370z vs Evo X every day driver.
 

Hello everyone.

So I bought an X back in March, and I love everything statistically about the car, but I'm not sure if it's the right car for me. It's my only car, so it's my DD, but I commute 50 miles total every day. The gas mileage is ok, but with the tank size and gas prices right now it's just getting to me. I didn't buy the car expecting to get great gas mileage, but I have zero free time to take it to the track/mod it, which seems like what this car is meant for. The ride is also a bit rough around the edges.

I'm just curious, on a DD level, how the 370z compares to the X. Has anyone driven both? I haven't had a chance to go test-drive one myself, but I'm thinking about it. Also, over the year, is it cheaper to own a 370z? I know MSRP price tags are about the same, but if maintenance/mileage/comfort are far superior I might make the switch.

If anyone has own/driven both these cars I would love to hear their opinions. The other car I was looking at was a new Scion TC. I know it's not the best car in the bunch, but it's good gas mileage and I plan on getting a bike, so my fun could come from that.

Thanks for any and all help/advice!

-Nick

370 is more compliant for sure. Slightly better gas mileage too.

It will only be good for part of your year though, where the X is a full year car.

I live near Chicago...so it wouldn't be good for the winters? I know it's RWD, but my commute is mostly on nice highways.

X is better for DD, especially on snow days.

the low ground clearance can be pretty tough. Plus the underbody has no rust protection, so there's a huge problem if they salt the roads.

Can't say I've driven an Evo but I can say that IMO I would not use my Z as a DD. If I was you I'd probably get something like the scion tc (that's what my daily driver is actually) for DD purposes and keep the EVO for the weekends.

I drive the Z as my DD, to be honest, the Z gets much better mileage on the highway compared to the evo. I however would not recommend you getting a Z as your DD in Chicago though, I don't know how bad the snow is, but low clearance/lack of visibility in snow/rain will be dangerous. I think you should also look into genesis coupe/civic si/golf gti, if you're considering the Scion TC. I really like the Golf GTi, it's very practical and fun to drive.

I think maintenance costs are fairly low (besides the fact that you can't rotate tires...), I've only had to pay for oil changes/gas so far..

DD'ing the Z is very doable - even with the roads here in SoCal. Ride's compliant enough for a decently long commute, and fun when you want to have some (safely) taking the on/off ramps.

My only concern is racking up the miles...

being in chicago, i would say the X without a doubt for a dd. wait for one harsh winter with rwd..

Another thing to consider is that in most cases it doesn't make financial sense to trade 1 year old car in for a new car strictly to save money on gas. The money saved on gas would take years just to break even, let alone actually save money. Lets also not forget the Z is not all that great on gas. I do a combination of city and hwy and typically average 22-24mpg. I do have a heavy foot and enjoy the car so someone who drives like a grandma could probably do slightly better. Still, the Z is not at all good on gas. My girlfriends previous C6 Vette was much better considering it had a much larger V8. I could knock out 32mpg with that thing going 80+ on the hwy to California.

As for the suspension, I wouldn't say the Z is any better than the EVO. Both have tuned suspensions that are neither comfortable or nice. For most of us owners it's not something we care about, and I would expect the same is for most EVO owners. If you want a nicer ride get a WRX; still sports, fast and awd but with a much more compliant suspension.

Honestly, if I were in your shoes I would stay with the EVO. The Z is not at all rain, snow, or cold weather friendly. I'm out here in vegas which most people know it barely rains and it's over 100+ the majority of the year. Still, in the winter months when it's cold out I really have to baby the Z. The summer tires on this car suck when temps drop. In Chicago if you had the Z you would definitely have to invest in different wheels and tires for winter, even then you would still have to be far more cautious than if you stayed with the EVO. If I lived anywhere where rain and snow were common place for winter I would definitely be in a STI or EVO. Then again it's easy for me to say because I would still have my 280z and 300zx for summer.

Also remember that Z is a two seater=)
Sometimes its a good thing and sometimes its a bad thing=)
Like i never have to drive around my friends because there isnt enough room=)
Its also really low, so if you have really deep drive way or a sh!tty parking structures... it will be a pain...
Another thing is that there are lots of blind spots-.-;;
So be very careful when deciding on changing... weigh your pros and cons =)



Personally... if your gonna drive 50miles daily... go with prius... or fit... lol... save on gas =)

Get the tC. Better gas mileage. Much better daily driver. Great audio system. Cheap.

If I were you Id stick with the Evo X. I had one before and so with then VIII MR. both are reliable when it comes to wet surface or snow days. Dont have the evos anymore. Wanted to get into the rwd scene plus the Z caught my attention. But if you are worried about gas mileage Id suggest you get something more fuel efficient. But if you got money to burn and enjoy your car very much id stick with the evo for sure. I had fun with mine when I use to live upstate NY.

I actually just traded my NISMO 370Z for an Evo X MR due to an upcoming move to a snowy state. Since you said Chicago, I would stick with the Evo. Now that I've driven both extensively I would say the ride in the MR is better than that of the NISMO. I can't comment on a normal 370Z or a GSR however.

Z does look sexy... Lol cant beat=)

NISMO Z is pretty damn rough, you could just get the regular dampeners and springs and it would comply well.

As for daily driver, I'd agreed with everyone else and just stick with the EVO X or just get something else. I'm already considering getting a WRX because the Z is ANYTHING but PRACTICAL.

No RWD sports car with wide tires is going to do well in snowy climates. I lived in Seattle for 7 years and when it was going to be below 40 degrees (or there was snow) my S2000 stayed in the garage. I had a Subaru AWD for that stuff.

I'm back in California now so I sold the Subaru to get the 370z. It's totally a daily driver here in the Bay Area.

i've driven my friend's evo x. the car is 6" taller and u do sit noticeably higher in the evo. given, it is a rally car. the evo x is obviously a much more practical choice for city life with the back seats and awd. personally, i didn't find it suitable to what i like as stock for stock, the body roll is noticeably more pronounced on higher speed turns and i don't feel as much road feedback as in the z. the z just feels much more raw and just feels like a road hugging sports car. the gearbox is loose in the evo whereas the z (i have a short shifter) is much much more tight and notchy. the clutch is much more forgiving in the evo as well. my friend in evo stalled 5 times trying to get my z rolling, given he's been driving stick for less than 6 months.
personal preference my friend

:iagree:

You live in Chicage and you want to daily drive (even in winter), you need Evo-X. No ifs or buts. I mean you can put blizzaks on the Z and drive in winter but your clearance is only 4" before front bumper touches snow. You know how crazy winter gets in Chicago. EVO-X. My choice.

Well the Z is my DD and I live on Montreal, we probably get 15X more snow than you and its way colder. I also drove in those Irene like rains yesterday...handled surprisingly well but better chance to hydroplane for sure.

Now I won't be driving mine in the winter lol. However, I know a couple other local owers who have and do.

Problem is, if its absolutely your only car, then maybe stick with the EVO, I have access to another car if needed so it makes a difference.

:iagree:

My coworker has an EVO VIII MR and it is pretty nice. I DD my Z and have driven it in snow. rain. ice, and nice weather. I guess it is all in your driving style and driving experience as to whether or not it is for you. The EVO will definitely be easier to drive in less than optimal conditions. I'm biased though. I have a NISMO and wanted a Z ever since I was a small child. I will have to get another car in the near future though. I need to cart kids around and the 2 seater isn't going to do it. The Z will still be my main vehicle though..........

Rob

Both are great cars but I think the X is the better DD.

Off topic:
What's with people saying the ride is compliant? Compliant with what? Complacent maybe? Not the be the grammar police (I suck at grammar too) but two people making the same mistake numerous times?

Wat

WTH is snow?!? :p

Though seriously, it seems to be a HUGE consideration having 4-wh drive. After reading thru the rest of the posts - I'd say stick with the Evo.

wtf... where did we go from X vs Z to Tc? dang. :rofl2:

Another guy right here that sold his Z to get into an Evo. Two very different cars. For me the Z was my cruiser/sport driving/weekend car. The Evo is a beast at heart that is extremely versatile.

I say stick with the Evo. I owned a 370z...after 8 months i sold it. Cant say i miss it either.

Now the main question is...do you owe anything on the car. What year is it? Take it from me, you dont want negitive equity coming over if you trade.

Now to get into the whole 370z vs Evo....

Gas mileage: not sure why people are saying the Z gets better...i was averaging about 13-15/100km in the Z. I'm at 10.7L/100km with the Evo.

Winter/Weather driving: Well it doesnt take much IQ to realise AWD beats RWD

Performance: Evo takes it again. Sure the Z has abit more hp, but the Evo will beat it on the 1/4 mile and road course.

Ride quality: yea ill admit that the 370z had better quality for DD. What you gotta remember about the rough ride in the Evo is, its ment to shine on a track. Take your car to a road course and you will see how she handles and how it shines. Also the clutch chatter in the Z is retarded.

Looks: well having 4 doors is a plus...get better performance and yet you get 4 doors. I'm half and half on which car looks better.

Now to top it off...the S-AWC system in the Evo will not only help you on the track (if you end up racing) but this thing will save your *** on the streets if something comes up. And it doesnt effect the power output like the Z's VDC system does.

This was me the other day at the track. Came around the turn and one of my tires clipped the edge of the track and i lost traction. The system in the car helped me get straight again, even though i turned the traction control off (one push)
EvoX @ Stratotech - YouTube

Also the Z holds a HORRIBLE resale value....the Evo doesnt (hence why used evo's are like 30K)

so ******* true

Umm the 09 I drove couldn't go past 21mpg no matter what, my Z can do 24 easily doing the same thing with giant tires

Winter driving, I will take AWD too.

Performance around a road course? I will take the car with more power/weight ratio anyday. You do know the EVO basically dies after 110-120mph right? It's hard to push a brick around on a 2L. Also the short ratio gear box will make the car feel incredible down low, but nothing at the top end.

If I have to rely on the stability control to go fast, I would go buy a Mercedes or stick with computer simulation.

Given I rarely see stock EVOs at the track, it's hard for me to comment on how they drive at the track. The Z is not great, but I am not sure if it is much slower.

You are right about the resale value, of course the EVO did cost more than the Z to begin with. Getting 30K on a car you paid 35K for is the same as me getting 25K for a 30K car.....

lol, you got to be kidding me? more power? the Z has 41hp more and is rated at 13.5 and the EvoX is rated at 13.2-13.3 (also Road and Track ran a 13 flat) Not to mention the Evo will do laps around the Z.

As for the gas...going by whats rated on the net, yet the Z gets a tiny bit better. But real life, i see better mpg with my Evo then i did with the 370z.

None the less, you dont buy a sports car, especially when you plan to mod/race it and worry about gas mileage.

Overall...the Evo is better. Not bashing the Z, but the EvoX wins in almost every aspect.

Get the Z.

I think even Vin Diesel can tell you the difference between AWD vs RWD launch, ever heard of trap speed? 101-104 for the EVO, 103-106 for the Z. What lap are they doing around the Z? In the rain and snow maybe.

I drove an EVO X with 20 miles from Boston to NYC, averaged 21mpg at 65mph. I did 24mpg @ 75mph. It doesn't matter, the overall difference is tiny. I just know the driving range on the EVO is 200-250 miles tops thanks to the tiny gas tank, but then the Z cost you $60-80 per tank at the pump....

The EVO X is a toss up to the Z in terms of dry performance, you might want to lay off the kool-aids. If I were to do over, I probably would have gotten an EVO simply for the AWD and 3 extra seats. Still, I don't know if I can get myself over the boy racer look.

I owned an Evo X for 3 years and then traded it in for the Z. While the Evo is a great car it has it flaws. Drive both and decide what you like the most as they are very different. Stock for stock, they are very close in overall performance. Most will be able to drive the Evo faster around the track because its more fogiving, but in the hands of a pro, it becomes very close and will depend on the track and track conditions.

To me the Z feels like more of a drivers car where the Evo just felt too forgiving.

On a side note, if your into heavy modding, go with the Evo. There is just so much more aftermarket support for it. Heck I picked up a bit over 70 horsepower to the wheels with a dyno tune from AMS with the Evo. Just to bad the stock clutch sucked and didn't like the increase..

not to rain on your parade of Evo loving but heres some real world data for the Evo X MR and the 370Z, enjoy: Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X MR vs Nissan 370Z - FastestLaps.com

Agree. If you look at the poster's video, I highly doubt you can throw that much steering into the Z without swapping ends.

I think it is a toss up too, can't go wrong either way. The AWD and 4 door is nice, but then the ugly factor is also very real and big to some. Buy yours before it is too late.

Just one more thing. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a clean used Z, but a used EVO? God it's like sleeping with a hooker....

Thats pretty funny as well as the truth. 99% of the used ones that I have seen have been pretty abused.


I will say one thing about the Evo.. There is nothing like buying a mid 30k car with a 15k car's interior... That was one of my biggest complaints. It just didn't hold up well to daily use.

lmfao...14's? really. Wow, you can defently tell that site is bias. EvoX's do not run 14's...they run low 13's. I bought my Evo, went to the drag strip the same day...was able to get 300km on the odo and ran 13.5@101 right off the bat. So iiunno who the hell was driving that Evo to get those numbers on that site, but if its that inaccurate for the 1/4 mile time...i would think the other times are way off to.

Different sites will say different things. Show me some real word times. For our local track here (both 1/4 mile and time attack) Evo's take the top of the list over 350/370's. Like i said, my Evo ran 13.5....my 370z ran 13.8. Another 370z member ran 15's with bolt ons.


Anyways. OP, do a search on this forum and evolutionm.net and evoxforums.com. You will see multiple threads of guys trying to decide between a Evo or a 370z/G37.... in the end they all come to the Evo.

The way I look at it is that they are supposed to be "limited production". Yet I see more EVOs than almost any cars at track days and autox. This is not including the street ricers. If you are going to buy, get new (last call). Don't take the chance with a used one

the MR's were slower, at least early on. That car was also a rag beater.

I was deciding between the Z and the X GSR before I got my Z. Drove both @ dealers. My friends also have Evos and STIs.

Why not an STI? It is actually much better built than the Evo, and 6spd instead of 5...