brillo

Ok, I’ve been trying to test drive a non-track version 350Z for a few months now, and for some reason, the car would avoid me, dealer wouldn’t have one, dealer would only have the track version, or an auto, it was like chasing a unicorn. Finally, I found a carmax here in Houston with a performance model 350Z, no sunroof, 6spd, cloth, and I finally got a chance to pit it up against a 8.

First impression is I have to give props to Nissan for the engine, it rev’s smooth, the throttle response is great, and you could actually confuse it for an inline 6 My 6’s V6 has electronic throttle, which has always been somewhat laggy, but seems now to be loosing with age. I’m glad Nissan made the car easy to drive heel toe. Not sure what all they did to it in this form, but the VQ is quite an engine. I was most surprised by the fact that I wasn’t blown outta the water with the acceleration. Yes it is faster than the 8, but didn’t really feel that way to me, especially given the engine spec differences. What I did feel was the huge midrange, you almost never need to downshift, which depending on your driving style could be kinda boring. The shifter wasn’t great, kinda notchy, but the clutch pickup was good and the midrange meant you really don’t have to shift all that much. . .To be honest, I really think the engine and the performance was designed around the auto tranny, which explains the huge midrange.

That car weighs in 3,217, which is 277 more than the base 8, but it feels a lot heavier. The steering is good and the handling is predictable, but my 6 felt more tossable than the Z. I really wanted to test the non-track version as all the mag’s always tested the track version and mauled the Z for the rough ride. The regular suspension is firm, a little jouncey, even on the freeway but over all not to taxing, and I drove it on some of Houston’s worst roads. Stock there is almost no body roll, and the brakes in non Brembo trim yank you down to a stop quickly.

The Z does a lot of things well, as a track car, it would be outstanding, it just wasn’t all that engaging. Not to dog the Z, but driving the car is like reading sports cars for dummies, it doesn’t require much skill to get 90+% of the performance out of the car, and as evidence to my above statement, you can’t really ever turn the traction control off, its like big brother is riding shotgun.

The Z is a true American sports car, lots of torque, works will with an automatic tranny and would be fun for stoplight drag races. Thankfully the handing is better than most American sports cars, but I can already tell that the hills of central Texas will be much more fun in the 8 than the Z.

Damn, this is a long post

pret

i found it amusing that you stated the z a 'a true american sports car'. i did not know Nissan was AMERICAN! lol! thx 4 ur impressions.

brillo

Haha, yeah, there was suppose to be some irony in that statement, besides have you seen Nissan's trucks lately? They are more American than Chevy

Ike

Good review but I think it's far less predictable than the RX-8 and the RX-8 is more a "sportscar for dummies", which is neither good nor bad, just depends on what feel you're after. The RX-8 is so easy to drive fast through twisties, the Z felt to me like a car I wouldn't want to test the limits of until I've had a decent amount of seat time.

ZoomZoomH

iTrader: (1)

^I agree, a well behaving, easily-controlled car like the RX-8 is more fitting to be called a 'sports car for dummies'

Hornet

I need to bug my friend to let me drive his Z some time. Similar to Ike I'd expect that it would be easier to lose it in the Z. I just think with the power available it would be easier to break the tires loose in the Z making it a car you have to be careful with in the corners. Maybe not really careful but actually know the car well enough to know what to expect.

Ike

It's not as much that it is easier to break loose, it's more that it feels like it's easier to break loose. The RX-8 inspires more confidence and seems like the limits are higher, but the limit of both vehicles is about the same. I hope that makes sense :p

cas2themoe

Wanted to know what everyone thought were the downsides to the 350Z.

I actually sat in a 350Z while at Carmax with my friend a few weeks back and that car just turn me completely off by its interior quality, the feel of the seats were fine to me but the interior design sucked A$$. Who wants their plug in adapter to be hanging from in between both seats? Oh by the way the seats felt fine but didn’t look fine. Leather was already cracking and looked like it was 6 years old. And no glove box? The plastic around the windows buttons were peeling off! I mean damn, the car is only 1 year old and it’s doing all this already? Besides the engine and actual body design that car was poorly engineered.

shelleys_man_06

I drove a Z back in September 2002, as well as a 2003 Mustang Cobra. Why these dealerships let a 19 year old kid test drive these things is beyond me. I like the Z, but there are some significant problems that prevented me from walking home with this car:

The Shifter:

After driving the 6-speed, my opinion on the shifter was pretty neutral, no pun intended. It wasn't fantastic, nor was it cruddy. My big problem was that it was clunky. It felt dead in my hand. Not my cup of tea.

Powerband:

For 287 ponies, the powerband dropped pretty quickly at high rpm. At least it was nearly linear and smooth. I can give you that. I also enjoyed its low-end torque. It's a muscle car. Vroom vroom!! I'm not too fond of the muscley feel to it. You really have to be pretty strong to put up with it. I'm a short and light guy; I prefer a car that reflects that. The Z wasn't for me .

Weight:

IMO, weight can make or break the overall performance of any car. We can't escape this parameter, even in space. The Z's weight, while still featherweight compared to the Cobra and the Camaro SS, made the car feel less powerful, as well as downplay the handling. It's a pretty fat car, and I've stated this in other threads. Once again, the weight alone killed off it's fun factor.

There were some other things, like the funky interior and the ungodly price (they tried to sell me a Base for $33,000, maybe it's because it was one of the first ones) that turned me off. Same thing with the Cobra, except the shifting was far worse (loooooooong), despite its neutral feel. I'm not going to spend $41,000 for a Ford Mustang.

What did I give the Z? I would rate it about an 8 out of 10 overall. The Cobra? A 7 out of 10 overall. I hear they're increasing the powerband of the Z33. If this is true, then maybe it would feel lighter. I liked the time and dedication Nissan put into reviving the Fairlady, but it's only been out for two years. It should take at least five years before we can see the fruits of Nissan's labor. Front-midship engine design, split front lower control arms and multilink suspension? To die for. I hope Nissan fares well, as well as Mazda. In comparison with the 350Z, the RX-8 feels more balanced, despite its 238 hp (does it really matter?), and its useful. On the plus side, it feels light, even though it's about 3000 lbm. I guess it's because of the weight placement. Both Mazda and Nissan did a good job with their front-midship engine designs. They're both really good sports cars; one could say the cars are built around the engine . Flame me if I'm wrong. I'll give the RX-8 the edge since I own one :D.

shelleys_man_06

The car's interior is not very ergonomic. Who knows who owned that car . Could it have been a radioactive monkey? What do you mean by the body design being poorly engineered?

Ike

It's no Crossfire, that's for sure!


Seriously though, hasn't this let's bash the 350Z nonsense been done enough on these forums?

shelleys_man_06

Right? It's a really nice car, but people are so opinionated about it since this is, of course, an RX-8 forum. Could you imagine what the 350Z forum is saying? I personally am not too fond of it, but I give Nissan credit for bringing its iconic Z back .

Hornet

Makes perfect sense...

I definitely need to bug my friend so I can be more educated about this comparison.

zoom44

yeah that's enough of this thread

-8-

haha

Skyline Maniac

Yap, I agree with the above posts~ (btw: I drive the G35C, not the Z) Turn in is more crisp and easier in the RX-8. Coming out of the corner, you can hammer the pedal on the RX-8 and it'll happily hum along the curver. Try to do the same in the G35C or Z, the torque will throw your rear end out in a dramatic power slide possibly ending up in a spin or worse a tree. It's true the RX-8 is a easier car to drive than the Nissan duo. However, once you master the control on the Nissans, it's very rewarding and fast around the track.

I know it's obscene to discuss stock vs mod, but a $250 set of sway bars really makes a hell of a difference on the G35C. Once the understeer tendency at the limit is gone, the car performs beautiful 4 wheel drift around corners like you wouldn't believe. :o Still, the RX-8 is more nimble and easier to drive.

Truss

Everybody knows the Z is a true FRENCH sports car. Sheesh... :p

T.

PoorCollegeKid

Just like the RX8 is a true AMERICAN sports car.

cas2themoe

I understand where you guys are coming from; you must love the 350Z as well as I do. But I'm just talking about the material used to build the damn thing. They could have definitely used better material.

Hanzo

They could, and so could Mazda. But then it will cost more to the consumer.

Lawerence

yep, if you want a 350z with slightly nicer materials and better looking interior then you have the g35 coupe
(and two extra seats!)

KC_Prelude

I like the Z for what it is, a $26,000+ porsche for the working man.

Here are the downsides of the Z for me...
1. Heavy
2. Can't see out the back of it/ Giant support kills trunk room
3. Looks like a bar of soap
4. Too popular, not unique
5. Doesn't like to redline
6. Some Interior materials very questionable


Of course put a z up against a similarly priced mustang gt and there is no comparison whatsoever, the z rapes it. And like Lawerence just said there is always the G35 for slightly more luxury/seats.

th1rd3y3

I think they are both great cars, but since I had to choose 1 for everyday driving, I chose the 8.

In my opinion (and I've driven both), the 8 is just a friendlier ride and does seem more nimble (although I do like the almost complete lack of body roll from the Z). If I could have both cars I would and my fiance even considered getting a Z for herself, but again it would've been a daily driver. I personally don't think the Z was designed for that.

Personally, I think if you could take the power of the Z and put it in the package of the 8, you would have a damned near perfect car.

tschangrx7

But a new Mustang is coming out in a few months that will rape the Z.

KC_Prelude

I wouldn't exactly say the new mustang will rape it but its tough to speculate about a car that isn't even out yet. I do think the new mustang looks better than the z though. It will still have a crappy tremec transmission but at least it will run on 87 octane. I am still impressed with what ford is doing with the new mustang, even if I don't really care about it anymore, at least until they release the cooler variations.