Very Very close to buying a newer second car for myself... Have a A4 right now wwhich will go to the wife and I'll get the new purchase...

Right now this is my list.

Acura TL '06
Acura TSX '06 or '07
Audi A4 '06 or '07
Infiniti g35x '06
VW Jetta GLI '08

Any input from you gentlemen?

Want the car to be fun yet practicle, which I think all these fall into (maybe not the tsx)

Looking to spend about 27000-29000..

I don't think I can afford the 07 g35... Does the x not have the electronic shifting... Whatever I buy it will unfourtunetley be automatic due to the harsh reality of being a family man... Adjusting kids in car seats controlling the dog and shifting doesn't always work out so well...

I say skip the G35 anyway though, because it feels and looks terrible on the inside. I'd rather pick up a TL then a 1st gen G35.

based on what others have reported. Very poor quality, rattles and so on.

A4 is a great car and I considered pretty much everything you've listed and ended up getting the A4.

many areas. The new G is decent, but I personally don't care for the styling. I had bad luck with my Passat. I still don't think VW's are reliable. For the money, the IS250 is a good value and a fresh design. Good luck on your decision.

furthermore, the suspension is almost as floaty as something American...i wanted to like the car but just could not get over how it drove...it's certainly as luxurious and nice as any lexus out there, but that car is simply not meant to be a drivers car

and my parents neighbors have one as well...I've had nothing but positive experiences with it...while it may not drive like a European car, I would never say it's a crap car...just like I wouldn't say my TSX is a crap car...not my cup of tea (as I've found out over my year or so of ownership), but certainly a great car in many aspects

the IS has the same or nearly the same interior from the looks of it, though I can't say I've even been in a new IS.

After seeing that the 250 was the only way to get a stick and the 250 priced out to be the same as the G35S it made me not bother.

my mom had an RX330 and just got a new RX350...imho the interior is hardly cheap...it's all leather and wood....how can you call that cheap? as for the 250 engine, for a car that is a v6 with allegedly 20 more lb/ft. of torque, it felt about the same as the K24 4banger in my TSX....all hp up in the top end, with no guts to carry it forward (VTEC Yo!)....gimme a good german turbo and/or diesel anyday ;-)

the knobs and stuff felt cheap and the wood seems overdone. I just don't like the layout, so maybe cheap is not the perfect term to use for that.

Though I think.... Infiniti, Audi, Acura, BMW all make a nicer interior then Lexus.

Audi I agree is better, but I wouldn't say Acura interiors are nicer...could be just your preferences for the switchgear, but I can't fault them for the switches they use...nothing cheap about em, just a certain design

dash is crap compared to Audi/Benz or even BMW. You can definitely tell its a Toyota underneath.