2005 330i or 2005 G35c?

Ok folks, been wrestling with this for the past week and it's time to make a decision. I'm looking at either the 330i or the G35 coupe. Yes, two different cars, but the two cars from which I'm going to choose! I've gone through the pros/cons in my head, but emotion has played more of a role than I'd anticipated. And this being potentially my first BMW, I might be overlooking a few things.

Help me out here. What are the pros/cons to getting the 330i over the G35 (or vice versa). Thanks.

Putting all mechanical aspects aside,

BMW is more prestigious.
Infinity is a luxury Nissan.

Just do this test, tell a friend you drive a BMW, and they go wow, you must be making some good money... etc etc.

Tell them you drive an Infinity and they might say, nice car...

----

Before buying my 330Ci/zhp I looked at an FX35. Beautiful car on the outside, but too gadgetty and lego-plastic on the inside. I was insulted by the rear view tv saying look back before backing up. It made me feel as lets stick all these gadgets in the car to give them all we got, even if it does not make sense.

I rather have a simple QUALITY engineered car than one with all the options but lacking quality...


Tony

If you haven't driven a German car before, and don't have a strong pull toward the BMW, then I think you're already headed for the Japanese G35. As you said, totally different cars. I looked at the G35 sedan when it first came out and it's typical Nissan/Infiniti IMO. Reports may say the handling is on par with BMW, but for me, it's a hands down decision for BMW.

But it is still a Japanese car and they won't give you the full maintenance along with an option to but additional maintenance and warranty from the factory.

Originally Posted by testrada

Putting all mechanical aspects aside,

BMW is more prestigious.
Infinity is a luxury Nissan.

Just do this test, tell a friend you drive a BMW, and they go wow, you must be making some good money... etc etc.

Tell them you drive an Infinity and they might say, nice car...

Tony

LOL, does this work in Southern California? Everybody and their mothers have a BMW...

Originally Posted by buckerine

LOL, does this work in Southern California? Everybody and their mothers have a BMW...

Well said and I totally agree. .

While I love me two Bimmers I doubt many folks these days equate a 3 series with the ultimate wealth machine.

I settled on the 325i for the driving response. I didn't feel as well connected to the road when I tried the G35 or Subie legacy GT. (Others that i considered.)

Originally Posted by testrada

Putting all mechanical aspects aside,

BMW is more prestigious.
Infinity is a luxury Nissan.

Just do this test, tell a friend you drive a BMW, and they go wow, you must be making some good money... etc etc.

Tell them you drive an Infinity and they might say, nice car...

My God I hope you're kidding. What sort of person buys a car to impress other people? Oh, a poseur.

Originally Posted by buckerine

Ok folks, been wrestling with this for the past week and it's time to make a decision. I'm looking at either the 330i or the G35 coupe. Yes, two different cars, but the two cars from which I'm going to choose! I've gone through the pros/cons in my head, but emotion has played more of a role than I'd anticipated. And this being potentially my first BMW, I might be overlooking a few things.

Help me out here. What are the pros/cons to getting the 330i over the G35 (or vice versa). Thanks.

Drive them both. Which ever one you prefer - buy. It's that simple. You can weigh all the rest forever but the end question comes back to: are you happy driving this car.

What others think of your decision - shouldn't matter. Which one is more "reliable" = shouldn't matter as both have outstanding warranties. The cost - to some people this mattters but right now the prices aren't that far apart given incentives and such.

I based my decision on the drive. The G35 lost contact with the ground on a corner. I didn't like that. I own a 330i Perf Pack.

I test drove a G35, TL and all versions of the 3 before I decided on my 325i.
Why? TL had an awesome engine and stereo, but I couldn't stand the torque steer.
I went in expecting to love the G35 and really didn't. It had a great engine but there were a couple of things I didn't like about it. The G35 (sedan at least) felt like it was on phone books, and was honestly too large of a car for my tastes. I loved how the 325 and 330 felt so tossable and slick in the turns. The G35 was great for straight line acceleration but I just didn't get that buttoned down smooth feel in the turns. That being said, I've heard that the G35c is quite different in feel from a sedan.
Have you test driven the G35?

Originally Posted by blueguydotcom

I based my decision on the drive. The G35 lost contact with the ground on a corner. I didn't like that. I own a 330i Perf Pack.

I'm surprised, given your complaints about the relative lack of torque-iness of the 330. I'm sure the G35 gives a little more kick in the kidneys off the line.

There's way more to the differences than image and specs on paper. Read the reviews, but test drive both. The 330 with performance package did 0-60 in the same time as the G35 with 50 more hp. Specs alone do not accurately describe the "driving experience."

If you drive both and can't tell the difference, then save the $10k and get the G35. Unless you need the roundel on your hood to impress your friends, then you need the BMW. Or, maybe you should get a Benz, the ultimate image machine.

I prefer the ultimate driving machine myself. I drove both and decided on the 330ci with performance package over the G35 coupe. However, I've been driving BMWs for 9 years and am pretty tuned into their capabilities. A quick run up the freeway and back through town in the G35 left me indifferent about the car's capabilities. It felt cramped, harsh, and noisey. It did have some nice features though and I'm sure if the price difference was a consideration, the G35 may come up on top. The outstanding resale value of the 330ci and the dirt cheap money factor to lease one equates to a lower monthly payment, even tho the 330ci sticker is $10k more than the similarly equipped G35.

If you regularly carry folks in the back, a 330i or 330ci may be a better choice. Don't know if you've ever sat back there, but the back of the G-coupe is too low, very noisy, and they put that stupid plastic console in the middle just to bruise your passengers' elbows. My 330ci is much more comfy in the back.

From a pure enthusiast driver's perspective, I would take the BMW over a G35 sedan, because the G has its C of G way too high (as others have commented) and feels like it could be quite a handful driven balls-out on the road. If going around corners scares you, you might as well get the G and enjoy the extra horsepower.

In both cases you're buying new and under warranty, so unless you plan to go significantly out of mileage, the relative reliability is not significant enough a difference to be an issue.

Comparing the G35 coupe to the BMW, however, I would be very tempted to go for the coupe, again assuming that rear-seat comfort's not an issue and you pay less for it. You're getting a lot of power, a nice chassis, great looks, and reliability that's probably at least as good as the BMW.

Originally Posted by buckerine

Ok folks, been wrestling with this for the past week and it's time to make a decision. I'm looking at either the 330i or the G35 coupe. Yes, two different cars, but the two cars from which I'm going to choose! I've gone through the pros/cons in my head, but emotion has played more of a role than I'd anticipated. And this being potentially my first BMW, I might be overlooking a few things.

Help me out here. What are the pros/cons to getting the 330i over the G35 (or vice versa). Thanks.

Great comments, thanks.

Just to clarify, if I get the 330i, it'll come equipped with ZPP/ZSP/nav. I know some folks who responded used the ZHP as the comparison.

I did test drive both. The G35 was, as someone else has mentioned, noisy. I liked the rumble initially, but I'm not so sure I'll want it on a daily basis. The BMW felt and sounded great, but it did seem like it was lacking a little punch on the low end when compared to the G35.

My main complaint about the 3-series in general is its antiquated interior. The gauges are very plain during the day, the center console also looks, well, sort of cheap. I'll be getting nav, but I haven't seen a 330 with nav, so maybe that changes things. Opinions may differ here, of course, but I found the G35 cabin perhaps less refined, but more ... well, 2005.

Keep the comments coming! Very helpful.

Originally Posted by norihaga

If you regularly carry folks in the back, a 330i or 330ci may be a better choice. Don't know if you've ever sat back there, but the back of the G-coupe is too low, very noisy, and they put that stupid plastic console in the middle just to bruise your passengers' elbows. My 330ci is much more comfy in the back.

From a pure enthusiast driver's perspective, I would take the BMW over a G35 sedan, because the G has its C of G way too high (as others have commented) and feels like it could be quite a handful driven balls-out on the road. If going around corners scares you, you might as well get the G and enjoy the extra horsepower.

In both cases you're buying new and under warranty, so unless you plan to go significantly out of mileage, the relative reliability is not significant enough a difference to be an issue.

Comparing the G35 coupe to the BMW, however, I would be very tempted to go for the coupe, again assuming that rear-seat comfort's not an issue and you pay less for it. You're getting a lot of power, a nice chassis, great looks, and reliability that's probably at least as good as the BMW.

Rear seat comfort is not too much of an issue. But, this reminds me that I *do* use the backseat quite a lot. Throwing stuff in the back is a hell of a lot easier in a sedan than a coupe.

One thing I didn't get a chance to look at on the 330i was the trunk space. How is it? I couldn't find stats on the BMW website, but I imagine it'd be larger than the G35 coupe.

And one other thing: insurance.

Intuition tells me that insurance might be more on the G35 *coupe* than the 330i. Is this true?

Originally Posted by buckerine

My main complaint about the 3-series in general is its antiquated interior. The gauges are very plain during the day, the center console also looks, well, sort of cheap. I'll be getting nav, but I haven't seen a 330 with nav, so maybe that changes things. Opinions may differ here, of course, but I found the G35 cabin perhaps less refined, but more ... well, 2005.

Fascinating. I find the E46 interior to be just about perfect. I'd much rather have the E46 interior than the E90 interior. And the G35s interior has, to my eyes, such a 1986 Panasonic Boom Box vibe that it eliminates itself from any consideration on my part... even if it didn't have the ugliest steering wheel I've ever seen.

Different strokes and all...

The trunk in the G35 coupe is about as big as the glove box in the 330. :-) It's shallow and short. IMO, you don't get a G35c for the trunk space or the interior space.

I did like the guages in the G35 and the way the instrument cluster tilts with the steering wheel, that is a really nice feature. They also have a power adjustment on the seat that moves it forward for easier back seat access - the 330ci's seat moves manually.

Originally Posted by buckerine

Rear seat comfort is not too much of an issue. But, this reminds me that I *do* use the backseat quite a lot. Throwing stuff in the back is a hell of a lot easier in a sedan than a coupe.

One thing I didn't get a chance to look at on the 330i was the trunk space. How is it? I couldn't find stats on the BMW website, but I imagine it'd be larger than the G35 coupe.

Trunk space is big, not cavernous - i.e. not Jetta sized. With fold-down seats, it's very good. I don't precisely recall how big the G-coupe is, but I seem to recall it has a very high floor level, i.e. not much depth.

To clarify, I like the noise from the driver's seat or outside, but from the back seats the G-coupe just sounds loud and boomy. You don't hear the growl like you do when you're outside the car.

Edit: the E46 can also take a tow hitch, whereas the G-sedan could not, at last report.

Here's a good metric for the trunk space.

Can I fit golf bag and clubs in the 330 trunk? It definitely ain't happening in the g35 coupe ... or at least not without some significant finagling.

Originally Posted by Plaz

Fascinating. I find the E46 interior to be just about perfect. I'd much rather have the E46 interior than the E90 interior. And the G35s interior has, to my eyes, such a 1986 Panasonic Boom Box vibe that it eliminates itself from any consideration on my part... even if it didn't have the ugliest steering wheel I've ever seen.

Different strokes and all...

I agree completely. I've noticed others have sometimes said the E46 interior looks "old", but I don't see that. Some of the newer car models have cheap stenciled on labels on the dash that will surely wear off in a few miles. The E46 dash design itself doesn't look old to me. OK, the cupholders don't look great, but otherwise I like it.

I'll admit I was looking at an '02 325i vs. an MB C240 a few years back and went with the C240. When I looked at the E46 interior again when shopping for my '05 330i, I found I liked it better than before. After driving my 330i for 3 months, I'm thinking my C240 was just a waste of time...

Originally Posted by testrada

Just do this test, tell a friend you drive a BMW, and they go wow, you must be making some good money... etc etc.

Tell them you drive an Infinity and they might say, nice car...

Tony

Maybe he's not a badge hound like you though?

Originally Posted by buckerine

My main complaint about the 3-series in general is its antiquated interior. The gauges are very plain during the day, the center console also looks, well, sort of cheap. I'll be getting nav, but I haven't seen a 330 with nav, so maybe that changes things. Opinions may differ here, of course, but I found the G35 cabin perhaps less refined, but more ... well, 2005.

I think the G35 interior is going to look dated in about 1 or 2 years. In fact, to my eyes, it already looks dated. I really hate the big blocky looking brushed aluminum console that just sort of sits there on it's own. I also don't like the infiniti logo on the seats.

As far as the exterior, I have always felt it looks bloated/puffy, like it has taken too much prednisone.

the new 2005 updates to the g35 really improve the car, imho. new gauges, redesigned center console now in real aluminum, updated body work on the sedans, steering wheel with controls that light up (finally!), and a small bump in hp (although at the expense of torque). there really is no arguing with 298hp, 19" wheels (on the g35c) and an lsd for 325ci money. you're talking stuff bmw reserves for the m3.

like this ferrari owner once said, you really can't compete on performance alone these days, because performance is so cheap. unfortunately, it's up to you to decide whether the various x-factors are enough to sway you in one direction or the other. given that the 330i's have a $4k incentive and the g35c 6mt's are all going for sticker, the price difference may not be that much of a factor.

that said, for me, the bmw does handle better and is more entertaining to drive. the part i'm wrestling with is if it's worth the price difference.

btw: i prefer the e46 interior to the e90's as well.

-james
330cic - sold...what to get next?

If you want a sedan, I'd wait 6 months for this:

Probably 300-315 hp, auto only the first year.

Why? Looks better than the G35, better interior, and probably a little closer to the 330 in dynamics (but who knows at the moment). Much better gas mileage than the G35 too, you'll thank me when oil goes to $80/barrel this year.

From pure perforamnce, I would say 05 G35C is better. It has 298HP motor for 05. G35 also give your more options for mod too. 330i seem to be a more refined car, it may take some time to realize that, but BMW do put a lot of detail on their cars, inside and outside

Though I haven't driven 05 G35C, I only rided in one. It is noticeably more power than my 330i, slow end torque is also stronger, very nice exhaust sound. Interior is also nice base on first impression. The only thing I don't like is that the door line, dash line are too high, or the seats are too low, it made me feel I am sitting in a bath tub. I don't get the in command feeling of being in my BMW.

G35c is a very nice car, so I would suggest you go test drive it and make up your own mind. People on this board usually are bias toward BMW.

eel