My thoughts on the 370z

mliebs

A little background on myself first. I'm 52 years old and have always driven either sports cars or something else pretty nice. In the last 10 years I've had a C5 and C6 Corvette, BMW 328i, Mercedes C300 and a Camaro SS/RS. I knew buying the 370z I was getting something that hadn't really been updated in awhile and was sitting with some pretty tough competition at it's price point but I've always like the looks of the car so I thought why not.

I see threads all over the internet on the 370z vs this, that, and the other. Some of the things I've read have been true and others seem to be more of a reach vs reality IMO. I traded in my 2013 Camaro SS/RS on the 370z so I was coming from a higher horsepower car that gets great reviews to a lesser HP car that doesn't see many reviews at this point.

The interior in the Camaro was pretty nice. The seats were heated with leather and the door panels really set the car off (especially at night). The interior in the Vettes, BMW (I had the M sport package), and Mercedes all seem a little higher end and more pleasing to look at. If the 370z Sport Tech had leather seats and matching door panels I think it would put it more inline with the other cars. However for me the seats in the 370 seem to be a weak point in the car.

Performance wise it's pretty clear the C6 is at the top of the cars listed above and the C5 is probably right behind it. The Camaro has plenty of HP but the car has a chunky feel to it. I've been on a few country roads and really got on the Camaro and it felt powerful but it also felt like the steering wasn't very stable. The 370z on the other hand has excellent steering and almost feels like it's on rails. The only other car I had that had a similar feel was a Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 that I purchased new in 92'. I really haven't gotten on the 370 yet because I'm trying to keep it under 5K rpm's for a little while but the car seems to be pretty quick and I'm more than happy with the power.

Overall comfort is something that's subjective. My Vettes had quite a bit of road noise so I replaced the shocks on both of them with Bilstein's and it really helped. I also ditched the RFP's to help with the ride. The Camaro on the other hand was pretty quiet inside and the ride was pretty impressive for a sports car but that's probably why it felt a little unstable. The 370 on the other hand has a ton of road noise and it almost made me back out of buying it. It was raining yesterday and I couldn't really even use the bluetooth for my phone because it was so loud in the car.

I love the way Vettes look. I've owned a C4, C5, and C6. For me nothing makes me smile like a Vette but at this point I don't want to pony up the money for a C7 and I've already had a C6 so it was time to move on. The Camaro looks blocky/chunky and it feels that way when your driving it. The 370z on the other hand is in it's wheel house when it comes to this. I love the way the car looks. Every time I look at the car it makes me smile and I think to myself damn that car looks sweet.

It's pretty obvious I'm a big Corvette fan as the picture below shows but I'm really happy with my purchase. The Camaro has more power and the interior is superior to the 370 (power seats, leather, heaters, lumbar) but the overall feel of the car is lacking in a big way. I paid 6K less for my 370 than I did for the Camaro so it's really hard to give the Camaro any Kudos when I could do a ton of work to the z for the same money.

My overall impression of the 370 is that it's built for driving. By that I mean it wants to be driven into the corners a little harder and it doesn't want to take 8 seconds to get up to 60 mph. This is a true SPORTS CAR. It's a 2 seater that's lacking some of the bells and whistles but it's also lacking the higher price tag. It's the type of car that demands interaction from it's driver and gives feedback accordingly. Anyway, that's the way I see it.

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Magic Bus

Welcome to the Z family and thank you for your very honest review. Dynamtting the rear hatch and doors then changing out tires when the time comes, will reduce quite a bit of the road noise. Enjoy your Z!

TexasChuck

Nice write up. I'm a little older than you (& Houston) and I had no previous sport car to compare the 370 to. So this is good. I too, am very happy with my choice and get lots of comments. The seats ARE weak. I bought a really top quality "seat" cushion with aluminum frame, etc. And it made all the difference.
I'm head to the mountains of NE Georgia & west NC next week when this rain gets outta here......for one reason....To Drive!
Best Wishes,
TxChuck
Clear Lake Area

AntiVenom

good review. never having owned any vettes I can't comment to much in way of comparison, however I switched after having two BMWs 535i and 335i; in that order.

one of the reasons I fell in love with it was exactly the point you mentioned at the end. it felt simple (non-nav model) and small (no rear seats and my head sits a lot closer to the roof) on the inside which to me is the essence of a sports car interior, despite most makers departing from this as of late. It reminded me in a lot of ways of my 94 RX7 (which I regret selling) with a few more creature comforts; like a cupholder and heated seats.

More importantly it drives like a sports car should. Handling is stable and predictable. You feel connected to the road in all the right ways.

glad to hear you are enjoying it. you could always use the 6k you saved and slap a Stillen SC on there. you'll miss that Chevy HP a little less.

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cooltoy

Switching you stock tires for better tires will improve road noise. And getting an aftermarket exhaust will give you something better to listen to.

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edk370

I drove a C4 and thought the cockpit was claustrophobic. That car was a poor design imo. The ride was harsh in the C4 too. I drove a C5 Z06 and that was fast car. The C5 is night and day more comfortable than the C4. I drove a C6 base trim and thought that was about as fast as the C5 Z06. I drove a 2002 Viper and that was a very fast car.

You didn't compare the ride of the 370 to the Vette(s) you owned.

alcheng

did you get a ticket because of parking in a restricted parking spot???

mliebs

just a warning ticket

Firebase99

Welcome! Funny you wrote this. I myself, just yesterday posted this in a different thread..."This is well said. I agree 100%. Ive been behind the wheel of Mustangs, Camaro's, at the track in Sebring, a couple friends who drive them as DD, and yes they are fine vehicles. Admittedly, brutally quick too. That being said, what makes the Z...special lets say, to me is the intimacy factor of being connected to FD/RWD 2 seat small coupe with a decent amount of power. Thats intoxicating to me. Something the big, brawny muscle cars could never offer me."

Z-Girl 12

Nice write up!

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Japanjay

If you haven't gotten above 5k you haven't gotten to where the 370z shines. She just starts to stretch her legs at 5k.... A nice exhaust and get her up to redline.

ta-kid

Well I owned a C6 Z06 for a couple years and the Goodyear run flats on it were twice as loud as the Brigs on my Vert 370Z.One of the reasons I bought the 370Z vert was I was impressed how quiet it was ,even with the top down.At 60 MPH I can talk in a normal voice to my wife ,even with the top down.Yes the vette was way more powerful but not half as comfortable as this Nissan sports car.On a second note ,the BOSE stereo in the vette sucked.Nothing like the Nissan version.

mliebs

The C4's had a pretty harsh ride but the C5's design was a little different and it helped smooth the car out. My C6 had the Z51 package so the suspension was stiffer but it had the performance rear gearing in it so off the line is was really quick. I bought the C4 a couple years after they came out and at the time it was a really raw feeling car and the HP was horrible, even with the TPI instead of the original CI. The actual ride is subjective and depends on the person. I changed the shocks and tires on both the C5 and C6 to help smooth the cars out but I went too far on the C5. On the C5 I installed Bilstein shocks and General UHP's and it ended up being a Camry (not that bad but the car lost it's feel). Going off memory I'd say the ride of the 370 is more inline with the C6 (after the shock and tire change) rather than the C5. What is really noticeable on the 370 is the lack of body roll when turning corners. Overall I think the ride of the 370 is comfortable and the car has an excellent connected feeling.

When it's time for tires I need to get something that will help quiet the car down a little but still keep that connected feeling. I could probably turn this car into a Camry with the wrong shock and tire choice just like I did with the C5 but that's not what the cars about IMO. My wife was driving last night and I had a chance to sit in the passenger seat for a nice 25 mile ride down the freeway and I thought the 370 was extremely comfortable.

If you could have ridden in my C6 with the original Z51 shocks and half worn RFT's you'd know what harsh and loud really is LOL. I'm not kidding when I say that every line in the freeway made a slapping sound. Running over anything bigger than a cigarette butt felt like you hit a 2x4. At some point a line needs to drawn when it comes to performance and comfort for a daily driver. I like the ride and handling of the 370 and won't be doing anything to change it. It's hard to compare a car like the C6 to a 370 because it's not really apples to apples.

I was hesitant to even post my thoughts on this because it's hard to compare cars from totally different price points.

takjak2

Thanks for taking the time to make your write up. I can agree that the cloth seats aren't impressive compared to today's other offerings. But it does sound like you'd benefit from swapping in the heated leather touring seats. I have a slightly worn pair I'm looking to sell. Pm me if you'd be interested.

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tnav

Nice to read a nice little narrative, welcome to the Z club!

Seats: I can't wait to replace them, they are very uncomfortable for me.
Mods: You're correct, after you spend another $5k, you have one hell of a Z. Make a performance exhaust your 1st upgrade

Z is a drivers car, I've said it many times, unless I upgrade to a Porsche 911 S, I can't imagine replacing it with anything else