Nissan 370Z Full Test by Edmunds

[num1panthersfan]

Man, I'm not even gonna lie, Ima test drive the new Z and 'Maro and see which one i like best cuz that damn Z is too tempting to let it pass me by. Most importantly, It's prolly gonna handle better then the 'Maro, 'Stang, and the Chally and still gonna be able to compete in straight-aways!

[sykb47l]

Originally Posted by Grape Ape

If only they could have kept the back seat for my 3 year old.

350 didnt have a seat in the back either.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by zebra

it's still ugly

+1.

I still hate the styling with a passion.

[Grape Ape]

Originally Posted by sykb47l

350 didnt have a seat in the back either.

I stand corrected. I guess I'm still getting a Camaro, unless RX gets some more power or Mustang gets the ecoboost 3.5.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Grape Ape

I wonder if that is really apples to apples, if they are comparing a base 350 the a 370 that has some options weighing it down? The article says it has after market oil and dif coolers and the sport pack which includes bigger rubber and brakes. If I can get all that plus a bigger engine and still shave off 95lbs then I'm just about sold. If only they could have kept the back seat for my 3 year old.

Edited to add: I am guessing above that edmunds weighed the 370 tester to get 95 but Nissan told them 225.

Originally Posted by SS4EVER

That's probably the reason. Only way would be to compare a base 350Z's weight to that of the base 370Z w same tranny, etc...

ahem, did you read the entire post?

Originally Posted by Congoman775

Just for the record...


"Overall, Nissan's engineering teams managed to slice 225 pounds out of the package, although the addition of safety features and convenience equipment put most of it back. In the end, the 2009 Nissan 370Z is only 95 pounds lighter than the 350Z it replaces."

I suppose I can still refer people to fbodfathers statement in my sig about weight:

[diddiyo]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

I suppose I can still refer people to fbodfathers statement in my sig about weight:

so what you're saying is there is no way to make a car lighter without making it less safe/durable etc?! just because chevy didn't find a way to do it with the camaro doesn't mean that nobody else won't be able to do it either.

[sykb47l]

Originally Posted by Grape Ape

I stand corrected. I guess I'm still getting a Camaro, unless RX gets some more power or Mustang gets the ecoboost 3.5.

Yeah maybe your thinking about the Infiniti G35. Those have 4 seats.

[kinyu]

I saw the 370 today at a special unveiling here where they let us sit in it and started it up for us.

My wife currently owns a 350z, so I'm pretty knowledable on the brand. I can give my worthless point of view.

370z pros
The 370z looks better in person than it does in pictures. The boomerang lights are not bad looking.
They made many improvements over the outgoing Z, a 28-ish hp bump, less weight, a MUCH better looking and more functional interior. Some of you may not know that the 350 didn't even have a glove box. Also, they only bumped the price by like, a grand for the base model, but you get a lot more with the 370 base than you did the 350 base. They got rid of the bar in the hatch that wouldn't allow you to put anything of any good size back there.

Cons
The exhaust note on the 370 is horrible. I wouldn't know it from a 4 cyl honda. The rear end is very bubbly. The weight distribution for the 370 went a little downhill, I believe the front end got a little more weighty, which obviously you would rather have a little weight in the rear.

The Z fans are (for the most part) pretty pissed off because they were expecting a car that weighed 3000-3100 lbs and 350hp. If you visit their boards, they are practically rioting over there.

Just another worthless note, nissan was very secretive with their car, not getting much feedback from the enthusiast, so it's nice to come to he camaro board where the designers have actually listened to us from the beginning.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by diddiyo

so what you're saying is there is no way to make a car lighter without making it less safe/durable etc?! just because chevy didn't find a way to do it with the camaro doesn't mean that nobody else won't be able to do it either.

Oh, it could be made safer, more durable, and lighter. Its just going to cost more.

Engineers design to a set of specs. The methodology is essentially the same all around the world, for every industry. The density is ~ 7.8 g/cc, depending on alloy. The modulus of rigidity for aluminum does not change when crossing the pacific ocean. 1 hp still does 33000 ftlbs of work in a minute. None of these things change. Nissan had a different set of requirements than GM had. Light weight was critical for Nissan. GM focused on safety and rigidity. If GM wanted to make the car lighter, they would have. It wouldn't be as strong. Or if it was just as strong, it would cost more.

There is no free lunch. Compromise must always be made.

[Congoman775]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Oh, it could be made safer, more durable, and lighter. Its just going to cost more.

Engineers design to a set of specs. The methodology is essentially the same all around the world, for every industry. The density is ~ 7.8 g/cc, depending on alloy. The modulus of rigidity for aluminum does not change when crossing the pacific ocean. 1 hp still does 33000 ftlbs of work in a minute. None of these things change. Nissan had a different set of requirements than GM had. Light weight was critical for Nissan. GM focused on safety and rigidity. If GM wanted to make the car lighter, they would have. It wouldn't be as strong. Or if it was just as strong, it would cost more.

There is no free lunch. Compromise must always be made.

He is right, you get what you pay for and with the Z you can see quite clearly its vastly different from a camaro.

just looking at the cars you can tell what engineers had in mind for each one.. i dont doubt we could be getting a Camaro that weighs <3500lbs but you wouldnt get one with an LS3.