damn!
Damn!
Damn!

Talk about opposite opposed.

I won't comment on their designs or two doors vs. four doors as that a matter of personal opinion. Sort of like casting Sandra Bernhardt as Subie STi and Sandra Bullock as Infiniti G-35 Coupe.
Neither has stellar looks in the 'traditional' sense of beauty but there are folks out there who love both. And I'll bet a weeks pay that a date with either would be a night one might never forget.

Performance wise the STi and G35 aren't worlds apart, just from two different sides of the track;
* 0-60 = STi 4.5s (predicted) / G35 5.5s (Car & Driver)
* 1/4 = high/mid 13's (predicted) / G35 14.2 (C&D)
* Top Speed = 150+mph (predicted) / 155 mph (C&D)
* Braking 70-0 = <160 ft. (predicted) / 164 ft. (C&D)
* Roadholding = >.90 g's (predicted) / 0.86 (C&D)
* Drivetrain = DCCD + AWD + 6spd / RWD + TRAC + 6spd
* Brakes = Both have Brembo 12.7 F & 11.3 R w/vented discs & ABS (Subie has Sport ABS...unique to STi and Mercedes)
* Wheels = Subie comes with 17" BBS / G35 has 18" rims & fat tires as part of Brembo brake package

I could go on but you see where things are going....
STi is 'Fred Astaire' and G35 Coupe is a prettier and slightly slower 'Ginger Rogers'. These guys are just a step apart at every juncture.

Otherwise they cost about the same too;
* STi = $31,500 MSRP +/- depending on your ship to area
* G35 Manual 6 speed w/leather interior = $32,200 MSRP + $545 shipping nationwide
* G35 5spd. Manumatic w/cloth interior = $29,250 MSRP + $545 shipping + $700 Brembo brake & 18" tire option
* G35 5spd. Auto w/leather interior = $31,550 MSRP + $545 shipping nationwide

So in the end either one will get you a ticket.
Either one will get you a date. And either will get you down the road with authority.

As my good friend Tom put it to me at the show as I was vascilating between the two;
"Which would you prefer to marry, The fun & funky 'Stripper' or the classy but sassy 'Vegas Showgirl'? One is cheap & fast while the other is smooth & sexy. And there's no telling how either will age."

Personally, I'm going to wait until the STi hits the road, do a test drive, and see what the auto rags have to say about its performance and ride (compliant, stiff, or EVO hard). Then I'm going to test drive both the auto & manual G35.
Then depending on how soon I might get mine (#7 on my dealers list) and whether he honors my MSRP "guarantee" I'll decide on who 'feels' better and dances best .

At my age (32) and highly visible social & work position, the G35 is the more logical and acceptable/understandable match. But inside I've got Subie blue pumping thorugh my veins. It really is a tough call.

Absolute luxury with a slight trade off of power & speed
or
Absolute power & speed with a large trade off of luxury.

- Janq

P.S.
C&D assigned the G35 Sedan as one of this years "10 Best Cars" ahead of the perinneal favorite BMW 5 Series. And that version has 20 less HP than the G35 Coupe! Heavy & slow, I think not.

 

If you want the best of both worlds why not just get a 350Z touring model? Its still more acceptable with the posh crowd but its still a sports car with some *****. You just lose all the space you get from the other two cars (one thing that I dont like about the 350) You will also get leather and a Navi option.

 

I know I'll be flamed for saying this publicly, but I find the 350Z to be somewhat cheesy & functionless.

The outside door handles will be tough to live with during winter snow & ice freezes. The cover for the NAv/CD is flimsy and sticks upon closing (I'm not being picky...go try it). The lack of rear seats is not an option for me as I have a 4 month old with a big *** Britax convertibale babyseat. The 350Z's rear/trunk is useless with that huge rear strut brace. Why did they do that?!
Plus although its 200lbs lighter than the G35 (only!) and 7 HP higher, it's only a few tenths of a sec. faster than the G35.
And the G35 comes with leather stock on manual 6 speed and an option with the automatic. Nav is a $2K option, but I don't need it. About $50 worth of maps will get me anywhere in the tri-state area. The interior over all just seems cheap.

The exterior body design is a bit chunky. Kind of like a squatting toad. The G35 is much more athletic and svelte, except for the grill. The grill reminds me of a female body part...I'll leave it to you to figure out which.
Also the G35 with 6speed manual or Auto with Brembo brake option is exactly the same as the 350Z Track model (including limited slip rear diff).

- Janq

 

I see...of course you are entitled to your opinion i dont care either way but I find it weird that you are such a big fan of the G35 and not the 350Z. I test drove the Z and liked it but I didnt like the lack of space. I drive a civic now and I am amazed at how much stuff I have gotten home in that car. (Bed frame, full dresser, night stand, linens, and a few other things from Ikea in one trip) Anyway, I just assume the G and Z to share a lot of parts including the quality of the interior. Maybe I am wrong...I have not been in a G35 yet. But of course one is a sports car that is a little stripped and the other is a car for pimping. Good luck with your choice. Does resale mean much? What about finance offers? That will help in my choice. Since you said you had a kid I would go with the G35. Dont want to give him/her a whiplash when shifting...

 

I couldn't agree more. The 350Z I never considered for a moment but the G35 coupe has made me do a double take many times. Everything about I love but the STi still easily wins me over for these few things right here, plain and simple...

1. All the time, AWD. Canadian winters require this. I'm sick of RWD now and they are USELESS in the winter even with snow tires. FWD is better.
2. 4 DOORS. That's right. No more trying to squeeze passengers into a small back seat through a 2 door car.
3. 300 HP. Nice and easy like. Not 287, not 285 or 276... Just 300. I just like the sound of it if nothing else.

There are many other reasons but these are my main three reasons for picking the WRX Sti over anythign else at the moment.

 

No disrespect intended, but dude you really should go see the G35 Coupe and avoid making assumptions. Trust me, its a better car and better value than the 350Z. At the NY show they had the Nissan stand right next to the Inifiniti stand and 20 feet from the BMW stand.
Everyone was swarming the G35 and nearly all commented that the G35 made the 350Z look "Cheap" and that the 330Ci looks dated next to the G35C.

Trust me son, the G35C is that nice!
Also, the rear seats are usable for real humans. I sat back their (6' 165 lbs & athletic build) while my buddy sat in the drivers seat (5'10" 150 lbs) and I was good to go. We switched and again I was comofrtable in the drivers seat while he sat directly behind me. Also the front seats in the G35 go back farther than in the 350Z which is important for folks like me with long legs (34" inseam).

As for sharing parts...no parts are shared at all between either vehicle other than the engine, suspension, drivetrain and front glass. Everything else is entirely different and unique to the G35.
Another thing of note. My buddy is 53 and were both married.
While watching people observe and enjoy the G35 at the show we noticed a _lot_ of young hot ladies really admiring the G35.
It was visibly and notable more so than any other car we saw at the show (including the 350Z...which nearly no one was ogling)!
When we went down stairs to to see the STi it was only techie/nerdie/young guys having boners over the STi.
My buddy and I both noticed it but he was the first one to say something about it after we went back upstairs to the G35 booth and talked/flirted for several minutes with one of the Infiniti reps and reviewing the cars many options and features.

The real test though was when we got home...
My buddy drives a '01 GTI I4T and he had never heard of the G35 but on the drive home back to VA it was all he talked about and he's thinking about trading in his wife's Accord for one.
Keep in mind my buddy is not one to impulse buy. His last car he had for 14 years and it took him nearly two years to decide on the GTI.
So he calls me the next day to tell me he showed his wife the sales brochure and that she loved the look of it and wants to go test drive one ASAP.
After that I tell my wife the story and she can't believe it as again these guys are real thirfty ('Millionaire Next Door' types). So I pull the brochure out of the bag and show it to her along with my digi-pics. My wife swooned over it and said it was "beautiful" and "very sexy". Dude, my wife doesn't even like cars and thinks they all look the same pretty much.

Only females such as 'SubieGal' are going to swoon over an STi.
How many gals like that do you know?
I know of only one, and she drives a hooked up white WRX.

Yeah the STi is 'special', but "sexy" is sexy.

- Janq

 

G 35 C can be a real pimp ride

saw this Black one w/ 19 inch RS GT ....

real bling ling.... even though i am not into "dubs" that ride made me go "UOOOHHH, i want a piece of that ...."

but personally i hate the G 's @ss.....

 

Essogas,

I got some information for ya that might sway you even more.
Here are responses to your three issues;

1. The Nissan/Infinit VCD (traction control system) is supposed to be very good, if not a bit aggresive, and enables the car to handle inclement weather conditions well. Within reason of course due to ground clearance.
For prrof of this go to http://skyline2.nissan.co.jp/PROGRAM/VDC/index.html
or click here. It's a test of the G35 Coupe on the Bosch test track showing the difference between having the VDC on and off in the snow. Its quite convincing for a RWD setup.
Nothing of course beats AWD (or DCCD) but for everyday use the RWD with VCD will get the job done 99% of the time. Just ask any M3, M5 or Z06 owner.

2. Go see a G35 Coupe in person.
When your passengers go to get in the back seat just hit a button and the entire front driver and/or passenger seast folds (bisects) and then zips along via the power motors all the way to the forward position. This happens within less than 3 seconds.
I was like "wow" when I saw that! It'll be very handy.
Once your passenger is seated the seat automatically rolls back to where it was and unfolds. Its cool as heck.

3. 300/300 does roll of the tongue nice.
But how about a factory supercharger option for 320-330HP & 315lb/ft of torque? Yeah, word is Infiniti has an AWD G35 on the way in the fall. And that they also have a G35 Coupe & Sedan bolt-on supercharger option coming for the fall/spring. And a new model will be debuted called the G35S Coupe/Sedan!

Further, the good folks at Stillen are rumored to be debuting in July a full bolt on supercharger kit for the VQ6 that will fit the 350Z/G35Coupe & G35 Sedan! Price ranges are expected in the $4,000.00-$4,500.00 for the kit, and it should put out an added 80-100hp to the existing 260 (Sedan) or 280 (G35/350Z).

Oh, and thats not couting the full cat back system Stillen already has out that adds an additional dyno proven 13 HP and 14lb/ft of torque to a 350Z/G35 Coupe.
Thats 293-300HP and 284-291 lb/ft of torque with a relatively minor and inexpensive add-on.

4. I know you didn't have an item four but I'm throwing this bit in anyway. Take a look at this post from the 'G35 Interchange' forum about this guy and his own wife's expereinece with owning a G35 and visiting the G35 display at the NY show.

All intersting stuff...which makes the STi vs. G35 Coupe option tough.

- Janq

 

"I know I'll be flamed for saying this publicly, but I find the 350Z to be somewhat cheesy & functionless."

I'm guessing you're not in charge of Nissan's newest ad campaign!

The 350Z from Nissan. Sure: It's cheesy but now more funtionlessness built right in!

 

<lol!>