The *REAL* official 370Z test drive thread
 

My dealership has know I wanted one since early December. Thought they were supposed to be in next week yet I got a call at 10am 12/30 from dealer saying they just got 3 in! Well, I drove em' baby!

Regardless of the fact they were still covered in plastic (inside & out), I was able to drive both M & A/T, Touring & Base. It is important to note that the only way you get the synchro-match M/T is if you opt for the Performance Package...stripped Base M/T is not the synchro-match tranny. Both Dealer & I were surprised by this finding...

I may be a bit bias since my 1st car was a 1974 240Z, had a 1994 300ZXTT & 2004 350Z but I have also owned a 2002 Porsche 911 and driven every sports car under the sun...so...

The 370Z is awesome. Simple as that. They brought the suede interior door back as well as the seats wrap around you. Push button start (no need to insert key, keep it in your pocket) is a blast as well. Fit & finish is much more attractive...its got leather all over the place, less plastic and more style.

1. M/T - incredible. Super soft clutch pedal (which I dont care for), easy short throws, REAL tight and zero slop. Now the real fun part...downshifting. It does what they say it does...pulling 6K on the tach in 5th, drop her in 4th - she roars to 7500 and eases into gear! Its insane! I must have said "wow" 100 times. 1st gear is a bit short but the car pulls all the way around the dial...

2. A/T - Im not a fan of tiptronic transmissions unless its the BMW SMG. I need that instant "slam" into gear...unlike Porsche's 5 min (exaggerated of course) engagement of gear...but...the 370's is good/good+. Slow speeds (slow meaning "normal" driving speed) its got some lag like the Porsche...hammer the right pedal from a stop and walk through the 7 speeds with "as close to instant as a converter will allow"...downshifts get the same "blip" of juice as the M/T...I found myself hitting the paddles up/down, up/down just to hear the engine. In tip mode the car DOES hold the gear until you shift...not like a Slaab, I mean Saab and shift for you.

3. Issues - we couldnt figure out where the iPod jack is on music box.

I am waiting a month or two till dealers cant sell it for sticker then I am getting a M/T with synchro.

Again, the 370Z is sick, I love it - looks & all. I have been waiting for the right car, almost bought another 911 but glad I lost a ton in market & didnt buy it...this is my car!

Fantastic review. Glad that the manual is tight... I've driven so many cars where the stick felt loose and sloppy brand new from the factory. Does it shake much or does it feel firm when you're sitting idle?

Very interesting...
So does that mean these mofos are going to mark up the prices for the 370z?!
Ah ****...
At least I know it rides smooth but, I don't know yet until I try it out myself.
Your one lucky bastard!
Nice review :tup:

Re: feedback in the stick - I read all the same reviews, they all had something to say about the stick giving too much feedback when downshifting. Yes, the stick does provide feedback, but no more that any other manual that has gears buzzing at 7000rpm inches from its handle.

At idle, no idea/dont remember. I was just thinking about hitting 120 in 7 seconds and not splitting he car in 2. Total concentration!

LOL! If you can't recall the stick giving nasty feedback at idle, than it probably wasn't doing it at all. There's a couple cars that did that for me, (the Solstice included) which I don't like.

Crown I'm on the same boat, made a few calls and nothing but disappointment

Cool that you got to drive it :) Thanks for the info.

That's interesting that you said the clutch was soft. The old Z/G clutch was pretty heavy, I remember a lot of people complaining about it but I used to love it.

The old gearbox was also kind of notchy. Is this a non issue on the new Z?

There was a review i saw earlier today, the guy said the samething about the clutch being soft. I'm also hearing that it starts to drone? :eekdance:

In the beginning, I keep telling myself that with this economy, there is no way dealers will have the balls to do markup. Well, recently....there have seem to be a big increase in the number of people going to the dealer asking about this car before they even come out. Regardless of the economy, the law of supply/demand will take out anything. I think the dealer have the idea/hint from the people who are going in early to ask about this car, that the demand is there. Hence, they will probably have the balls to do markups on this car.

People, just wait till the car gets in. Going in to ask is not gonna speed up the process. The only thing that's gonna get speed up is their courage to do markups.

Look at the list of cars he drives. The dealer probably knows that he is a extremely potential buyers compare to most people. With regular buyers like us, it will be lucky that they will even let us sit in it.:icon17:

The dealers around my area always let ppl test drive.
Infact, they're the one's who usually ask first lol...
Maybe because they're really desperate to make a sale since it's based on commission...
I would love to walk out with a fully loaded z under 40!
But something tells me ill end up paying almost 50...
And if that's the case, I'm gonna tell the employees to :gtfo2:

RE clutch: The clutch pedal in my 2004 350z was 100% stiffer than the 370Z I drove yesterday. I remember the dealer telling me a few years ago that the 2005-08 had softer clutches due to customer COMPLAINT?

It also engages roughly 2" (if not less) from the floor...the older 350Z's had an adjustment that could be DIY under the pedal but not sure about the 370. I like to slip it a bit & feather it if I am leaving the line hard...no chance with the set-up I drove yesterday. It was like foot down, boom! engaged...

The new transmission is perfect. Again, short throws, solid, bullet proof shifts. No "notchy" felling.

370Z Z1 to NC
 

You may all know that I drove one almost a month ago about 400 miles. I Loved most every bit of it. I liked it so much I wrote a bit about it here: http://upload.z1motorsports.com/2009Nissan370ZRally.pdf

I hope this helps shed some light on the Z and gets you all out there driving one.

Josh@Z1

AIM - JoshatZ1
Josh@Z1motorsports.com
(770) 838-7777 ext. 303

Z1 Motorsports
Z1 Motorsports Nissan 300zx, 350Z, & G35 Parts and Performance Experts.
Catering to your Z needs from the earliest Z32 to the latest Z34 plus Infiniti G35 and G37.

Mods, Can we get a thread merge?
The whole "official test drive" and "REAL official test drive" thing is kind of silly.