[VPSuchin]

After 5 years of driving my BMW, I changed my car. Got a Certified 2013 G37X.
These are fantastic values, you get so much car for the money. Mine has the Premium and Navigation package. I also got the Infiniti promotional financing rate of 0.99% so it was a great deal.

It's really fast, comfortable and spacious, and the audio and navigation systems are very easy to use. You can use the touch screen or the controller.

Comparing this to my 2010 328i xDrive:

* Comfort- car rides higher and seats have better bolstering and more space so big win for the G37. Trunk is bigger but opening is still little narrow. Back seats have more legroom but head and shoulder room seems about the same.
The road and wind noise in city roads is very minimal. In the highway road wind noise is comparable to BMW but a lot of road noise comes down to tires. Dealer installed new Hankook Ventus Noble S1s all seasons.
This is my first car with HID lights and now I don't want to ever go back to normal Halogens!

* Power- No comparison here. The BMW's engine is much smoother than the Infiniti's but a 328HP V6 can get you in trouble very very quickly. Not a whole lot of torque below 3500 RPM and then it just flies. You use less than 20% of the engine capacity in day to day city traffic. The Sport mode has rev matching on downshifts and is great for twisty roads and getting on the freeway ramp. All this affects the mileage which is one of the negatives of the car. 18 city / 25 highway

* Steering -Feel is still not up to BMW standards, it is tight and has good feedback but the BMW was a whole different level- you felt so connected to the car

* Handling- BMW had a lot more tight handling because of the lower height and weight balance even with neutral setup due to the all wheel drive . It was taut. the G has a definite rear wheel drive character. has a more "loose" feel if I can describe it that way. The rear wheel will step out a bit if you accelerate hard in the middle of a turn. The AWD system sends 100% to rear wheels until slip then sends up to 50% up front. I haven't tested in the rain or snow but it should be competent.

* Tech/Luxury features- BMW had heated steering wheel but not even a screen-Just a small LCD display. The G has a really good Bose sound system. Has all the luxury features you would expect in a car in this class. Navigation is straight forward. The Voice Control system is slow so I don't use it.

Overall, the older BMW's classic connected driving feel , brilliant steering and smooth engine that were it's main plus points. The newer BMW 328i's are quieter, have more tech features and the base engine is pretty quick though noisy, but the old driving dynamics are gone.

Reliability, Power, Value for money are the G's selling points. The other car I was considering was the Acura TL SH-AWD but the Infiniti was cheaper,faster and handled better.

[Jomz]

just curious .. why did not you try the Q50?

[navin_bhp]

Originally Posted by VPSuchin

After 5 years of driving my BMW, I changed my car. Got a Certified 2013 G37X.

Overall, the older BMW's classic connected driving feel , brilliant steering and smooth engine that were it's main plus points. The newer BMW 328i's are quieter, have more tech features and the base engine is pretty quick though noisy, but the old driving dynamics are gone.

Reliability, Power, Value for money are the G's selling points. The other car I was considering was the Acura TL SH-AWD but the Infiniti was cheaper,faster and handled better.

Well.. Come back after a month say how much you miss the Bimmer .

Why did you have to change your car? Needed more space? What else did you test drive.

[VPSuchin]

Originally Posted by navin_bhp

Well.. Come back after a month say how much you miss the Bimmer .

Why did you have to change your car? Needed more space? What else did you test drive.

A month? Buddy I was missing it an hour into driving back in the infiniti. But only on some curvy roads. The E46 and E90 steering and handling is unbeatable in this class. Everything else in terms of cabin comfort, tech, power and ride was better in the Infiniti.

Yeah, my requirement was around 300HP+, AWD, sedan with more space, and much better reliability than the 328i for <$27K. The Acura TL SH-AWD and this were really the only 2 contenders. The Infiniti, like I mentioned in my original post was much better value for money with better handling+ power.

Originally Posted by Jomz

just curious .. why did not you try the Q50?

Tried the Q50, Wish I had the interior and tech in my G37. It is several leagues above. I like the looks of the G37 more than the Q50.
But, even the cheapest used ones even without Navigation package were $4-5K above my budget. Also, they had significantly softened the ride and handling, added to the artificial feeling electric steering (Even without the Direct Adaptive Steer by wire system), that raw, connected feel relative to the G37 is not there. The Q50 also has much worse reliability that the G37 mainly due to electronics. Overall, the G was a solid, reliable and value for money pick.

[cyclops]

Guys, any first hand reviews of the Mitsubishi Outlander? I recently got interested watching its commercial and my occasional need of 7 seats.

[akas_chauhan]

Got this pickup last year. After a long time I could find some time to log into Team-BHP and posting this here.

[BlackPearl]

Nice vehicle! Please post some more details about it. I am a big fan of large butch pickup trucks.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by BlackPearl

.... I am a big fan of large butch pickup trucks.

Me, too. How I wish our Tata Xenon and Isuzu VMax looked boxy and bulky like these rather than sleek-ish and rounded that they are. May be M&M can spawn one on boxy TUV300, albeit in bigger dimensions.

Is this 1500? 2500 looks more butch. I used to see one in our neighbourhood in Toronto, last year. But it was a 3500. The one with double rear rims. And this one had a lift kit and it looked so menacing. Too bad we don't get such cars here in India. Our rich do not look beyond Hummers and Rovers which would be totally eclipsed by these cars.

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Guys, any first hand reviews of the Mitsubishi Outlander? I recently got interested watching its commercial and my occasional need of 7 seats.

lots of better options for a 7 seater. Pathfinder/ Highlander/ Pilot. Whatever little you paid extra would be recouped on sale.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Guys, any first hand reviews of the Mitsubishi Outlander? I recently got interested watching its commercial and my occasional need of 7 seats.

A neighbor of mine had one of those. He didn't pay for it, it was a consulate car. He did, however, say that he won't buy it if it was his own money. That says a lot.

Originally Posted by Jomz

lots of better options for a 7 seater. Pathfinder/ Highlander/ Pilot. Whatever little you paid extra would be recouped on sale.

Oh yes - plenty of significantly better options. The third row in the Outlander are smaller than even the Rogue's optional third row of seats.

[cyclops]

Originally Posted by Jomz

lots of better options for a 7 seater. Pathfinder/ Highlander/ Pilot. Whatever little you paid extra would be recouped on sale.

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

A neighbor of mine had one of those. He didn't pay for it, it was a consulate car. He did, however, say that he won't buy it if it was his own money. That says a lot.

Oh yes - plenty of significantly better options. The third row in the Outlander are smaller than even the Rogue's optional third row of seats.

Well I was planning to buy it pre-owned and thought I would get a good deal because of the low resale value... But I guess its not worth it going by your reviews. Any other recommendation on the most value for money 7 seater - no minivan, kids in 3rd row is fine..

A little OT, is any BHPian located in Austin, TX? I might be moving there soon?

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Any other recommendation on the most value for money 7 seater - no minivan, kids in 3rd row is fine..

Subaru Ascent. Not sure when it will launch but it is getting rave reviews.
Mazda CX9. A very sweet mix of practicality and fun to drive factor.

[maddy42]

Congrats Suchin, thats a gorgeous looker. Can i ask what was the pricing on these?

Originally Posted by VPSuchin

After 5 years of driving my BMW, I changed my car. Got a Certified 2013 G37X.

Originally Posted by akas_chauhan

Got this pickup last year. After a long time I could find some time to log into Team-BHP and posting this here.

Amazing and congrats thats a big bada$$ looker! Hows the ownership of a GMC treating ya? Friend here got a killer deal on a hardly used GMC and the front grill looks great! I did see one vehicle in town which does have led lights which change color. Looks kinda cool.

Originally Posted by amitoj

Subaru Ascent. Not sure when it will launch but it is getting rave reviews.

Subie seems to be having killer sales! My team manager just came to the states and was mentioning the subies offering some real nice deals on their vehicles too. Trying to convince him to go for a santa fe which is selling at 19k.

One friend in CO got a Hyundai tuscon for 36k OTR after some discounts. Hyundai is offering about 6-8k off on their cars.

If anyone is interested in a full size SUV from Infiniti QX80, my local dealership had one listed at 53. They start at 63 i know.

Lastly Amit: Does it make sense to change tires now in NH? dont want a late snow storm killing me.

Maddy

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Lastly Amit: Does it make sense to change tires now in NH? dont want a late snow storm killing me.

I think all snow storms for this season are behind us now!!
Even if it snows now, it wont stick.

[prasadee]

Originally Posted by cyclops

Guys, any first hand reviews of the Mitsubishi Outlander? I recently got interested watching its commercial and my occasional need of 7 seats.

I would not consider the Outlander a 7 seater. The 3rd row seats are just way too flimsy, like it is going to fall apart anytime. It is made of thin cloth like material with no padding. I was able to shake and rattle the seats easily. This was when I did a test drive in 2014. I looked at pics of a more recent model, and it looked the same.

I ended up getting a Mazda CX9 that has a lot more comfy 3rd row seats with cup holders and what not. There is also space for my large labrador retriever behind the 3rd row seat. Not that I would ever do that. We usually fold half of the 3rd row seat so that the dog gets to interact with the 3rd row seat occupant.

I did not like the Highlander as it has crappy 2nd row middle seat.

The Pilot is an awesome contender. Same deal with Santa Fe. Sorrento was too buzzy, noisy engine. With 7 people seated, it struggled the most on freeway ramps.

Lots of good options for 7 seaters. Good luck with your search!