2002 C70 Hpt / 2003 G35 Coupe / S40 T5 Awd

[Kibim]

I voted for the S40 T5 AWD.

I think, off the shelf, it'll be as quick as the C70 HPT, and probably out-handle it easily. If i'm not mistaken, the block of the new S40 will be the same as the C70's, so some of your mods may still find a home under the bonnet of the S40. As far as luxury goes, the S40 is beautiful inside.

That would be my personal choice.

[J0E]

It's AWD, so I would think it would outhandle the Infiniti.

What makes you think that? Since when did AWD cars out-handle RWD ones?

[Mesoam]

The G35 is nice. If I where to buy a Japanese made car it would be the 35 sedan or coupe. However you could look at it as just being a hopped up Nissan. If you are looking for a change of pace then I see no reason to not go for the 35. I don't know about your area but the 5.0 sure loves those Z cars, and the Volvo is so unsuspecting

[Jamaica2G]

The G35 is nice. If I where to buy a Japanese made car it would be the 35 sedan or coupe. However you could look at it as just being a hopped up Nissan. If you are looking for a change of pace then I see no reason to not go for the 35. I don't know about your area but the 5.0 sure loves those Z cars, and the Volvo is so unsuspecting

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Good point, but I have slowed down a lot on the local roads. So they wouldn't have too much to pull me over for - except for "other" reasons that I care not to mention.

And Gainesville isnt too big, so I know where the police set up shop. Many people know where, its just that we all have to be disciplined enough to slow down EVERY time we drive past those spots. My roomate just got a ticket - in the most classic place of them all. heh luckily it was thrown out.

Adrian

[JDELUNA]

What makes you think that? Since when did AWD cars out-handle RWD ones?

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Couple of years ago was not AUDI winning so many races that they decided to slow them down that AUDI cars were told add and extra few hundred pound of weight to try and make them even to the other RWD cars. AUDI was still winning, so they were outlawed in some races. I think that is how they get the term QUATTRO the unfair advantage.

[Mesoam]

wasn't there a comercial about that "unfair advantage". Some one in the ad said "i'll take any unfair advantage i can get" or something like that... :unsure:

[ChuckV986]

I've driven all 3 cars. G35 hands down. S40 over C70. It's much more fun to drive than the C70.

G35 is much better than either car. Given its price, it really does amazingly well. Some of the gripes about its interior are exagurated, IMO. I wouldn't have a problem looking at it every day. Stock it's faster than most moded Volvos on this site, mods are cheap and pretty effective for the most part. It handles REALLY well. My only complaint about its handling/ride is that it seems to track road irregularities more than it should. I don't mean that it gets knocked off track mid-turn like the S60R, but driving on the highway it tends to REALLY pick up on every little change in the road. My 986 is much stiffer, but it doesn't do this. The handling on the G35 is very confidence inspiring, it makes you feel like the car isn't trying at all. Though sometimes it makes you feel like the car isn't trying as hard as it really is... Steering feel is awesome. On the same level as M3/Porsche/etc. Awesome engine. Could use a bit more punch stock, but it's exceptionally smooth. It's easy to generate and control wheel-spin, either straight line or in a curve

Drove a friend's on a familiar road right before I left for Europe. The Porsche takes corners much faster, but with the G it's easier to generate a greater amount of controlled drift at lower speeds, which can be fun . That's the only handling area where the G trumps the Porsche I think. Easier to initiate a slide, and easier to control progressively even when you have the rear way out. The Porsche can get a bit snappy when you really put the tail out. It doesn't break away uncontrolably or unpredictably, but if you want to turn it more than a little sideways, it's going to happen quickly, and it's going to snap back quickly too. It's hard to maintain the car in drastic slides. It's simple in the G35.

The G's shifter is nice. It vibrates slightly in neutral, but oh well. You'll have it in gear more often than not anyway. Shifting action is excellent, just as good as the Porsche's. The clutch is good too.

Sound system is ok, but it's Bose, nothing to write home about.

For me, it'd be a no-brainer over the C70 or S40, esp given that prices will likely be dropping heavily after the '05s with more HP come out in the near future.

[Nebor]

Call me a Euro-nazi, but for driving enjoyment, I can't see picking an Asian car. I'll always see them as point A to point B cars. They just lack the soul and character than European cars, and even some American cars have. My one exception would be the late model Supras. They performed amazingly, and built their own reputation and soul. And while I do believe the G35 is a major step in the right direction, with RWD and a generous amount of torque, I just don't think it's "Supra good." And that means it's not on the map for a Eurocompetitor.

Just my opinion, and I realize that the G35 will lap a Z4 3.0 on any track, etc... But to me, that doesn't make it a better car. Meh, flame away.

[ChuckV986]

Just curious....Ever driven one?

[matt1122]

Definitely go with the G35. If you go with a modern day volvo over any car with the Nisan 3.5L V6 and you plan on modifying it you are a fool.

[Jamaica2G]

FOOLS, WE WILL DEFEAT YOU AND TAKE YOUR MILLER LIGHT!!!

Im a bit hyper - just ate some sugar.

Yeah, at this point, its a no brainer - get the G35 if possible. I'm also exploring other options like get the C70 then invest the extra $6K - things of that sort are crossing my path.

Thanks you guys for your responses, keep your experiences coming, it will really help that "possibility" of getting the G35. Give me more practical reasons to entertain my uncle with (can't forget that he IS paying for half of the car) I need to convince him.

and now Im going to look at cadavres...

Adrian

[JHEIII874T5M]

get a c70 and then an older 5.0 that way you have your RWD power and the FWD luxury :monkey:

[Boosted2003]

Regardless of all that, the answer is pretty simple. No matter what your "HP goals" are or what you want out of the car in general, the G35 is still the better choice. It's faster stock. It's faster lightly modified. It's faster with tens of thousands thrown at it. It handles better. It stops harder. It's also built on a relatively very new sports car's platform, whereas the C70 is built on the 850's chassis from over a decade ago. Did I mention it's RWD?

There are countless of 350Zs (essentially the same car) in the 11s, several in the 10s, a few in the 9s, and only a handful in the 8s and 7s at 170+ still running the VQ (albeit streetability goes out the window at that point). Low-12s/high-11s at close to 120 are possible with nearly any of the numerous bolt-on twin-turbo kits available without even tearing into the motor.

You have to be disturbingly in love with Volvos to turn a blind eye to a better car...

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It's no different then volvo engine either. Tuning is the key. Which alot of people have figured out and the whole car scene. Also the cars runing 8's and 7's are tube chassis's too.

Second the S40 T5 AWD is stops faster then the G35. I have driven a 350z and S40 T5 AWD the handling is up for grabs, But since we are talking about my heavier G35 the weight distrubution might not be as good. Personally I perfer the AWD.

Also the 6.8 for s40 t5 was the FWD model NOT AWD version. That has yet to be tested by big car magazine.

Personally, I tell the creater of the thread to go test drive all the cars.

[ChuckV986]

It's no different then volvo engine either. Tuning is the key. Which alot of people have figured out and the whole car scene. Also the cars runing 8's and 7's are tube chassis's too.

Second the S40 T5 AWD is stops faster then the G35. I have driven a 350z and S40 T5 AWD the handling is up for grabs, But since we are talking about my heavier G35 the weight distrubution might not be as good. Personally I perfer the AWD.

Also the 6.8 for s40 t5 was the FWD model NOT AWD version. That has yet to be tested by big car magazine.

Personally, I tell the creater of the thread to go test drive all the cars.

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For the record, the FWD S40 is faster, and probably handles better. The Volvo AWD system is designed for bad weather, not performance. It pretty much just adds weight. Check out the Swedespeed forums if you want more details. The G is still massively faster. A second and 6-8mph in the 1/4th is very hugely significant.

Yes, the steering feel on the S40 is very good, but if you look at its actual behavior on the road when cornering hard, it cannot compare to anything on Nissan's FM platform. A G35 Coupe will pull .92-.94 Gs on a skidpad, and slalom in high 60s. The handling isn't all that far off the likes of cars like the M3. Just look at the track times of the Z and G comapred to cars like the M3, they aren't all that far off given the huge differences in power. In terms of raw performance, a G35 (or 350Z) would embarass an S40. Embarass. Different league. The only Volvo that can nearly match them is the R. In my experience, the R is faster in a straight line. In the twisties the G should be faster, but the difference at 8/10ths is minimal, besides of course steering feel, road feel, and the control of body-movements of the car. 10/10ths the G should pull away, but I've never driven either on a track so I can't say.

Based on what I've seen looking at the aftermarkets for both cars, it's easy to say which is stronger. GOOD tuning for the G35/VQ35DE is readily available, as are cheap, high quality parts. High quality parts are just now starting to come to the market for Volvos thanks to VMS (and hats off to them, they're doing very well. Maybe eventually their prices will drop as the tuning scene grows ). It's easy to get a G35 up to 260ishwhp with minor mods, good enough for times in the 13.7-13.9@102-104 range. This isn't as easy to do for a T5. And definitely impossible at the moment for an S40. The only weakness of the VQ is its conrods, they tend to give out after 400whp. Pretty similar to Volvo's rods. One can't say for sure about the S40's motor, since those rods are forged, but in previous T5s, 350-400whp was around where things start to give out IIRC.

[Jamaica2G]

For me, it'd be a no-brainer over the C70 or S40, esp given that prices will likely be dropping heavily after the '05s with more HP come out in the near future.

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umm, when are the ones with more HP coming out?

Adrian