Road & Track gets it wrong
 

In the Porsche Cayman S vs. Nissan 370Z article in the April issue of Road & Track (discussed here: http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-g...-cayman-s.html), they show a photo of the fuel gauge cluster of the 370Z, along with the following comment about the Z's interior: "Our only complaint pertains to the dimly lit fuel and coolant gauges, which are difficult to see 90 percent of the time." This is on page 45 of the hard copy.

Well there's just one problem. The photo they published doesn't show the production version of the gauge! Here's the photo they used:

http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...rcent-time.jpg

Here's the REAL thing:

http://www.the370z.com/members/semte...vous-error.jpg

I just emailed them the following letter:

The photo of the 370Z's fuel gauge on page 45 is not an accurate representation of the fuel gauge in production models that customers are actually buying. Either Nissan gave you a pre-production model to do your testing with, or you're using an old stock image. Either way, your "only complaint" about the 370Z's interior is predicated on a straw man. The production version has the area around the LEDs blacked out, precisely to make it easier to see the fuel and water temp levels, as shown in this picture from my own 370Z:

[Then I pasted in my photo for them here -- the same one right above.]

Sheesh this irritates me. Don't get me wrong; I know the cluster isn't perfect and could use some improvement. But if you're going to knock something, don't use fake evidence to make your case. That's just lame.

You just owned them. Well done.

wow that's huge

You'd have to admit some analog gauges woulda been nicer. Hi tech is sometimes sooooo lame. R&T are idoits nevertheless.

i dont get it... u turned off ur car and took the pic, but they had the car on (except engine)??

The little dots are different on production z.

On the production Z, the LEDs are nested within a black strip so that the lights contrast against the black. On the pre-production models, there's no black strip, and the lights don't contrast well against the silver face. So R&T complains that it's hard to see the lights and uses a picture of the pre-prod version to make their case. Compare the two pics I posted again and you'll see what I mean about the black strips.

oh THAT! it's not like it's gonna make a huge difference. but yes they got a pre-production car

I must have the pre-production car :)

oh i like how they have a little arrow pointing to where the gas cap location is.

You mean the arrow that points to which side of the car it's on? I think all cars have that. I know my wife's Murano has it, and any time I rent a car on business I look for the arrow when it's time to fill it up for return. And I'm usually given Fords when I rent.

Good catch.

yes, that black strips def helps. During night time driving, I have 0 visibility issue. During the day, it's not too bad with the black strip. It gives better contrast. But I can def see how it can be harder to see in the day if it was just silver. Good catch! :tup:

ah.
i guess i never caught that in any cars.
gonna check mine tomorrow.

did R&T reply yet...lol

I wanna see what they respond with...........that's good you owned them..lol

I have the Sept 2002 R&T magazine with a full section on the 03 Z....lol......collectible

Nice ownage http://www.camaro5.com/forums/images.../happy0180.gif

I know Car & Driver had almost the exact same write up and they said,

I tried to proof read all that and I think I quoted it word for word. :D

I know that Road & Track and Car and Driver are both owned by Hachette Filipacchi Media, so I imagine it was the same car.

Should use a picture with the car turned on for comparison.

Nice, though.

You know, truth be told, I suspect that Nissan gave R&T a pre-prod test car to use, so really it's Nissan's own fault. I just finished reading the comparo of the Z with the RX-8, 135i, and Solstice GXP in Car and Driver, and in the article they specifically referenced the 'test car' they were using. Sure enough, it too is missing the black inlay around the LEDs. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if I got graded on a rough draft of an essay instead of the final draft and I lost marks for spelling mistakes, I'd be pretty pissed (assuming those spelling mistakes were corrected in the final draft). But if I had submitted the rough draft instead of the final one, I'd have only myself to blame for the poor grade.

That all having been said, I wonder how often this happens. Like how many of the reviews written up by car mags are actually based on pre-production versions of vehicles? Because these write-ups influence people's buying decisions. And keep in mind that the inaccuracies can go either way. Like in this instance, they slagged Nissan for an issue that's been addressed in the production vehicles. Well, they could just as easily heap praise on a test vehicle for an attribute that is subsequently removed in production vehicles, with the buyers getting 'bait and switched'. It's a little unsettling.

If the review was important to a buyer, you would think they would check the issues\praises when they had a test drive. Anyone that relies on a magazine article as the final say on a car they are interested in purchasing is an idiot.

The article should of said it is hard to read 10% of the time. I don't see why people are having trouble seeing this. I looked down, check the fuel level and check the water temp and look back up. I've only noticed the sun really impair the gauge once. One thing I do like is that when you have 43 or 42 miles left in your gas tank the entire gauge lights up letting you know. You can't miss it.

Yes, but what about those who rule out even going for a test drive because of something they read in an article? You're assuming they make it as far as taking a test drive.

but really, who cares?

IMHO magazines are just to make people feel better about their choices. u go read articles where Z prevails, others go read articles where Cayman does or Corolla... who gives a dang!

So, you only read articles about cars you already own?

my only real gripe with the 370 is that goofy gauge/screen and the clock. i liked the little computer thing on the 350, and wish they hadn't gotten rid of it. and i would prefer traditional gauges on the left pod. although I have a feeling this will be one of the changes a couple years in, but I don't think I'll be willing to wait that long for something so small. If that does happen, hopefully it is something that can be swapped out in the earlier cars.

i dont read magazines really... i hate reading, i see pictures. but search around car forums everyone gets super excited about "hey our car wins" lol whatever that means :)

when i buy a car i test drive it quite a few times, go online and find a forum (like im doing here, G35 driver, 6MT.net, E90post, M3post, etc.) read and get all info i need. this way i know people are biased so i can filter that out, i read about real problems, and i get to meet cool car whores like me and know what im getting into

^LOL. Whatever works for you, dude. I'm pretty much the opposite. I read about cars that I'd never want to buy, just for the sake of reading about cars. When I think I might want to buy a certain car, I start reading through all the reviews as part of my preliminary research. I'd never make a final purchasing decision based on reviews alone, mind you. Really I'm just looking for preliminary red flags. If I see a red flag, then I know not to waste my time with a test drive and dealing with salespeople. I'll give you an example. I was actually considering the G8 GXP as well as the 370Z. Then I read that the G8 has the annoying skip-shift feature that GM puts in so many of its cars. That right there told me I needn't bother with a test drive, because that's one 'feature' I wouldn't tolerate.

But like I said, whatever works for you. Different strokes, different folks.

Interesting.

[QUOTE=semtex;38339I was actually considering the G8 GXP as well as the 370Z. Then I read that the G8 has the annoying skip-shift feature that GM puts in so many of its cars. That right there told me I needn't bother with a test drive, because that's one 'feature' I wouldn't tolerate.

[/QUOTE]

GM's skip shift is very easy to defeat/disable. At least it has always been that way on the Camaro/Firebird, Corvette, and GTO. That alone should not keep you from considering the G8 GXP. The price, on the other hand...

Then they're idiots and get whatever comes their way. If the reviewer was making half the payment, I would value their opinion. Otherwise, it's just a fun read as far as I'm concerned. I don't care if the entire city hates it as long as I like it.

+1 Screw those guys that don't like my fine fine ride! :mad:

http://crazyabouttv.com/Images/beverlyhillbillies.jpg

Wow feel sorry for you....a tuner can take 50 buck and 5 minute to program that out or you can just rev past 3001 rpm and it will got to second or third..

The GXP is an extrordinary 4 door beast. with handling and braking to outdo the M3 the current M3 not the 335 turbo like m3..

A real car guy would know the skip shift hardly interferes....its for put puting around.. so you save gas..if you even 1/3 into the throttle it doesn't even activate.

I know GM's and the LSx 1-4 skip shift is more miniscul than the guage comment. of the 370Z

ya know they even make a inline harness to wire it out for a few dollars less.


this skipshift allowed many GM' big HP cars to aviod the gas guzzler tax in 6 speed form.

however i think it did't matter on the GXp 415crank HP. big car, big engine ..ok gas milage.

Price is what kept me away....a GT with 6.0 liter can be had for 28 otd and the 6.2 enhanhed brake and suspension goes for 10k more.....hell any car guy can do better than that... i could surpass/match the GXp in every category and have 4 grand left over for
other hobbies.

That was unnecessary. This is not a flame board. Check yourself.

While I think his choice of words may have been a bit out of line, he is correct: the skip shift "feature" has been around for years on GM manuals. It took a $25 resistor kit from SLP, 5 minutes of work, and blam - no more skip shift. 2 minutes of googling could have solved his conundrum.

Not everyone knows this, but it pays to actually RESEARCH a car before you draw conclusions. I think a perfect example of this, is saying the 370Z is a track star right from the factory because it pulls .98g on the skid and has good power/big brakes. But, oh, theres that pesky overheating problem after 10-20 minutes of HPDE...well, guess I shouldn't get the 370Z!

^While I absolutely am a +1 for research, I think that was an absolutely unnecessary choice of words. Not only that but Semtex said

and this is not a Pontiac forum. I didn't know about the skip shift feature on the G8 GXP because I don't have much of a taste for GM products.While the 370Z may have issues such as a needed oil cooler (devils advocate), I can see the rational of Semtex by not wanting to have to mod a car straight out of the factory because of a stock transmission issue, despite how easy that mod may be. Not to mention this thread is about R&T writing about a pre-production cluster gauge.

Now back on topic.

Good point.

Stupid pre-production gauges! DAMN YOU ROAD AND TRACK! *shakes fist*

I'm just getting caught up with this thread. Regarding how easy it is to by-pass the skip-shift feature on GMs, I don't mind if you Pontiac guys want to flame me for not knowing how easy it is to bypass the thing. Because this actually goes to support the point I was trying to make, which is that magazines can unduly influence a person's purchasing decision by publishing half-baked information. Be it by printing a picture of a pre-prod gauge cluster, or by making a huge deal out of something that is easily bypassed (and not telling readers that it's simple to bypass), these magazine writers do us all a disservice. We need to take what we read in these car mags with a grain of salt -- myself included -- that's all I'm trying to say.

And you sir, are very correct on that. I think this is the perfect time to note that doing even more research on your own can find out a lot more on your own sometimes, than relying on some magazine author who, really is more than likely an amateur himself who just happens to be able to write well ;).

BTW, my research comment wasnt directed at you, FWIW - it was more a blanket statement. EVERYONE should research ANY vehicle they're interested in purchasing, and others too, when they go shopping. Just more ammo to use in the haggling game.

Yo! i wasn't faming. i was giving you the facts. One test drive of the GXp( which is a great car by the way) and you'd know its not a nuisance.

Granted on the magazine report. But it was to show GM got around the gas guzzler tax.


and the skipshift is not just a pontiac, its on my Vette and my GTO and my sold SS.
and on the Cts-v.

Yep, I know it's on other GMs, and I agree with your point. I could've test driven the car and my reservations would have been laid to rest. But here's the thing -- I LOVE cars, which means a LOT of cars interest me. I just don't have the time to test drive every car that grabs my attention. Plus, I hate dealing with car salespeople. :rolleyes: Hence I try to do a preliminary 'weeding out' via magazine write-ups. I'm kinda presuming that most people are like me, but maybe I'm way off-base on that. Maybe most people do in fact take the time to test drive a dozen different cars before making a decision. Of course, now that I think about it, I am kinda impatient when it comes to major purchases. Take my house for instance. It was only the second house my realtor took my wife and me to. She showed us around, was only 5 minutes into her tour, and we said 'blah blah blah, okay enough already, we'll take it. We have places to be'. Pretty bad, huh? :p