Black Duck

So the answer to the question of this thread is..... none apart from rear seats if you wanna put small kids in or a pet Chihuahua but other than that keep the extra change and get the Z. : )

jadaniya

iTrader: (22)

Advantages? None. Z is faster. If the back seat is a plus you also have to factor in that the z looks better. And I agree with what was said earlier about g not really being a luxury ride compared to BMW and lexus. To each his own. But advantages? NONE.

jadaniya

iTrader: (22)

I think deciding between the 2 also has a lot to do with where you are in life. To me G's are for older guys who want a nice car that's pretty fast. Z's are for younger more spirited drivers who want a sexy and fast attention stealing car.

jkaale

It rides a little smoother, if you do alot of city driving. I live and work in a congested area, alot of traffic, and cobblestone roads, there are days I wish I had a G with a stock suspension.

j-velocity

I don't know if you have been in the rear seats of the G35C but it isn't that bad.
I am 6" and i fit in just fine.
The G35Cp doesn't have the best rear seats but it's definatly not the worst.

j-velocity

This thread is useless...
Every one is bias to what they own.
350Z ppl thinks G35 sucks and G35 ppl think 350Z sucks.

Eagle1

iTrader: (2)

Putting aside the cosmetics and nonperformance elements, all of which have been pretty much touched upon above and to which the conclusion is that it depends on personal tastes and functionality requirements, it is basically the same car.

Let's get to the "bones". The frame is also essentially the same, but it is stretched 8 inches longer, and it weighs a couple of hundred pounds more from the addition to the frame, body panels, glass, rear seats, and the longer driveshaft, exhaust, etc. Furthermore the actual driveshaft is different and lighter in the Z. The aerodynamics of the G are actually slightly superior to the Z in drag coefficient, and it has better high speed stability. (I have had the G to 170mph on the track, so go along with me on this point). The Z with the shorter wheel base is a bit less stable in cornering, which is not a "bad" thing when you are performance driving and want to toss or yaw the car around deliberately. The shorter wheelbase of the Z will, as noted have an influence on ride comfort, with the Z bouncing or porpoising more relative to the G. On a smooth track surface that is pretty much a non issue, but there are sections of interstate with washboarding from truck traffic where the difference is pronounced. The Z is a very noticeable design that grabs attention as a true sports car does, and it should. The G is more subdued and "sleeper" with respect to announcing that it can actually perform. One expects the Z to be able to perform remarkably...just look at it! Like it or not, the car projects an attitude of capability as a performer, and the looks do not lie. Is it as capable as an S2000 or M3? No. But with very reasonably priced mods it can be made to. The G is not bad looking, but it is by no means going to give people neck strain when it goes by. It is another in a long heritage of Japanese coupe/sedan cars characterized by Toyota/Mitsubishi/Nissan as functional, reliable and pretty much undistinguished in shell design. But underneath it has the same performance as the Z, with a slight 200 pound handicap. Almost all of the mods that the enthusiast community demands and has developed for the Z will fit the G, a couple of suspension differences being among the more notable exceptions.

And thus the real difference in the cars is in the expectations of performance by the outsiders. The Infiniti badge is not associated with performance, unlike the distinguished reputation of the Datsun/Nissan badge with the early 1600 and 2000 models, the 240-260-280 Z cars, the incredible 300ZX TT, and now the return to the market with the Z33. Infiniti had a short legacy with an impressive luxury cruiser in the Q45, and a bunch of rebadged Nissan box sedans, punctuated with some of the most consistently bad marketing and advertising to ever grace the auto industry, with the possible exceptions being the AMC Pacer and the Ford Edsel. Nobody has given Infiniti any attention at all and suddenly........here comes this little pretenderG35 that goes nose to nose with the mighty 3 series Bimmer....with its inline 6 and 200bhp versus a V-6 and 300bhp, for less money. A lot less money. As a lover of and owner of several bimmer cars, I still have very strong affection for that marque, and its personality and handling that are not duplicated by either the G or Z. While I still do not care personally for the sedan lines (before 2007, which is a nice step up) one has to take the challenge of the Inifiniti entry to the market seriously on the performance-value equation that the car delivers.

So, going back to the coupe....the advantage that I see is that it is a wolf in sheep's clothing, a comfortable, affordable car with a comparatively huge performance relative to everything else on the road that it "sort of" resembles.

Now for the really good part. The front midship design and robust capability of the VQ35DE engine and chassis that was part of the typical overengineering for a sport car like the Z, which has the potential to become a participant in serious road racing competition and thus has to be considered from Day One in the engineering department, provides an enthusiast, who is so inclined, to raise the performance of the G35 chassis and the powerplant to almost supercar levels. For a very modest price. It may not have been intended by Infiniti and Nissan, but it is an inescapable fact that the platform is a high performance one. They are just looking for unit sales to amortize the cost of the R&D on the Z car, which was very high, by extending it to the Infiniti coupe and sedan. (Note that the VQ35 engine is the workhorse of the fleet, and is used in everything from pickups to minivans as well.

This is not for everyone, indeed not for any but a very few. But the car can be retained as a daily driver and yet modified to deliver Corvette and Porsche slaying performance on the track and the street, for less money invested than buying the other cars. And keeping the back seat and quasi luxury appointments. While still looking demure and refined. Something that is hard to do with other cars because the high performance quotient was not designed into the them and thus modifying them is going to run into other hard limitations.

Why not buy a Porsche or Corvette? Yes, I could. But for my own reasons I did not want that. Somebody pulls up to a Z.....they expect something. But a G? Almost never. And on the track? Blow by some 996 Turbo or GT2 cars and see what crowd gathers in the pits.

Marshall2K

Great write-up Eagle1.



Thanks...

skaterbasist

iTrader: (3)

Alot of Nissan fan boys are saying "None" or "Nothing"....

Dont listen to them. Just go look and test drive both, and you'll have your mind made up by then.

It's a matter of personal opinion.

Both cars are beautiful with the exeption of the [Infiniti] G35 being in a higher class; competes with the 3-series well.


Once again, you cant go wrong with either car.

.

bb319675

iTrader: (2)

I have a G and I like it, I see a Z on the road and I like that also. The biggest difference between them is that a G cost more to buy, and a Z cost more to insure because it's a 2-seat sports car.

gimpster621

iTrader: (38)

if you were 6" tall yea it wont be that bad but im only 5'10" and i cant sit up straight in the rear of my roommates G coupe

bleugcoupe

I have a g and I get a lot of people that tell me that they like it and don't like the z. Personally I think they just saying that in my face cause I got a g. I like both and I don't think you can like one and hate the other they are pretty much the same cars.

Twinturbo2800

i dont have either... ive test driven both.

imho differences are.
z is slightly faster
G looks better
G has a backseat (duh)

G352NV

iTrader: (13)

I own both. The Z is NA and the G is TT. The Z feels more planted and lighter. Everytime I drive the Z I fall in love. I never thought I would say it cause you all know how much I love my G. NOW if you want to talk about overall I would pick the G, Style Performance ect.

SpeedRcr

iTrader: (5)

loaner car and better warranty period...everything else is subjective

j-velocity

What do you expect from the back seat of a 2 door coupe.
The back seats of the G is much better than many other 2d coupe eg: 911, Supra.
If you want to sit up straight at the rear get yourself a 4d sedan. Both G35C and 350Z are not the cars for you.

I guess you never got a typo before.

Ghost 350z

iTrader: (15)

They are both great cars I love them both. I picked the Z mainly because the dealer gave me a better deal on it. Plus I didnt need a back seat

Zerk

iTrader: (2)

Get a Z....there's too many G's out there.

GZire

03/04 G coupes have 280 hp.

Black Duck

Both cars are beautiful with the exeption of the [Infiniti] G35 being in a higher class; competes with the 3-series well.

Higher class??