S60 Scores9th out of 11 Luxury Cars in R&T Comparo - Result Not As Bad As You'd Think

George@Swedespeed · Jun 7, 2002

Just got my new R&T magazine issue in the mail. It's dated July 2002. The results were11 - Lincoln LS V6 Manual 10 - Jaguar X-Type 3.0 Manual 9 - Volvo S60 T-5 Spaceball 8 - Cadillac CTS Manual 7 - Mercedes-Benz C320 Sport 6 - Acura 3.2 TL Type S 5 - Audi A4 3.0 quattro Manual 4 - Saab 9-5 Aero Manual 3 - Lexus IS 300 Manual 2 - BMW 330i Manual 1 - Infiniti G35 AutomaticThe main beef for the S60 is the suspension. They liked everything else. It beat out all it's corporate cousins though.

rollie · Jun 7, 2002

Hmmm....very interesting. All together not a good showing for Ford's Premiere Auto Group eh?I'll have to grab this magazine. It's surprising to see the G35 automatic leading the pack (ahead of mostly German manuals). Looks like a G35 test drive is in my future... <IMG SRC="http://www.swedespeed.com/ubb/smile.gif">

TurbobrickT5 · Jun 7, 2002

The thing that I felt was very very odd was that the manual tranny S60 was slower then the auto tranny S60, they tested back in 4-01. That auto tranny one ran 6.6 0-60 and [email protected] mph. The manual tranny ran 7.0 and [email protected] Anyone else find that odd?

Pedestrian_A · Jun 7, 2002

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by TurbobrickT5: The thing that I felt was very very odd was that the manual tranny S60 was slower then the auto tranny S60, they tested back in 4-01. That auto tranny one ran 6.6 0-60 and [email protected] mph. The manual tranny ran 7.0 and [email protected] Anyone else find that odd? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> the tester can't launch. :lol

745TRBOBRK · Jun 7, 2002

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by [email protected]: The results were.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> That is based on Performance, a bunch of sbujective things like styling and comfort, and price.Performance1 BMW 330i 2 INFINITI G35 3 Lexus IS 300 4 SAAB 9-5 Aero 5 MB C320 6 Acura TL Type-S 7 Audi A4 8 Volvo S60 9 Jaguar X-Type 10 Cadillac CTS 11 Lincoln LSSubjective Things1 BMW 330i 2 INFINITI G35 3 MB C320 4 SAAB 9-5 Aero 5 Lexus IS 300 6 Audi A4 7 Jaguar X-Type 8 Acura TL Type-S 9 Cadillac CTS 10 Volvo S60 11 Lincoln LSPerformance + Subjective1 BMW 330i 2 INFINITI G35 3 SAAB 9-5 Aero 4 Lexus IS 300 5 MB C320 6 Audi A4 7 Acura TL Type-S 8 Jaguar X-Type 9 Cadillac CTS 10 Volvo S60 11 Lincoln LSThe price thing screwed BMW. It clearly is a better car. The INFINITI is $8k less so it got more points for being cheap. Having a range of cars from $30-46 is too wide to be the same class IMHO.I think the editors were right when they said that it is an engine looking for a chasis. Hopefully the R will have a better suspension to go with the 4wd.

S.R. · Jun 7, 2002

The G35 deserved to win IMHO. The manual 330i with sports suspension was barely able to beat/tie the automatic G35 in every performance aspect. The 330i uses high performance 225's in the front and 245's in the back where-as the G35 uses only 215's all-round. When the results were first revealed, about a 1.5 weeks ago, the BMW fanboys were crying foul. The G35 coming later this year with a close-ratio 6-speed & hopefully larger wheels will smack the 330i like a play-toy. Then the carnage will continue when the G35 Coupe whips the 330ci back to the last century.Here is some of what they said: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>The G35 is the best of this group, plain and simple. Why? Try 260bhp, 260lb-ft. of torque, and rear wheel drive. When you add excellent steering, super-predictable handling, and plenty of passenger space, what Infiniti has done is remarkable; the low price isn't even a factor.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>The G35 is bound to make converts out of a lot of BMW fans. It's a winner.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> <IMG SRC="http://www.edmunds.com/media/roadtests/roadtest/02.infiniti.g35/02.infiniti.g35.f34.500.jpg"> Road and Track NumbersTop Speed G35: 151 MPH 330i: 128 MPH0-60 MPH G35: 6.2 sec 330i: 6.1 sec1/4 Mile & Trap Speed G35: 14.7 sec @ 95.2 mph 330i: 14.7 sec @ 96.3 mphSlalom MPH G35: 65.0 MPH 330i: 65.4 MPH80-O MPH Braking G35: 218 ft 330i: 230 ft200 ft Skidpad G35: 0.86g 330i: 0.86gG35 Automatic/Sport vs. 330i Automatic/SportEdmunds Numbers (Not even close)0-60 G35 - 6.1 Seconds 330i - 6.7 Seconds1/4 Mile G35 - 14.7 @ 95.1 MPH 330i - 15.1 @ 93.6 MPH60 - 0 G35 - 111 FT 330i - 129 FTSlalom G35 - 66.4 MPH 330i - 62.8 MPH-Drew

bfavre4 · Jun 7, 2002

So what IS the best to launch from a stop? Hold the brakes while revving the engine? That's not too healthy for the brakes, isn't it?

George@Swedespeed · Jun 7, 2002

I have to hand it to Infiniti and Nissan, they are building some very good products lately. The Altima is another car that seems to be quite on its game.That said, I hate the looks of the G35. It's like a soft Cadillac. While it works for Caddy, I just can't warm up to the Infiniti.After reading the article, I'll take the S60 or the Audi A4 and do some suspension tweaking of my own.

Vetteguy · Jun 7, 2002

Actually, the brakes don't really care. Your torque converter may cry a little but yes, that is the best way to launch an auto. Ummm George, the G35 is the Altima but poshed up a bit.

T5 Dave · Jun 7, 2002

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Vetteguy: AUmmm George, the G35 is the Altima but poshed up a bit.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Well, if you consider moving the drive wheels to the back as just a bit of a 'posh.'The I35 is the poshed version of the Maxima who use the same engine as the Altima in a FWD layout.But no, the G35 is a RWD and in no way related to the FWD stablemates.The good news is that the G35 comes without leather and without a sunroof!! Yippee! Finally, I have an alternative if my S60 gets stolen . . . Not that I'm planning on that, you understand, it's just that there just wasn't any other option out there until now in the same power-to-weight ratio class.[This message has been edited by T5 Dave (edited 06-07-2002).]

S.R. · Jun 7, 2002

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Vetteguy: Ummm George, the G35 is the Altima but poshed up a bit.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>The G35 is in no way related to the Altima at all except for the VQ35DE, but in the Altima it only makes 240hp.-Drew

George@Swedespeed · Jun 7, 2002

I'm certainly no Nissan expert, but I recall reading that the G35 is based on the same platform that Nissan will be using for the Z and the Skyline, in addition to the G35 coupe.I think it's great really. There are a ton of accountant run auto companies out there, and Nissan has waltzed in with some rather daring engineering (and IMHO rather crappy exterior design) and garnered a lot of respect in the automotive enthusiast set.You don't just see companies (unless they are BMW or MB) just producing coupes anymore. That in and of itself is quite frustrating. The cool thing is, unlike my two favorites (Audi and Volvo), there's virtually no waiting until halfway through the model cycle to get the coupe to market. I have to respect that.

T5 Dave · Jun 7, 2002

Uh, guys, what's wrong with this picture? A Volvo site extolling the virtues of a Nissan product? Are we saying we don't like our Volvos as much as the Nissan?Is Volvo listening?

Kai · Jun 7, 2002

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by [email protected]: There are a ton of accountant run auto companies out there, and Nissan has waltzed in with some rather daring engineering (and IMHO rather crappy exterior design) and garnered a lot of respect in the automotive enthusiast set.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I agree with you on this. The design cues on most of the Nissan cars are just aweful. It seems like they hardly ever get the tails of their cars right. Always a bit too much or a bit under the norm of general public taste.It seems almost if they are trying a bit too hard..only rear ends I like on the Nissans are the Skylines, S15(maybe S14 is okay, too), the G20...and some of Q45s. I could almost sense they try to design something new a different, yet they want to keep a hint of other European cars design cues in their cars. G35 from some angle reminds me of the A6's rear end.

S.R. · Jun 7, 2002

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by T5 Dave: Are we saying we don't like our Volvos as much as the Nissan?Is Volvo listening?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Nah, I think that we are a group of people who are easy going, open-minded, and can appreciate others virtues. I hope that Volvo is listening.-Drew

S60 Scores9th out of 11 Luxury Cars in R&T Comparo - Result Not As Bad As You'd Think

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