2009 Nissan 370Z Automatic - Short Take Road Test

Endgame

GUYS!! THe G37 7AT was faster than the G37 6MT. The 7AT is faster. Look it up!

This is not unexpected.

Something else: WHy would they lie? There are great reputation risk associated with that!

Educ8r

That's what I was going to say. It's amazing how people try to disprove the findings of these car magazines. I think they know a little about what they test. But hey, what do I know?

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juan05

again there is NO way auto is faster than manual in the 370z. NO way i read auto 0-60 around 5 secs but no or never lower than 5

wellarmed

Well...... The expert has spoken! There is "no way" the auto can be faster!

Juan may very well be able to shift his manual as fast as this auto paddle shifts at full throttle without lifting. He may also be able to explaine to the service manager at his local dealer why the syncros are shot and it won't go into gear anymore without grinding after doing that.... Good luck

These results are likely due to a couple of things.

1..... A slightly faster than normal car. They are not all exactly the same and some are just going to be at the top of the heap when they're all compared to each other.
2..... Conditions that effect performance at the track on that given day.

Cool/dry air and sea level conditions can be a huge factor when it comes to performance as compared to warm/humid high altitude conditions.
When performance numbers are compared you have to remember that they are not all happening under the same conditions.
With that mph I'm going to bet they had some low density altitude conditions in this case.

Back in the old days the American auto competitors would send in a ringer to pump up performance numbers for a first test.
There just isn't any way that Nissan would be doing that with a car like this that is being mass tested by every mag in existance.
The people testing this car in this case don't have any reason to be misleading either. If there were after market parts involved then that would be another story.

Educ8r

Credentials? What's the recorded time on your 370?

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Lug

The problem is that those numbers just don't add up to the weight and amount of HP/torque the car has, auto OR manual. 90% of the reviews are getting 4.9 to 5.0, only MotorTrend got a 4.7 and it beating cars that are lighter, have more HP and significantly more torque. The tranny can make a difference, but it's not going to change the laws of physics. I'd LOVE for the auto to be that quick becuase that's what I'll be getting, but those numbers just don't add up. Also, another article tested the auto side by side with the manual and it came up .2 sec slower (which is an amazing feat for a slushbox in any case). Traditionally. it's usually around .5 sec. As far as the G37, you can't really comare two different tests that are several months appart (if I remember correctly). You also can't just go with the reviews that agree with you.

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Educ8r

I bow out gracefully, Car and Driver and MotorTrend clearly are idiots and the experts reside here.

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Lug

MotorTrend's numbers are with a manual.

****
Locked and loaded with a 332-horsepower, 3.7-liter VQ37VHR V-6 and unique "SynchroRev Match" six-speed manual, which blips the throttle on downshifts without a heel-toe maneuver, the Z rips to 60 in just 4.7 ticks on its way to a quarter-mile run of 13.3 at 105.7. While not an equal to the DBS, the 370Z is speedier than the racebred 306-horse. 3.5-liter Nismo 350Z we tested in 2007, which ran 4.9 and 13.5 at 103.9, respectively, thus making the 370 the quickest production Z we've ever tested.
*****

.....and getting 4.9 out of a stock 350Z? I've never seen anyone else do that. If you want to magazine race, we can find a WHOLE bunch of 4.9's 5.0's and 5.1's and even 5.2's. Even C and D got a 4.9 last time they ran the car. 4.6 just isn't logical.

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wellarmed

0 TO 60 times are very subjective. Exactly how is that being measured right down to the .00 mph and .00 sec? The speedo? G-meter? GPS? Radar?
Personally... I don't believe any of these 0-60 times as being absolutely accurate.

The quarter mile oth..... If this test was done on a drag strip with NHRA sanctioned equipment, you can't just go saying "that's not right". The timing equipment on a legit track doesn't lie.
In this case the mph and et are right in line with each other so if this test was done on a legit dragstrip then it did it. Unless you think the testers are lieing.

One last thing.... this auto isn't a slushbox. A point that I think will be painfully proven to some who don't have one as time goes by.

Lug

As I said, I'm getting the auto. It's not a dual cluch which means it is a slushbox, abet a great one. You just can't alter physics because we wish we could. Show me one other car where a traditional auto takes the manual and I'll become a believer. These numbers say this car will beat a 350 hp vette that is lighter and has a LOT more torque, manual OR auto. Plus, no one else has been able to get this autop to run faster than the manual. It's a case of ignoring all the data but the data you like, sorry.

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zman1910

As someone already stated the G37 has consistently gotten better times with the 7AT. Don't forget the Bmw 335i that C&D reported is faster with the "slushbox". There are plenty of cars out there with the latest auto tranny's that are pulling better numbers than manuals. I'm tempted to think that you just haven't been keeping up. Hell even the IS-F is a traditional slushbox but shifts nearly as quick as dual clutch trannys.

Lug

BMW 335i Coupe

A coupe version of BMW's best-selling 3-Series, the E92 body style on which the 335i Coupe is based, was released in August 2006.
Fast Facts

1. Class: Mid-size luxury
2. Passengers: 5
3. Engine: Turbocharged 3.0 Liter I-6
4. Transmission: 6-speed manual, 6-speed automatic
5. Fuel Efficiency: 17/26
6. Power: 300 hp @ 5800 RPM
7. Torque: 300 (lb-ft) @ 1400 RPM
8. MSRP: $41,200
9. 0-60: 5.3 seconds (manual), 5.5 seconds (automatic)

BMW 335i Coupe - Mahalo

There was some bruhaha oave an automatic 335i that was overly fast but it turned out to be overboosted by .5 lbs. Don't remember the article. Th test is a lot more valid if they have both cars on the same day. The 370Z changes gears in 500 milliseconds. Not bad at all but a duel clutch can achieve 30 milliseconds or less. The biggest number that jumps out at me on this test is a 13.1 second quarter mile. That smokes a C5 vette, manual OR automatic. Unless Nissan is lieing about their HP numbers (which we know they aren't from dyno readings), they would have to have magic fairy dust to make up for less hp less torque and more weight. As I said earlier, one mag review (which I can't find now) did a back to back test on an auto vs manual and the manual was .2 sec faster. That would tend to agree with how 99% of testing has gone in the past. I see everyone here jumping on this one test and ignoring all others. That's just selective data gathering.

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