2007 Lexus IS350 vs. 2007 BMW 335i vs. 2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan

[3000ways]

I remember the days of the IS300 and BMW 330i, and the G35 Sedan was making around 260HP. Now all of the new versions of these cars can make a Mustang GT look silly if it underestimates these cars. The numbers-

2007 Lexus IS350
3.5
6-Cylinder
306HP@6400RPM
277TQ@4800RPM
3530Lbs
6-Speed Automatic
Base Price- $35,400

2007 BMW 335i
3.0L
Twin Turbocharged 6-Cylinder
300HP@5800RPM
300TQ@1400RPM
3570Lbs
6-Speed Manual
Base Price- $41,000

2007 Infiniti G35 Sedan
3.5L
6-Cylinder
306HP@6800RPM
268TQ@5200RPM
3560Lbs
6-Speed Manual
Base Price- $33,000

The real data, I realize that not everybody researches these cars as much as I do, so I decided to add a little more info.

Power- First off these cars numbers such as power/weight look very similiar. Even on the dyno they are not so far off. One thing for sure, each of these cars are underrated in power. The Lexus has continued to push 260-280whp to the wheels on a dyno jet. Very impressive in my opinion. Not to be out done the 335i also has been tested on several dynos with power around 265-285whp. The G35 Sedan has not yet been dyno tested, but it seems pretty obvious that it is indeed more powerful than the 2006 G35 Sedan, and my best bet would be power around 250-270whp. So all these cars are no slouches.

What about the complete package though, as far as interior and exterior styling. Day to day driving, don't underestimate the 335i though, all turbo cars have lag, but this turbo car has very, very little. Also the price difference, is the 335i base price really worth $8,000 more than a G35 Sedan. Modifying, so far the 335i with a tune and catback exhaust made 332whp. Baseline was 274whp, so yes that is nearly 60whp. The IS350 with intake and catback exhaust has also shown impressive gains of 20-25whp on the dyno.

[G-man422]

I remember an earlier post saying that someone sold 2 335Is the first day they hit showroom floors because of the "fun" factor. All 3 cars are very nice, and have the power to back them up.

[DinanM3_S2]

For the 335i, we are referring to the sedan and not the coupe right? Since BMW dropped the "Ci" designation with the E92s its been hard to keep the sedan and the coupe differentiated. We probably should keep them all sedan's for this comparison's sake since there is not Lexus IS coupe.

The 335i easily for me. The coupe is nearly as fast as the E46 M3, and the sedan can't be that far behind. The old BMW 330i handled better, looks better, and was just more enjoyable to drive then the G and the IS. The E90 330i's only real disadvantage to the IS350 and the G35 was power, but the bi-turbo 3.0L in the 335i has solved that issue in every way. So now you get everything. There is not a single thing other then price that the Lexus or the Infiniti have over the BMW. Well, maybe Lexus has it in reliability of electronics, but I would still rather have the BMW drivetrain over anything else. If you can afford the IS350, you can afford the 335i, and the BMW is just such a good car that you'd be a fool not to take it. The G35 is more hp/$ but you sacrifice alot in interior and exterior quality and styling. The 335i is the total package, if you can, then you must.

[del]

i think it's remarkable what these "entry-level" luxury cars have accomplished over the past few years. i remember less than 10 years ago 300hp was a good number for a bmw 540i or a lexus GS400. now 300hp seems to be becoming the standard for this smaller category. and i think it's becomign even more difficult to find clear winner. the 3 series of bmw has obviously been the benchmark for years but i think the line between it and the rest is getting thinner and thinner. value-wise i think the lexus and infiniti have it beat. power-wise these are all too close to have one stand above the rest. unless you're particularly brand-loyal, it'd all come down to a good test drive of each to make a solid decision coz on paper, they're almost too comparable if that's even possible. i couldn't honestly choose one or the other without getting behind the wheel of each. i used to be able to choose a 330i over an IS300 and the 06 and older G35's, not so much anymore.

[BP2K2Max]

i like the lexus a lot, but i hate that you can't get a 6 speed manual in it, just automatic, and i really like the BMW but again no option for a manual tranny. also the bimmer's price makes me want to shy away since you could get over 400hp in the G35 for the price difference between the 2. not to mention BMW needs a TT setup to achieve 300 hp out of a 6 cylinder while the infiniti and lexus can do it NA. yeah there's no lag and all but there's no lag in either of the NA cars either (obviously) so that's not really a huge selling point to me.

my vote goes to the infiniti although i do like all three cars alot.

[Jimster]

BMW could get far more out of that motor if they wanted, but if they did, then what would be the point of an M3?


The 335i is pretty pointless, but it's still a nicer car than the others, I'll wait until the 335d though...

[DinanM3_S2]

Originally Posted by BP2K2Max

i like the lexus a lot, but i hate that you can't get a 6 speed manual in it, just automatic, and i really like the BMW but again no option for a manual tranny. also the bimmer's price makes me want to shy away since you could get over 400hp in the G35 for the price difference between the 2. not to mention BMW needs a TT setup to achieve 300 hp out of a 6 cylinder while the infiniti and lexus can do it NA. yeah there's no lag and all but there's no lag in either of the NA cars either (obviously) so that's not really a huge selling point to me.

my vote goes to the infiniti although i do like all three cars alot.

There are a couple of misconceptions here that I need to clear up. First of all, you can get a 6-speed manual 335i.

Second, when you actually price a IS350 with some options, its price quickly matches the 335i which has a pretty good standard features list. We can't actually tell what a G35 will cost with comparable options unless someone knows what the new base price and options list will look like.

Third, BMW doesn't need TT to get 300hp from a 6-cylinder, the M3's S54 is a 3.2 that gets 333hp. Plus, the 335i only has 3.0l, the other two have 3.5l. On top of that, the BMW runs lower compression making its engine possibly a bit more reliable. BMW had a choice between increasing displacement, higher compression and revs, or forced induction to match the power numbers from Lexus and Infiniti. The M division loves high revving high compression engines and while they are great in sports cars like the M3, M-Coupe, M5, S2000, and F430, they tend to be a bit loud and a bit of a handful for people that want more of a regular luxury coupe/sedan then a sports car. BMW announced a while ago that they were done making larger displacement engines (at least in the non-M cars) and would spend the next couple of years experamenting with other methods of getting power out of an engine, leading us to forced induction. BMW has been an opponent of forced induction for a while now citing lag and throttle response disadvantages to N/A engines. By developing a method of nearly completely eliminating lag, BMW has turned it into a viable option on its cars.

Originally Posted by Jimster

The 335i is pretty pointless

I'm going to have to disagree on this. The 335i is significantly cheaper then the M3 and alot more refined. Pretty soon, minimal investment will get very large gains from this new engine as Vishnu, Dinan, and AA play with the turbos. If I had it my way, I would have an E90 335i Sedan (or maybe the coupe) as a daily driver and the upcoming E92 M3 as a weekend car.

[porscheguy9999]

Well all three cars are signigifant and improtant to their respective makers, but all appeal to a slightly different consumer. My choice is the 335i by the way.

335i: Arguably the most synonomous with performace enthusiests who want both performance, luxury and style (althought the same can be said, to varying degrees, about each car listed here). This car will appeal to young and old alike.

IS350: A choice among young, well off people who want performance more than luxury, but also want to modify it like they did with the old IS300. But will probaly not appeal to older consumers as much.

G35: The newest to the party (I think), the G35 has made a serious name for itself. It will appeal mostly to the same buyer as the 335i, but the G35's consumer will ultimately choose it more for the luxury aspect rather than the performace.


So IMO, the 335i is the best choice because it is equal in terms of luxury and performance, whereas the IS350 is performance oriented and G35 is luxury oriented. That, and its my personal favorite. But, really, all three are so close that the average Joe will have pickle of a time making a choice that isnt based on bias or percieved brand image.

[FikseGTS]

needs TT?? how about the M3? they don't "need" to twin-turbo, they chose to do so, and it's a good thing.... the 335i will beat the G35 and IS350 stock.... and add a simple chip and it will blow them away....

Originally Posted by BP2K2Max

BMW needs a TT setup to achieve 300 hp out of a 6 cylinder while the infiniti and lexus can do it NA.

[Masonovsky!]

i like the infinity because of the looks...but i think that BP2k2Max meant that the BMW without the twin turbo wouldn't be able to compete with the other cars, keep in mind that it is twin turbo stock...at least thats what i got from the post starter...

[blakscorpion21]

im gonna have to go

1. bmw, if you can get it with a true manual tranny. like dinan said.
2. lexux, i think this car has the best looks, but the lack of a manual is what puts it in 2nd for me.
3. infiniti, i like the looks of the coupe, but the sedan just doesnt cut it in the style dept.

[BP2K2Max]

Originally Posted by FikseGTS

needs TT?? how about the M3? they don't "need" to twin-turbo, they chose to do so, and it's a good thing.... the 335i will beat the G35 and IS350 stock.... and add a simple chip and it will blow them away....

...and spend the $8,000 you save buying a G35 on suspension and performance mods and you'll be killing the Bimmer. i do like the 335's, i just don't think it's that much better than the competition to warrant spending all the extra money on.