Your thoughts about Acura TL and G35
 

Hey Guys....
My wife is ready for a new car to replace her aging Maxima. We plan on starting a family this year and I thought we would be looking at SUV's of some sort for the baby space. She is not a mini-van type person at all. She test drove the following: FX35, X3, MDX, Murano, Pilot, RX330. She loved the X3, loved the FX35 the most, and didn't like the non-sport feel of the RX330 (loved the looks though). After all that, she has decided that she really wants to stay in a smallish sedan. :dunno:

So, now she looked into a whole slew of sedans and has narrowed it to the '05 Acura TL and the '05 Infiniti G35(RWD), both fully loaded up. Both rode ok, both were quick, and had lots of goodies (leather, wood, nav, sat radio, xenons, intelligent key [G35] bluetooth, DVD-A [TL]). The G35 did great at high speeds though she liked the seating postion and dash on the TL. I noticed some killer torque steer on the FWD TL when you hammer it. Going to also try to get her to look at the 330's this weekend. But she likes these two the best right now.

I've read a bunch about these two cars and have not found any big negatives to either. We all know that mama must be happy so I don't want to rain on her parade; however, if there is a real reason to stop a bad purchase I will definitely do it. Do you have any thoughts on these two cars or others in that range?

Thanks a lot
Kevin

Both are great rides imho and I don't think you can go wrong with either. They are both lots of car for the cash as well. The problem you will have, or should I say your wife will have, is that they are tight in the back, and getting that baby carrier in and out is a pain in the back and the rear. Strollers and baby junk take up lots of space--much more than you think. Be sure you find the cargo space big enough.

Good luck on all fronts! :thumbup:

Thanks! That is good feedback. When she drives them one more time this weekend I am going to have her take my twin 4-year-old nieces. That way she will experience getting them in and out of there with all of their stuff. Thanks again for the reply.

I like both too, although I'm a little prejudiced to Acuras since I've had one before. I've always thought that Acuras and BMWs have the best engines on the market and the new TLs (and RLs) look great.

I also like the new Infiniti M, so you may want to check that one out too. It comes in AWD too, which is intriguing.

I have travelled in the new TL and Rangerfan is right about the space in the rear. Otherwise the TL is a great car with all the new technology. Travelling with baby she may need a bigger car. She should consider RL or Infiniti M sized cars, just a thought.

Well, have you looked at the '05 Toyota Avalon?

Yep, I've owned two Acura's in the past and they were superb. I tend to agree with you all that space is going to be a real issue. I want to get her into a larger car if possible. She likes the maneuverability of smaller cars although I have shown her over and over that she can do just fine in larger car. She drives the crap out of my X5 but doesn't like to go to malls or grocery stores with it due to small parking spaces (thankfully!).

In the end, whatever she gets must be sporty. After 2 vettes, a turbo Mazda, modded Maxima... she's hooked on performance and handling. She won't drive the nice Avalon or anything like it for that reason. Got to have firm sport suspension, low-pro tires, quick steering, aggressive looks, etc. You should have seen the grin on her face when she was manual-shifting the TL at 6500 RPM. I'll see if she will drive the RL and new M this weekend.

Thanks to all of you for your opinions, it is all very helpful. :)

NCX, look no further than the new E90 330. I'm not too crazy about the FWD TL nor the G35, although both are fine cars. Now if you want one of the finest small sport sedans then the 255hp E90 330 is tailor-made for your wife.

:thumbup: Agreed! I'd love it if she would look at the new E90. I would probably sneak it out of the garage and take it to work every other day. It is a sweet ride for sure.

BreytonX5, IFlyX5, LeMansX5, Pseto, Rangerfan.... thank you all for you valuable input.

My pleasure. Do you mind if I sneak into your garage and take whatever you get for a spin? :p