American muscle vs. Japanese near luxury vs. Japanese rally icon

[3000ways]

This is an interesting comparison between American muscle, Japanese near luxury, and a Japanese rally icon. Despite these differences, these cars share a few things in common, they all have 300HP (or near), usuable back seats, and are affordable for the common man. Which of these cars do you think is the best of this comparison? Which would you own?

2005 Ford Mustang GT
4.6L
8-Cylinder
300HP@6000RPM
315TQ@4500RPM
5-Speed Manual
RWD
3510Lbs
$25,000

vs.

2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe
3.5L
6-Cylinder
298HP@6400RPM
260TQ@4800RPM
6-Speed Manual
RWD
3470Lbs
$33,000

vs.

2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2.5L
Turbocharged 4-Cylinder
300HP@6000RPM
300TQ@4000RPM
6-Speed manual
AWD
3300Lbs
$33,000

[kman10587]

STi if I could afford it.

[MexSiR]

The Infiniti is the most classy, best looking and most pimpish out of those cars, and it still is pretty fast. I would go with that one.

I thought the Mustang had a very sharp design, but when i see it in person, its too bland in my opinion, im not saying its ugly or anything, pretty cool...i just had higher expectations.

The STI is pretty ugly, i know its a great performer, but that does not take the ugly part away.

Dont want an ugly chick that performs well in bed.

[YogsVR4]

I'd go with the G35 if I had to buy a car today. Since my next purchase (after the next house is found) is going to be a truck - the G35 is going to have to wait a few more years.

[syr74]

I picked the Mustang GT bias aside, or not... But, in truth the G35 might win this one if the torque was there as I appreciate a luxurious car.

However, as good looking as the Infiniti is I think the pony looks even better. And, the added luxury does not make up for the lack of V-8 grunt for me.

I don't get the WRX thing at all, but I have mentioned why before and wont go into that again.

IMHO, the G35 does exemplify why Ford needs to do a revived luxo-pony-car Cougar off of the new Mustang though. Good mix-and-match comparo

[k3smostwanted]

id take the G35 over the other 2 because it is a great all around car.

mustang is clearly the best bang for the buck out these days...

STI is a great car and great tuning capabilities and performance is there...but that whole 4 door super sedan doesnt tickle my fancy.

[NISSANSPDR]

Right now...it'd be the G35 Coupe for me...I cant decide between white or black...but I like white since it can "hide" water marks from rain better than the black ones can...

STi would only be good if I knew it would never give me any problems....ehhh

[CrzyMR2T]

i chose the sti, but if i can have the g35 with the sedan body, then id go with the g35. i think the sedan looks better, and four doors are more practical.

[BP2K2Max]

i'd go with the G35. the VQ35's a beast.

[Muscletang]

2005 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
2.5L
Turbocharged 4-Cylinder
300HP@6000RPM
300TQ@4000RPM
6-Speed manual
AWD
3300Lbs
$33,000

I'm not going to get into a reliabilty argument but seems to me the conditions are right for problems down the road.
Also it's $8,000 more, like the G35, than the Mustang.

My vote here goes to the Mustang.

[NISSANSPDR]

8k more...but the interior looks better in the G35 Coupe...so does the outside...you got a great suspension...and class...oh and Brembo's w/the manual are standard

[Vettribution87]

Definitely the 05 Mustang. Cannot argue with that body design.

If looks could kill the 05 Stang would be classified as a weapon of mass destruction.

[TatII]

you guys gotta remember that a STi is extremely underrated. how is a G35 coupe going to put down 240whp on a RWD rated at 280 crank hp. ( 04 version ), and the 05 STi puts down 260whp on all 4 wheels, and is rated at 300 crank hp? the 04's put down 256whp on all 4 wheels.

i'm willing to bet that the STi is has the highest true hp rating out of the 3.

also i've seen the 05 mustang in person, and its such a boring looking car, its like ford didn't even have to try to design that body, i mean the ford GT they got away with, but the stang was just too much of a retro thing. i hate ford's trend of making new cars, the T-bird was retro, the stang is retro, the GT is retro, the new shelby cobra is retro. helllloo~~~ is anyone seeing this? those lazy bastards at ford ran out of idea's so they're just reusing old classic ideas over again, and label them as new, also again, i saw the 05 stang in person, and it looks alot uglier in person then in photos.

[Jimster]

I'd take a G35. Though I believe it is rather ugly, they look pretty decent in black on a set of 19 Inch deep-dished Shadow-chrome rims. It's got all the luxury I need, with an awesome engine with plenty of low end torque. The V chassis is also far superior to the equivalent RWD R-chassis that it replaced (The old RWD R32-R34 Skyline's drove disturbingly like a 1960's Rover when stock).

The Mustang? Certainly looks good and the handling is a significant improvement over the last model from what I've heard, but it seems to lack the relaxed finesse of the G35, while most likely being just as fast.
I'm also going to be skeptical about the quality of the Mustang as I've only ever had one good Ford out of four and that was a Mondeo ST24, the last (Brand new) Mustang Cobra I looked at had a peeling door trim, the passenger airbag cover had come loose and the plastic looked like it'd just spent a summer in Alice Springs.


STi? In a word no, there are so many more road-going rally cars I'd have before lowering my self to an Evo or STi, such as an Escort RS Cosworth or Lancia Delta Integrale, even a Celica GT4! If you are going to suffer the non-existant comfort and iffy reliabilty of a road going track car, at least do it with some style and character.

[Layla's Keeper]

I'd have a hard time choosing between the G35 and the Mustang if my pocketbook didn't have to make the decision for me.

I've grown to like the new Mustang, especially in some of its "tuner" versions (especially the next Roush and the Mustang Racing Technology "Interceptor" package) and its combination of a big roarty V8 and well sorted chassis make for a very nice package.

However, the G35 has been pretty to my eyes since day one and is a wonder in fast sweepers, plus its definitely a car I'd like for long trips.

The Subaru, well, I just get the feeling that I'd have a blast with the WRX STi for one week before day in, day out driving became more of a chore than a pleasure.