Living somewhere that has a lot of luxury SUVs is interesting. You see AMG, M, Sline, HPA, etc SUVs all the time. Every luxury brand or rebadge is represented, except for Infinity.
$115k. $115k! I can't imagine a person with $115k to spend on a luxury vehicle and buying an Infiniti. I think I'd rather have a Telluride and keep the extra $60k+. Sure, Kia isn't exactly a status symbol, but neither is Infiniti. Park the two side by side and not many people would guess that one costs about twice as much as the other.
In reply to Boost_Crazy :
And this is one reason why Nissan is on life support. We now live in a time when Kia makes an SUV that people want more than this "premium" SUV that costs twice as much.
The original G20s punched well above their weight, I instructed at an SR20 Convention and was impressed with how well they did on track. My friend had a 350Z he traded for a G35 coupe with the 6spd manual and Brembos, and that was a fun car and a very capable long-distance cruiser. They've had decent products over time, but I don't think anyone lusts over an Infiniti.
Infiniti has felt like a rudderless ship for the majority of it's existence. Nissan saw Honda and Toyota with their luxury companion brand and felt like they had to join in too, but has never had any idea on what to actually do with the brand. Guarantee that if the Honda/Nissan merger had gone through, Infiniti would have gotten the axe, since Acura's monthly sales are nearly double Infiniti's annual sales in the past couple years.
Never bought a new one. The depreciation curve makes them a fairly good deal a few years old and still under warranty. Always a rwd sedan or convertible, always the wife's car. No mechanical problems but occasional center display problems. G35, G37, currently a Q50. That SUV is hideous.
Can I get that in cabriolet form?
Based on that other thread, i see a real strong move for Infiniti sales reps being "Why don't you try out the back seat and think about it?"
CyberEric said:And this is one reason why Nissan is on life support. We now live in a time when Kia makes an SUV that people want more than this "premium" SUV that costs twice as much.
That Kia/Hyundai/Genesis/whatever isn't the same class of vehicle. The Infiniti is huge.
Infiniti: 211x83x78, 5800lb curb weight
Genesis: 185x78x68, 5000lb curb weight
Lexus LX600: 200x78x75, 5700 lb curb weight
LX600 has a similar MSRP and power level as well. I dunno how many people cross-shop Lexus and Infiniti, but I expect it's higher than Lexus and Genesis.
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
Totally, I just find it fascinating that Boost_Crazy would say that. To me it speaks to how far Nissan/Infiniti has fallen relative to Kia/Hyundai/Genesis. I could not fathom this even 10 years ago.
I have no idea about who cross shops what in this price range/type of vehicles, I was simply responding to his comment, and my own thinking about it.
I can't tell the difference between an Infinity and an Acura and to tell you the truth, they both look like Lexisus. (Lexi?)
Infiniti buyers: I like the garbage Nissan is putting out, but need to impress my neighbors who know zero about cars, so I'll buy the version branded with a name nobody recognizes. I'm willing to pay insane amounts of money to get one, and bathe in massive depreciation when it's time to trade it.
buzzboy said:Living somewhere that has a lot of luxury SUVs is interesting. You see AMG, M, Sline, HPA, etc SUVs all the time. Every luxury brand or rebadge is represented, except for Infinity.
Infiniti SUVs do tend to the cheap and tacky looking. AMG G-wagens are tacky looking but in a respectably tacky way, not Pep Boys chromed plastic tacky way.
I do aspire to own an Infiniti, but I gear more toward the first generation G20. It was a luxury Sentra SE-R!
In reply to codrus (Forum Supporter) :
That Kia/Hyundai/Genesis/whatever isn't the same class of vehicle. The Infiniti is huge.
Infiniti: 211x83x78, 5800lb curb weight
Genesis: 185x78x68, 5000lb curb weight
Lexus LX600: 200x78x75, 5700 lb curb weight
It's not that far off...
Kia Telluride 197″ L x 78″ W x 69-71″ H. It's an 7-8 passenger SUV which is what most buyers see. It's definitely a different class, much lighter and not RWD based, won't tow as much. But it's definitely cross shopped with that class, unless someone really needs to tow 7000lbs with their luxury SUV. We replaced our Telluride with an Expedition MAX. Different classes of vehicles, but the Telluride was better for most of our uses, and much better built.
I'll add that I used to be a huge Nissan fan. My '96 Maxima was one of the best built cars I've owned. I bought an '04 Titan new and still own it. I love most things about it and it has been mechanically as reliable as an anvil. But the interior and paint are huge steps back from the Maxima, it was like they were built by different companies. The Maxima was like new at 200k miles, while the Titan interior started falling apart after a few years. Same with the paint.
I was a HUGE Nissan fan in the 90s too. There was the Maxima, the 240sx, the Z, the Sentra SE-R, the Infinti G20, I even liked the J30. Then they had the forbidden fruit Skyline and Pulsar GTI-R. The Pathfinder was a cool SUV, and the hardbody was a good small truck.
Infiniti was never in the same league as Lexus, but they were in the realm of Acura it seemed.
Nissan and Mitsubishi seem to have gone the same direction: Great in the 90s, no interest now.
Who aspires to own an Infiniti? Altima owners.
I have to side with Madmrak351... Buy used, and take advantage of the depreciation curve. We've had 3 suvs (08 EX35, 16 QX5O, and now a 19 QX50) that have all been faultless with maintenance...
Cheers
Gordon
Surely there are some ppl out there who just don't care about brands at all? Maybe those are the people.
I have similar thoughts when I see someone in a new Buick.
The Infiniti branded stuff usually sells for less when used, because no one is looking for it. When my kid was 18 he was shopping used Pathfinders. The Infiniti version was cheaper and had more features, so he bought one of those instead. He then changed the grill and emblems, to Nissan, lol.
AMiataCalledSteve said:I thought harder than I expected to about buying a last gen QX80 to replace my truck. They're horrendously ugly, but depreciation has hit like a train, and for the price there's a lot of positives I was considering. BOF construction, off road pedigree (essentially a Nissan Patrol underneath, can fit 35s without a lift I think), lots of power, plenty of towing capacity. The thing that killed the idea for me was that they run on premium fuel. No way I'm putting expensive gas in something that thirsty. Maybe someday I'll buy an Armada for a family vehicle, since they have the same advantages but none of the downsides. Just a few more years for the depreciation to get them reeeally cheap...
I've rented a several QX56, 80, and the Armada versions with 5.6 V8. They are all right at or slightly above 400 hp. The trouble is that you have to rev the berk out of them to get to it. They'll scoot but honestly a 5.3 Tahoe feels just as strong in the range where a normal person actually drives 99% of the time.
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