Lexus IS vs. Infiniti G35 vs. Acura TL

[Captante]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: dds14u

Originally posted by: JS80
TL is best value hands down. IS is a rip off...lexus is charging a premium for that car. not a big fan of G35 but good on paper (and slightly more expensive than TL). if you really care about RWD, TL is out of the picture. i would wait and see what the next TL will look like though (and rumored to be AWD).

Hmm, to be honest the TL was kind of the last choice since we were looking for a smaller car. The G35 and the IS were the first two choices because of that.

Why is the IS such a rip-off?

Supply and demand issue. People tend to splooge over Lexus.

Exactly ... Although "ripoff" is a matter of perspective because the real bottom line is that the IS250 is priced higher then the others you mentioned as a direct result of dealers having no trouble selling them at that price.

Also Lexus makes the highest quality & most reliable cars on the road based on virtually every test report I've ever read.

 

[SoLiDus88]

I wished my parents would go for cars like these. TL gets my vote

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: Captante

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: dds14u

Originally posted by: JS80
TL is best value hands down. IS is a rip off...lexus is charging a premium for that car. not a big fan of G35 but good on paper (and slightly more expensive than TL). if you really care about RWD, TL is out of the picture. i would wait and see what the next TL will look like though (and rumored to be AWD).

Hmm, to be honest the TL was kind of the last choice since we were looking for a smaller car. The G35 and the IS were the first two choices because of that.

Why is the IS such a rip-off?

Supply and demand issue. People tend to splooge over Lexus.

Exactly ... Although "ripoff" is a matter of perspective because the real bottom line is that the IS250 is priced higher then the others you mentioned as a direct result of dealers having no trouble selling them at that price.

Also Lexus makes the highest quality & most reliable cars on the road based on virtually every test report I've ever read.

I only consider it a "ripoff" because G35 and TL are better on paper AND cheaper AND have the high reliability you'd expect from a jap car maker. IS pricing is edging oh so closely to BMW.

 

[OS]

i don't usually care for BMWs but the IS pricing has gotten to the point where i'd probably get a BMW. Atleast those get free maintenance.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

If you are considering an IS 350, just buy a damn BMW 335i. They are about equal money with similar options and I think the BMW is the better car.

I voted G35. I really like the sports car qualities it exudes.

 

[Imdmn04]

Originally posted by: Fmr12B
If you are considering an IS 350, just buy a damn BMW 335i. They are about equal money with similar options and I think the BMW is the better car.

I voted G35. I really like the sports car qualities it exudes.

They are not equal in money. This is coming from someone who has shopped an IS350 for a while before finally deciding on a 335.

I had to cut some options on the 335i that was on the IS and still ended up about 4k over IS350.

If you want the cars matched up feature by feature, expect to pay 6k over IS350.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: dds14u

Originally posted by: JS80
TL is best value hands down. IS is a rip off...lexus is charging a premium for that car. not a big fan of G35 but good on paper (and slightly more expensive than TL). if you really care about RWD, TL is out of the picture. i would wait and see what the next TL will look like though (and rumored to be AWD).

Hmm, to be honest the TL was kind of the last choice since we were looking for a smaller car. The G35 and the IS were the first two choices because of that.

Why is the IS such a rip-off?

the G35 and TL are almost the same size. the IS is the runt in the group

 

[DarkThinker]

Originally posted by: JackBurton
I wouldn't even put the TL in the same category as the IS and G35. It just looks like a plain 'ol car. Not very attractive at all.

I am surprised about the view points on the TL, I mean my own opinion as car enthusiast is that the Acura Tl is the most beautifully desgined sedan Honda ever made. And the only thing I hate about it is the FWD other than that, I think it's awesome, especially the 6-speed TL-S (I wish they had them in RWD config)

DarkThinker

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: Imdmn04
I test drove all 3, plus the the BMW 335i sedan, and ended up with 335i.

IS350:Great straightline power, very nice gadgetry. but weak handling, muted engine, small(almost none-existant) rear leg room.

TL-S: spacious, best looking interior, accelerates fairly quickly (not as fast as others though), fwd, 4 year old platform, missing some of thew newer features compared to competitors such as intelligent key.

G35: Very jerky gas pedal, great exhaust note, lots of new gadgets, lots of standard features, cheap pricing, interior is cheap looking.

335i: twin turbo will knock your socks off, 0-60 in 4.8, great handling, rear room is okay, a bit more expensive, some standard features on competitors cars are options, weak navigation, interior is simple.

am I missing something here? BMW puts 0-60 @ 5.3-5.5

 

[wetcat007]

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Originally posted by: JackBurton
I wouldn't even put the TL in the same category as the IS and G35. It just looks like a plain 'ol car. Not very attractive at all.

I am surprised about the view points on the TL, I mean my own opinion as car enthusiast is that the Acura Tl is the most beautifully desgined sedan Honda ever made. And the only thing I hate about it is the FWD other than that, I think it's awesome, especially the 6-speed TL-S (I wish they had them in RWD config)

DarkThinker

A lot of people on here complain about FWD, just curious but do those people not live in areas that get a decent amount of snow? RWD+snow can be um interesting.... kinda one reason I like fwd, although without snow I suppose RWD would be better.

 

[Parasitic]

Make sure you check out the used car pricings to gauge for depreciation.
IS is too small in my taste - Go for the G35.
However if your parents plan on selling it later then maybe the Lexus will hold better value.

 

[BillyBatson]

i do not care which is the better value, the infiniti is the way to go

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Originally posted by: wetcat007

Originally posted by: DarkThinker

Originally posted by: JackBurton
I wouldn't even put the TL in the same category as the IS and G35. It just looks like a plain 'ol car. Not very attractive at all.

I am surprised about the view points on the TL, I mean my own opinion as car enthusiast is that the Acura Tl is the most beautifully desgined sedan Honda ever made. And the only thing I hate about it is the FWD other than that, I think it's awesome, especially the 6-speed TL-S (I wish they had them in RWD config)

DarkThinker

A lot of people on here complain about FWD, just curious but do those people not live in areas that get a decent amount of snow? RWD+snow can be um interesting.... kinda one reason I like fwd, although without snow I suppose RWD would be better.

With proper tires RWD in the snow is perfectly fine. Europeans drive a lot of RWD cars ya know, they also get a helluva lot more snow/ice than most of the US.

Car manufacturers touted FWD as a winner when in reality it was done to cut costs. I see there marketing really worked with you!

 

[CtK]

TL is old looking and FWD
IS is waay overpriced and smalll
G35 has a very nice interior, is RWD, and has plenty of space inside for everybody

G35 FTW!!!!!!!
but i think you should wait on the G35 sedan and see if they will throw in the new 3.7 liter engine from the G37 coupe

 

[zoiks]

I got a new G35 as a loaner for 3 days from the dealer. Damn, all I can say is that I dream about that car now.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Originally posted by: zoiks
I got a new G35 as a loaner for 3 days from the dealer. Damn, all I can say is that I dream about that car now.

man, you need to be exposed to more cars...

 

[SportSC4]

You can normally find the IS going for 2-3k below msrp. The best deal I've heard is for nearly 6k below msrp (it was on an IS250 RWD, premium package).

So if I understand it correct, you are looking at the IS250 RWD, G35 Sedan, and Acura TL.
Performance-wise, the G35 is much faster than the IS and TL. The IS250 is ok, it's faster than the old 300 and it's gas mileage is fantastic. The TL is also ok but should be faster for how much horsepower it has (performance on par with the 250).
Interior-wise, the G35 is dead last. Yeah, they improved it but it's no match for the IS and the Acura's interior is also really nice inside.

 

[spacejamz]

Originally posted by: CtK
TL is old looking

Shameless TL plug

 

[PeeluckyDuckee]

Lookwise the TL and the IS250 are head turners, while when I see I G35 coupe I wish I saw a 350Z instead. The boxy G35 rearend is unappealing.

 

[theslickvik]

I've owned a Lexus soarer for 15 years and im still going strong with 215,000 miles. Lexus is quality made and doesn't have the cheap look that both the G35 and the acura exude. I wouldnt mind paying a few k more for a lexus. I just bought a GX470 and am in the market for the is-f (coming out in '08). In this case there really is no substitute

 

[Captante]

Car manufacturers touted FWD as a winner when in reality it was done to cut costs. I see there marketing really worked with you!


[/quote]


I've driven 4WD, AWD, RWD & FWD cars in just about every condition possible & while any car can get stuck in the right circumstances, theres no question that FWD blows RWD away in snowy road conditions with comparable tires... just because snow tires make it possible to struggle through in snow doesn't mean RWD is better in all conditions, although in fairness I do prefer it on dry roads.


Edit: Also people here on AT tend to care about acceleration & handeling more then anything else so of course the G35 is going to win this poll by a mile.

 

[gsethi]

I was in the same position back in December...between TL and G35 (both 06 models since I didnt want to pay MSRP on 07 at the time). Looked at IS and BMW but they were too expensive.

I ended up with the G35 sedan. Test drove the TL and although interior is nicer on the TL, the G35 was much more sportier and nice feel of the road when driving. The TL FWD had too much torque in the steering that I didnt like..

If it was for my parents, i would have suggested TL since its a little smoother and quieter ride but I just love the sound of the VQ in G35. The IS also lacked legroom in the backroom...TL and G35 are much closer together for price vs value standpoint and it was a hard choice for me too but I am a Nissan guy, so I was little biased towards G35

If it snows where you live, then go for the TL since its FWD and will be easier for your parents to drive.

 

[Zero001]

I ended up with a G35, so that's my answer.

IMO it's the best bang for your buck. My local dealer actually worked with me, and from what I've heard other dealers do so as well. I ended up with a premium package for base price and they gave me three years of maintenance for good measure.

My parents are die hard Lexus/Toyota fans and I came from a Honda, but I have since then converted to Nissan/Infiniti.

I don?t know how it handles in the snow, but in Florida we get a lot of rain. The traction control on the car is extremely intelligent. You won?t loose control even if you tried, so it?s saved my life a couple of times. Turn it off and the fun begins.

Speed wise, you gotta love the VQ. Not only does it sound great, but it can hold it?s own with the majority of the cars you see on the road.

In conclusion the G35 ranks up there as far as performance and comfort, but cost less than the others in the group.

 

[gsethi]

Originally posted by: Zero001
I ended up with a G35, so that's my answer.

IMO it's the best bang for your buck. My local dealer actually worked with me, and from what I've heard other dealers do so as well. I ended up with a premium package for base price and they gave me three years of maintenance for good measure.

My parents are die hard Lexus/Toyota fans and I came from a Honda, but I have since then converted to Nissan/Infiniti.

I don?t know how it handles in the snow, but in Florida we get a lot of rain. The traction control on the car is extremely intelligent. You won?t loose control even if you tried, so it?s saved my life a couple of times. Turn it off and the fun begins.

Speed wise, you gotta love the VQ. Not only does it sound great, but it can hold it?s own with the majority of the cars you see on the road.

In conclusion the G35 ranks up there as far as performance and comfort, but cost less than the others in the group.

what year ? 06 or 07 ? coupe or sedan ?

 

[Aikouka]

I'd say the G35 and if you really want AWD over RWD, just get the G35x. Personally, I would've went with a G35 if they had an Infiniti dealer in the area, but I'm fairly content with my Altima (which also uses the VQ35 engine and all the nice gadgets).