My new car: 2011 Infiniti G37x sedan.

[afty]

I've seen a number of G25s here in the Bay Area.  I think it's bought by the same people who buy IS250s.  C/D in their latest issue rated it 3rd of 5 against the 328i, A4, C250, and Volvo S60.  They said it was the most fun to drive with the best steering, but with way too little power.

[68_427]

No, they were just hoping to sell more by selling the cheaper G25.

[Catman]

Not sure what the mileage is on those but it may be good if you commute a lot and lots of power isn't important to you.

[GoCougs]

I've seen a number of G25s here in the Bay Area.  I think it's bought by the same people who buy IS250s.  C/D in their latest issue rated it 3rd of 5 against the 328i, A4, C250, and Volvo S60.  They said it was the most fun to drive with the best steering, but with way too little power.

M/T just had a similar comparo, but with more cars. The G25 finished 7th out of 8, barely beating the Buick Regal. They trashed it from stem to stern, inside and out, giving it only moderate props for handling, steering feel, and decent MPG.

[GoCougs]

I will say this about the G25, that smaller VQ was noticeably smoother and quieter than the 3.7L VQ (still fell short of the Accord J-series V6 though), and in terms of MPG, it got EXACTLY what I got on the last tank in the G37 (21.5 mpg). The 2.5L VQ and 3.7L VQ are essentially the same engine block (weight) and the cars are essentially the same weight too. EPA has only 1-2 mpg separating the two (19/27 vs. 18/25), so with moderate driving I'm not surprised the two get/got about the same mpg.

As to the NVH of the 3.7L, I see it now more of a growl/muscle car type (un)refinement, and rather like it now, especially against the backdrop of a (near) luxury AWD sedan.

[GoCougs]

As to steering feel, IMO the Accord did it better (not that I really care about such things though). The G is weighted heavier but actually telegraphing road surface and wheel orientation the Accord did it better. This could have to do with the fact I have the AWD G; not sure. It's been quite some time since I drove a non-AWD G.

[GoCougs]

Another tank down, and having driven it a LOT harder it seemed, I still managed 21.0 mpg. I'm glad it's got a relatively huge tank at 20 gallons, giving me a decent ~350-375 miles of range without running on fumes, which is about perfect.

The gear spacing is a bit out of whack. 1-3 are tight but there's a big leap to 4. Not sure why this was done but it's noticeable. It's not too big a deal as 3rd is good for ~90 mph. The rev matching feature in the G25 was also smoother.

[ifcar]

What mileage did you get from the Accord?

[GoCougs]

What mileage did you get from the Accord?

With regular tires, I'd average 25-26 mpg in the same driving. (I mention tire type as with the dedicated snows it fell to 22-23 mpg).

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Another tank down, and having driven it a LOT harder it seemed, I still managed 21.0 mpg. I'm glad it's got a relatively huge tank at 20 gallons, giving me a decent ~350-375 miles of range without running on fumes, which is about perfect.

I'm getting the same MPGs out of the G8...

[afty]

I get 18-19 mpg in my manual, 70% city driving.  The manual is geared significantly shorter than the auto.  Not a big deal for my usage, but this is not the car to get if you care about fuel economy.

With the 6MT, I find gears 1-3 about right and 4-6 too short.  By the time I'm in 4th I'm cruising, so I'd like those gears to be taller for fuel economy.  I often skip 4th and shift 3rd -> 5th.  6th is not any taller than 5th was in my Altima.  7th gear in the auto is about right for a top gear IMO (~2500 rpm at 75 I believe).

[GoCougs]

In a bit more driving the gear gaps seem to be all about the same - when on the boil the gear transitions are ~5,200 rpm. It's AT programming I'm pretty sure - it runs fairly quick through the first few gears but hangs in the latter gears. This of course is in regular "D" mode. Some InnerNetting has shown there is a TSB for a factory programming upgrade available for my VIN. Not sure if this is addressed however. I haven't warmed up to "DS" mode yet. It's supposed to be sporty, and I can detect harder shifts, but other than that I'm not a fan yet.

As to gearing; the 7AT is geared fairly low IME. It's well into 3rd gear by 60 mph, and 75 mph in 7th is ~2700 rpm.

[CALL_911]

I don't know why this crossed my mind, but did you ever consider an RL? I was just looking at used current-gen RLs today, they really don't seem to be such bad cars. I feel like a used one (they're pretty reasonable) would be right up your alley.

[GoCougs]

The RL wasn't a consideration as I felt the TL was the better car in every way (and cheaper) save for exterior styling. At the end of it all, the TL was too ugly and too big and I didn't trust the S4's reliability (especially after perusing fanboy forums).

[GoCougs]

I want to replace the bezel that surrounds the shifter (it's dented and scratched) but online outfits are quoting $700! Holy hell!

[SVT666]

Get one from a wrecked car.

[GoCougs]

Done the whole wrecking yard thing in past lives - I'll pass. Plus, there are no such yards in my area that would have that sort of vehicle in inventory. Buying parted-out parts online I'm a bit leery of. There are trim kits that are simply adhesive-backed overlays but I can't imagine it looks very good in person.

[hotrodalex]

I found a carbon fiber one on ebay. It's sure to add at least 5 HP!

[SVT_Power]

I found a carbon fiber one on ebay. It's sure to add at least 5 HP!

It doesn't add power, it adds lightness!

[SVT666]

Done the whole wrecking yard thing in past lives - I'll pass. Plus, there are no such yards in my area that would have that sort of vehicle in inventory. Buying parted-out parts online I'm a bit leery of. There are trim kits that are simply adhesive-backed overlays but I can't imagine it looks very good in person.

Yeah okay.  $700 for a new trim piece or $50 for one off a wrecked car.  I know which one I would do.

[Eye of the Tiger]

LOL. "Past lives" = made up lives where this guy actually got his hands dirty - never happened.

[GoCougs]

Yeah okay.  $700 for a new trim piece or $50 for one off a wrecked car.  I know which one I would do.

How about the overlay? Or simply just living with it?

[CJ]

The overlay would be an absolutely massive mistake.  It looks like shit and it feels like shit.

[Cookie Monster]

Why would you get a shitty overlay instead of a piece from the junkyard?

[GoCougs]

Have you seen it in person - pictures, and not just from manufacturer websites - look decent. I wouldn't go for the shiny fake wood. At most I'd go for a matte dark wood, or a replacement for the factory stuff (satin aluminum). What I have looks terrible - both front doors' trim and the piece around the shifter, are both dented and scratched. (How it is some asshole can do this to a new car I'll never know, but I digress...)

[GoCougs]

As it pertains to the actual replacement of the pieces, it's a major ordeal to replace the piece around the shifter - the entire center console has to come out (and it has a bunch of wires). I've worked enough on interiors to know that I'd scratch and crack the living daylights out of the stuff. If came to that I'd simply pay to have it done. Also, not sure how the trim pieces come off the dash or doors - they are on there very securely.

[Cookie Monster]

Those plastic trim pullers are really cheap and don't mess up your interior. If you know where the screws are in the interior it's really not hard to do... most of my car's center console and center stack has been taken apart and it's quite easy. My friend and I took his entire interior apart in his M5 and it wasn't too hard either.

Taking apart the entire dashboard, on the other hand, is entirely different.

[hotrodalex]

Have any pictures of the doors? I'm assuming the panel will have to come off to replace the trim pieces. Probably a pretty easy job - the only worry would be future squeaks and rattles.

[GoCougs]

Taking that interior apart (and yes, getting it back together) well would be very difficult. I'd never attempt it (BTDT) - I don't have much patience for things like that nowadays.

I've found an outfit that sells the factory-match overlay - looks good IMO - it's a dark matte wood finish:

[Rupert]

Yeah, that would be a huge pain in the ass to get apart. Looks like the console and dash are one piece.