Test drive experiences today

dP3NGU1N · 06-25-2012, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

maybe you were applying too much trottle and the guy was telling you to lay off.

anyway, i need to apply slight throttle (just placing my foot gently on the throttle pedal is enough to keep the flywheels' momentum) otherwise the car will buck forward like all the other MT's ive driven. there's nothing special other than SRM.

Weird. When I completely got off the throttle (zero throttle) there was no bucking what-so-ever. The guy told me to completely remove both feet from the pedals. I assure you I was no more aggressive on the throttle than I was on any of the American cars I was driving that day. Applying zero throttle to achieve smooth shifts between 1st and 2nd was repeatable for the duration of the test drive.

kenchan · 06-25-2012, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dP3NGU1N

Weird. When I completely got off the throttle (zero throttle) there was no bucking what-so-ever. The guy told me to completely remove both feet from the pedals. I assure you I was no more aggressive on the throttle than I was on any of the American cars I was driving that day. Applying zero throttle to achieve smooth shifts between 1st and 2nd was repeatable for the duration of the test drive.

you sure you test drove a MT?

anyway, that is wierd and will not work my Z.

Magic Bus · 06-25-2012, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dP3NGU1N

That's just the thing. The sales person told me not to apply ANY throttle when I released the clutch when shifting into 2nd gear. This actually smoothed out the transition from 1st to 2nd. Now this is just my experience from a short test drive so it's a very preliminary opinion but when I was applying throttle like a "normal" manual car (the way I was driving the muscle cars all day) I couldn't get the car to shift smoothly.

Once again, not trying to sound like a know-it-all just telling you how it was for me and that's it.

Was the demo car equipped with the Sport Package? According to Nissan specs, SRM works on upshifts as well as downshifts. So it would make sense to not apply gas upon initial engagement of the clutch but shortly thereafter. Any 6mt sport package owners try this?

Your demo day sounded like fun, enjoy your future Z

alcheng · 06-25-2012, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dP3NGU1N

Weird. When I completely got off the throttle (zero throttle) there was no bucking what-so-ever. The guy told me to completely remove both feet from the pedals. I assure you I was no more aggressive on the throttle than I was on any of the American cars I was driving that day. Applying zero throttle to achieve smooth shifts between 1st and 2nd was repeatable for the duration of the test drive.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

you sure you test drove a MT?

anyway, that is wierd and will not work my Z.

I believe he test drove a Z with the SRM, and the computer is doing the trick thus the sales person ask him not to apply any throttle cos the computer will throttle for the driver...

That's one reason I don't like SRM, lost the point of driving a MT...

waaaasabi · 06-26-2012, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magic Bus

Was the demo car equipped with the Sport Package? According to Nissan specs, SRM works on upshifts as well as downshifts. So it would make sense to not apply gas upon initial engagement of the clutch but shortly thereafter. Any 6mt sport package owners try this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dP3NGU1N

Yes it had sport package. It's possible that SRM was behind it. Speaking of which, would that mess with a smooth upshift where people are gassing ontop of SRM? Now I'm curious.

SRM on upshifts is kind of tricky - you still need to apply throttle, but not every time or on every shift. You really just need to get a feel for the car and the momentum of the car... I know it sounds weird, but I think that's pretty much how driving manual generally is: it's a lot more about the driver's feel and intuition, than it is about the mechanical aspects (i.e. having to shift at a specific RPM or exactly how many centimeters the clutch catch point is from the ground).

dP3NGU1N · 06-25-2012, 11:55 AM

I'm 24 which, if I remember from all the age threads around, is considered quite young for the Z. I'm planning to buy it within the next 2 months or so. Hopefully 0% apr holds out.

m4a1mustang · 06-25-2012, 02:27 PM

:|

owi1kenobi · 06-25-2012, 09:48 PM

Seems like you just want to test all those nice cars and really no plans on buying one lol.

Good thing the mitsubishi dealer didn't fell in your trap.

dP3NGU1N · 06-25-2012, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magic Bus

Was the demo car equipped with the Sport Package? According to Nissan specs, SRM works on upshifts as well as downshifts. So it would make sense to not apply gas upon initial engagement of the clutch but shortly thereafter. Any 6mt sport package owners try this?

Your demo day sounded like fun, enjoy your future Z

Yes it had sport package. It's possible that SRM was behind it. Speaking of which, would that mess with a smooth upshift where people are gassing ontop of SRM? Now I'm curious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by owi1kenobi

Seems like you just want to test all those nice cars and really no plans on buying one lol.

Good thing the mitsubishi dealer didn't fell in your trap.

^Can't tell if troll or just messing around

I do intend on buying soon. Hopefully within the next two months.

Ackrite · 06-25-2012, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dP3NGU1N

^Can't tell if troll or just messing around

I do intend on buying soon. Hopefully within the next two months.

One dealer wanted nothing to do with me when I said "I'll probably be buying in the next month or so." I couldn't even get a legitimate ballpark buy-price on the car because "..it doesn't matter if you're not gonna buy it today." You're just being a smart shopper that wants to make sure he is getting what he wants instead of being impulsive.

LakeShow · 06-26-2012, 02:16 AM

Evo as much as a great performer and how easy it is to mod, I can't get over the fact it looks like a plain Lancer and also it honestly looks like a kids car (if you know what I mean). The other cars you mentioned I feel are just a little more professional and composed cars. Honestly I would put the Z and 5.0 top 2 cars. The Challenger is a POS.

fusionchicken · 07-01-2012, 05:27 AM

Having owned an 08 Evo X and having driven the 6mt 370z and a 6mt (with the 3.42 rear diff) 5.0 mustang, here are some thoughts:

First if you are in socal and are interested in driving/purchasing an Evo, look up Sam at Huntington Beach Mitsubishi. The guy is plain crazy (in a good way) and will beat other dealers' price by a ton. I got my IX and X brand new from him - the X was an 08 with nav and was IIRC 31,000 out the door with LA county tax rate. Look up socalevo.net and you will find him relatively easily.

The X is very fun, though much less raw and more civilized than the IX. One major downfall in the X is the trunk size, it's ridiculously tiny for a 4 door sedan. Turbo lag is improved in the X but it's still a huge pain especially in LA traffic, and ESPECIALLY in summer heat. Basically everything will rip you a new one off the line unless you are doing a full launch which is just ridiculous. The gearing is very short so expect to shift a lot though that was a plus for me

Interior is definitely quite cheap and WILL rattle - it was much better than my IX but it's still pretty bad. I owned both my Evos from 4 and 7 miles, respectively, to about 30,000 miles. Both my Evos had basic bolt-ons and custom tune making around 320whp and was very fun up to about 110mph (top of 4th gear), after which most performance cars like the 370z and especially the 5.0 will walk away from the Evo relatively easily. If freeway runs are your thing the Evo is NOT a good car IMHO because it was never designed for it. Combining its brick-like aerodynamics and its super long 5th gear there are many other better freeway bombers to choose from. Sure you can slap on a huge turbo and deal with massive turbo lag and try to find better fuel than the 91 piss we get here in cali but that's just not my cup of tea, even after having owned 2 Evos in 4 years and having had different cars in between.

The Evo is based off of a rally car and is geared towards tight road courses with very short gearing with a peaky power output. It's mad fun carving canyon roads and that's what I loved about the car. The steering feel is excellent but the car understeers quite a bit esp. compared to a wider and shorter F/R (front engine RWD) car like the 370. The grip is insane but it does not feel as "natural" as a FR car would going around bends. At some point it becomes relying on the car's silly grip (until the sticky factory tires run out, which mine did after 8,000 miles) rather than the car's balance/center of gravity/etc. to achieve crazy performance figures. YYMV but after owning 3 turbo AWD cars I am ready to move on to an n/a RWD car - no turbo lag, much more natural handling, and going sideways at normal speeds are all things I am looking forward to in the 370z.

The mustang surprisingly did not have much low end torque IMHO, though i'm sure the 3.73 (iirc) rear diff. probably would have transformed the car. The car sounded good, but the vague steering and boat-like handling feel (i'm aware it's very competent around bends as it posted similar lap times as the e9x m3) and the interior - the interior was the deal-breaker as I just couldn't get over its design and layout. The coyote motor responds very well to mods and basically the Mustang's appeal to me was that it's a 30k M3 in terms of performance. However, the driving FEEL is a much different story as the few e92 M3's I drove (DCT and 6mt) just offer an other-worldly driving experience that a car like the Mustang, even with matching performance figures, cannot begin to compete with IMHO.

To me the 370z offered the best driver involvement and driving experience among these 3 cars. I would have opted for a 370 back in 08 if I did not need the Evo's 4 doors and if Sam did not give me a great deal with 0% apr.

If you are serious about the Evos look up Sam, you can also just call or text him 714 493 4163 - I don't get anything out of this, he's just one of the rare dealership guys that actually don't pull any tricks on you. I was out with my IX and X in less than 30 minutes after talking to him on the phone, and have purchased 2 used cars from him as well.

Good luck

Edit: sorry for the horrific grammar as it's quite late here and I'm supposed to be working

NYBladeZ · 07-01-2012, 12:21 PM

If I did it all over again I'd still take the Z over the Stang and Evo X. The Z looks the best and feels like a genuine sports car, sure the Mustang makes significantly more power and will respond way better to bolt ons (as well the Evo X) the Stang and Evo don't look good. When you sit in the Z you know you're in a sports car, personally the center tach was one of my favorite parts.

If you don't plan on really modifying the car get the Z, if you want to build a bolt-on monster go with the Evo or Stang. Warning, I don't care what instructions you follow, the Z is one of the worst feeling manual transmissions I have ever driven but the rest of the cars pros will get you to look past that, temporarily.

Strangler · 07-01-2012, 01:47 PM

How come the dealer didn't let you test drive the Evo? What did they say?

dP3NGU1N · 07-01-2012, 02:02 PM

I believe the exact quote would be something along the lines of "If I let you test drive the car then I have to let every other 18 year old test drive it". This is also after I showed them my credit score and got handed off between 3 different sales people. Just completely unreasonable response to someone who was interested in the car. (For reference: I'm 24, have steady full-time employment, and a credit score of 800)

This single act of the dealership has turned me off to Mitsubishi as a company completely. And to think I was a big fan of the 5th series evo since primary school.

06-25-2012, 02:27 PM	#7 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6963	:\| __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

06-26-2012, 02:16 AM	#11 (permalink)
LakeShow A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: L.I., NY Posts: 5,307 Drives: Everything Rep Power: 26	Evo as much as a great performer and how easy it is to mod, I can't get over the fact it looks like a plain Lancer and also it honestly looks like a kids car (if you know what I mean). The other cars you mentioned I feel are just a little more professional and composed cars. Honestly I would put the Z and 5.0 top 2 cars. The Challenger is a POS. __________________ \|2013 Audi S4\|Ibis White/Black\|S-Tronic P+\| \|2013 370z\|PearlWhite/Persimmon\|Touring/Sport/Nav\|F.I. CBE 18" CF\| \|Sold\|2011 370z\|Gun Metallic\|Touring/Sport/Nav\|

07-01-2012, 05:27 AM	#12 (permalink)
fusionchicken Base Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: socal Posts: 18 Drives: 370Z 6mt, C6 Z06 Rep Power: 17	Having owned an 08 Evo X and having driven the 6mt 370z and a 6mt (with the 3.42 rear diff) 5.0 mustang, here are some thoughts: First if you are in socal and are interested in driving/purchasing an Evo, look up Sam at Huntington Beach Mitsubishi. The guy is plain crazy (in a good way) and will beat other dealers' price by a ton. I got my IX and X brand new from him - the X was an 08 with nav and was IIRC 31,000 out the door with LA county tax rate. Look up socalevo.net and you will find him relatively easily. The X is very fun, though much less raw and more civilized than the IX. One major downfall in the X is the trunk size, it's ridiculously tiny for a 4 door sedan. Turbo lag is improved in the X but it's still a huge pain especially in LA traffic, and ESPECIALLY in summer heat. Basically everything will rip you a new one off the line unless you are doing a full launch which is just ridiculous. The gearing is very short so expect to shift a lot though that was a plus for me Interior is definitely quite cheap and WILL rattle - it was much better than my IX but it's still pretty bad. I owned both my Evos from 4 and 7 miles, respectively, to about 30,000 miles. Both my Evos had basic bolt-ons and custom tune making around 320whp and was very fun up to about 110mph (top of 4th gear), after which most performance cars like the 370z and especially the 5.0 will walk away from the Evo relatively easily. If freeway runs are your thing the Evo is NOT a good car IMHO because it was never designed for it. Combining its brick-like aerodynamics and its super long 5th gear there are many other better freeway bombers to choose from. Sure you can slap on a huge turbo and deal with massive turbo lag and try to find better fuel than the 91 piss we get here in cali but that's just not my cup of tea, even after having owned 2 Evos in 4 years and having had different cars in between. The Evo is based off of a rally car and is geared towards tight road courses with very short gearing with a peaky power output. It's mad fun carving canyon roads and that's what I loved about the car. The steering feel is excellent but the car understeers quite a bit esp. compared to a wider and shorter F/R (front engine RWD) car like the 370. The grip is insane but it does not feel as "natural" as a FR car would going around bends. At some point it becomes relying on the car's silly grip (until the sticky factory tires run out, which mine did after 8,000 miles) rather than the car's balance/center of gravity/etc. to achieve crazy performance figures. YYMV but after owning 3 turbo AWD cars I am ready to move on to an n/a RWD car - no turbo lag, much more natural handling, and going sideways at normal speeds are all things I am looking forward to in the 370z. The mustang surprisingly did not have much low end torque IMHO, though i'm sure the 3.73 (iirc) rear diff. probably would have transformed the car. The car sounded good, but the vague steering and boat-like handling feel (i'm aware it's very competent around bends as it posted similar lap times as the e9x m3) and the interior - the interior was the deal-breaker as I just couldn't get over its design and layout. The coyote motor responds very well to mods and basically the Mustang's appeal to me was that it's a 30k M3 in terms of performance. However, the driving FEEL is a much different story as the few e92 M3's I drove (DCT and 6mt) just offer an other-worldly driving experience that a car like the Mustang, even with matching performance figures, cannot begin to compete with IMHO. To me the 370z offered the best driver involvement and driving experience among these 3 cars. I would have opted for a 370 back in 08 if I did not need the Evo's 4 doors and if Sam did not give me a great deal with 0% apr. If you are serious about the Evos look up Sam, you can also just call or text him 714 493 4163 - I don't get anything out of this, he's just one of the rare dealership guys that actually don't pull any tricks on you. I was out with my IX and X in less than 30 minutes after talking to him on the phone, and have purchased 2 used cars from him as well. Good luck Edit: sorry for the horrific grammar as it's quite late here and I'm supposed to be working Last edited by fusionchicken; 07-01-2012 at 05:40 AM.

07-01-2012, 12:21 PM	#13 (permalink)
NYBladeZ A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: New York Posts: 2,158 Drives: Lotus Exige S Rep Power: 21	If I did it all over again I'd still take the Z over the Stang and Evo X. The Z looks the best and feels like a genuine sports car, sure the Mustang makes significantly more power and will respond way better to bolt ons (as well the Evo X) the Stang and Evo don't look good. When you sit in the Z you know you're in a sports car, personally the center tach was one of my favorite parts. If you don't plan on really modifying the car get the Z, if you want to build a bolt-on monster go with the Evo or Stang. Warning, I don't care what instructions you follow, the Z is one of the worst feeling manual transmissions I have ever driven but the rest of the cars pros will get you to look past that, temporarily. __________________ 2009 Carbon Fiber/Red 370z aka Trish: Sports Package, Meisterschaft full catback, Fast Intentions Longtube Headers, Injen Long Tube Intakes, UpRev Tune: Sold 2008 Lotus Exige S Club Racer aka Bella, always leaves me smiling

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06-25-2012, 11:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
dP3NGU1N A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Irvine Posts: 1,682 Drives: 13 PW sport 6mt Rep Power: 19	I'm 24 which, if I remember from all the age threads around, is considered quite young for the Z. I'm planning to buy it within the next 2 months or so. Hopefully 0% apr holds out.

06-25-2012, 09:48 PM	#8 (permalink)
owi1kenobi Base Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: usa Posts: 100 Drives: 370z Rep Power: 14	Seems like you just want to test all those nice cars and really no plans on buying one lol. Good thing the mitsubishi dealer didn't fell in your trap.

07-01-2012, 01:47 PM	#14 (permalink)
Strangler Enthusiast Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: CA Posts: 260 Drives: 10 370z Touring 6MT Rep Power: 16	How come the dealer didn't let you test drive the Evo? What did they say?

07-01-2012, 02:02 PM	#15 (permalink)
dP3NGU1N A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Irvine Posts: 1,682 Drives: 13 PW sport 6mt Rep Power: 19	I believe the exact quote would be something along the lines of "If I let you test drive the car then I have to let every other 18 year old test drive it". This is also after I showed them my credit score and got handed off between 3 different sales people. Just completely unreasonable response to someone who was interested in the car. (For reference: I'm 24, have steady full-time employment, and a credit score of 800) This single act of the dealership has turned me off to Mitsubishi as a company completely. And to think I was a big fan of the 5th series evo since primary school.