Infiniti G25 - Smart idea or neutered wannabe manufacturer cash in?

[alphatarget1]

It smells an awful lot like an overpriced Altima 2.5S to me... though they're trying to say its the Asian Skyline 2.5...

Me like. It's RWD right? BTW the 2.5L *is* a V6, just a small displacement v6.

Even smaller than our 96 accord v6 which has 2.7L, but that little sucker only has 170hp.

 

[thomsbrain]

It will probably be the volume seller, if similar small-6 cars from other manufacturers are any indication.

 

[zerocool84]

It will probably be the volume seller, if similar small-6 cars from other manufacturers are any indication.

Of course it will be. Lower priced versions of it's already top selling car is great for them. People almost ALWAYS buy the badge of the car, not the actual car.

 

[senseamp]

Of course it will be. Lower priced versions of it's already top selling car is great for them. People almost ALWAYS buy the badge of the car, not the actual car.

Or maybe they just don't need more than 218 horsepower for their needs and would rather not waste money for power they would not use and a G37 badge.

 

[Imdmn04]

Engines are going smaller after ballooning up for last 10 years, deal with it.

The generation of having family sedans over 250+HP is going to be over real soon.

 

[Doggiedog]

This car is going to have to be priced under $30K. I remember shopping for the current G35 sedan when the G37s were coming out and you could get one for $27K or so.

I also think this is strategically smart of Infiniti to do. My friend is a Lexus mechanic and he tells me he is just swamped with recalls. Infiniti wants to eat Lexus' lunch. This is the perfect time to take it to them with a car comparable to the IS250 and maybe even an ES350. Those are their volume sellers, not the IS350 which is more comparable in performance to the G37.

 

[exdeath]

Engines are going smaller after ballooning up for last 10 years, deal with it.

The generation of having family sedans over 250+HP is going to be over real soon.

Bullshit. Thats why BMW went from 3L I6 to 5+L V8s, Toyota and Nissan pushing 4L with their V6s, return of the 5.0 Mustang, etc. We like powerful cars, deal with it.

You find me a 4 cyl turbo that gets 60 mpg and makes 500 HP I'm going to say awesome, then use the same technology to get 1000 HP out of my V8 and accept 30 mpg.

You're right though, the days of 250 HP family sedans is already over, 300+ is the new standard for V6s.

 

[senseamp]

Bullshit. Thats why BMW went from 3L I6 to 5+L V8s, Toyota and Nissan pushing 4L with their V6s, return of the 5.0 Mustang, etc. We like powerful cars, deal with it.

You find me a 4 cyl turbo that gets 60 mpg and makes 500 HP I'm going to say awesome, then use the same technology to get 1000 HP out of my V8 and accept 30 mpg.

And I am going to say, that's awesome, make that a 2 cyl turbo that gets 250HP and gets 120mpg. Some people want all the power they can get at a given (adequate to them) economy, others want all the economy they can get at a given (adequate to them) power. For me, I am fine with ~15lb/hp (200hp in a 3K lb car). It's not going to impress anyone, but it's fine for all my needs.

 

[jinduy]

i think i'm fine with not having 300hp... less prone to getting tickets here in cali

 

[zerocool84]

i think i'm fine with not having 300hp... less prone to getting tickets here in cali

I guarantee you that more people get tickets with less than 200hp than anything else.

 

[jlee]

Bullshit. Thats why BMW went from 3L I6 to 5+L V8s, Toyota and Nissan pushing 4L with their V6s, return of the 5.0 Mustang, etc. We like powerful cars, deal with it.

You find me a 4 cyl turbo that gets 60 mpg and makes 500 HP I'm going to say awesome, then use the same technology to get 1000 HP out of my V8 and accept 30 mpg.

You're right though, the days of 250 HP family sedans is already over, 300+ is the new standard for V6s.

Subaru also went from the 2.0l up to a 2.5l for 06+ WRX's.

Displacement is good.

 

[StageLeft]

Or maybe they just don't need more than 218 horsepower for their needs and would rather not waste money for power they would not use and a G37 badge.

lol, nobody buys an infiniti for their "needs". It's for the badge. Please don't pretend there is anything practical about spending $30k on a modest size verhicle with RWD.

Engines are going smaller after ballooning up for last 10 years, deal with it.

The generation of having family sedans over 250+HP is going to be over real soon.

WUT Please use examples. Basically all the cars are getting larger engines, from Corollas to Corvettes.

I guarantee you that more people get tickets with less than 200hp than anything else.

I guarantee you that most cars have less than 200 hp than anything else.

 

[Fingolfin269]

lol, nobody buys an infiniti for their "needs". It's for the badge. Please don't pretend there is anything practical about spending $30k on a modest size verhicle with RWD

So, exterior/interior quality of the G to the Altima is about the same to you? No one would want to buy a G because either of those features just looks better? Engine isn't everything.

 

[blckgrffn]

lol, nobody buys an infiniti for their "needs". It's for the badge. Please don't pretend there is anything practical about spending $30k on a modest size verhicle with RWD.WUT Please use examples. Basically all the cars are getting larger engines, from Corollas to Corvettes.I guarantee you that most cars have less than 200 hp than anything else.

Lots of cars are getting bigger too.

But if you look at the new cars launching this year, you'll see the fiesta, cruze, juke, mazda2, etc. and they are all coming with teeny-tiny power plants that make their muscle using things like turbo and direct injection.

On the flip side of that, many cars aren't getting power increases but are getting efficiency increases. BMW was mentioned earlier, but you can see they are moving many of their platforms to an I6 single turbo that increases efficiency over the dual turbo setup of this year. Also, 7 and 8 speed auto transmissions are becoming even more common place, with 6 speed autos becoming the norm in even the value sector.

To me it is clear that the push is on efficiency versus the power gains of the previous few years even though gas prices have become more reasonable than they once where. I believe that this is a reflection of the 3-5 year engineering lag.

Of course, for those paying the luxury tax, the Cadillac CTS-V Sport Wagon is coming out this year

On topic, I was actually hoping for an Infinity to actually go against the TSX, not an under powered G37 that will probably have marginal performance AND MPG, like the Lexus IS250.

 

[blckgrffn]

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/10q3/2011_infiniti_g25_sedan-official_photos_and_info

HAH!

Increase of 1 MPG city/highway.

 

[StageLeft]

So, exterior/interior quality of the G to the Altima is about the same to you? No one would want to buy a G because either of those features just looks better? Engine isn't everything.

Like I said "needs".

blckgrffn I think until recently efficiency was definitely on the back burner and now it's requiring real attention but thanks to the engineers we get both. Some cars today are getting phenomenal mileage and putting out lots of power, too, like the Camaro, Mustang, Taurus SHO. Sometimes people do care about little more than efficiency and buy a Prius, but even the current gen Prius bests the previous in MPG and in power.

Increase of 1 MPG city/highway.

See, that is just sad. That is meaningless. At 12k/year and $3/gallon gas that thing saves you a whopping $60/year in gas. So totally irrelevant. So we're back to comparing it to a G37 that costs 10% more and has 50% more power and 200% the pimp factor. Obviously if power is of no consequence at all and you are 100% looking to say you drive an Infiniti you'll buy this thing, though. Are we missing anything, like a similarly equipped G37 actually would cost $6k more?

The G25 will arrive in dealers this September with a $31,825 base price, making it the least-expensive offering in the Infiniti stable. It will undercut 2010’s base G37 by about $2300

What is this, $2300?

 

[Doggiedog]

On the flip side of that, many cars aren't getting power increases but are getting efficiency increases. BMW was mentioned earlier, but you can see they are moving many of their platforms to an I6 single turbo that increases efficiency over the dual turbo setup of this year. Also, 7 and 8 speed auto transmissions are becoming even more common place, with 6 speed autos becoming the norm in even the value sector.

Actually, that is not entirely true. The N54 TT engine might have a flaw in it (I've had my car in the dealer 4x for engine problems) and it is more expensive to manufacture which is why it is being phased out. There is evidence that the N54 produces more HP than the N55 single turbo engine and can be modified to produce more HP easily. This is why the N54 is used in the new 335is and not the N55. Fuel efficiency isn't necessarily why BMW moved over to a single turbo solution.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

On the surface it seems like a good idea but where are the mileage numbers? If they were impressive, Infiniti would be crowing about them, even if they were still preliminary.

I am guessing this thing won't be getting good mileage when compared to the horsepower lost. Most people would probably be better off buying a Genesis Sedan unless they need all wheel drive.

-KeithP

isn't it up to the EPA to release those?

http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/10q3/2011_infiniti_g25_sedan-official_photos_and_info

HAH!

Increase of 1 MPG city/highway.

well, that totally sucks.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Wow! 1mpg! Nevermind. Now that I think about it though, I hope they're comparing apples to apples and not awd to rwd mpg.

 

[Eli]

RWD is moot when you have the power of a Kia.

Since when is 218HP anything to scoff at? Don't be silly.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Wow, yeah, 1 mpg better and less than a $3,000 savings vs. the G37 is just stupid. Maybe if it got 5 mpg more, or cost $5-6k less than the G37. It doesn't even have a new form factor, they're just dropping in a worse engine for a minimal savings without even thinking about how to make it a good car in its own right.

I'm sure it will be a commercial success but it shouldn't be.

 

[PricklyPete]

Wow, yeah, 1 mpg better and less than a $3,000 savings vs. the G37 is just stupid. Maybe if it got 5 mpg more, or cost $5-6k less than the G37. It doesn't even have a new form factor, they're just dropping in a worse engine for a minimal savings without even thinking about how to make it a good car in its own right.

I'm sure it will be a commercial success but it shouldn't be.

Yes. As an enthusiast I don't like the concept of this car...especially with such minor improvements and cost savings. But I'm sure it will end up being a commercial success.

 

[exdeath]

Since when is 218HP anything to scoff at? Don't be silly.

Since it was put in a $30,000 car.

 

[Doggiedog]

Since it was put in a $30,000 car.

The Lotus Elise has exactly 218 HP and is more than $30K. Not apples to apples I know but you know what I'm saying.

 

[jlee]

The Lotus Elise has exactly 218 HP and is more than $30K. Not apples to apples I know but you know what I'm saying.

No, it doesn't.

It also weighs the same as what, four motorcycles?