I tested the G35 today and was pleasantly impressed. They only permitted a coupe with the automatice transmission to be tested; aparently they are saving the manuals for people willing to put down a deposit first. I was not pleased. They want my $38K but wont let me test it? Whatever.

    The drive started with a little excitement; we ran out of gas. The salesman insisted we try for the dealer approved gas station, a mile further down the road, rather than the closest station, about a stones throw. As it turned out, it didn't matter. We ran out of gas almost in front of the near station. I think that he was quite embarrassed as this occured on one of the busiest roads in town and 'new car' plastered all over the vehicle.hehehehe I wish that I had my camera with me.

  The salesman was quite a pain in @ss. He was more concerned about panning BMW, which he could not knowledgeably do. Not that BMW is above criticism, he was pretty clueless.

  The car. The car is nice. Seat controls are on the inside, right side of the seat. I am not a fan. The interior fit & finish is very good. Nobody does interiors like the Japanese manufacturers. The navigation is DVD based and slides vertically out of the console for use. It is quick, responsive, and easy to use. These 3 adjectives fit the car very well. The engine provides fun amounts of power but nothing monstrous as it felt heavier than its listed 3300 lbs. The suspension provided a smooth and responsive ride. It felt almost too solid to take twisty mountain roads at speed, however.

  I did sit in a manually equipped car for what that was worth. The clutch was a nice reach, not far and not too heavy, in contrast to the BMWs. (The 540 seemed to take forever to disengage and the M5, while comparably better than the 540, was soft, mushy, and had a long travel.) The brakes looked good - Brembo on all corners - would have been nice to drive, I think.

  The shifter was nice, tight, and short. The automatic has a tiptronic mode which was disappointing. On its own, the car picked gears well and shifted smoothly. With my participation, however, it slid downhill which may simply be an indication of my driving but *I* do not think so. The shifts were slow and surprised me when they did eventually occur. The transmission was very inconsistent.

  All in all, the car reminds me of my first gen Acura CL. Nice ride, comfortable, sporty but not high performance. Inexpensive, compared to my other choices, and might work as a temporary lease until I find the car which I REALLY want. The G35 is not that car.

    Ah, they mighty M5. I really, really wanted to love this car. Everything about it suggests raw power. I love the bulging wheel wells, the aggressive front intakes and grill. It is a handsome car but not beautiful and apt to be lost amongs all of the other 5 series in a large parking lot.

    Practically every option I could want is available like HIDs, navigation, the works even on pre-owned cars. And of course, the engine. The growl from ignition to rev limiter and all tach points in between was invigorating. A large part of what I am looking for in a car is audible.

   The drive went well. The saleman was sporting and I was able to take it through some paces around an abandoned parking lot. It accelerated but not with the break-neck force that I had expected. Possibly a result of the comfortable and supportive seats? With the dynamic traction control disabled, it was still difficult to break the huge tires loose. In these attempts, the suspension seemed tight for every turn and luxurious over the potholes, a far cry above the 540i sport.

    The shifter throw was short but it didn't really fall into place easily. I had to push the stick into place with each shift. It was my first go with the M5/transmission and it showed. The ride was a bit rough but not entirely my doing. The clutch travel was not too long but it reminded me of climbling with effort and cresting a hill as I pushed it to release the clutch.

   I wanted to love the car but am afraid that I didn't. At least, not as much I thought I might but more than I expected. Confused? Me too. It didn't let me down in any way and felt better under pressure than I expected. It is a completely different car than mine. Mine fits me - it wraps around me and responds like I want. The M5 certainly is its own car but it didn't feel as if it were waiting to do my bidding. I remain confused. The test drive did not make up my mind for me.

    One other item of note: the dealership. Generally, I would not send anyone to Hendrick to buy a car. Their service people are great but every encounter with a member of their sales team... ick. Every encounter, that is, until these last two trips which leads me to believe there are at least two good ones.

    I have yet to test the M3 and so can only set expectations tempered from the M5. More nimble with less of a grrrrr but that could suit me just fine, I think. Just another Bavarian commuter but with fire in the belly.