Hopefully they’ll fix the cheap interior, the uncomfortable seats, and crappy stereo.

“Hopefully they’ll fix the cheap interior, the uncomfortable seats, and crappy stereo” Mookie of course they will, in which they already did wayback in tha EIGHTYS……….

? carlos says they’re going to emphasize on the interior now since there are a lot of complaints about it. The seat are kewl and the stereo are meh.

>BMW stands for performance, Lexus for quality, and Mercedes for engineering.

I would argue that these days Audi owns design. Good luck hitting that target.

Audi….. own design?! I don’t like their grill and their egg shape like rear…. I’ve seen more BMW and Lexus than audi’s. And rather choose bmw, lexus, or infiniti design over audi. Some of the bmw design can be ugly. Lexus have a lot of blandish designs i guess. Infiniti have nice designs except for the Q flagship. meh i guess i haven’t gotten used to audi design…

took me a while to get used to the grille, but i agree audi is tops in design here… simple without being bland…
though how is infinitis NEW campaign going to emphasize design more than the current one? the ads with the lines are about nothing BUT design…

You know, if a company needs to “emphasize” the design of their vehicles, their design sucks donkey balls. The design of a car is splayed out there, for all to see in the unwashed, non-filtered lens world. Some cars look good, some look bad and some glossy ad in Dwell magazine isn’t going to change the reality told in sheet metal on the street.

Audi annoys the snot out of me by constantly talking about design even though the whole point of Audi is that they aren’t taking ANY design risks (unlike BMW or Lexus… Mercedes just makes a sexy car these days). When a car company tries to talk up it’s design, it is sort of like a hot girl taling up how hot she is- redundant, annoying and indicative of a self-confidence crisis brewing inside.

“You know, if a company needs to “emphasizeâ€? the design of their vehicles, their design sucks donkey balls.” Wow, what a stupid comment. How eloquent, Greg. Clearly, Infiniti’s design doesn’t “suck,” and the proof IS in the sheet metal (as well as in the sales). The G35 coupe is one of the most beautiful cars on the road, and just as well designed the rest of their cars (minus the Q, which is certainly in need of a redesign– and will be before long, I’m sure).

So are you saying that because BMW’s performance sucks? Because they certainly emphasize that. Are you saying Lexus’s quality sucks? Because they certainly emphasize that.

Oh, and “the whole point of Audi is that they aren’t taking ANY design risks”? Yeah, clearly Audi’s look just like so many other cars. You know, because we’ve seen that grille on the… uh… Oh and they stole their smooth, handsome proportions from….. hmmm….. Well at least we know they stole all their beautiful interior design cues from…. Damn, I guess they came up with all of their unique styling by themselves!

Greg, one of two things is apparent: You either dont know what your talking about, or you dont have any taste. I vote both.

“only four years”? Isn’t a 4-year replacement cycle typical these days, especially for the Japanese?

Ouch! to that last comment, pretty harsh, at any rate this discussion seems to have drifted to hot-headed brand loyalty, which frankly I find to be quite boring. The more I learn about cars in general, the more I learn that there isn’t always a “best” car. You pick somethings that you’re looking for in a car, and the one that meets the most of your criteria, or otherwise just reels you in, is the one that you’ll buy. Sure I have my preferences, but I certainly don’t see any reason to criticise cars subjectively and rudely and state is as a hard and fast fact. Instead of getting mad at eachother over “my favorite brand is the fastest” or “my favorite brand has the best interior” etc. let’s just take a step back and realize that we are the select few who truly appreciate fine automobiles, and that we have more in common than we have things to argue about.

P.S. By the way, did I mention that I love this blog?

Remember when automakers used to add new design cues to their models EVERY YEAR?

While it makes monetary sense to keep designs around for 4-8 years at a time, its kind of hard to get excited for +3hp engine variants and different color interior options from year to year.

Hats off to Nissan for having the balls to be daring…tho they are not the only ones doing so.

Here is something to think about, all these japanese and european companies all have these brand new designs and new ideas that are coming out. Sure some of them might not be pretty (such as the Mercedes Benz boxfish thing) But still they are trying. Even some of the wacky designs have worked, but the thing is that they are trying to hit the mark by putting alot of different designs out there. Now here is my point: GM doesnt seem to be putting out really innovative ideas or new models. Okay they do have some (Before you GM kids start firing up your computers) but generally nothing. Buck = nothing, Cadillac = CTS -V, Es co lade, Chevy = cobalt, corvette, pontiac = solstice aka saturn sky, saab = nothing (but hopefully soon).So in total 6 cars (and thats even a stretch), out of approximately 60. One of the japanese car makers alone is almost producing the same amount of new car designs. i mean if GM is wondering why they are going bankrupt soon, this could be a hint.

ps out of all those cars , the only one i truly like is the Z06 corvette, and it doesnt even have a nice interior

GM should sell Chevrolet to Nissan. Then Chevy will start making good designs. The UAW will also be disgusted, and all their members will resign from the plants. Then Nissan can sell Chevy back to GM for double price, and everyone has raw yellowtail sashimi for dinner. After a while, all yellowtail meat will go bad, and that’s the lesson of this story.

what i want to see from nissan is the skyline…..put not for the rediculous price that is expected for the car…..well, rediculous for me. PS if anyone is good friends with the CEO of mitsubishi could you tell them to change the bumper of the Evo please? we really want it, and its the only reason why they dont sell em in the great north, a place we could truly put that awd to good use.

Not only does Infiniti make the best looking cars on the market (G35 coupe, FX crossover, & M45 sport sedan, all best-looking in their segments) but their recent ad campaign (”A line has been drawn”) is the best car ad campaign on TV, period. Why? 1) Because it is clever, interesting, beautiful, and TRUE! .. Yes, Audi has great designs – but is an A4 really better looking than a 3-series coupe? … NO! Is an A6 hotter than a M5? … NO! But does the FX45 smoke a X5 (in looks) … YES!

I think that Infititi’s logic, that they have to identify with a virtue (design) in the same way that Volvo, BMW, MB, and Lexus have is absolutely the way to tier-one luxo status. Keep it up, Infiniti!

Of the big luxury car brands Lincoln’s new designs bore me the least closely followed by Infinity. Cadillac was cool until everything looked like the same thing in a different size, Mercedes is only interesting above $100k, BMW (or at least Bangle) hasn’t caught on to the fact that “striking” and “beautiful” are not synonimous, Lexus still makes appliances and Acura bores me more than Honda (and that is pretty freakin’ bored). You need mega bucks before things get interesting again with Aston, Rolls and to a lesser extent Maseratti

Audi definitely does not own design. They may have been ahead of the design curve in the late 90s, but the styling for their cars back then was too futuristic and now they’re in a position where they’ve run out of ideas. Look at the TT, too futuristic for the time and because of that, the new one cannot see radical changes. Audi’s interiors are also overrated. They look dated in many respects. Basically, all Audis look the same and you can’t tell one from the other or what year such and such Audi you see on the road came out. You pretty much have only the shield grille or lack thereof as you guideline. Audis are boring–that’s the bottom line.

Infiniti would have to have some decent looking cars (besides the G35 coupe – even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while) – all the other infinitis look horrible – it says a lot about how out of touch they are to say they make the most beautiful cars.

For the record – Mercedes, Audis, BMWs (recent models exlcuded), Volvos, Porsches, Ferraris, even land rovers are the most beautiful cars in the industry, why do you think they still gain market share when their reliability stinks?

Infiniti will have to do a better job copying (there are strong cues from the porsche 911 in the G35 coupe) – tell me that’s not true!

then start by stop copying mercedes’ csl headlights foo

“Infiniti will have to do a better job copying (there are strong cues from the porsche 911 in the G35 coupe) – tell me that’s not true!”

Design in cannibalistic. Everything is influenced by everything else. As long as they aren’t tracing templates it isn’t really copying. I think Infiniti is doing a good job, and I wish more car companies would take more design risks…

The most important part that I think we’ve all forgot to touch on is the article states that the G37 is replacing the G35 next month… So does that mean they are going on sale next month?

Fessenden doesn’t design anything.

He’s the director of Infiniti marketing.

The G35 is a 911 with different shaped headlights, a grill added above the bumper, and a new rear end – I would be the first to say “those changes add up to a new car” but look at a G35 compared to a 911 side by side and tell me they didn’t rip off the side profile and the headlights protruding from the hood – those two characteristics are what defines a 911. and who was the guy who said Infiniti had lots of decent looking cars?? Show me anything besides the G35 that isn’t ugly.

i agree with many of you, Design is definitely Audi’s middle name and it’s gonna be almost impossible for infiniti to change Audi’s birth certificate.

Until Audi builds a hardtop 2+2 coupe, they are slacking in the design department…

look, everyone and their mom has their opinion on what is good design, but there are some facts about infiniti. one, their ad campaigns might have clever tag lines but they always show their cars with some sort of visual effect. you never see one without some shadowing going on. its hard to plainly see the car like in bmw ad campaigns (printed). second, infinitis interior sucks. period. but that doesnt matter because they arent mouthing off about being the best. all the switchgear is cheap (no soft push buttons like on bmw or lexus) and the buttons on the seats use switches that come from the early 90s. thats plain cheap. plus the fake aluminum trim (which was fixed i heard), loose trim fittings on the dash, and a cheap analog clock.

Please tell me what is so great about Audi design. I can’t see it, and I’m not blind. All their cars look the same; I’m not sure what you guys see in them that I don’t.

Audi is about simple beauty. Apparently you either appreciate it or you don’t. Their exterior styling isn’t as flashy as some others, but they have very attractive proportions. Their new grille is classy and beautiful. And I personally think Audi has the best interiors, with the exception of some of the much more expensive Benz’s. I feel safer in my A8 than in any other car I’ve driven, including my last Volvo, knowing I have Quattro guiding me safely through Florida’s torrential rainstorms.

Basically, I see Audi as a fantastic great. Great performance, very luxurious, handsomely beautiful, and very safe. I don’t see whats not to like.

That should have read: “Basically, I see Audi as a fantastic car.”

All Audis have the same weak FWD proportions that you can find on any Korean sedan:
Long front overhang, short front-axle-to-A-pillar ratio.

Infiniti designs (G, M, FX) have the classic, elegant long-hood, cab-rear, short-overhang proportions.

but, I guess if you really love long front overhang, Audi is your company.

I dont know, I saw the new S8 in the showroom and its my new favorite flagship from any automaker. the color combinations it had, the sound of that V10, the awesome headlamps (different from the A8), the bang and olufsen sound system, and the very executive look blew me away. i think i spent nearly an hour in the showroom looking at that car. it might be my next car, i just dont know about the engine being so far up in the front, but whatever im not gonna autocross with that lol

I agree with Lars on the new S8 – what a car! Audis in general arent “look at me” cars – they look modern, clean, elegant, sophisticated yet SIMPLE. And in today’s world, for some people(like me!), Simplicity is something rarely found are greatly appreciated.

Anyway, the real debate is about DESIGN and almost all these f’in car companies have NO creativity! I know it sounds ridiculous to say that but go to the Pebble Beach Concours and you’ll see what I mean – the SICKEST designs ever created! These “great” modern car designers could learn a thing or two by looking at Delages and other one-offs from the freaking ’30’s. Creative, artistic, truly beautiful and get this, even FUNCTIONAL!

I just bought a 2006 G35. I looked at all the other cars in this class and I truly believe you get the most for your money with the Infiniti – and the customer service has been the best of any car I’ve ever owned.

That being said, I love the car except for one huge issue…..the driver’s seat. Sweet merciful crap who thought to put the controls right where it drills into your right thigh? Was there something horribly wrong with putting them at the bottom? Did they really feel that was a design envelop worth pushing?

Anyway, if anyone has come up with a solution to this design flaw (short of replacing the seat with a tractor chair) please post.

I’m in the same boat as Chakka. Bought a 2006 G35 Coupe with the sports package. Enjoy the car other than the driver’s seat. I’m starting to dread driving due to the uncomforable driver’s seat. The bolsters on the right hand side of the seat are causing me to drive with my right leg almost on top of the seat controls. As a result, I’m driving with my right leg and hip “higher” than my left leg and hip. Back pain that I had 10 years ago is suddenly back. Coincidence…I think not. Called Infiniti to see if I could replace the driver’s seat with the passenger seat (which is very comfortable). Told I can’t do this. Any suggestions?