ever look at a G35 and wonder

[Janq]

Originally posted by Blue04Sti
Here are the features an STi has that I consider somewhat luxury items- I'mused to owning Euro cars mostly VW's and BMW's. The STi isn't too far off the luxury mark IMO- slightly better interior material quality would make a big difference.

STi "luxury list"

1) Auto climate control that works very well I might add much better than a lot of other's I've owned. Much better than the dual controls in my X5

2) Cruise control- I think Subaru's little stalk is great - excellent design.

3) Tilt wheel -

4) Electro luminecent guages- I think only Lexus had these until recently.

5) My STi has the auto dimming rear veiw mirror with compass

6) Outside temperature readout

7) Manually adjustable HID's- X5's adjust automatically

8) low tech remote trunk and gas door release -

The main interior feature that Euro cars have that the STi is sorely lacking is interior lighting. VW and BMW have night lighting down. It is really dark in the STi at night, no backlit switches lighted vanity mirrors, map lights or ambient lighting- that's about the only gripe I have about the STi's interior. I'm investigating ways to add some ambient lighting to the console area at least.

Respectfuly I have to disagree entirely.
The switches and ambient lighting is bright as hell!

In fact I drive around at night with mine set to Level 1 (lowest of 5) as the other settings light levels are like staring at a laser or a neon sign. There are pics detalilng the STi dash & switches all over this board that reinforce their brightness. You must be driving around wearng Ray Ban's as even Ray Charles could see the light from an STi.

As for your luxury list I disagree there too;
1) The climate control is semi-auto not automatic.
But even so this is a basic feature that comes on just about everything from Neon's on up, including the X5 which is fully automatic and digital (STi is analog).

2) Cruise is another item that pretty much comes on everything now days. My sister in laws Echo even has that, yet she has no power windows or locks. She too has a semi-auto AC/Heat system and her car cost $12K.

3) Tilt wheel is another thing that everybody has and Subie's have had for two decades. Further its a safety and performance item, not a luxury. Proper steering wheel placement is critical. This is up there with the adjustable seatbelt mounts. That not a luxury. It helps adjust the belts to best fit the user best protecting them. Passive performance, not luxury.

4) Lexus innovated these gauges with their debut for automotive use in '87 but electroluminescent gauges were innovated in the aerospace industry and originally used going back to the early '80s in high end/high perf aircraft.
For cars it looks cool and everything but again it too is a safety item. They do not put as much strain on the eye at night and the eye is better able to detect adjustments in the gauges with a glance as they give an imitation 3D effect whihc we humans are naturally designed to pickup on. Regular gauges are only two dimensional and require more effort (brain & eye) to read and as such take our eyes away from the road for longer periods of time.
Now the Defi 'bootup' thing is a knock off of old mechanical gauges from the turn of the century through WWII in which gauges would often do the same thing upon first use and then 'settle' down to an accurate setting. Ask any old school, pilot, conductor, boatsman (steamboats), plumber/pipefitter, electrician or ham radio operator and they'll tell you the same.

5) The auto dimming miroor is again a safety item.
It eletro dims rather than requirng the driver to take his hands & eyes away from the road to manually toggle the dimming switch.
BTW, this is an option (that you paid extra for) and is not standard on the STi.

6) Active performance. Having the exterior temp available to you allows the driver to best gauge based on usage of the engine as to when the manual IC cooler might need to be activated. Obviously if the outside temps are say in the low '60's you might not need to use the IC as the ambient temps are low enough. But if the ambient temp suddenly increases you might not know it due to havign the A/C running inside. Thus the readout can give you a clue to what temp. air is being digested by the car and as susch cool down the IC momentarily for max power if/when needed.

7) Active & passive safety at the same time.
Active safety in that you don't need driving lamps on this car as you just activate the highbeams and then using the headlamp adjuster turn the low beams down toward the road creating a bi-level illumination. Passive safety in that you can turn down the light height when approaching oncoming traffic in order to prevent blinding/dazzling of those drivers. This is a saftey item both for the oncming driver as well as you on the possible receiving end of their bumper flying at 65+ mph. Think about it...this is a serious and valuable benefit especially on one lane roads.

8) I have the exact same unit on my '93 Legacy and had a similar unit on my Volvo V40 Wagon. I like this unit as its simple and easy to operate and reach. Its not electric thus won't fail due to some button wearing out or getting stuck and I don't have to dig around in the glove compartment like on some vehicles (BMW & Caddilac) to simply pop the trunk. This is a must have in my mind the same as havign a horn pad in the center of the wheel versus 'horn button' actuator along the steering hweel rim.

The STi really has very little luxury other than the remote door release and possibly the cup holder which is really a non-functional item.

- Janq

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

[Janq]

Originally posted by amdmaxx
Those swapping STi seats for Recaros are SOL if they get hit from the side...
I'll take my side bags in the door please...
But then again, how many people plan to swap seats? It is a good idea to have airbegs in the seat, so it's ALWAYS in the perfect place to deploy..
Mnay do complain about STi seats, since they were designed for bigger, fatter a$$ed americans...

AMD,

Trust me on this, I know from direct and recent experience (March '03) that you _do not_ want airbags to be placed in your doors.

Most mfrs. stopped doing this for a reason. Your best & safest bet is for them to be installed in the seat back as on the STi.
As for the seats being too flat & wide. Its super easy to remove the seat covers and one can add or modify the seat or seat back foam to the density and shape of their choosing. My buddy who picked up a '04 WRX 2 weeks ago did just this last week at the suggestion of his dealer and went through a third party local auto seating & upholstery vendor. It required an hour of time and they got his seat customized to fit him just the way he liked. The cost was something like $40. A new seat is not a must.

You can always add foam to your WRX/STi seat or racing belts of track days. But EVO/Recaro seat owners can never add airbags.

- Janq

[Janq]

Originally posted by IgotWRXed
well i guess i am the other majority, i WONT be purchasing the STi, instead the G35 coupe.

I got yer back.

- Janq

[IgotWRXed]

Originally posted by Janq


I got yer back.

- Janq

ha, thanks i appreciate it

then when i supercharge it we can all have a good laugh

[jigga]

Originally posted by TaoKane
And hell, as long as we're in the business of wishing, an even More perfect world for me would involve owning a Zonda C12 and a real Hummer (NOT the H2). One can dream I suppose.

Wyclef Jean, the hiphop artist comes close to living in your perfect world! Among his collection of cars include a Ferrari 360 Modena, a Pagani Zonda C12, and...... and..... a McLaren F1

Life must be good!

[Janq]

Originally posted by IgotWRXed


ha, thanks i appreciate it

then when i supercharge it we can all have a good laugh

Millen's got a supercharger running low boost that pumps power up to 350 +/- HP while there are now two turbo kits out from suppliers. For all the inside dope & info go to http://www.6mt.net which is the 'NASIOC' of G35 Coupe info. You'll see me drop in their every so often.

- Janq

[IgotWRXed]

Originally posted by Janq


Millen's got a supercharger running low boost that pumps power up to 350 +/- HP while there are now two turbo kits out from suppliers. For all the inside dope & info go to http://www.6mt.net which is the 'NASIOC' of G35 Coupe info. You'll see me drop in their every so often.

- Janq

o yes, Stillens supercharger puts out about 302 Whp and is under warranty for 3 years thats pretty cool. i think i would go that route and then put on some of their goodies for a good 350 waranteed wheel horsepower.

[Janq]

"Millen" = 'Stillen' in Janq world

The supercharger plus their cat back system = 350HP
I posted all the info direct from Stillen back in May (I spoke with one of their managers). Run a search against my name and keyword Stillen to find my notes.

Its a good deal...and streetable.

- Janq

[mattyp]

heh... http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthre...b=5&o=&fpart=1

kinda strange eh?

[jacobsen1_]

Originally posted by Janq

6) Active performance. Having the exterior temp available to you allows the driver to best gauge based on usage of the engine as to when the manual IC cooler might need to be activated. Obviously if the outside temps are say in the low '60's you might not need to use the IC as the ambient temps are low enough. But if the ambient temp suddenly increases you might not know it due to havign the A/C running inside. Thus the readout can give you a clue to what temp. air is being digested by the car and as susch cool down the IC momentarily for max power if/when needed.
- Janq

Come On Janq... ou know better than this... Especially with the heritage of this car, you must know why there is an outside air temp gauge in the car...

It has nothing to do with when to have the AC on...

It has nothing to do with when to turn on the IC sprayer...

It has everything to do with when the roads might be frozen...

HELLO... 300hp and 300ft/lbs of torque with those tires are NOT going to be fun when the road looks "wet" but Ops... that's black ice.... CRASH...

I don't car about the awesome AWD either... you drive thinking the raods aren't icy in a car like this and they are, you just wrecked your STi...

Some reason the outback and foresters all have the temp gauge, and my biggest pet peave with the WRX is not having one (not even an option) but subaru touts these cars as the ultimate winter driving machines... WRX are advertised all the time in ski mags as a snowmobile with a roof rack... but not temp gauge....

You had many other great points, but you are way off base with the temp gauge... Most temp gauges even warn you at 34~36 with a snowflake... Not sure on the STi, but the one in my WRX does... And I'm pretty sure the snowflake doesn't mean I should turn on my AC when it comes on at 36 degrees F.

Ben

[Janq]

Originally posted by jacobsen1


Come On Janq... ou know better than this... Especially with the heritage of this car, you must know why there is an outside air temp gauge in the car...

It has nothing to do with when to have the AC on...

It has nothing to do with when to turn on the IC sprayer...

It has everything to do with when the roads might be frozen...

HELLO... 300hp and 300ft/lbs of torque with those tires are NOT going to be fun when the road looks "wet" but Ops... that's black ice.... CRASH...

I don't car about the awesome AWD either... you drive thinking the raods aren't icy in a car like this and they are, you just wrecked your STi...

Some reason the outback and foresters all have the temp gauge, and my biggest pet peave with the WRX is not having one (not even an option) but subaru touts these cars as the ultimate winter driving machines... WRX are advertised all the time in ski mags as a snowmobile with a roof rack... but not temp gauge....

You had many other great points, but you are way off base with the temp gauge... Most temp gauges even warn you at 34~36 with a snowflake... Not sure on the STi, but the one in my WRX does... And I'm pretty sure the snowflake doesn't mean I should turn on my AC when it comes on at 36 degrees F.

Ben

Thats funny, most of the Syubie's I've owned in the past have not had any temp indicator and yet I've been driving over black ice and other frozen road surfaces for nearly two decades without a problem.

Yes, the temp indictor is used in many vehicles and it indicates ambient temps not road temps which can be higher or lower.
As for tunring on your A/C at 36 degerees, why would someone do that? Anyway, you lost me with the A/C stuff.

The temp gauge is a regualr boring item in most cars though in the STi its especially helpful again for monitoring _high_ ambient temperatures to give one a clue as to when it might be good to use the IC cooler without having to fit an IC specific temp sensor and readout. Call it a poorman's fix.

BTW, I have seen people slide and crash while riding across black ice on skinny tires in Chevette's, Corrola's, and all manner of low performance cars that couldy barely make 90 hp much less 300.
Driving style, common sense and keen observation of road conditions will save one's butt much better than an ambient air temp gauge with a "snowflake" indicator.

In the end though your 'black ice indicator' idea proves my point, the temp gauge is a 'performance item' same similar to ABS and having super sticky tires (which BTW should not be driven on ice) and not a luxury piece.

- Janq

[jacobsen1_]

Originally posted by Janq


Thats funny, most of the Syubie's I've owned in the past have not had any temp indicator and yet I've been driving over black ice and other frozen road surfaces for nearly two decades without a problem.

Yes, the temp indictor is used in many vehicles and it indicates ambient temps not road temps which can be higher or lower.
As for tunring on your A/C at 36 degerees, why would someone do that? Anyway, you lost me with the A/C stuff.

The temp gauge is a regualr boring item in most cars though in the STi its especially helpful again for monitoring _high_ ambient temperatures to give one a clue as to when it might be good to use the IC cooler without having to fit an IC specific temp sensor and readout. Call it a poorman's fix.

BTW, I have seen people slide and crash while riding across black ice on skinny tires in Chevette's, Corrola's, and all manner of low performance cars that couldy barely make 90 hp much less 300.
Driving style, common sense and keen observation of road conditions will save one's butt much better than an ambient air temp gauge with a "snowflake" indicator.

- Janq

Janq,
You were the one that said that the temp guage was used to know when the ambient changed and you would need to change your ac setting... that's where that came from...

My point is when you are driving a very powerful 300 hp car you might want to know when you are near the freezing point instead of always guessing... You are right, the horsepower hardly matters, but the ice does, and not knowing when it is there is a big issue... I know when it is raining on my windshield and I am driving, if it's below 35ish I will drive slower than if it's above that number because even though I can see it's not frozen on the windshield, that 35ish temp can make it freeze in other spots...

Most current subarus have the temp gauge... STi, OBS, Legacy, OB, Forester, and I beleive BAJA... The only one missing it in the current line up is the WRX I beleive... I'm glad you have driving so many subarus for so long without spinning on ice, I have too, but the point is the temp gauge is more helpful to know when the danger exists than to know when to use you intercooler... Especially since most of the subarus that have these gauges don't have the intercooler... albiet none have a sprayer, but still these non performance subarus all have temp gauges for some reason, and I'm pretty suire it's not to know when to adjust your AC... Most people I know and have ridden with do that when they are too hot or too cold.

My only point here is that one of the biggest reasons most car have the temp gauge is to know the outside temp (obviously) but they will all claim it as a safety feature to know the raod conditions, not a performance feature to know when to turn on/off you ac or intercooler sprayer....

Ben

[Janq]

Ben,

To quote myself;

"6) Active performance. Having the exterior temp available to you allows the driver to best gauge based on usage of the engine as to when the manual IC cooler might need to be activated. Obviously if the outside temps are say in the low '60's you might not need to use the IC as the ambient temps are low enough. But if the ambient temp suddenly increases you might not know it due to havign the A/C running inside. Thus the readout can give you a clue to what temp. air is being digested by the car and as susch cool down the IC momentarily for max power if/when needed."

I think you mis-read or misinterpreted the statement.

- Janq

[jacobsen1_]

Actuall I DID read it wrong... Sorry, my mistake.

I now see that you were saying that it is to let you know it's colder/warmer outside than you thought because you have left the controls the same inside, and not that you need to adjust inside because of the ambient...

But I still maintain that the temp gauge is there to know when the roads might be icy first and all the other stuff second... Otherwise why would they put it in their vehicles without IC sprayers...

I really need to get some sleep though... I haven't had a day off in weeks, and I notice I misread things a lot lately and I mistype a lot too because I am soo tired... I also get a bit moody, and go on rants when there is no need... so sorry if I was a bit fiesty there.

Ben

[Janq]

Ben,

If it weren't for "feisty" people who "rant" on occasion this board would be similar same in excitement to the 'knitting' forum my wife hangs out on.

Don't sweat it old boy.
We all succumb to ranting & raving once in a while.
Get some sleep and I'll catch ya on the flip side...

Sweet Dreams,

- Janq

[ha-evolution]

That wasn't much of a rant. Try harder next time.

[Dr. WOT]

This thread has come a long way since the original topic, but just to make a point on that (and a few others touched on this) but the our G35 is called the Skyline in Japan. The GTR will return and willl be sold here, and it will be based on some variation of the current G35 coupe, so basically you just need to hold off for 2-3 years and you'll get what you want. If of course you have the $$$$$.

*edit: one further though:

NO, I think the G35 came out perfect for what it is trying to be. Not every car needs to be about maximum performance/awd turbo rally car. This concept can seem a little foreign on a Subaru website, but RWD and a naturally aspirated motor are very good things for a sporty car to have. Plus the G35 offers beauty and luxury in a package that holds its own quite nicely thank you very much. For the price it's a great package. So is the STi. More choices = GOOD.

[Janq]

Originally posted by Dr. WOT
...the G35 came out perfect for what it is trying to be. Not every car needs to be about maximum performance/awd turbo rally car. This concept can seem a little foreign on a Subaru website, but RWD and a naturally aspirated motor are very good things for a sporty car to have. Plus the G35 offers beauty and luxury in a package that holds its own quite nicely thank you very much. For the price it's a great package...

Amen brother.
Preach...

- Janq

[TaoKane]

Yeah... thanks everyone..... I guess

[N/A]

With Renault owning and controlling Nissan and Nissan admitting in Options mag that they won't be making another GTR because they lost money on each one I seriously doubt there will be a new GTR sold to the public. It will be like the Dodge Razor. Everyone loved the idea but it will never come to reality.

[KB'izzle]

My friend Zach has a top of the line 04' G35 w/19,000 miles, And I have driven it plenty of times and let me tell you, NO WAY, keep the STI, that thing really isn't very fast, just nice sound, and a real stiff clutch, its all luxury if you want to be baller be baller if you want performance and a race-ish type car thats way way more fun to drive keep your ride, you'd be pretty dumb to trade for that thing, unless (your getting old and tired of boost)

[AttaQ]

Are you kidding me? You bumped a 5 year old thread to tell the OP to keep his car?!?!

Wait... join date Jan 2008... never mind.

[elucas730]

good bump

[markman]

holy old thread bump batman

[Predwolf]

Originally Posted by N/A

With Renault owning and controlling Nissan and Nissan admitting in Options mag that they won't be making another GTR because they lost money on each one I seriously doubt there will be a new GTR sold to the public. It will be like the Dodge Razor. Everyone loved the idea but it will never come to reality.

Yeah, I know this thread is 5 years old, but hot damn that's funny.