[Dogma5]

Hey guys!

I currently own an Infiniti G35 and I love it. I have always admired the GTO, and its brute strength with 400hp. The thing I love most about the GTO is how modest it is, and how the average person who doesent know much about cars wouldn't have a clue that there were 400 screaming horses hidden underneath the hood, yet a car enthusiast who knows about cars, would indeed be impressed if you were to roll up with a GTO.

I have the Infiniti G35 as mine, and my wife drives the new 2006 Infiniti M35. Very nice car I must say, but it cost a pretty penny out ther door! Now heres the thing.. I do a LOT of driving. I commute to places all over NJ, NY, and PA. I got the G35 in a manual which I am starting to regret, since its a pain in bumper to bumper traffic that I sit in very often, and I travel in and out of New York City, and I'm sure if you've ever even been there, you know what a pain in the arse it is to drive a stick there!

Anyway, with the type of driving I do, I need another car to spread out the mileage, since I am putting nearly 1,500 miles a week on my G at this rate.. I was wondering if anyone has any opinions on the auto version of the GTO? I've actually heard that the auto runs quicker 1/4 miles times as well as 0-60 times than the manual, is this true? I will probably be going for a testdrive sometime this weekend, as this car is very appealing to me. Luxury in cars really doesent concern me, all I need is some power, and the new 400hp GTO has just that and then some! Should I go for the auto, or suck it up and get the 6-speed? Just looking for some insight here, and also if anyone has any information on the 2006 GTO model, if there is going to be any significant changes in engine or body styling.

Thanks in advance!
-Mark

 

[JMVorbeck]

Hey Dogma, I have the M6 but I only drive about 50 miles a day to work in traffic. 25 miles is nothing with the M6 in traffic but with the length of your commute I would suggest you test the M6. The clutch is pretty stiff compared to other non-performance cars. After driving this GTO for a few months I drove my friends truck and almost put the clutch pedal through the floor because I was expecting the same resistance and it isnt even close, his felt like a toy. A 150 mile commute in NY city traffic would SUCK in any car, a heavy clutch isnt going to help much.

 

[Xman]

http://www.gtoforum.com/showthread.php?t=2568

You'll have to test drive both and decide on your own. The A4 and M6 are both great choices. Don't test drive the GTO if you aren't serious about switching because once you start down the path of the "Force" there is no turning back. Not much different for the 2006 (details in thread below)

http://www.gtoforum.com/showthread.php?t=2568

 

[fergyflyer]

I went down to Key West this weekend and twice got stuck in traffic for over an hour each time. I covered 7 miles in an hour and 10 minutes on the way down, and covered 6 miles in an hour and 15 minutes. If I had to do that alot, I would really want the automatic. There is no performance penalty for getting an auto in the GTO. Some say they are quicker, but I think it is more of a drivers race. The 6 speed gets better fuel mileage, but is not great itself. I'm getting 17.5 mpg with 85% local and 15% highway and 23 on my recent trip excluding the Keys part which was 19.8.
I drove the Infiniti before buying the GTO and I think if I could have found a stick in anything but black I might have bought it. Now that I have the GTO, the power is addictive. It would not cross my mind to trade for less power, unless I needed a family car.
The seats are near perfect in the GTO, but in the norteast you will miss the heated seats. The sound system is only acceptable. There is not much space in the trunk if you have to carry anything, but it should compare well to the G35 coupe. It may have 400hp, but it is really refined. It doesn't feel like that much power, and is deceptively fast. Scares you when you look at the speedo and realize that you just hit 100 in the same time most cars are at 70 and your Infiniti is at 90, and it's still pulling strong.
Hope you buy one and join the herd.

 

[RiceEater]

K first off there really are absolutely no changes being made to the 2006 goats. Basically they're adding another power port to the center console if I'm right, and I think there is talk about them changing the tail-lights possibly. That and they are also coming out with the color Spice Red (what you see on the very dark red colored mustangs), so there aren't any changes to be excited about.

In terms of the manual vs the automatic, it really is all a matter of preference. The automatic is a tad faster than the manual, but only about 1/4 of a car length in the 1/4mile, and this is if you have very skilled drivers who know how to work the cars behind the wheels of each. So if you are prefering to have an automatic then that would be the way to go for the goat. Also the gas mileage really doesn't have a very noticeable difference between the two I would say. Both the A4 and M6 run roughly 18-19 mpg city if you aren't in constantly stopping traffic... then you can of course get a good bit lower
On the highway my auto easily runs 22 even 23-24 mpg, and I've heard that if you drive it easy and once it picks up a smooth pace the manual will do 26. So there really isn't a noticeable difference either way you go.

I went with the A4 simply because I'm in heavy traffic where I live a good portion of the time also, so I wanted to avoid a manual shifter. Whichever choice you make though keep one thing in mind, YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH THE GOAT!

 

[Dogma5]

Thanks for the replies and the info guys! I appriciate it.

At first I wasn't thinking straight, and I thought you guys were reffering to the M6 and the A4 as in the BMW M6 and Audi A4 :lol:

I love the idea of having a super fast car, without having to worry about shifting. The reason I want an automatic, is because I find myself taking my wifes M35 just about every time its there and I need it. My G35 is a manual, and its just not practical for me. Of course there will be times when I want to drive manual, so this is why I think I will have the best of both worlds, with one auto and one manual.

I just wish I could have gotten the G35 in auto, since its probably more fitting for the luxury sport coupe that it is, while the muscle car should be more deserving of the 6-speed, but oh well.. I think I'll go with the auto, and hopefully I can go for a testdrive this weekend!

I might wait out for the 06 models to come out for a few reasons.. If it is worth getting, I will.. but I can also do what I did with my G35, and get a leftover model to save a few grand. Im curious to see how that orange will look too!

 

[RiceEater]

Yeah I'm curious on the orange also

I think you'll also be very pleasantly suprised when you drive the car for the first time. It has a very nice luxury car feel to it - maybe not quite as much as a nice Infiniti or BMW - but for what you expect to be it is very suprising. The main complaints most people have that holds the car back from being a full luxury car is of course it has 2 doors, but also it doesn't have dual-zone climate control and it (as well as most other pontiacs) rely on the old manual adjusting ac system. You know, meaning you don't get to set it at 70' and let the computer do all the work.

The really cool thing about it though is that even though it has the semi-luxury feel going to it, you still know you're in a muscle car. You still feel the power of the engine, and hear it running too although not as loud as you may think it would be. Anyway, the car all around is an amzing piece of work for an MSRP of $32k... I know Pontiac/GM can't be making too much overhead on each of these they sell, the quality of the car is just way too high for the price its being sold at.

 

[6QTS11OZ]

As far as the auto being faster, I keep hearing the same thing but does anyone have proof of that. Also I hear that the autos are limilted to 156-158 mph and some of the guys here have said they have had their manuals as high as 160-170 mph. Regardless of which one of these statements pique your interest, you won't go wrong with the goat. With the type of traffic you deal with the auto is the better choice. But I have to admit that with the 6M, I really haven't had a rough time in LA traffic because in 2nd gear, the 400 horses allows you to creep at 3 mph.

 

[Dogma5]

Yeah, I agree it really is a hell of a bang for your buck for only around $32,000. I considered an EVO, but decided I would rather have the GTOs pure muscle 8 rather than a puny 4 on steroids :cool

But those things dont bother me.. I've got climate control, auto-dimming mirrors, and all that stuff in my G and I dont think I ever have a need for them besides the heated seats, which I might miss, but not too much..

BTW, even Pontiacs website says that the auto trans rivals that of the 6-speed. Check it out, and just google, I've seen a few tests that tested both the 6spd and the 4at and they all said the same. Not to say its anything noticeable.. just nice that the auto version of a car can not only match, but get slightly nicer times than the 6spd version.

 

[RiceEater]

Yes the auto vs manual ting has been tested a few times, and the auto always comes out ahead just barely - here are the fastest times for each...

A4
0-60 : 4.6 seconds
1/4 mile : 13 seconds

M6
0-60 : 4.7 seconds
1/4 mile : 13.1 seconds

The A4 does though have a govenor set to 165 MPH, whereas a few guys with the M6 have reported getting theirs to about 180... but I don't think this matters much because how many of us will ever go above what? 120?

 

[JMVorbeck]

Yeah, I agree it really is a hell of a bang for your buck for only around $32,000. I considered an EVO, but decided I would rather have the GTOs pure muscle 8 rather than a puny 4 on steroids :cool

But those things dont bother me.. I've got climate control, auto-dimming mirrors, and all that stuff in my G and I dont think I ever have a need for them besides the heated seats, which I might miss, but not too much..

BTW, even Pontiacs website says that the auto trans rivals that of the 6-speed. Check it out, and just google, I've seen a few tests that tested both the 6spd and the 4at and they all said the same. Not to say its anything noticeable.. just nice that the auto version of a car can not only match, but get slightly nicer times than the 6spd version.

Dogma, You will be happy with your choice of the GTO. I actually had my heart set on the STi after looking at the Evo and STi. When the 05 came round I ditched the whole idea of the STi, they are exactly the same price and they dont even compare. The STi has hellacious acceleration and crazy handling. The acceleration of the GTO is a smidge better, doesnt handle quite as nicely (you can really feel the weight between the 2) but the ride comfort and interior is a galaxy apart from the STi. If you want the best in handling go with the STi but I think you will need back surgery after a few months of your commute to NYC in that thing.

 

[Xcommuter]

Lots of good points ... I'll add that if you plan on modifying the engine the A4 may not be able to handle the increase where the M6 will . Also remember to research the True cost of ownership. The engine is very accessable so if you pay for service - the labor hours should be less. If the Electronic comforts are needed check out the GP GXP but the 400/400 is very addictive . My max cost going into the decision was 35K and with that constraint the GTO won...

 

[Dogma5]

Thanks!

I dont plan to modify this engine at all! (besides maybe exhaust and cosmetics) I dont like how the STi and EVO drive.. The handling is nice and sharp and all but they are an extremely rough and uncomfortable ride. Also, from what I have driven, and what I hear those two cars are really only fast right off the line. From rolling speeds, I think the GTO will crush them, even my G35 has a chance at higher speeds. I still prefer a solid RWD chassis. Not to mention I could never live with the econobox interior of those two cars. The GTO looks to have nice, plush leather seats and a nice and comfortable interior. I like the looks of the EVO, but the STi is just hideous in my personal opinion! My head turns every time I see an EVO, but every time I see the STi I want to puke.

BTW: How is the stock exhaust on this car? Have any of you done any exhaust modification?

 

[SJAndrew]

The decision M6 versus A4 for me was VERY easy.

I LOVE driving sticks. It's just about that simple.

My other car is an A4 '98 Grand Prix GTP (an excellent car). But, I always found the A4 to be annoying. Even with 240 HP, I felt I could only use it every once in a while. Sometimes, it refused to downshift....exceedingly annoying.

I have about a 16 mile commute in Denver traffic - about 45 minutes stop and go about 1/2 the way. I have not regretted for a SECOND getting the M6. This may sound stupid, but this car BEGS for the M6 transmission.

I'm not trying to crap on the A4 owners out there or anything....but the M6 feels like driving rather than riding.

 

[WRA]

Get the GTO in auto and keep your G35. Easy decision.