It's a little bitty motor. It needs to rev and it's not going to make power under 3K rpm without some form of FI. Just the facts of nature and technology can only overcome so much of it. I was personally very impressed with the 370Z's I have driven. The gearing makes up for a LOT I think, and it really is pretty peppy down low compared to what I expected.

Great review! Why did you not get an m3 or 911? Faster than the z yet more driver involvement than the gtr

So...
When should I be expecting a badass TT Build?!
:D

Nice write up..as i seen my friend's GTR all the time i still love my Z..like u said it's all personal each of its own taste (^_^)

Good review. If I *really* wanted to I probably could have gotten a GTR myself but the cost of insurance probably would have put me over the edge and I would have had to do so at some financial hardship. That being said I just can't imagine myself having more fun than i have in my 370z in a car that has no clutch. I get the need for having faster shifts but IMHO nothing beats the feel of of controlling the car (and the fun of driving) then when your driving a regular manual transmission.

This is one of the reasons I always have the synchro rev match disabled. Its a nice feature but manually doing everything is a big part of the 'fun factor' of driving for me.

As much as I agree with the OP here in what he wants from the car and the Z delivering.. lets not turn into HR 350z owners, lmao

the GTR is a beast of a machine, that is MUCH faster and handles MUCH better than our Zs... think about all the auto guys who love there 370z just as much as us manual guys.. I couldnt afford a GTR but if i could I wouldnt buy it due to the lack of a true manual.. I would go the Porshce route.. BUT after driving a scuderia for just 8 laps around the track I would of been more than pleased with that tranny... If the GTR's DCT is as good or better than the scuderia's I think a lot of us would be suprised at how good and fun they could be.

The awd and incredible traction of the gtr also kills some of the "fun" , But to me throwing a tune and downpipes/exhaust and going down the 1/4 in 11.2-10.8 is certainly something I could have fun doing...

Give me a TT 370z , which I couldnt logically do because of possible engine failure down the line, diminished life of all your drivetrain parts, and excessive costs to repair things , and I would be about as happy as I would be in any higher end sports car..

GTR>370z GTR=370Z TT IMO , that is why OP is throwing rims and a turbo on it , in what seems like before the engine breaks 5k miles, ha.

Good write up though... The few times I was in a GTR the car blew my mind, its interesting to here that from you who has owned one that was modded as well...

Tune and downpipes in a friends went 11.2 with 1,500 miles on the car.. I went for a ride and left that car with a whole new outlook on how "slow" my car really was haha

This just doesn't compute.

great thread! thanks for the review

Nitrouz, Great review, I agree 100% with your assessment/ comparison of the two highest level Nissan sports cars.
Being contracted to be one of the first few in the country to do a track and street test with the R35 GT-R. I am well aware of the almost boring yet quick and accurate, "point and shoot" ways of the GT-R.
The Z has its inherent track problems as well (most of them well documented), but that is a whole other story for another time.

This is a great, honest, and raw right up. Thanks

Thanks for sharing nitrouz. I can completely see where you are coming from. I know it's not in the same league but I had to really do research about the Z before I sold my S2000. Thinking that the Z may be too much power to safely have fun with on the street. But now that I have had the Z it's definitely the perfect mix of power, fun, and streetability.

The 370z only pulls really hard up top compared to the stock 350Z DE. Keep in mind I had the 35th anniversary, and it came with the second generation DE engine that had a slight 14hp power bump and rev'ed up to 7krpms. The stock 350Z feels a little faster daily driving, due to the big hump of torque in the low-midrange compared to the 370z. But if you wind through all the gears, I'm sure the 370Z is faster.

Nice write up alex, thank you

Then get the oil cooler for sustained revving.

You are correct as I did consider exactly those 2 cars as well for my DD. Here were my reasoning...

M3 - I test drove it, and it feels softer than the E46, which I prefer. Although it has a lot of power, it's a very....."finesse" type of driving feel. This is very subjective, but I personally hate how the interior of the M3 and the 3-series in general...so much plastic! And plastic looks like plastic! I also did not like the fact that I'm shelling out $80k (I'm in Canada) and I look almost exactly like a 328i. I just don't like BMW's in general, although we have a 330xi at home for those snowy days.

911 - This is easy. The GTR's performance benchmark was the 911 turbo. So why would I go from a 911 turbo to a base 911 or a 911S, while paying MORE money? I wouldn't mind getting a 911 turbo, but I'm not interested in 911 or 911s at all. I used to be, but not so much anymore after a test drive. Yes it's involved. Yes it's twitchy, but it feels too much like a "downgrade", whereas the Z is completely different from a GTR in driving feel and features. So I decided to save myself the $50k on my DD and spend on my weekend car.

Aside from these, I also considered an S5 coupe. Again, this is when my "practicality" kicks in...same reason I bought the GTR in the first place. AWD, back seats, big trunk, nice interior, etc. Even though it comes in a manual tranny, it's too direct a comparison with the GTR, and I would feel like I've taken a huge step back in performance, while losing money on the trade. Doesn't make sense to me.

The Z makes the most sense to me with its performance, features, styling, and fun, while being more than financially reasonable. Makes the most sense as a DD.

With the GTR, or any other $90k+ car, you cannot play with it in a "budget". Maintenance in the GTR doesn't cost as much as some may think, but when something breaks and YOU have to pay for it.....you be better be prepared.

I know the grass is always greener on the other side, but I just wanted to at least give you guys my OPINION as I went to GTR land and came back, even though I can comfortably live with the GTR in my stable financially.