dpadman

So, in your opinion, the Infiniti is faster, has better sound and more luxurious. Why would taking the badges off the two cars make you want the Acura? Maybe I read your post wrong.

RISKY GUY

iTrader: (9)

yes it is a base model.I spent 35k on a luxo cuv.I expect it to have power seats are not a luxury.

draph94

I test drove a G37 coupe 6MT (no 6MT sedans available to test drive) and TL SHAWD 6MT back to back a few weeks ago. Whoever said the G is more powerful has not driven both cars with MTs. The peak hp of the TL SHAWD is about 20 hp shy of the G37 peak hp, but, after driving them, I'm convinced the SOHC 3.7 of the TL is tuned with a flatter torque curve than the the DOHC 3.7 of the G; and the Gs bigger power is only noticeable above 6000 rpm (if at all). With the SHAWD 6MT, the big TL got to 60 in 5.2 seconds and pulled the same peak g on the skidpad with ALL SEASONS compared to an Infiniti G Sport with summer tires (per a C&D short take road test recently). Performance by the numbers suggests to me the TL SHAWD 6MT performs very closely with a G37 6MT. Automatic vs. automatic, though, I have no doubt the 7 speed in the G blows away Acura's 5-speed - probably why the TL might feel to have less low end torque (the Gs first gear probably is a "stump puller" compared to the TL).

Also, I found the shift linkage of the TL to have shorter throws and the clutch less of an on/off switch compared to the G.

Now, having said all that, I'm still leaning toward the G given the aesthetics of the TL, and the fact that massive front overhang of the TL will scrape my driveway... Behind the steering wheel, the new TL seems in the same league as the G. The real joke, besides that bloated exterior design, is the Acura marketers are pricing the new TL 5K above the Infiniti in SHAWD form. The interior materials are very nice; but then you open the trunk and see a poor attempt at making the el cheapo gooseneck trunk hinge design look like it belongs on a cutting edge luxury car. When I see reminders of the Accord architecture like that, Acura loses credibility in their attempts at becoming "tier 1 luxury".

The Acura salespeople may imply it's not fair comparing a rwd G sport with an awd TL on price; but my response is the SHAWD is to make up for a fwd architecture to enable any consideration of mine to cross shop against a rwd G. If they're going to avoid development costs for a separate rwd architecture, then they have to accept less profit on the awd system that is necessary to compensate for the performance shortcomings of fwd.

I may still consider a TL if I can get 6K off MSRP and the Infiniti dealers won't do anything on a 2010 G37 6MT (I'm not due for a new car until spring).

WannabeSport

iTrader: (3)

I did a 1/4 against a 08 TL Type S in our 08 G35x Sport and i beat him by a fairly large margin.

The regular TLs i can smoke in my 05 auto sedan....

TLs are just slower than the Gs in general..

ozzypriest

iTrader: (2)

If I didn't have the G, i'd buy the AMG C63. Or a Pontiac G8 GT.

Goonz

iTrader: (9)

psst, if I didnt have my G, Id have an M3 sedan! bah!

aliang01

I wanted one too. Pffft.

mayday813

Had a 2003 TL-S since new. Great car and currently have a 2005 TL 6 spd. Also a great car. Both economical and very responsive and quick. Traded the 2003 on a 2009 G37 Journey Premium. I couldn't get past the exterior design of the new TL's plus, they're huge! I still like Acuras but the G37 seemed to meet all our needs. Good looking exterior and interior and very responsive. I'm impressed with the build quality of the G37. I had a 2002 C class Mercedes and I see many similarities in the G37 layout and design without the MB problems so far at least. We've got a little over 5k miles on the G37 and have no complaints to date.

jamesyoon

He mentions that if they were BOTH RWD. lol @ Acura/Honda + RWD for a normal sedan or coupe... I mean if the Honda Accords Coupe were RWD, man I would get that car in a zippy. Soooooooooooooooooooooo roomyy and spacious inside. I personally find the interior of the new Accord V6's nice. FWD FTMFL

Ike427

Acura didn't make an S model in 04 but I just traded a 6spd 04 for a g37x auto. My opinions: Acura has a roomier and slightly nicer interior, both cars will be very reliable, and have good resale. I prefer the rear wheel bias of the infiniti drive system. The only thing I miss so far is the nav system, my 37 is non-nav, and the outside mirror angling down so you can avoid curbs when parking.

heff

sorry lol i didnt really clarify that very well, all in all if the two cars looked as they do but were both infinitis..... were both RWD 330 hp etc etc Id take the
one that looks like the TL. i like the look of them more than the infiniti sedans which are a lil too bubbly and large for me

BUT the acuras are FWD slower not as noisy etc etc so id take the G

heff

yup u got er!

gwporsche

I posted the below on Acurazine sometime ago...previous TL-S owner here.

For those of you on the fence about trading in your 07-08 TLS for an infiniti G37s…

I bought a new an auto 07 TLS back in September of 07 (ASM/Black). As I have been driving Manual Transmission cars, In September of 08, I bought a new MT ‘08 infiniti G37S (blue slate/grey) coupe and sold the acura not long after. This post is to provide personal feedback on both cars and to a certain degree, the brand comparison between infiniti and acura.

Drivetrain; Can’t directly compare since the one car was an auto and other was a manual. Though, I did test drive the MT acura prior to purchasing and felt that the Acura clutch engagement feel and shift gate was a bit better. I did enjoy the paddle shift and smooth TLS auto.

Engine: G37. The TLS felt smooth from day 1, though not as strong as the G37. At around 15M miles, it seems that the infiniti finally “broke in” and felt much smoother and stronger. At 15M the G37 has a much stronger engine and much better stock exhaust note.

Chassis/ Susp; Tie: G37 has the upper hand being rear drive, higher spring rate and much stickier 19” tires. Of course we pay for it in terms of comfort as the G37 is super bouncy on anything less than perfect roads. Better brake feel in the G37 as well. TLS, better steering feel, more stable and Euro feeling, the G37 is light and twitchy. TLS is super smooth without giving too much up in terms of handling.

Interior: TLS: TLS has the upper hand in material feel, layout and user-friendliness. TLS is quiter and more refined. Seats in the TLS are super comfortable and just as supportive, the G37 seats will make you wish you have the TLS seats back. Shallow cupholders in the G37 is useless for anything other than a small soda can. The ability of not taking your key out of your pocket to open/lock doors and start the car is nice on the G37.

Navi: TLS: G37 locks you out of navi, settings and many other functions while the car is moving. This makes the TLS a much enjoyable drive. Trust me, being locked out of functions is really irritating. For example, when driving out of town and looking for nearby restaurants while moving, you can only few 4 options on screen and the scroll down function is locked. Same thing with gas station. A side note, there are no arrows telling you whether the nearby selections are behind you, in front of you or parallel to you in gthe G37. Voice Control; forget about it in the G37: short list of commands, not intuitive at all, in the TLS, it is very enjoyable and user friendly. I miss it.

Audio: G37: Much cleaner and stronger sound. Not really an audiophile, but notice the difference in the 2. G37 has a much better Ipod integration.

Dealership/Service; I have been to a few different acura and infiniti dealerships; the acura service is better. More knowledgeable and have much better/cleaner loaners. The loaners from any infinity dealership is always beat up, dirty and old feeling. Though most of them are the newer G35. The TLS was 33K brand new (negotiated price), the G37S was 41K brand new (negotiated price) with premium and navigation packages.

My conclusion is that for above average 40K price-range, these 2 vehicles are very comparable. I don’t feel that one is a step above the other due to some tradeoffs mentioned above. Especially when you take into consideration price differences between the 2.

By the way, I also looked at IS350 (too small and bouncy), BMW 335i (faster than the G, but not as exciting in terms of chassis and engine note) and C350 (cheap interior, pricey and a bit slow for the cash)…