Lexus IS350 v Infiniti G35/7 v ?

[Ryan_Cunningham]

Hey All,

After my beloved Land Rover Discovery II let me down again, for the second time in two months I’ve decided I need a more reliable daily driver as I pick up my 18 month old daughter in the afternoons. Plus when I have time I’d prefer to wrench on my ‘72 911 as opposed to the truck. As such I’ve been doing some browsing for a car around $10k to get back and forth to work and am leaning towards a 2006-2008 Lexus IS or similar Infiniti G35/7. Anyone have experience with either? Any others in that class I’m overlooking?

[freeform911]

I've owned a 2006 is350..it was a great car other then the rubbery bits used in the interior got very sticky and the dash cracked in a few places by the glove box...
Mechanically the car was perfect...
310hp got that little car going pretty quickly, but was somewhat boring to drive..also pretty tight inside..the back seats are not very comfortable for an adult for more then an hour or so..

I haven't owned a g series infinite but did own a 2007 infinite m35..
Same layout and motor..
I got rid of that car a few years ago with about 150k on the clock...
Great car but the same type of interior issues as the Lexus...cracked dash and the 2 front seats didn't hold up very well..
The infinite can be expensive when it's time to change plugs..do a search!!

If i had to pick between the two i think i would go with the Lexus...just because it was a rocket...

[bleucamaro]

As for the better car, they're probably comparable in the reliability department.

If it were my choice though, I'd pick the IS350 hands down. To me the VQ35 engine just sounds so bad that I'd never consider owning one.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by bleucamaro

As for the better car, they're probably comparable in the reliability department.

If it were my choice though, I'd pick the IS350 hands down. To me the VQ35 engine just sounds so bad that I'd never consider owning one.

That’s what I’d guess. I’m surprised to hear about the VQ sound, I’ve heard some 350Z cars w exhaust that sounded good, I thought.

[GH85Carrera]

My wife liked her Infinity G35X except for the crappy gas mileage. Premium only, and 18 MPG driven very carefully. 15 or less with a heavy foot.

[freeform911]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

My wife liked her Infinity G35X except for the crappy gas mileage. Premium only, and 18 MPG driven very carefully. 15 or less with a heavy foot.

Both cars get horrible gas mileage and require premium gas....unfortunately!!!

[JavaBrewer]

In early 2013 we went shopping for the wife's car @ CarMax and first drove an IS250. So not a good comparison to the IS350 engine wise but the car is pretty tight inside and as already stated the rear seats are marginal for adult sized people. Overall fit and finish was very nice, very sporty feel, but the car was just a tad too small. We then looked at a BMW 5 series but the wife hated the interior enough to not want a test drive. We next drove a G37X and were very impressed, good size, great motor, nice interior (not overly complicated). A few weeks later I sourced a 2011 G37 with 12k miles from a private seller and we have had it ever since.

- Now at 96K miles and only routine maintenance
- Plenty of power for all situations
- Unrefined transmission that hunts for the right gear too often, harsh shifting at times. This can be resolved IMO driving it in sport mode. No more hunting for gears
- Interior has held up pretty well. No cracks or tears in seats/dash. Plastic "aluminum" trim is starting to peal/flake. Carpets are still like new. Car is kept in a garage so that helps
- More of the GT car, it eats miles quickly and easily. It's larger and heavy and is no 911 in turns
- Front headlights are starting to haze over
- Road trip MPG is decent (around 20-22) but around town the car is thirsty

Like the OP, my wife came out of a LR Discovery II (2003) and into the G37. She was skeptical with a sedan at first but now loves it. We will be shopping for a new used replacement for her in 2020 and another Infiniti is a strong contender.

As already mentioned there are lots of options in this segment.

[freeform911]

Like the OP, my wife came out of a LR Discovery II (2003) and into the G37. She was skeptical with a sedan at first but now loves it. We will be shopping for a new used replacement for her in 2020 and another Infiniti is a strong contender.*



We looked at the newer infinites...specifically the q50 red sport...didn't not care for the overly round styling...the tech is way behind the other manufacturers imo...two touch screens made absolutely no sense to me...
But the 3.0tt was a blast...

Ultimately we picked up a cpo jaguar xfs...imo just a better more refined choice...

[JavaBrewer]

Early this year we used SilverCar in Seattle area for a new A4 day rental. I refused the tech intro from the rental person...big mistake. I work in IT and could not figure out how to get navigation to speak over the stereo and about 100 other things. The dash pod had all kinds of settings including embedding the GPS map and navigation. I stuck to simple gauge display with miles left in fuel.

Yeah yeah I'm a dinosaur, cars today are marketed for their tech/integration, but I don't need or want a car as complex as that A4 was.

[freeform911]

@Java...
Unfortunately in the sport luxury segment the tech is there hard to avoidit....
just some companies make it more user friendly...
I am not a techie type person but for me some is good as long as its easy to navigate...

[Tobra]

So long as the tech is not in the way and obtrusive, fine.

Do they put touchscreens in cars? That would be the one I do not want.

Otherwise I would rather have something analog and engaging.

Both would serve you well. I like rowing gears, puts you in an IS 250, which is a bit of a dog. Could get a 6 speed G35 I guess, but probably only in a coupe. There are some VQ 35/37 powered autocross vehicles I have seen that sounded fine, one of the Z cars borders on wicked. Maybe they gooned the OE exhaust.

[freeform911]

Do they put touchscreens in cars? That would be the one I do not want.


You can use the buttons on the steering wheel as well...but i find the touch screen easier to use...

Don't think a lexus or Infiniti of those years the th op is looking at came with a touch screen..
My m35 was fully loaded with every package( tech, entertainment, ex..)you could purchase but the interface was all buttons n knobs...

Btw the sound of the vq was not bad..i did cut out the resonators which gave the car a nice growl....

[Reg]

I have a g25x, 2011. It does hunt for a gear once and a while and does ask for premium fuel but the small v6 sounds great and averages 9.6l/100km. It is also supposedly only a couple ticks slower than the 3.7 in acceleration to highway speed.

[MMiller]

Originally Posted by speeder

That’s what I’d guess. I’m surprised to hear about the VQ sound, I’ve heard some 350Z cars w exhaust that sounded good, I thought.

Yea my experience as well. I've owned a G35, I loved the exhaust note, for a 6 cyl I think it's one of the best modern note available.

Overall the car was reliable and fun to drive for an asian build.

[racer]

I'd start with making sure the car seat for the 18mo old fits, especially if still rear-facing. Might need to step up to the midsize (ES3xx blah mobile) or GS if a Lexus. I think the G35/37 is a little bigger in the back than the IS, but not much.

I too am a fan of the G35/37 sound. I really like the G35 coupe, but that would be not so practical for car seat usage.

For 10K ish, get a used LS400/430

[masraum]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Early this year we used SilverCar in Seattle area for a new A4 day rental. I refused the tech intro from the rental person...big mistake. I work in IT and could not figure out how to get navigation to speak over the stereo and about 100 other things. The dash pod had all kinds of settings including embedding the GPS map and navigation. I stuck to simple gauge display with miles left in fuel.

Yeah yeah I'm a dinosaur, cars today are marketed for their tech/integration, but I don't need or want a car as complex as that A4 was.

I did the same, Audi A4 in Seattle last Sep. They didn't ask me about a tech walk through, but I would have refused. I mostly figured it out while I had the car. It was cool to have the nav in the dash in between the gauges. I thought it was pretty cool.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Tobra

So long as the tech is not in the way and obtrusive, fine.

Do they put touchscreens in cars? That would be the one I do not want.

Otherwise I would rather have something analog and engaging.

Both would serve you well. I like rowing gears, puts you in an IS 250, which is a bit of a dog. Could get a 6 speed G35 I guess, but probably only in a coupe. There are some VQ 35/37 powered autocross vehicles I have seen that sounded fine, one of the Z cars borders on wicked. Maybe they gooned the OE exhaust.

I didn't find the Audi tech obtrusive. I thought it was useful and nice to have and provided a nice degree of customization.

My main thought was "I wouldn't want to own this when the screen or brain behind the scenes goes on the fritz!"

I like Analog gauges too.

We had a kid that lived here that had a Nismo 370 that had modded it for something like 600hp that sounded really, REALLY good. I've heard a few others that sounded decent too.