***EDITED! Thanks for all your opinions... keep 'em coming!***

Looking to get a car for the wife... upon doing some research, i think we've narrowed it down to these three.

THE G35...


THE NEW PASSAT...


THE IS350...


Now the G35 and Passat are pretty much less expensive than the IS350. I've personally liked the G35.. i think its the best bang for the buck. I've heard bad reviews from previous VW owners and from some of you here, but this new Passat seems promising (maybe).. The IS350 is the most expensive but want to see if the price would be justified in overall satisfaction. (and no, she will not opt for the IS250...she'd rather get the G35 than get the IS250 <--lacks power).

I'll tell you this much, if she opts for the G35, the $$$ saved could go for my 8! :D but, this is going to be HER car... so, lets hear them comments!

 

what about the lexus is350?

 

I was just looking for a picture of that!! glad I refreshed the page instead of posting. That would be my choice, I would even take the 250 over both cars you mentioned.

As well, the Subaru Legacy GT is pretty sweet. I wouldn't go for the passat ever, not a fan of VW lately, and the G35 is getting a little long in the tooth.

 

Yeah the legacy is pretty sweet but if she wants an automatic then the lexus is the clear winner imo.

 

******Original Post Edited prior to adding the IS350 as a choice******

i knew the IS would come up... i looked at that too.. i absolutely love it. maybe i should have her test drive it. it is more $$ though i dunno

 

#1 - IS350. I like it better than the G35 sedan after driving it at taste of lexus. not as sporty compared to bmw330i and g35, but has the best interior and smoothest and the most quiet and softest ride. keyless entry and engine start with smartkey, ventilated seats, voice activated navi, best optional sound system in class with 13 speakers etc. It has pronounced body roll and understeer during cornering compared to g35 and 330i. sedans dont need to be sporty anyways IMO. PERFECT FOR THE WIFE, if you dont mind the steep price. its possible since its so new that dealers will ask for markup over MSRP. is350 is projected to start at $35k+ MSRP for base barebone model, add a few basic options and its 40k out the door including taxes and tags and mid 40ks fully loaded. thats IF theres no dealer markup. Lexus is ranked #1 in the latest JD Power long term reliability ratings. you can expect virtually no problems.

#2 - id say g35 sedan 298hp with 6spd and 280hp with automatic, luxury interior incuding real aluminum or wood trims + smartkey ala is350 and blue tooth, heated seats (interior better than passat and bmw3, rx8, but not as good as is350), offers best bang for the buck, expect ~26.5k for base 05 and ~32k fully loaded with everything including navi. not as nice as IS350 overall especially if wife dosnt value sporty handling characteristics. Infiniti is ranked #3 in the latest JD power long term reliability ratings. you can expect virtually no problems.

#3 - Honda Accord hybrid - extremely reliable, saves lots of money on gas so you can feed your thirsty rx8 . great family car. dosnt have nice interior like infiniti and lexus, lacks luxury features such as blue tooth and individual zoned climate control, but is above par for its segment. roomy interior and very drivable in snow and bad weather conditions. 255hp with torquey engine that pulls much harder than the rx8 down low, and still get 29/37mpg city/highway. great grocery getter car for wife to complement the rx-8.


- other lesser recommendations include acura tsx (a baby TL that cost much less, light and fun to drive, with lots of luxury features available that could jack price up. lacks power)
Lexus IS250 (great value, lack power but has all the luxuries of the IS350), scoobie doo legacy GT - (does a lot of things good, but nothing great, subpar interior, destined to be middle of pack finisher in magazine comparisons)
dodge charger/chrysler 300 (american muscle for roadraging soccer moms)
toyota avalon (same engine as IS350, sporty look, luxurious interior). in this order.

vw/audi ranks amongst the bottom in reliability ratings every year, id stay away from it unless you dont mind making multiple trips to the dealer and spending unforseen dollars on various problems that are statistically bound to happen. VW was ranked amonst bottom 3 in latest long term reliability ratings, well below japanese and american companies.

 

Before I went and drove the IS350 at the Taste of Lexus event I would have said the G35--but the IS350 is the winner in this class for me--its a quick car; only auto though.

 

Yea, there is a $5k difference between G35 and IS350.

How about a loaded Solara SLE? It is pretty close to lexus quality and has the same available engine as the ES and RX. You could probably even get her the convertible. Girls love this car. If I was a girl, I'd love this car too.

 

Yuck--the Solara is some of the ugliest sh*t on the road--Especially the convertible. But hey some folks like it I guess.

 

I use to drive a solara!!

 

I have a B5 Passat (1998-2004 model) and it is going to be the first and last VW that I own. Quite a number of reliability issues, engine worries (sludging conerns on the I4 turbo), quality problems, etc. If you don't plan on doing your own work (I do a fair bit myself) then you will also have to deal with the sh!tty VW dealer network all the time. I only have to deal with them for major problems/repairs and the quality of their work is abysmal (multiple dealers). I have had each of the VW dealers that I've dealt with lie to me either to try and disclaim responsibility for the results of their shoddy work or to try and sell me stuff that I don't need (e.g. told me that the air filter needed changed despite the fact that I did it myself 2 months prior).

Think long and hard about buying the Passat.

 

I'm sorry :o
but thats in the past now--so now you can :D
:p

 

You really have to take your wife so you both can pick the one you want, but make sure to add the cars everyone is listing to your list.

My pick...I just love that G35 but all those cars (less the VW) would be cars I would consider also....so nice choices but axe the VW…it does not belong in that last (my opinion).

EDIT: I did not read everything, take out that Toyota too...I mean come on man...lol

 

The front vehicle lighting on the G35 is inferior to the passat.
Trying to pass off an H4 as a fog light, stupid Nissan.
Fog lights are low to the ground and have a straight cutoff.
D2R arc discharge, versus D2S Bi-HID projectors
The VQ35 doesn't make 298hp and 280 hp, more like 290 & 275. The passat VR6 makes 276hp. The 2.0T makes 197, but can be chipped up an extra 40 hp (if the transmission can hold up to an extra 75ft-lbs)

The Lexus IS 250 has incredible mileage, 24/32 but isn't as fast a Mercedes-Benz C250 V6 (MB can thank the 7g-tronic there) just a tad slow 16.5 versus 16.0 in the 1/4. and where is the power of the 2.5V6, it is on par with the indirect injection MB V6 (and they have direct injection ready to go)
Maybe you can down size the rear 245/45 17, and upsize the front 225/45 17 to 235/45 17, seeing as the wheels are 17x8
Forget the honda, those brakes are SO small.

 

i hope you realize that being as new and hot as the IS350 is and with Lexus expecting to sell only 1 is350 to every 5 IS250, the demand for IS350 will be high and there will bound to be markups until at least this time next year, when the 07 rolls around. At which time you can probably expect to be able to purchase a 2006 IS350 for below MSRP. This is just how the market works for 1st year models, it happens to every hot new car that just came out.

you can forget about paying around invoice for it if youre buying soon, now lets say you are lucky enough to find one at MSRP. thats still about $8k+ more expensive than the G35 sedan with the same equiptment which are sold under invoice for 05 models.
basically for the same price you pay for a base barebone IS350 with standard equiptment, no sunroof, not navigation, nor premium stereo, etc, you can have a fully loaded G35 sedan with every option and navigation. Or get a base G35 sedan and pocket that 8 thousand bucks.
remember thats if ure lucky enough to find an IS350 at MSRP with no markup, this will depend greatly on where you live. I hope Vegas isnt as bad as SoCal. otherwise, you are looking at even a bigger difference in money.

I personally think that after testdriving it, if you really want the IS350 then its better to hold off for a year. waiting will save you thousands of dollars. otherwise if you need one right now, the G35 is a much better choice. the fit and finish is not be as meticulously done as the lexus, but you get tons more luxury for the money. hence bang for the buck.

 

The G35 is due for an update... which is coming soon. 2007 I believe. So if you were thinking to wait for the IS350 (would never make my list with only auto, but this IS for your wife)... then you may want to see what happens.