Modern engines that are relatively fun & reliable?

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Originally Posted By: dwcopple
Originally Posted By: Gene K
A sedan version of the Subaru RBZ would be awesome.
of course, that would defeat the purpose of that car in the first place.


Not too sure about that. I read in Motor trend that this was designed to stretch and make it into a 4 door. I myself would like to see it be turned into a hatchback or wagon!
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
FYI, the auto version is at about 2.6K rpm at 80 mph in last gear.


The owner's manual (and probably the FSM, too) lists some information about gear ratios and speeds. There are some minor differences between the sedan and coupe, too.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
There are some minor differences between the sedan and coupe, too.

Hmm.. I haven't come across any such distinctions between the two.

Yours is the 7-speed auto, right? At what RPM are you in 7th gear at say 70 mph?
 
Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
That's one thing that baffles me about the G37 manual trans gearing ratios. At 80 mph in 6th gear, you're already at around 3K rpm. If you're going to give me a 6th gear with a fairly large and torquey engine, I'd like it to be about 500 rpm lower. If I want swift acceleration, I'll downshift to 5th or 4th, but if I just want to leisurely cruise and achieve better MPG, why not give me a taller 6th gear?

FYI, the auto version is at about 2.6K rpm at 80 mph in last gear.

I have had this same thought many times in recent years about some modern manual transmission vehicles. With six forward gears, the first five can be the close ratio 'racer' gears, but please let the top gear be at least as tall as the automatic option!

Do they really think that most people who buy the MT are too lazy to downshift from cruising top gear when the extra power is desired?

Maybe its also a Nissan VQ engine thing? I test drove a manual Pathfinder and it had a stupid short 5th gear as well. I'm sure it would go 60mph up a 12% grade with 5000lbs behind it...(well maybe I exagerate a bit, 10% grade for sure though
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Originally Posted By: IndyIan

Maybe its also a Nissan VQ engine thing?

My 530i is geared fairly short, too. At 70 mph, I'm already above 2700 rpm in 5th (highest gear). I guess BMW did not want this car to feel slow in any gear, trying to stay true to their "ultimate driving machine" slogan. LOL!
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But seriously, if you're given 6 forward gears, it'd be great if the first 5 were "fun gears" while the 6th was a "fuel economy" gear.
 
Went to drive an '09 G37 Sport today. I did like the interior, and the seats. Inside space was comparable to my e39. Clutch action felt good, and the shifter was pretty nice as well. The car handled well, considering its size/weight.

What I am not sold on still is the exterior. It just looks bland for some reason, especially the front. Then again, an E60 that's also on my list isn't particularly beautiful either.

The engine sounded a bit unrefined once you get up past 4K rpm or so, but not too bad. My inline-6 sounds a bit better, IMO, but it's not a deal breaker.

Overall, the car felt somewhat faster than my 530i, but not 50% faster, as I would have expected judging by horsepower numbers alone (330 vs 225). I guess the difference in max torque figures is only about 25%. Still, not bad.

All in all, not a bad potential option, if I can only get used to the looks...
 
I guess you figured out that the infinities do come w/ manuals. I have had two G35 6MT sedans. My brother has a G37 sedan.

The engine does sound bad at high RPM, it has been one of my few complaints with the car, strangely the auto version sounds better.

I have found with the G's, color and wheels/sport package make a big difference in appearance - they go from grandma car to fairly sporty looking. Definitely don't have the looks of BMW/Audi.

Based on MFG suggested maintenance intervals, infiniti wants oil changes every 3,750 miles, BMW 14,000. I do both around 6-7K.

The G is smaller than the 5 series, but bigger than the 3 series. We have had good luck with both brands, but the BMW has had more shop visits than the infiniti despite the OCI difference and the infiniti has covered almost 3 times the miles.

The power delivery of the BMW vs the Infiniti make it hard to compare. The Infiniti is a good bit faster, but the BMW has a much broader torque curve with the torque peak where you actually drive day to day. The BMW feels faster than it is, the infiniti feels slower than it is.

Owning an E60 and a G sedan, I appreciate both of them for different reasons.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Hmm.. I haven't come across any such distinctions between the two.

Yours is the 7-speed auto, right? At what RPM are you in 7th gear at say 70 mph?


Mine is actually the 5 speed auto. The 7 came in subsequent model years. As for the RPMs, I'll check on that and get back to you. I'll try it, and I'll also try to find the relevant FSM or OM pages for you.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
All in all, not a bad potential option, if I can only get used to the looks...


Remember, you're spending your time inside the vehicle, not outside it.
wink.gif


Also, another issue with these vehicles is the hi tech package. Even Infiniti dealers have been recommending to stay away from them. All it really provides is a nav system (I know where I'm going, so I don't need it) and a hard drive for music. The package has apparently been troublesome.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Hmm.. I haven't come across any such distinctions between the two.

Yours is the 7-speed auto, right? At what RPM are you in 7th gear at say 70 mph?


Okay, I got both matters straightened out. In top gear (5th, in the 5 speed auto), I'm at about 2850 rpm at 70 mph.

As for the distinction between the G coupe and the G sedan, I misread. The manual suggests a different max speed in various gears between the coupe and the sedan. Keep in mind that's in the 2008 owner's manual, and the 2008 coupe has the 3.7L while the sedan has the 3.5L.
 
Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
Owning an E60 and a G sedan, I appreciate both of them for different reasons.


One minor gripe is the way Germans do cruise control versus the dumbed down Infiniti way for North American consumption. The old Audi would let you set the cruise at whatever you want, no matter how foolishly fast it is. The G will not let you set the cruise above 89 mph.
 
Correct. Nissan/infiniti limits the cruise control a bit low.

What is interesting is the FX has intelligent cruise control. It also cannot be set above 90 mph, but if you are going faster and move in behind someone in range of the sensor, it will maintain the higher speed until the car in front slows down, or you get close enough for the intelligent cruise control to slow you down.
 
Originally Posted By: mcrn
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
Originally Posted By: Gene K
A sedan version of the Subaru RBZ would be awesome.
of course, that would defeat the purpose of that car in the first place.


Not too sure about that. I read in Motor trend that this was designed to stretch and make it into a 4 door. I myself would like to see it be turned into a hatchback or wagon!

Having 4 doors does not defeat the purpose of having a sports car.

Try telling everybody with a Subaru WRX or Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution that sports cars are not allowed to have 4 doors.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
All in all, not a bad potential option, if I can only get used to the looks...


Remember, you're spending your time inside the vehicle, not outside it.
wink.gif


Yeah, yeah, but before I get inside and after I leave, I'm not going to be walking around with my eyes closed. I might trip over the ugly stick.
smile.gif


Quote:

Also, another issue with these vehicles is the hi tech package. Even Infiniti dealers have been recommending to stay away from them. All it really provides is a nav system (I know where I'm going, so I don't need it) and a hard drive for music. The package has apparently been troublesome.

I don't think I'd have much choice there. As far as I know, the Sport version already includes the nav.
 
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
Originally Posted By: Gene K
A sedan version of the Subaru RBZ would be awesome.
of course, that would defeat the purpose of that car in the first place.


Not really. I didnt mean a 4-Door RBZ. I meant a sedan based off that chassis. It would have an entirely different purpose.
A 2700 lb RWD Sport Sedan. Like I said a modern day 510.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I don't think I'd have much choice there. As far as I know, the Sport version already includes the nav.


I'm not so sure. I just tried the build your own thing at the Infiniti site, and even with the Sport package, it lists the nav package as an option, and a pricey one at that. That applies to both the G coupe and sedan. It could be very well different in the States, for all I know.
 
Originally Posted By: CBR.worm
Owning an E60 and a G sedan, I appreciate both of them for different reasons.

Thanks. If you had to pick just one, based on my criteria, which one would it be?
 
Probably the G, but only by a hair. Overall I like the BMW better.

The 535i is a better driving car with a nicer interior IMO, but you are concerned about longevity and reliability. We would have bought the 535i instead of the 528i if it weren't for the fuel system issues. And the V8 gets much worse gas mileage and costs more money up front - not an ideal combination for us.

Our 528i has been very reliable and low maintenance so far, but we do not plan to keep it past 80-100K miles. It has had a number of very minor, electronic glitches that don't affect anything but are mildly annoying (sometimes the displays are metric instead of miles, occasionally the iDrive screen goes blank, once there was a shrill squeal coming out of the speakers), and could never be replicated. The dealer solution is to install the latest software updates. There is an outstanding recall for it right now to fix a terminal in the trunk. To replace the battery the dealer had to pull the dash out because the connector to program the ECU to register the new battery was not attached where it should have been - but the dealer covered the battery (and all labor) under warranty at 4 years and 49K miles - which I thought was great. If the car is not going to be driven much, BMW recommends putting it on a battery tender due to the parasitic draw of the electronics when the car is 'sleeping'

The infiniti has had minor issues too, but they have been simple. Power window motor, radiator fan - both replaced under warranty. Out of warranty was a slave cylinder (which is easy on mine, but major labor on the newer ones) and two Xenon ballasts. There have been no glitches, no strange behavior. It can sit for a month and not need to be charged. The Infiniti currently has almost 3 times as many miles as the BMW and gets driven much harder.

My biggest complaints with the G w/ the manual transmission (only) is the engine noise above 5K RPM. It just sounds unrefined, unlike the BMW which sounds better the higher it revs. Also the brakes on the infiniti are not as good as the BMW. They can stop just as fast a couple times, but fade and wear more quickly than the BMW brakes. I have tried a few different pad combinations, none of which have worked overall as well the OE brakes on the BMW. The newer sport package brakes are supposed to be better, but still have some issues with fade if you drive hard. They have more surface area though, so a fix may be better pads or fluid.

Overall most of the interior components are similar, but I prefer the more minimal layout and feel of the BMW. I also feel like you get more car for the money with the BMW - especially with the infiniti prices getting higher year after year. Some of our BMW controls have gotten scratched and scraped over time allowing backlighting through, where the initially cheaper feeling infiniti buttons are exactly the same as when new except a little shinier. The iDrive is a bit better on the '08+ cars, but still overly complex at times - particularly for some radio functions.

The adaptive xenon headlights on the BMW are better without a doubt than the fixed xenon headlight in the Infiniti. I have not compared the halogen equivalents.

I suspect that as the miles rack up the expenses of maintenance like clutch, brake, suspension work, etc. should be less expensive on the Intiniti. The infiniti does not have any crazy service procedures to do DIY work like brake pad replacement without risking losing a finger, or having to tell the ECU when the battery is replaced.

The BMW does allow longer service intervals, but I do both of their oil changes at about 7K miles.

So in short, I think the BMW is a better drivers car all around while it is under warranty and with low miles. I think the infiniti wins if you plan to own it far out of warranty and with potentially higher mileages and don't have to have 100% of the BMW driving dynamic.

Since you already have a 530i, you may have a better idea of what long term maintenance is than I do.
 
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