My Review: Nissan 370Z vs. Nissan GTR
 

***Disclaimer: I cannot emphasize the word "MY" in the thread title enough***

Now that I've had my 370z for a week, driving daily, ripping in curves, driving in city traffic, I finally have a feel of not only driving the car, but OWNING it. Please keep in mind that my last vehicle is a 2009 Nissan GTR, with pretty much full turboback straight pipes, HKS hard pipes and dual SSQV, AAM intakes, suspension, Volk GT30's, Cobb custom tune, and a bunch of other misc. mods. All simple mods, but all things that GTR responds well to. As many of you know, I traded in my GTR of 2 1/2 years for the 370z due to the "fun factor". Now let's see if it lived up to my expectations.

First of all, my background. I work in a corporate environment. I work on average 12 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. I'm just a few months shy of 30. Now this just means that I still want to have fun, but sometimes do not have the time to do so. I do love the track, but unfortunately due to my work, my opportunities are limited to 4-5 trackdays a year. That means 95% of my driving is done on the street.

Ok now that we got that out of the way, I first purchased the GTR after I sold my 420z-tt. This was a fully built, GTM sponsored, Methanol inhaling, fire spitting, stroked motor twin turbo 350Z. Needless to say I spent a fortune on that car. Enough to buy a Ferrari. Somewhere in that build, the fun of horsepower decreased and the hassle of maintenance increased. GTM did a beautiful and flawless build on the car. Just that with any car built to that extent, you'd always have to watch the gauges, listen to noises, etc, to a point where you cannot just simply enjoy the raw fun of driving. I also had a couple of other cars at the time as DD's. So I decided to buy a GTR. High power, unique, reliable, AWD, can handle the occasional snow day here in Canada, dual-clutch with auto mode, etc. Perfect. Unfortunately the trade-off was that other than on the track, the car was boring. Too stable. If I wanted to have fun on the streets, it'd be at speeds that I can go to jail for, which I'm not about to do.

In comes the 370Z.

Performance - Obviously, performance is not in the same league as the GTR. I don't care if you have a 800whp Z, you're not beating a 500whp GTR from a stop or on a track. Period. From a roll, horsepower wins. but other than that, you might as well go home. The main strength of the GTR was not the power. It was not the AWD. It was not the DCT. It was a combination of all of them. The only strength of the GTR, if I can only name 1, is its consistency. It's a sniper. One shot, and the job is done. No drama, no bs. The Z is slower of course. I feel that even free revving, the Z feels very laggy in comparison. It stops slower, and gives a lot less confidence in the corners. Given the 45 degree weather we have here, the tires are so cold it does not grip. I still ripped it through some back roads, and I actually feel how slow I shift compared to the GTR's DCT. The Z's Syncro-Revmatch is awesome though for those lazy days.

Exterior - This is subjective. But I prefer the Z. So does my gf who loved the GTR as well. Yes the GTR is blunt, it has a presence. But have you noticed...that no matter who put what bodykit on a GTR, hell even a widebody kit, all GTR's look the same? The Z is not as "iconic", therefore its identity can be skewed a lot easier by the owner's efforts, if that makes sense. With a few mods here and there, the Z can really be "your own". Whereas the GTR is still "Mizuno's own". :p

Interior - This goes to the Z as well. The GTR has a lot more interior functionality, sure. It has 4 seats. It has all customizable gauge displays in the center concole. It has more supple leather as well. However, the Z's interior has a lot less plastic, at least that's how it FEELS. I love the black headliner, as it makes the interior a lot more "roomy" feeling. The GTR is like a pair of really like Tom Ford sunglasses. Chic, well displayed, good looking, etc. Whereas the Z's interior is like a pair of Oakleys. Simplistic, but WRAPS AROUND YOU. Get's to the point. I prefer that when I'm driving. I like the cockpit feel of the Z over the relatively luxurious interior of the GTR.

Aftermarket - With relation to my comment above, the Z is a lot more "customizable" due to its lack of iconic presence, relative to the GTR. And of course, all the parts are at a FRACTION of the price of those for the GTR. I got a lot of my exterior simple mods done for only $10k on the Z, whereas for the GTR, that buys you maybe a full amuse turboback exhaust.

Comfort - The Z's suspension is VERY soft compared to the GTR. It's a lot more comfortable to drive the Z in town than the GTR. It's also not as wide or long as the GTR, so parking is easy. The Z has a lot more road noise though coming from the hatch. The GTR's seats are a little more supportive, but I like the lumbar support of the Z's seats. The GTR needs that.

Attention - The Z gets pretty much 0 attention compared to the GTR. But that just means I fly under the radar. I loved the attention of the GTR for the first month of ownership, but since then I've beend dreading it. What's the world coming to when a man cannot even pick his own nose in his own car without being seen? :roflpuke2:

With all the above, what does that translate to? I love the exterior and interior of the Z, even though it lacks performance. I shift a lot slower than the GTR's DCT, but MAN is this fun! Dump the clutch at 3.5k rpms and let the fun begin! This is something that no DCT nor auto tranny's will be able to have. After getting suspension upgraded, and a pair of snails, and some exterior parts, the Z will be a car of "my own", and something that I know I will enjoy more than the GTR. So what if I'm not the fastest? So what if I'm not the rarest? At least I'm having fun. At the end of the day, isn't that what it's all about?

If you're read up to this point, thanks for your patience. Wish you all a great New Year. I know mine is. :driving:

Alex

I can't relate to any of the above from personal experience except to say that yes, I do stare at GT-R's when I see them much more than Z's.

I am glad you are liking your 370Z! I personally wouldn't have done it, but that's why it's your $$ and not mine. Props to you!

Thanks a lot for the honest review! I have often heard the GTR referred to as a 'Dude Magnet', because its only dudes who run up to you at gas stations.

Regardless, I have been considering one, and your writeup takes it off of my short list. I think we have similar driving tendencies, although I might track a little more often than you, but you have removed that tempatation for me. I would hate to spend that much on a car and be disappointed in short order.

:tup:

:stirthepot:

Op- Sounds like you are finally *driving* your car. :D

Nice review, I enjoyed it. I can't wait to see pics of your modded z

Thanks Mike. If you track a lot, you wouldn't be disappointed by the GTR. Don't get me wrong I was not disappointed by the GTR. It just was not for me. There are tons of people enjoying the heck out of their GTR's right now, but this is just my simple honest review, with my own experience and driving needs. However on the track, it's hard to beat the feeling of driving a nissan past a Scuderia or GT3 RS in a tight turn right before the back straight.

You're right about the "dude magnet" though lol...

Thank you for your clear, concise and well written post.

I am a huge fan of the GTR and they are quite rare in the area where I live, so I still experience the WOW factor when I see one, but like yourself, I love how 'fun' the 370z is.

Reading your review seriously makes me reconsider my pursuit of the GTR and I can say I have shared a similar experience with different vehicles.

I am fortunate enough to have access to a 2008 911 Turbo and a 2009 Aston Marton DB9 regularly and I would make a similar comparisons in terms of looks and fun.

Everyone gawks and stares at the Aston but it is nowhere near as fun to drive as the Porsche....

I look forward to seeing what your car looks like when it's finished....

What a great review. I like the fact you admit right up front it is your opinion. But it is an owners opinion, not some clown reviewer. Someone looking to find a small thing and blow it out of proportion. You undoubtedly did things to improve your car, that few others would, and still you were bored.

It is true that the Z puts the fun back into driving. I think the cockpit feel adds to the experience.

Thanks for the review and for the conclusion of all the excitement your "Trading GTR for 370Z" thread created.

Enjoy that 40th.

your car insurance premium must have dropped by half :)

Great read! Thanks for taking the time to write it up for us. :tup:

I have been warming up to the GTR as I was not a fan at all when it was first released, however I actually like them now and have a healthy respect for what they are capable of. But I can sympathize on having a car that is fun to drive at semi-legal speeds and that much of the Z's capabilities are able to be found at a lower (and more realistic) threshold. I had a 360hp Saab 900 and while it absolutely pulled like a train above 60mph, I just smoked the tires in first and second and that was not fun after a while. I felt like my luck would run out at those speeds and found the Z was much more fun just because I could use the power and handling at lower street speeds.

Nice review, now I will wait for the "Stock 370z vs. TT370z Review." :)

:iagree:

awesome post! great read!

Great read! I'm looking forward to your 350Z->420ZTT comparison. I think the 370Z is much more comfortable, looks great, and pulls pretty hard compared to the DE. My only complaint is lack of power under 3k that I feel that the ECU is holding back after driving the car for awhile.

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.

I agree with this post. That is exactly how I feel about the Z after my supercharged Stang GT, SR20DET 240, and RX8.

A tuned Z (lighter wheels, stickier tires like RE11s, exhaust, intake mods, tune, suspension tweeks) will provide even greater and maybe exceeds Porsche like performance (lesser 911s/Cayman S) for a fraction of the cost. And the Z looks hawt.

My GTR was going 10.7 @ 130 down the 1/4 mile. But seriously...drag racing is SO BORING in the GTR. Launch control, full auto mode. BAM 10.7 everytime. So freaking what? Not like I'm racing brackets for money or I'm getting paid for consistency.

I used to think GTR > 350ztt. Now I'm going backwards. 370ztt>GTR, due to the fun factor. Yes the DCT in the GTR is superior to the F1 tranny of the Scuderia. I've driven the Scud extensively as well. But at the end of the day, you're still pressing a paddle to shift. Yes it's fun being able to put all the power to the ground at every given moment, even in the middle of the 0.2 seconds of shifting. But after a while, when you want to be rebellious at 30mph, just to have some fun fishtailing and drifting through a tight corner? Sorry, can't be done. Actually you can...just mash the gas. But it'll pull you straight through the corner though. On the track, believe me, the GTR would be my first pick. But on the street, I'd pick a 370z or a 370ztt day in and day out. Like I said in my first post, in MY life, I drive 95% on the street, therefore I'm going to a 370Z. But if you drive mostly on the track, by all means, GTR is a choice you will not regret.

Thanks Scott. I'm sure once I hit the track, I'll miss the GTR. But like I said, I'm buying this car with the intention of being a fun street car / DD. Hence my choice. :tup:

This is very subjective as well, but I'm very glad you made the right purchase to feel that way about the Z. I personally think it could use a bit more power. But hey that's why we all mod cars differently and have our own uniqueness as human beings right? :tiphat:

I remember that fire breathing z.

Thanks for the review. Like others I was also looking into the GTR in the future.

I remember when I said screw a GT-R for driving on the street because that is boring after a while just mashing 2 pedals and hitting some flippers and not being able to spin the tires from a 30 punch, and everyone jumped on me because I own a G20. Seems I might have known what I was talking about...

I'll stick with my goal of picking up a Z06, or a 370Z TT, depending on finances, thankyou :)

'grats OP! I am anxious to see the build!

Alex, this is a great thread and your opinions seem very objective - a tough thing to achieve when talking about a car, I think!

I always enjoy hearing what other forum members had before their Z and what they liked about them, or what they are trading their Z for, for that matter! I just like learning about different cars.

I tend to be in a 2-3 year car cycle, so I'm sure I'll be looking at Porsches, GT-Rs, and M3's within a few years, and will probably have to revisit this thread!

BTW, loved the Oakley's analogy - very descriptive!

so which one are you leaning towards?

If the bank is comfortable financing it, Z06, no question. If they are not, well, I am torn between the 370Z and use my downpayment to TT it, or hold off for another year and go with a 2012 Z06. I honestly don't know, but truth be told I lean toward the Z06 either way.

A Z06 is a supercar. A 370Z TT is a "normal car" with supercar performance.

If I can hold out for it, I would prefer the Z06. I have done well to stuff away $1500 a month for the proposed Z06 and drive past the Nissan dealership every week on the way to work without buying for the last half year, lol. I am doing well so far.