The 2.0T hardly has an exhaust note... Unless this is one of those "after I tune and put on an exhaust" arguments.

 

Nope...mine is stock. Sounds better than my G sedan.

 

I actually like the way the G sounds in the cabin

I've done the turbo 4 thing, I prefer the power delivery of a naturally aspirated engine and a high redline.

 

And that lies my problem with the G. I'm not saying it is not a good car, nor is it fast when you are able to open it up. However, living in Los Angeles, I drive in stop and go traffic 85% of the time. Occasionally, I don't get any traffic on the weekends, and that's if I'm lucky. The G's high revving engine is useless to me. I have no low end torque and combine that with the laggy 7AT, it is horrible to drive. I'm not even going to include the MPG as a result of that. The 2.0T delivers the power and torque at 1900rpm, when I need it. If I lived in a rural area where I drive in an open highway for 30 miles non stop, then the G would be a great car for me.

 

I think we are going to have to agree to disagree.

 

I'm with you. My buddy has a '12 GTI DSG and it has almost no sound at all. Sounds a lot like a vacuum cleaner.

 

i guess I should clarify. Since sound is subjective, I think the DSG sounds better in that it has more of a rumble inside the cabin. The exhaust may not necessarily be louder in decibels, but that's a good thing. If you want to compare pure volumn, the G sedan is just as quiet.

 

The GTI almost has no exhaust note...

LOL A front wheel drive hatchback shouldn't even be brought up in this conversation...

 

Not mention vw "augments" exhaust artificially via the cars speakers....

(Admittedly have no firsthand experience w vw so take it fwiw)

 

if the extra 5-10 bucks a day hurts too much in the wallet to be able to drive a nicer,feeling car more luxurious than the honda fit then you should go for the honda fit even try the mazda 2 or nissan versa. if your gonna nickle and dime you should have stuck with an econobox and stayed out of the entry luxury level cars
gotta pay to play

 

You think a Miata is fun, try driving an S2000 Talk about amazing balance, handling, and good power when you keep the revs up. Sure the G is faster in a straight line, but stock vs. stock an S2000 handles light years better. It's just too bad they don't make them anymore.

 

First two were fabulous cars even with their faults. 05 5AT sedan, and an 08 6MT Sport sedan. It is this third that has made me see the real faults in this car, and it is magnified by that crap AWD system, that crap 7AT transmission, and that crap stock 'retweaked' suspension setup for the 2010+ AWD models.
Did it ever occur to you that there might be SLIGHTLY more to a car and fun to drive ratio than all out 0-60 races? Because if I am honest, that is the ONLY thing my G37xS has going for it. It can get out of its own way in a straight line. In every other aspect though, I think any of the above cars listed put a bigger smile on my face in the fun to drive realm. Yes you get a lot for your money with the G. Good standard equipment list, lots of power etc etc. I would even highly recommend one as long as you go RWD. But I am not afraid to say that the car is extremely dated, gets crap gas mileage, and is not the smoothest or most refined vehicle on the road and I do believe you can have just as much fun in something with a smaller engine that may not be as fast. I go through this same thing in the bike community with people like my dad who think my little 40hp supermoto is a 'beginner bike' because it tops out at 100 and isn't the fastest thing around... in a straight line. Then he came to one of my track days and saw my 'slow beginner bike' passing 1000CC liter bikes. I think that shocked him slightly because I was having just as much fun on something he would consider 'slow'

So many people on this forum think I hate on the Gs too much and why do I own one blah blah blah. But in reality, I just point out the flaws. I use to be an Infiniti only person for life. Obsessed to the MAX. Then after this last G and all the issues it has had and how extremely disappointed I have been, it kinda opened me up to what else I could have gotten for the money and after driving so many different types of cars I realized that the power isn't everything and that their is fun to be had all across the board. I just can't think like this is the best car in its class anymore because well... it just isn't. And it seems like with this new Q50, Infiniti has scraped the bottom of the barrel. The 03-08 Gs were class competitive and absolutely fantastic cars which were at the top of their segment (even though most 37 drivers wouldn't be caught dead in a first gen G35.) After 09 though, it has just kinda been slipping and Infiniti has lost that hold. The Q50 isn't even competitive. It loses every single comparison it is put in.... But I do still have some love for the G. I think it is a gorgeous car and when I got to drive my friends 03 RWD Sedan the other day, it reminded me why I fell in love with the Gs and Infiniti to begin with. That visceral feeling with the heavy steering. The nice near 50/50 weight distribution through awesome RWD that would give you a nice slight, incredibly controllable oversteer after powering out of a corner. It was just epic. Polar opposite of my G37xS which would blow the doors off that 03 G, but it just falls on its face in a corner and understeers epicly off the road in a squeeling dramatic fashion...

So thats my soap box. Enjoy.

 

Never drove a S2000, but from everything I've read, I'd agree. That was a great roadster. Shame they never made a Coupe.

 

The OP wants to down grade to save money on fuel, so update to 328 or A4 is not what he is thinking about. Trading to A4 or 328 will further increase cost, not saving money. The key is how much he can sell his G, and how much he can get a fuel miser car without spending more money, or better yet having some money back. I have a Mazda 2 and get 27 city and 35 hwy. Driving the Mazda 2 is a joy when I save money on gas, miserable when I take it on the highway for a trip.

 

Had an ap1 s2k at my disposal for a week, great and fun little car, but even after a week I was missing the power.

Granted I didnt try to "throw the car into corners" on public roads, so maybe I didn't really drive the honda in a way to highlight its strengths, but its novelty did sort of wear off for me. The shifting was light years ahead of the G, the steering seemed marginally better, and it was obviously better planted, but the high revs got monotonous (not at first, but eventually), was left wanting more car at the end of the week. Same story with the brz, except I had it for a month ... Same formula, same outcome, even with late night cruises on the GW parkway sprinkled in.

Like everyone else in here, I'm biased toward my personal driving style.

If OP wants a more economical car, undoubtedly lots of options out there. I'd probably go accord or tsx