Lensman

Clarkson tested the 350Z and hated it, really pulled it apart. In the studio summary they were discussing upcoming 'sporty' cars that ARE good and they suggested the RX-8: 'Wankel rotary engine, yes, very nice' says Jeremy.
Ha! :D

Edo

didnt do very well at all. Here's hoping they like the RX8. Rumour has it they have already filmed, and the Stig has had his hands on it...

MarkW

JC gave it a right slating, 3 out of 10 I think.

They did say that the UK spec will be different though....

787B

Yes they certainly didnt rate it, but then JC`s a plonker at the end of ther day, and his observations at best not especially relevant in terms of being objective.

ChrisW

It's true he's not very objective. Good.

I've seen enough of RX-8's being raced round Japanese race tracks and then slagged off for not having enough torque (yawn) and reviews in US magazines with their daft slalom tests and g-force measurements. All very objective but not very relevant to real world driving/owning experience.

I'd much rather see someone like JC drive it on real roads and tell us why he personally likes it or doesn't like it.

It was interesting that he didn't like the 350Z's handling and thought it was too heavy and not agile enough. "I thought it'd be like a Mazda MX-5 but with more power. But it just isn't." Hmm, now I wonder if I can think of a car that might fit that description .

jimbobjoe

I was quite pleased with that. I was dreading JC saying "this is the definitive sports coupe to buy this year. Everything else is naff", or something like that.

He really didn't like it at all :D

oilman

Agree Jimbobjoe, let's hope he's saving his best for the RX8 and its wankel rotary engine which he seems to like saying!

Cheers
Oilman

jimbobjoe

I've merged the two top gear threads together. Probably did it the wrong way round, but this title is more accurate........

Lensman

Hey shouldn't the RX-8 take precedence over the bloated 'Z' beast?!!!

jimbobjoe

Nah. This thread is for top gear rubbishing the Z350 mainly. He only said one line about the RX-8, so we'll just have to wait for a proper discussion soon.

Lensman

Just to be 100% irritatingly pedantic: it was a 'Fairlady Z', the Japanese version that he drove. I can't see there being that much difference between it and the UK car though. I've sat in the car they had in the studio (Le Mans Sunset colour) and I hate to say it but the quality of the interior seemed at least as good or slightly better than the RX-8 that we've seen. The storage covers were of a similar quality. Anyone disagree?

AndyPearce

I agree Lensman that at Motordrive the two's interiors were of comparable quality (the 350Z slightly better if anything.)

The thing about Clarkson is though, if he's decided to slate a car he will pick on every perceivable fault. If he likes the RX8 to drive the interior build quality wont get mentioned. I hope this is the case as I think Top Gear has a real world affect on residuals, like it or not (or like Clarkson or not!)

c170673

I can't remember if I have posted this before, but my friend that works on the programme has spoken to Andy Willman (Executive Producer and Top Gear Guru) about the RX-8 and he was very complementary.

I would expect a good review of the car, although I am sure there are only 2 or 3 programmes left this year so they may miss out.

Chris :D

MarkW

I also thought that the interior quality of the 350Z at Motorexpo was better than the RX8.

However, the RX8 was pre-production and from all the photos Ive seen I expect the final production interior to be a lot nicer (esp in Red/Black leather)

TG was the first time my Mrs had seen the 350Z and she didnt like it at all.

rael

It amazing to think that a plonker like Clarkson can have so much influence and have us (and the car industry) shaking in our boots.

Having said that, irrespective of how good or bad the car is, we need him to be positive to stop more of us deserting the ship.

rael.

c170673

I think his influence will only be short term in that if he is positive then it will boost sales, therefore short term re-sale values but his influence over the longer term will be negligible.

However, if he is very negative, I think it will live on in the publics memory for much longer. As I think we have said before people remember negative things much longer than positive.

IMHO

Chris

RobDickinson

I dont think it'll make any difference whatever.

Top gear have totaly slated cars before now (Vecta and suzuki x90 for examples) and it hasnt effected the sales at all.

When they slated the vectra top gear was BBC2's highest viewing show with 4million+ viewers(I think).

Now I'll admit vecra residuals arnt good but there are other reasons for that.

Personaly I actualy think JC's subjective views on cars are usualy fairly accuratre, but not always. He drives an AMG SL 55 , hardly my ideal car (yes its quick but its far to heavy) but it probably suits him more than me.

Missed last nights show, may catch it on sky sometime in the future.

Shame he slaged off the 350z, I dont want any performance car to do badly, the rest of the dross on the roads is bad enough, and the Z isnt direct competition to the 8 anyhow, despite the press conenction, they just both happen to be quick and from japan.

Goose

Just a comment on the comparison of interior quality. I have not seen the 350Z in person. But at the preview event for the RX-8 this weekend i received a 'questions and answers' brochure.

'the quality of the interior finishes and materials is not indicative of the final production vehicles. The final version will have a much more premium feel'

I thought the interior wasn't as good as it could have been, but reading this made me much happier.

c170673

Goose,

I am off to the preview in Bristol tonight, are you allowed to sit in the car etc...

Chris

Goose

c170673

Yes, you get to sit in and play with the car, open boot, look at engine. The battery is not connected, and so you can't see the instruments lit up, and there is only a dummy faceplate on the stereo, so you can't hear that. But just seeing in person will leave you happy enough!

cw007

is it the blue J-spec car that is doing the rounds ? or is it a european model

Goose

The car i saw was the blue, J-spec, pre-production, 5speed with cloth.

Hercules

I'd like to see a scan of the article, if possible.

Thanks!

Goose

if i remember i'll scan in later, but i'm at work at the mo.

Hercules

I am too

Thanks for that btw