G'day all,

With all the talk surrounding the stunning Coupe Concept as a MY08 replacement for our beloved G35 Coupe, I must admit I bought into the hype and recently leased an '06 for 24 mos as a "gap filler."

While I'm still very much excited by the upcoming redesign, I can't help but notice that 2008 appears to be shaping up as one of those very special model years for performance cars.

Now, I know I should take everything I come across in various print publications and media outlets with a grain of salt, but I think it's reasonable to pose the question whether the new coupe will end up holding that proverbial bag once it does arrive given how the competition is seemingly stacking up.

Here are just a few examples of upcoming models I find myself salivating over, and saving vigorously for so that I will have more options - I realize some vehicles on this list are a step up in price, but I think it's fair to say that many of us would consider cross-shopping these with the new G and perhaps even be willing to stretch our budgets if it evokes enough of our passion:

1) BMW 335
2) Toyota Supra
3) Lexus IS 500
4) e90 M3
5) S4(FSI)/RS4

If my understanding is correct, the GT-R will be positioned to compete with the Porsche 996/997 - which in my mind effectively leaves a void in Infiniti's lineup to take on any of the above vehicles without a V-8 offering for the G. BTW it's funny how Toyota/Lexus and Honda appear to be aiming even higher with the GT500 and a V-10 NSX.

I guess what concerns me and led me to this posting is that rumors of 320-330 hp on the new coupe would put the new G35 at or near the very bottom of the stat sheet which, while not always meaningful, is somewhat unnerving since Nissan has traditionally been the automaker who ups the ante on that performance vs. value equation.

Obviously there's still a lot of time between now and '08, so anything can happen, but I've got to have some faith that Nissan/Infiniti isn't oblivious to the rapidly changing automotive landscape and the willingness of its competitors to push the envelope.

As a consumer, I guess I'm really in the best position and should be thrilled at the many options I'll have in a couple of short years. Still, I feel it's my obligation through what loyalty I feel for Nissan in sending out a plea to not forget the simple formula that ultimately turned the company around - by staying ahead of the competition.

Okay I'm done with all my rantings - would be very interested to hear thoughts of others on this.

Thanks, all!

 

BP,
Your post is all about snack bracket.

If, and that's a big if, Toyota has a Supra on the street for 08, and if Honda has an NSX on the street for 08, and if Toyota can get an IS500 on the street for 08, you're talking about 3 cars that will be far more expensive than the G, or in the case of the Supra, a car that will likely be apples to apples in performance and price, intentionally. M3s and S4s are 50% more expensive than Gs, at least here in Canada, and RS4s, when they become available, will be more than double. In the case of the new M3, that gap will get bigger.
Along with a maybe Supra, the only other car on your list is a 335. And you can be assured that Infiniti is watching closely how that car comes out, and will naturally trump it, at least in the power dept, as has been done by both Infiniti and Lexus in the recent past. Now the thing they need to work on is chassis refinement, the holy grail that BMW seems to have owned for approaching close to two decades.

In the end, I'm doubtful the net result will be a loss of ground for Infiniti.
As for cross-shopping, the person looking at G35s along with M3s and RS4s as competitors needs to drop the former from the latter two, I humbly suggest.

Cheers,
D

 

I agree...Pricing is very important.
RS4 will sell for $70,000 approximately.
The current M3 starts at like $47,000...so imagine what a new M3 with a V8 with 400hp will be like.
The IS350 is already more expensive than a G...although not by much...but then an IS500 will probably run somewhere closer to M3 territory than G territory.
But once you get into the 50 some odd thousand dollar performance coupes and sedans...you're talking about Benz C55 is in the mix too...and for a little bit more a Porsche Cayman S.
I think that the only real car that Infiniti is aiming at is the 330ci and the Audi A4 coupe (when it arrives). Those are cars are really in a different market.

Now the GTR is the player for that market (they just need to price it right at like $59,000 and they'd be golden)

 

Where is lexus' 5.0 liter v8? Last time I checked they have a 4.3L in the GS,LS etc. They have a 4.7L from their trucks. The new LS has a 4.6. I have heard no rumors of a 5.0

 

Well, for what it's worth, the April issue of R&T has a preview of several future models from Japan's major automakers. Indications are that a 5.0L V-8 is being developed for the new Supra and will be shoe-horned into the IS 500 as a direct competitor to the new M3.

Meanwhile, it's said that power to the 3.5L V-6 Supra will range in the neighborhood of 350 and be priced right at $40K, which again leaves me to question how competitive the next G will be if it's brought to market as speculated.

Perhaps it's a bit unfair on my part to be labeling Infiniti a victim of its own success, but my expectation is that the next G should continue to be the performance-to-value leader among near-luxury cars.

As for the comparison to more performance-oriented cars such as the M3 and S4/RS4, I whole-heartedly agree there's a significant price difference. However, if Toyota/Lexus is entering this segment with its V-8 Supra/IS 500, I'm hoping Nissan/Infiniti will come to the table with something other than the GT-R that'll slot nicely in between...for a whole lot less than $60K.

Well, I suspect we'll know more in coming months - I rather like the idea of having more choices so it's all good from a consumer's perspective!

 

so what the heck happened with the AWD coupe? sorry i was searching came across this and thought i might as well ask. is the awd ever coming?

 

HUFL - highly unlikely. Does the car need another 200-300 lbs? To what end? There are plenty of RWD cars that seem to do fine without. More weight, more complexity, more expense to build- reserved for, if at all, the GTR, imho.

Cheers,
D

 

well.... simple..... the G coupe is never meant to compete with m3, s4, is500
it is meant to compete with 3 series coupe

I heard a rumor that Nissan might move the 350Z up the performance chart higher than the G coupe to fill in teh gaps in between G coupe and GTR.

 

G35 Coupe goes against the IS and the 3 series.

Future; Infiniti G37 vs Lexus IS 350 vs BMW 335

 

Interesting...

Came across a report on a Honda forum regarding rumors out of Japan. There's a reference to a Nissan/Infiniti coupe powered by a "highly tuned" 4.5L V-8. Perhaps this is the same rumor Renesis had heard?

Here is the link if you'd like to check it out for yourself.

This would absolutely bridge the gap and makes perfect sense given the direction of competitors but, alas, I won't hold my breath on this one just yet.

 

I would agree -- g35c more of a 3-series competitor. However, the 'halo' car for Nissan should be the GTR. Don't know if there's market for an in-between model but I suppose if you wanted a more 'complete' model line then a 6-series competitor would be a V8 mashed in a 2nd gen g35c.

A higher end Z350? That would be interesting. Would definitely make the Nissan line even sportier. Get those kid 'tuners to dream about a high end Nissan.

 

What the hell? Where did you get this info at? Is the next g35 really gonna be called g37?

 

Read a couple posts below ... if you read that thread, it states that Nissan / Infiniti have trademarked "G37" along with others "__37".