The *REAL* official 370Z test drive thread

[CrookedTeeth]

Anyone whos test drove this car possibly driven an Evo X? I was interested in as to how the two compare

[Akirasoft]

Originally Posted by CrookedTeeth

Anyone whos test drove this car possibly driven an Evo X? I was interested in as to how the two compare

I'm not sure you can really compare the two directly... I recently test drove one and can compare it to the evo 8 I owned for 3 years and sold last year...

I was actually surprised the 370z was as twitchy as the evo was but with MORE steering effort (likely due to be larger wheels). Power delivery and the car felt plenty fast... Faster than my evo was stock but not as fast as my evo was after cams, boost control, exhaust, intake, bigger front mount etc etc etc. that is to be expected as approx 260whp won't be as quick as approx 350 or so whp.

Interior was the biggest surprise for me. Everything felt like it was in the right place and was of much higher quality than I expected from Nissan. Navigation system is significantly better than the one in my Acura RDX.

I had really meant to cross shop the 370z with some other options (genesis coupe, camaro, not really sure what else) but now I'm not sure that I will even bother. I know already that I don't like the look of the genesis coupe and don't think that the size of the domestic models (mustang/camaro) will appeal to me.

That being said I still haven't picked up a 370z but at this point I'm really just trying to pick a color. Either black or graphite but based on pics online black does not really seem to suit this car. that graphite color sure does look nice (and since my last 3 cars have been black, it will be a nice departure...)

[ENT-Z]

I finally got out there and drove one today. It was a very dreary and rainy day, but for some reason the dealerships were busy!

The first dealership I hit, the salespeople and sales managers are tools. They don't want you to test drive one unless you are really interested in buying that particular car. They want to "keep the miles off of it" but would be happy to order me one based on a refundable deposit in case I don't like the test-drive when it comes in. Sheesh! Good thing there is another Nissan dealer a few miles down the same street.

Second dealer is cool, my wife and I are off for a test-drive in a loaded $40K model, no questions asked. The ride was awesome, better than expected (coming from MB and Audi). Power was great, but maybe a little less than expected, but then again I kept it under 4K. Blind spots were not as bad as expected.

So I'm psyched to place an order for the exact specs I want b/c my internet search shows no such equipped cars in a 30 mile radius. Well, the salesman finds a car just how I want it at dealer a few hours away - he can have it here Monday!!! DAMN, I was trying to be responsible and wait a few months to scrap together some more cash. The guy is killing me. What to do, what to do??? Of course I can't get the damn car off my mind now that I've driven it.

My advice - if you are not 100% ready to buy now, do not go and test drive one -- it will be torture on you!

[rreign]

On my way back from the Savannah airport the other day, I was passing the Nissan dealership and just couldn't resist anymore. Pulled in and what do I see? A freaking GT-R sitting out front, right next to 3 Z's. After checking out the GT-R and joking with the salesman about test driving it, I pointed at the white Touring Sport 370 and said, I want to drive it. He never saw it coming when we pulled out, haha! I mashed it out of 1st to second, by the time I was ready to shift into 3rd (about a second from when I was in 1st) I was at about 80 and had to ease back. With a scared look, the salesman said "she shifts pretty smooth, huh?" I was pretty sure I wanted this car by this point, but now I KNOW I WANT THIS CAR!

[shabarivas]

Originally Posted by CrookedTeeth

Anyone whos test drove this car possibly driven an Evo X? I was interested in as to how the two compare

I owned an X before I got my Z... With the X when you go around a turn fast - you get the feeling of - hey this car is smooth and i must be a smooth driver - wrong - the car is doing a million calculations for you to enable each and every turn be as smooth as possible. With the Z its just you, the tires and the steering wheel. Also the point of no return (oh **** moments) come linearly with the Z - that is when you are about to loose traction the car will give you signs all the way until the traction loss is not recoverable from. With the Evo x however you get this false sense of security backed by the AWD of always thinking you have a lot more room to go as far as pushing the car. Trust me on this one - I flipped mine over during a very very spirited run on some mountain roads.

Honestly it comes down to this- if you are getting the car for a pure driving feel perspective - get the Z ... if you want to become a better driver - get the Z. If you just want to go fast in a line or just drive on a track without really caring about much - get the X. Pretty simple really.