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.

^^^ I agree

I drove the 370Z with sports package (6MT) myself today.

I pulled up just before they closed in my 2006 G35 Coupe, and had a salesman waiting for the second I got out of the car :icon17:

I have already seen it in person before (L.A Auto Show), so there was nothing to surprice me as far as the exterior goes.

The interior, which was the base car, is definately far superior to the current 350Z. Everything is just smooth to touch. And this isn't even the Touring model, not to even mention the Nav option.

Now, as far as the test drive. Just to let you know where im coming from: My G35 Coupe 6MT has full bolt ons + tune, with a full suspension (sway bars, track coilovers, etc).

The drive was honestly no real surprise. It's the same engine as that on the G37, so it felt just like it (obviously). The engine is smooth and very linear, and doesn't really have a real punch to it. But the power is very progressive. The car itself is also VERY quiet (but then again, my car does have an exhaust with no catalyctic converters). I was honestly not really impressed with the acceleration itself, but I guess I have my car to blame for that. My car is making alot more torque than the 370Z so it doesnt have that grunt my car has. Punch my car at 5000 RPM's and it slams you against the driver seat. That wasn't the case with the 370Z. That does NOT mean my car is faster...it just feels faster. I would predict my car is very close to the 370Z, if not, the 370Z should edge me out just a little bit.

The drive itself was also surprisingly very GT-like. I could have sworn I was driving the G37... but it did feel more nimble. Compared to my G35 Coupe, the drive felt very soft.

The transmission and clutch, once again, was no surprice as I have already driven the G37. The clutch itself is very light, and more hydrolic than my G35c. It might take me a week or so to get used to that feel. And the transmission feels a little more refined.

The synchro rev-match option is definately neat. It is very precise and delivers the right throttle blip instantly. It's a great feature to have, though I prefer doing the rev-matching myself. (Good thing there's an off button :D).

I didn't have the chance to really test the brakes, but they aren't as grabby as my G35c brakes. I'm sure they easily outbrake my car though.

Overall, im impressed by the car. Just not overwhelmed. The car definately has potential, and a full bolt-on plus full suspension 370Z should be a blast to drive. The fact that I have driven the G37 6MT and have a modified G35 Coupe probably took away the "awe" effect many have felt with the drive of this car. But that doesn't mean its an amazing car.

I will check out the Touring Model (and one with the Nav option) once I have the chance.

I might be in this car come Fall if I get the right deal [after my lease is over with my G35].

LOL! You modded your lease?

I'm also waiting a few months down the line while parting out my car and going back to stock. I'd definitely like to see what the new Z would be like after 6 months of ownership and lots of miles.

In a long term G37 review in a mag I read (~21k miles), the reviewers complained about the notchy shifter and engine vibration through the shifter and pedals when revving towards redline.

In my experience with the current transmission (replaced in '06), it was buttery smooth. After a couple of months, the transmission gradually became clunky and notchy. Then there's the infamous gear whine and annoying clutch chatter.

Also, how's the suspension? The '03 was very bouncy.

So do you guys get the familiar Z feeling once you get in the cockpit, start her up, and get going? In pictures, the 370Z looks a tad shorter, but it seems ginormous as well. O_o

I planned on buying out the car at the end of the year- that was my mentality 2 1/2 years ago.

Besides, I would go crazy driving a stock G35 for 3 years. And the mods I have can be easily sold ;)

Good reviews, two different perspectives from normal experiences. I cant wait to give mine...

Nice impressions. Thanks for sharing them with us.

what's wrong with modding a lease?? it's really no different... you just "de-mod" it or leave it...
on my G35 i left the springs on and the windows tinted... but obv took the wheels off.. put original markers back on and took overlays off...
not a big deal really.

edit: ok, nevermind... i see the mods you are talking about... much more serious ones than mine.

Good info.

I have a friend who modded his Benz CLK with a drop, engine stuff, even lambo doors on a lease. He put everything back to stock even replacing the lambo door hinges. The money wasn't an issue for him.

If money wasnt an issue, why did he lease?

So he can get a new car every 3 years in the most painless way possible.

As long as all the mods are easily removable, there's nothing wrong with modding a lease. People do it all the time...its really no difference.

I think the only mod I have done which is going down the drain if I return the car is the tune, which I got with a discount anyhow. And I think there might be a way to sell the license itself (according to the manufacture).

Everything else was installed by me, and I can uninstall them and sell them with no problem. (It just takes some time).

The only thing I would consider overboard for a lease would be something like a paintjob or twin turbos (etc).

The *REAL* official 370Z test drive thread
 

Hi everyone,

So today I got a call from my dealer telling me they received a pair of 370z's and wanted me to go check them out. They had a red MT base model with no options and a black A/T touring with no options. Nothing too exciting but at least I got to compare touring vs base.

At first glance, the 370Z isn't as striking as I expected from all the hype people have built up. Just kidding, its pretty awesome. The styling is much more aggressive than the 350Z, it is more muscular and more curvaceous while still remaining refined, well mostly. I'm still not convinced about the rear tails and the heads, they are almost too much of a statement, but I can see why people say they work with the car and while I'm not particularly fond of them, I'm sure they will grow on me. The side profile on the other hand is very nice; proportions look pretty good front to back and it feels well like a well balanced design. Definitely could use a little bit of a drop though, perhaps the Sport package equipped models look better with the bigger wheels.
One thing that I noticed is that this car has much more presence than the 350Z did. You get that same feeling that the car means business as you do when you look at a supra. With it's wide wheel arches and long hood, it seems to scream "I have arrived, now look at me." The front end's "fangs" are much less pronounced in person than they are in pictures. They seem to be OK there, but the overall front end of the car feels a little awkward...like they should have spent one more week on it. Overall, the car is stunning. It is safe to say that Nissan hit the nail on the head. It's pretty, its aggressive, its all Z.

Over to the interior. There isn't much to say here really. It is a nice improvement over the old car, but the materials aren't up to par with the likes of Audi and BMW. I think the interior is very fitting to the car. It's sporty, its focused and overall it is not a bad place to spend some time. The steering wheel was great, good size and shape. Seats could use a little more bolstering, but they aren't bad for stock seats. I have to say it though guys... that ridiculous fuel/temp/multi-function gauge everyone has been complaining about, well yeah its pretty bad. It looks completely out of place and it looks and feels cheap. (yes I tapped at it) Someone needs to come out with some sort of replacement set for that gauge, pronto. Blind spots are awful, backing into spots its going to be terrible at least until I get used to the proportions. Visibility out the front is pretty good though, the A pillars are thin and easy to look around. Also my 6'2" friend sat in the car no problem, with the seat all the way back though. Overall, nice improvement over last Z, but don't expect miracles. If you want better materials, you will have to go aftermarket. I can tell you right now that I will be upgrading some interior stuff and I will definitely be getting a new, lighter pair of seats.

Now for the important part; the drive. Considering the fact that I've been talking smack about the 7A/T for the past few weeks, I decided that since the manual version that they had didnt have synchrorev, I would drive the automatic. I did feel out the manual box with the car off and it feels great. Very precise, very natural and smooth. The throws are short and the clutch feels just right, but leaning towards the lighter/softer side. Gears go in without hesitation, you never really get caught on the gates and that is a huge plus. The knob itself feels good and I dont think I'm going to replace it.

Anyway, back to the drive. I liked the keyless entry and start system a lot, very convenient and I'm glad Nissan added these features. Sit down, buckle in and you are immediately greeted with a red glowing button with the words "start stop" on it. Press it and the engine comes to life with a nice rev and the first aural sensation you experience. I gotta say that it put a smile on my face, it is by no means subtle, you know its there and its ready. Now, guys who are getting the 7A/T, I say in simplest terms..get it. The auto transmission is more responsive than I expected, upshifts and downshifts are fairly quick. It's no GT-R, but I was pleased with the quickness. Its fast, but it is NOT DCT fast. It's responsive, but I did find myself getting a little surprised by the gear changes because I didn't know how quickly or how late they were coming. Something I'm sure most of you who get the AT will learn to live with. Hard on the brakes and dropping gears from 4th to 1st felt smooth, however I felt detached from the car. It didn't do exactly what I wanted it to when I wanted it to, but it was damn close. You guys out there that aren't going to be tracking the car, the MT isnt completely necessary, unless you get a kick from shifting gears as I do. The other complaint I had was that while the car matches revs beautifully as you downshift, going from second to first is everything but smooth. The car lurches forward a bit more than I would have liked. I guarantee that you guys who get the AT will just leave it in second at stops and just let the car do the switching once you've come to a full stop. Other than that, its a nice AT. I am still getting the MT though, no contest there :)

The Motor was another high point. I currently drive a car with at least 370tq and let me tell you, I didn't miss it. This new 3.7L really delivers. The VVEL system does the impossible and provides you with a gratuitous amount of low end torque. 4th gear at 30mph? No problem. I hope the 285's do a better job at reigning in the power because I was all over the place with the 245's. The traction control really lets you play around a lot before it shuts the party down. It works really well as it isnt overly intrusive, but it's not going to let you street warriors spin off your favorite offramp. Im pretty sure it let me spin through most of first and some of second. Punch it in the powerband and the car jumps forward effortlessly and keeps on pulling all the way to redline. I was very impressed with the performance and responsiveness of this bone stock motor. As far as the sound goes, while its not quiet and nor is it annoying, it doesn't have a definitive character. It leaves you wanting more as it doesn't really let you know how fast you are turning potential energy into throw-me-in-jail speed. Its not awful. As far as vibration is concerned, I am used to thinking my cell phone is going off on vibrate when I'm driving. My car has really stiff bushings on the transmission and shift linkage so it vibrates like a mother. It did get a little chaotic near redline, but I was too busy keeping the front end away from street signs and small animals to really notice. Vibration is definitely not on my list of things to worry about.

Suspension, honestly.. it was more or less perfect for street driving. Not soft, but well dampened. Not jarring, but not much lean in corners. Felt a lot like a 3 series; just right. The chassis feels great, less like a bunch of pieces put together and more like a single unit. It was stiff and it really inspired confidence. Steering is heavy, precise and quick. Very point-and-go feeling to it. Overall, it felt positive and sporty. It could use just a tad more sharpening, but that will come in the way of some stiffer sways and a more aggressive alignment.

Nissan really did a great job though, the car feels like it has potential to be a cayman beater for sure. As far as 4.4 to 60? more like 4.8s. I can definitely see it getting a pretty good time in the quarter though, just felt like it had cajones. One thing I can tell you is that this car is going to be a blast to drive on the street, but even more so on the track. While it wouldn't be faster than my current car around the track, it would sure as hell would be a LOT more fun.. I really can't wait. It looks amazing in black, but there are so many places for water to get stuck and watermarks to build up. There is no way I'm buying this car in black. (sorry Shumby) Looks like its graphite for me.

Oh yeah and one more thing, its for sale...NOW . If I had wanted to, I could've taken either of them home today. I thought they weren't available till end of Jan, guess I was wrong.

The *REAL* official 370Z test drive thread
 

Yep guys, today I did a Test Drive to an Nissan 370z Touring with Sport Package, Chicane Yellow!!! Price.... well hold on.. 40,500...
What can I say, first impression, WOW...

Physically:
Car looked Smaller, Wider, and shorter at first sight. Looks incredibly better in person than in pictures. Boomerang Head lights looks smaller than in pictures, just fit perfectly to the car. The rear bumper look so wide body, just impress in a positive way, love it. The best view is from the side, which you can perfectly see the new 370z design. The hood looks very wide and long, but perfectly to match the design, very aero design. Just looking the car parked, looked fast. No Antenna, big up. no rear whipper, nice. Splash guards looks very nice on that car, not big to be noticed, but give this particular detail that you will love. The front bumper looks very clean, the mustache look in front bumper looks nicer in person than in pictures. The 19" Rays Engineering Rims, just perfect, in my personal opinion, they are just perfect, never to be changed. Those 275mm tires looks incredibly amazing, very wide and aggressive for the ride and the 245mm in the front, just perfect for the incredible feeling of the ride, by the way, the car just ride smooth as butter, but let me keep going with my personal impression first.
The height of the car; it looks perfect. At the pictures you can notice that the car need a drop, of a minimum of 1", 1.5" but in my opinion, it is not needed, just maybe, mayyyyybe .5 or 1" if you want to play.
The weight of the hood, is more or less like the 350z hood. The rear spoiler, nice and clean. In overall, the car, in my impression, looks, amazing. No picture can describe what you can see in person. They will give you the idea and yes that is a 370z, But in person, the Volume of the car, cant be described in person.

Interiors:
No words to describe the big upgrades. The materials are incredibly better than the ones used on the 350z. Leather is great and the suede on the inside of the doors, feels ok, but not at the quality that you might be waiting to feel, but give a unique and different touch. The center console feels and looks good with the materials used, the small detail of the thread detail looks nit. The center cup holder, with the plastic aluminum color rim, give a luxury detail look. The colors of the lights inside the cockpit, very cool look and fresh to the eye, the color matching is most likely to the Audi's A4 (Red, Orange, White colors). Key is a cool feature, Push to start bottom, cool, at your pocket. :) leave the car on, get a cup of coffee, close the car while is on, then come back and you are the governor of the world, opening the car because you hold the key. The inside view is ok, not that hard to be used to. Front view is excellent , the hood looks very wide from the interior also the tachometer looks smaller but higher, well in my position... The Trunk view, is kind of smaller... The trunk size just looks remarkably bigger than a 350z.
In overall the car materials, colors, details, gives a very new design of the 370z, luxury.

Ok ok!!!
Test drive impression!!!!
NO WORDS!!!!!! LOVE IT!!!
Clutch, smooth, smooth, and smoother!!! At first glance I felt wired but very quick to get the clutch weight. The gears are very short, in my opinion, and smooth. The ride was very very quiet in comparison to my 350z. Kind of a stiff ride, center of gravity is by your body, you can control very easy the car, The rear drive nothing different to the 350z.
The Transmission,,,, Love...ly..... LOVE THE AUTO REV!!!! Sport mode off, Normal Drive, the clutch is very very but very smooth, I haven't felt any clutch that smooth in my driving experience. Sport Mode On,,,, yes, Let me hear the reeving soooound!!!. just at the moment the car is in Neutral, if you move the stick to the left the car just rev automatically without hitting any gear. I was driving at 65mph in 6th gear, hit clutch and set the gear in 3rd and just by passing by the 3rd gear the engine roars as a demon, love it!!!
Tires have a very great grip, 140 Tread ware. great feeling on the road, a great daily driver car and great track car just as it is.
Nissan Breaks, excellent!!!
Love it, love it!!
The car gives the value for the money.

Tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 3/09 I will give another test drive to this yellow bullet and will bring my camera to record an inside driving video for you guys and some pictures for you.

I will get mine very sooooooon!!! Base w/ sport package, 6 MT!! :tiphat:

Please, let me know what type of pictures you want to see of the car and what do you want me to record on the video for you guys. And yes,,,, things that can be possibly caught on a dealer test drive.......;)

Thank you!!! pleaaaase, give some rep. points when you see the video, pics and this review if you want jejeje.
Thanks!!!!

(Disclaimer: I own an AP1 S2000 and have test-driven an '05 350Z a couple of years ago, so my review is geared toward comparing the car against them)

I test drove a white touring model (6MT) with the sport package today, and honestly, I think it's a huge improvement over the 350Z. The interior is so much better than the 350's, with nicer materials throughout (no more cheap, hard plastics!). The suede door panels and stitched leather on the center console are nice touches, and I felt like I was sitting in a luxury car as opposed to a $30k Nissan. The seats were comfortable, supportive, and 4-way adjustable, which is nice compared to the limited adjustability of the s2000's seats. The steering wheel is nice and beefy as well, and can tilt (but not telescope). Overall, I felt much more comfortable in the 370 than I do in my s2000. Then again, I'm a pretty tall guy and shorter drivers may not feel the same way.

Now onto the drive itself. With the intellikey in my pocket all I had to do was press the start button to fire her up. Like many of the early reviews have stated, the stock exhaust sounds weak, but it's nothing an aftermarket option can't fix. When I pulled out of the lot, I noticed that the clutch feels very much the same as the old 350's--light, almost squishy with no feedback. That would take some getting used to coming from the s2000.

The shifter, on the other hand, was very impressive. Throws were short, almost on par with a stock s2000's, and each shift felt very precise--something I was not expecting at all. The engine was beastly, and I noticed right away that this car is much quicker than my s2000 and the old 350 that I tested before. Having torque available down low is also a welcome change coming from the s2000--I was able to cruise around in 4th gear without having to downshift.

Speaking of which, the synchro rev-match feature is pretty awesome. As much as I love blipping the throttle myself, I have to admit, this feature does it better and more consistently than I ever could. No matter how fast or slow I would shift or engage the clutch, I wasn't able to fool the computer. It would always rev the engine the perfect amount to ensure a smooth downshift, even into 1st gear!

I didn't get to drive the car too hard, but I was able to take it around a couple of corners pretty quickly. You can definitely feel the weight of the car in the corners, especially compared to the S, but it feels much more nimble than the 350 did, and there is a TON of grip available. The suspension was firm, but not jarring, and the car rides pretty quietly compared to the S and the 350. Steering feel is also much improved over the 350--the wheel is nicely weighted and provides much better feedback than the 350 or my s2000. And then there's the brakes. I don't have much to say about them, other than that they're awesome, and the pedal feel was pretty solid.

Overall, I think that the magazine reviews are pretty much spot on with what I experienced during my test drive. While I will admit that my s2000 is still the more fun car to drive, the amenities and features of the 370Z make it a very nice compromise of speed and luxury.

But did you like the car?:rofl2:

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get a ride in the new Z with the Sport Package. Although I did not drive, the man driving was an excellent driver. Car definitely out-pulled my 350z with a noticeable amount. He took me through some fun S-curves and man did the car just stick and feel completely flat. Not a hint of body roll. But here is where the car really shinned.... we started to head up a hill, he downshifted first to show me the rev-match system which was just amazing, then selected 2nd and fucing blasted up the hill out of control, we were going 60 mph on this tiny residential street apporaching a stop sign at the top, and he kept on the throttle until what seemed to be 3 feet before the sign. The new brakes I can assure you stop like a mother f$@ker!!!
As for the old "z" feel, definitely felt familiar to me and right at home inside the cockpit. Very cozy and sexy.

I can't wait to pick mine up in a few weeks.

I really wanna test drive the car but my local dealership says its only for serious buyers. I do plan on getting one maybe in the summer but for sure when the 2010 model comes out just because 1st year cars tends to have minor bugs. I hope the 370 doesnt have any feathering or grindind issues and no rattling like the 350 did. I know the HR has clutch problems...hope it doesnt carry over. But i cant wait to drive this beast. U guys are lucky.

I currently own an '03 350Z picked up Oct. 2002. Everything is stock besides the 19" LE-37t with 255/285 tire setup, side skirts, spoiler, and a JWT Pop Charger. It's an everyday driver's car with some spirited driving once in awhile.

A red 7AT touring loaded with sports package and navigation arrived today. I got in and adjusted the seats to see if it would feel "at home" in the new Z (I'm 5'7").

The leather seats felt pretty good. The windshield has a steeper slope, so visibility above my head decreased by a couple of inches. Also, the ceiling felt lower by about an inch. To my eyes, I felt a tiny bit claustrophobic as if I'm wearing a cap with the visor blocking parts of my view. Perhaps it was the change to black cloth for the ceiling (love it). The dome light didn't look cheap. The trunk light looked familiar. The view to the side wasn't much different than my 350Z. It might be a tad better. I didn't notice the rear view much since I spent too much time focusing on the road.

I felt like a newb because I initially forgot how to work the automatic. Sales guy told me to simply put it in D on the right (slide to left for manual). :owned: Shifts were not as smooth as I'd like it to be. There's roughly a 1 second delay to downshift when quickly opening it up. It's no Lexus, but AT owners will definitely welcome the 7AT.

Engine sounds great, and boomy/rough idle has been eliminated. While idling in one spot I tapped the pedal and notice the revs hung for a little bit before falling down to idle. Engine felt quite responsive with good low end torque. Exhaust tone isn't as loud, but it's not annoying either. As for power, it didn't really blow me away since I didn't go anywhere beyond 50% throttle.

The steering wheel is nice, but it felt light. The accelerator pedal felt softer than my Z. The pedal range felt pretty good. It felt a bit artificial because of the soft feeling. Braking is a tad more responsive and effortless, but it's new so it was to be expected.

Overall, the car didn't feel lighter or heavier. The cockpit definitely felt much more sporty - with a hint of GT-R.

:tup: I might order a PS Base with Sports Package loaded with accessories for tad over $34k this Monday. It'll be a 3 month wait. :(

Just touching base with another test drive, and this time it's a 6MT Base + Sport Package.

The shift lever definitely gained almost an 1", but it didn't take long to get used to it. I personally prefer the lower height. The clutch is super soft and light! It's nice and effortless, but I start to lose feeling of the actual engagement. The shifter definitely feels light, precise, and very much effortless compared to my clunky gearbox.

Right off the bat, the car feels lighter while accelerating. It definitely picks up above 2.5k RPM, and it likes to rev freely like a 4-banger. I've not taken it any higher than 3k RPM and anything above 30MPH since we're in the neighborhood streets. It was enough to test the difference with my '03.

Overall, the sporty Z32-like feeling has returned, the drive is quite effortless, sounds great, looks phenomenal. Therefore, I have reserved a 6MT PS Base with Sports Package. We're going to negotiate the price when the car arrives early this Spring. Hopefully I can sell my Z33 before that time.

The *REAL* official 370Z test drive thread
 

I've had my 370Z for 5 days now, and thought I'd share some observations from the perspective of someone whose previous ride was a 350Z. A few things to state up front. My 350Z was an '06 Enthusiast, M/T. So that's my baseline in terms of any comparisons I make. My impressions, and comparison remarks, might be different if my baseline were an '08 HR 350Z, for instance, or an '03 model for that matter. Another thing to bear in mind is that my 370 is a Touring model, M/T, w/ sport pkg. So I'm comparing an '06 Enthusiast to an '09 Touring, vs. an '06 Grand Touring to an '09 Touring, which is slightly 'apples to oranges'. Finally, my performance-related observations at this stage are a little 'green'. That's because I'm still well within the break-in period and have yet to drive my 370 hard (I'm still under 100 miles on the odometer!).

Having dispensed with all the caveats, let me begin with my performance-related impressions:

- The acceleration of the 370 feels every bit as quick as the 350, if not quicker. I've been keeping the revs below 5k for now and it still feels quick. I'm sure once I'm done with break-in and nail it up to 7500rpm, this thing is going to plant a grin on my face that stretches from one ear to the other!

- It corners better than the 350. I can already tell you that. With the 350, I always felt a sort of odd hesitation when accelerating out of a corner from a stop (like when you stop at light before turning right). That feeling is gone with the 370. It also feels more agile than the 350 and turns more crisply.

- The 370 feels more stable at high speed. The rear of the 350 always felt a little 'floaty' to me at 70mph+, especially if the road got curvy. That feeling is gone with the 370.

- Braking. This one's tough. The brakes are definitely better than what came on my 350 (4 pistons vs 2 up front, 2 pistons vs 1 in the rear). BUT, I upgraded the brakes on my 350 to a set of StopTechs, front and rear, and the brakes on my 370 definitely have less bite than the StopTechs. Although...I probably just need to toss the rubber brake lines and install braided steel ones, and maybe change the pads. Anyway, definitely take my impressions on the brakes with a grain of salt, because I never drove a 350 with the Brembos, and thus have no idea how the feel of the new ones compares.

- Synchro Rev-match. I have mixed feelings on this new feature. Don't get me wrong -- it's cool, it works well, in fact it seems to work better the more quickly one downshifts. But I like blipping my own throttle. I loved to heel and toe into corners in my 350. This automatic rev-matching technology will just make it easier for people who really have no business driving a car with a manual transmission to do just that -- drive a stick and drive it reasonably well. And even with this elitist-sounding remark I have mixed feelings. On one hand, I don't like anything that makes a car more accessible to poseurs and hacks. But on the other hand, I do realize that if not enough people buy the MT model, eventually Nissan might stop offering the Z with a stick, and that would be tragic. The stuff of nightmares! :eek: So maybe it's not such a bad thing to make MT more accessible to people. I've come to think of Synchro Rev-match as a bridge between traditional MT, and paddle-shift manuals. Because what's the nice thing about paddle-shift manuals? Automatic rev-matching. But there's no clutch pedal. Well with this technology, you kinda get the best of both worlds. You get a clutch pedal, and you get the automatic rev-matching. And you can always turn the thing off if you want to go back to blipping your own throttle. This actually leads to my next observation, which sorta straddles the line between being a performance item and an interior item.

- The new gas pedal is floor-mounted instead of firewall-mounted. Not a huge deal, but it does feel different. Seems to me that you have to press down a little deeper before the engine will respond. This ties back to the whole heel and toe thing, because when I turn off Synchro Rev-match to do my own heel and toe, I find it a little harder than it was in the 350, as I have to depress the gas pedal much more with the edge of my foot to get high enough revs, relative to the 350. Well, at least the gas and brake pedals are still close enough together to heel/toe.

Now for my impressions on the interior. Overall, the interior of the 370 is definitely nicer. Not that I ever had much complaint about the 350, mind you. But there's definitely a higher quality feel with the 370. Plus, moving the rear support brace forward is a HUGE improvement over the 350 (see pic 1 below). One of the first things out of my mouth when I looked in the back was "Hey, there's enough room back here to mount two NOS bottles!" :excited:

I do have some minor quibbles, however.

- The center console of the 370Z is quite a bit smaller than the one in the 350Z, length-wise. There's barely enough room for a 3" 1911 pistol now. BARELY. And this is the shortest pistol I have! (See pic 2.) In the 350, I could put almost any of my pistols in the center console, including Commander-length 1911s (4.25"). Well, at least it's deep enough for a spare magazine and a tactical flashlight as well.

- They took away the sunglass compartment! In my 350, there was a little flip-down compartment where the dome lights are to put one's sunglasses. That's gone in the 370. (Pic 3.)

- The rear storage compartment behind the passenger seat is a joke. In the 350, the rear compartment sloped out at a 45-degree angle. You had to drop the passenger seat forward to open it, but the thing was huge. I put my emergency road flares in there, as well as jumper cables, my manual, and a first aid kit. In the 370, they chopped the rear off so that it's vertical instead of coming out at an angle. (See pic 4.) The result is that there's a little 'drawer' that pulls out at an angle that's more like a little file folder. There's now an open shelf behind the passenger seat as a result of making the rear compartment vertical. That's fine and well if you want to just put stuff on top of it. But I won't ever put anything on top of it. Call me crazy, but I don't like to have anything unsecured in my car, because in an accident, loose items become projectiles that could cause injury. Heck, forget about accidents -- just spirited driving could cause issues with anything that's just sitting loose on the shelf. Ah...but there's now a real glove box, you say? That brings me to my final quibble.

- The glove box is a nice touch, but it's also a bit of a joke. Check out pics 5, 6, and 7 below. In the first one, the glove box is closed. Looks big, doesn't it? But open it up, and it's not nearly as roomy as one might have assumed. To give a better sense of scale, in the last photo, I threw my key fob in. Keep in mind that the key fob is pretty small.

So that's pretty much it for now. The gripes that I have are indeed just minor quibbles. None of them make me regret getting the 370. None of them make me want to take a 350 over a 370. I love the updated look of the exterior, and I really really like the new blue! (See last pic.)

Test drove a 370Z Touring 6MT today - no sports package though...

The car was very responsive. Acceleration was good. Felt a little jumpy at slow speeds, but the harder it is driven, the better things get. Could just be me getting use to the clutch and not having driven a manual in a while.

The clutch was very soft and light, but engages nicely and does not take much rpm.

The rider was comfortable - more than I expected. Braking was confident. Steering was a little heavy, but tight. Overall, my impression of the drive and performance is great.

I am looking forward to getting mine. Like another forum memer said, it will be hard to follow the recommended break-in rules: no hard acceleration, rpms < 4000, etc.

:driving:

Test drive
 

I test drove the 370Z today, it had the touring package with an AT. I was comparing the experience to my modded SKY RL and have come up with a pro and con list compared to the SKY.

Pro:
Sweet cornering, no body roll whatsoever, very tight. The guy who rode along was really cool and pointed us to some nice curvy back roads. Loved the corners in the 370Z. My Sky is good in the corners but I believe it is beaten hands down.

Nice and quiet in terms of rattles, squeaks etc. Communicates high quality build to me. (I really dislike rattles behind the dash).

Interior is very nice quality and I felt integrated into the vehicle rather than just sitting there.

Actually less blind spots in the 370Z than the SKY.

Con:
I still like the looks of the SKY but the 370Z is definitly hot as well.

My SKY (as modded) has 289HP at the rear wheels as measured on a dyno....... it is faster than the 370Z, but the 370Z has juice, I just need to figure out how to mod the vehicle to bump up the performance a bit.

Conclusion:

I'm buying the 370Z due to its build quality, level of sophistication, looks and it's "out of the box" performance (I'll be following perfomance modding on the forum too) :tup:

My two cents...
 

I took one for a short drive yesterday. It was a touring 6mt with no sport package so no synchro rev match.

It only had 22 miles on it so no balls-to-the-wall acceleration tests.

This is in comparison to my 07 350z.

Clutch:
The clutch is very light, like others have said. It seems to have some compound resistance to it - like a compound bow action. The pressure required for the travel is not linear. Tt is a bit harder at first and then towards mid-stroke, it takes less pressure to continue and less pressure to hold it down you can feel it reach this point on the way down and on teh way up. The clutch is very grabby, which is good.

Engine:
The engine is smooth, smooth, smooth - Did I mention Smooth? At idle, you don't even know its on. I suppose this is thanks to VVEL - you get a conservative smoth cam profile at idle and then it changes as you romp on it.

The engine seems to stay at an RPM between shifts before winding down. This is kinda weird, but easy to get used to - it just does it. The car accelerates like a sports car should. Even with moderate throttle, the RPMs pick up fast. I think the shorter gearing helps a LOT. even though it's only a little shorter.

Engine sounds - Nissan finally learned what BMW did 10 years ago - most people prefer some intake noise to exhaust noise. When you romp on it, you hear the intakes - great sound!

Chassis:
Friggin A... This is where the advantage is - the entire car is just measureably more solid than the old car. Feels like my 97 M3 that I used to have (finally!). The doors and trunk shut with a thud! Even with the windows down. If I shut the door of my 350 with the windows down, it sounds like the glass is gonna shatter! The 370 corners very flat. The ride is firm, yet compliant. It is definitely more luxurious than the 350. The seats feel more substantial and more supportive than the 350. LOVE the faux suade ion the seats - definitely holds you in place more. Seat heater work MUCH better than in the 350. GET THE NAV PACKAGE!!!!!! The hvac controls are much nicer and there is full voice recognition to enter an adress or to find a local gas station or starbucks or whatever you need. Not full business listings, but pretty close. In the 350 nav, there is no voice recognition and you have to pull over and stop to use the dammm thing - very irritating. The Nav is touch-screen as well, which is just intuitive for the iPhone generation of device users.

Brakes seemed very solid, but can't say much since I was not able to use them aggressively.

In the 350, when I am on the brakes and have the clutch depressed, I can feel the mechanical uperation of the windshield wipers through my feet!!! not so in the 370. It's just that much more solid.

Tons of tire noise and I was not even in the sport package with the wide tires. There's not much wind noise on the freeway - it's all tire noise. That's the dominant sound driving down the road - much worse than the 350.

I did not notice the blind spots at all, but I did not have to back up - I am sure they suck for backing up in a parking lot.

The biggest disappointment was the lack of a sunglasses compartment on the roof. Why no holder for the z34? That's just lame. I guess it got cut trying to keep the cost down? Or trying to fit that dip on the roof to make it technically shorter than a 350?? That was one of my favorite things on my 350.

I think that in almost way, this is a superior car than the 350. There are some look blemishes that I hope they'll fix - I don't mind the digital readout in the left gauge pod, but the face of it should not be aluminum - paint the damm thing black! I still don't like the flat-spots on the edge of the fenders, but not much I can do about that - this is what you get when you take a larger FM platform and try to squeeze a sports-car body onto it. The car feels much larger from inside and the dash feels like a wall in front of me - it is much taller and upright - but I still like it. The hood is also quite high looking out the windshield.

The 350 cockpit feels sportier by far - the dash is low and it is a sort of waterfall swoopy shape - very nice. The 370 cockpit feels more upright and luxurious - like a G37. Not a bad thing, just not as low and as sporty feeling.

This is the same platform found in the G37 and Murano and FX Infinitis and other cars. They were able to shorten the length for the 370z, but they can't reduce the height and it's evident from inside. For the $$ this car is a steal and had I not bought an 07, I would buy this 370 hands-down, no question.

But, I'd have to be prepared to throw away $10k to get myself into a 370 and that's not the best use on my $$, which brings me to my onlly other gripe about Nissans - resale value SUCKS!!!.. I know, there's a new body style now and that's part of it, but only a small part ($3k?), but I paid over $40k for my car in 07 and now it's worth $26k to a private-party and less than that as a trade-in (obviously).

I can say that my 97 M3 did not suffer NEAR this much depreciation when the e46 M3 came out. It was always worth more than I owed with similar $$ down and Interest, etc. Not so with the Z. Too bad.

I may pick up a z34 this summer. I eventually want to go FI, but if I am going to sink that much $$ into a car, I am going to sink it into a Z34 platform - not a z33.

For now, I think my 292 WHP 257 WTQ 350z will keep me occipied. I still have to tune it and am hoping for 315 WHP.