Quote:
Originally Posted by GatorBlue371
Just took out a 370z for part of the day, My thoughts:
First,
I took out the Touring Sport Package, with the upgraded sound/nav
First impressions: This car isnt japanese. It looks too well put together on the inside, there is no way it isn't German. The exterior is up for debate but the interior blows away anything in its class. The seats are comfortable yet supportive, the steering wheel provides good feedback while providing firm steering feel, and the suede/leather inserts are done very tastefully and effectively.
The Drive. Had the car for a couple hours, the majority of the time was spent in 45mph zones, with 30 min on the highway.
The car feels more refined than the 350z... It seems like Nissan hired someone from BMW to go through their car and tell them all the things they didn't like. And it worked. Everything down to the buttons/steering wheel/shifter has all been refined. It FEELS like an expensive car. All of the motions you go through while driving the car require less effort and are done more smoothly, specifically the shifting.
The car in 45MPH zones behaved a good deal like the 350z... not stomping on the gas would produce decent 0-60 times, but the problem i had was you REALLY had to get on the gas to get into the powerband and by that time you had to brake from running up on the car in front of you. The steering, because its more refined, feels a little dumbed down. Still great response, but if you are used to driving a Porsche or Lotus, and get out to drive a BMW or Mercedes you'd know what I mean. Good feel, just less RAW connection to the road. The 350z>370z in this aspect.
The speed was there.... the power wasn't. I never launched my car so i bested a 5 second 0-60, something which would have taken a perfect launch from the 350... however, and this is a big however, It didn't FEEL much faster. I know its 100lb's lighter and has 30 more hp, but it didn't feel noticeably faster.
best part about the car though: Grip. I flew across the circle ramp to get onto the interstate at 90mph the first time, and got up to nearly 110 by the 3rd time. When your going around a turn at 110 your struggling to stay in your seat while the car is going, you pansy.
Conclusion: great car, doesn't get any better for the money if your tracking the car. Well put together. Not for me. It left me wanting more in the acceleration.
BTW- This is For Wesman
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take_road_test
Notice the 13.1 1/4 mile time....  |
That would nearly qualify as a ringer then...I have a subscription to C&D and they have tested the Z a number of times, 13.4 @ 107 being the fastest 6sp manual ET/MPH to date (about what a BMW 335i runs). That being an auto also...I mean, I can't imagine that would be as fun on a road course as the manual especially with the rev matching of the manual.
You guys are comparing 2 different market segments....do they overlap? Sure. Will they indirectly compete against each other, sure. But they are essentially 2 different rides. The Z car is a pure sports car. Its a 2 seater, with not much room, or trunk. Its balanced, light, with ample power. The SS is a GT type car, 2+2, a little heavier, but still a good all-around car, with respectable power, braking, and ability to corner.
I'm personally like Wesman and would not consider a Z car...for a number of reasons, but basically I want to hear the sound of a V-8, and I want to at least try to help one of America's landmark companies avoid bankruptcy(sp?), along with helping my local dealer keep his doors open.
This type of discussion will never have a right answer and will never end, because you are trying to put round pegs in square holes, they are NOT Truly direct competitors. Yes, they may somewhat be sales competitors, but the designs of the cars are (at their basic origin) different. A paring knife and a butcher knife are both knives, but you'd never use them for the same purpose, you could try but a butcher knife would very sloppy pealing an apple, as a paring knife would take too long to clean a side of beef.
I can promise you this though, it will take a Z car with $15K in mods to run with my SS on a drag strip or road course because the think won't be stock for a week...and I think that is what Wesman was kinda getting at, a good percentage of SS owners are gonna be modding early and often, vs I think a smaller percentage of Z owners...And although the Z aftermarket is good, I don't see how anyone could rival the aftermarket that GM has with the LSX series of motors, pedders for suspension etc. To each their own, but I'm a bowtie guy and that is how I'm gonna roll.