Nissan 370Z Forum - First 370Z test drive ... Mixed Emotions!

Nissan 370Z Forum (http://www.the370z.com/)

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- - First 370Z test drive ... Mixed Emotions! (http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-general-discussions/59361-first-370z-test-drive-mixed-emotions.html)

For me... I fell in love with the 370z first time I drove it. I just expected a slightly more powerful version of my G35c withbetter cornering. It turned out to be much more. Initially I was impressed with torque response. My first tester torque hit hard. My two testers after that didn't quite come up to snuff. But the Z was giving me what muscle cars couldn't at the time. A strong connection to the road. Cars like the S2k and miata weren't really choices and I didn't get into the AWD craze till recently. I hope to get an AWD sports car one day?. I've driven quite a few and they are awesome. The Z gave me the perfect combo of power and handling. It didn't do either perffectly, but combined both aspects for a completely "EXCLUSIVE" DRIVING EXPERIENCE." Pun intended.

mine took me twice. the first time i was really "meh" about it. i drove a base model. then i hopped in a sport touring about 4 months later and really liked it

1. Nope, I had a similar experience, a bit underwhelming.

2. 350Z

3. Yes, hopefully you can push it harder the next time around and really experience what it's capable of.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coltrain (Post 1875498)

I've lusted over the 350Z when it was first released ... and now the 370Z is on my list of "must haves" for my next car purchase.

Long story short ... It's been one of my favorite cars for years now. After trolling the forum and refreshing New Posts for a while now ... I finally got the opportunity to test drive and explore the 370Z in person ... and I've been left with mixed emotions. :confused:

I hoped into a 2012 Sport 6MT. Initially, the car fits me very well. I'm 6'5" 270lbs ... and this car fit like a glove. My left shoulder has about 1/2" of room under the highest position on the B-pillar seat belt arm. :tup: I've always excused the 350Z for not having the best interior quality, and from photos I've seen ... the 370Z seems to step up the level of refinement. In person (and just getting out of my GTI), the 370Z interior quality is livable.

So I start up the car ... while idling I'm poking around the interior ... checking things out before the engine warms up. The shifter stalk shakes a little bit and I could feel the large engine through the steering wheel ... Japanese Muscle ;) Such a different feeling compared to the 2.0T in the GTI. My dealership co-pilot only allowed me to take the car around 1 large square block. Hardly enough time to explore the car on the road. I pushed the car to 6k RPM's a couple times and then we were back at the dealership. During the drive, I kept waiting for the power to kick in. Super sharp design and aggressive styling ... but the whole car felt kind of fat and sluggish. Made a lot of noise but didn't MOVE like I had anticipated. Almost like the car is covering up for something ... super mixed emotions on this :(

Questions to the owners :

1.) First time you drove a 370Z ... How did it feel? Fall in love right away?

2.) What car did you own before the 370Z?

3.) Do I just need more time driving the 370Z? Or, if I didn't get that tingling sensation right away, should I just move on?

Any information from you guys would help ... because the 370Z is such an awesome car and I've wanted one for so long! The test drive was way too fast ... I don't know ... I'm so confused :confused:

1. Love at first drive. Guy took me on a round about and said gun it, and constantly said go faster she can handle it as I went around it. As I came out of the round about the guy was smiling ear to ear and I knew I had to have the car.

2. Ford Probe and a corolla GT before that.

3. Drive it in some bends and get on it. You will know you're in something special then. However, if you want the car to put you into the back of the seat, you might want to consider an American car.

i'll just chime in here. was in the market for a new car, in order of preference before test driving anything, my list was:

1. Audi A5
2. BMW Z4
3. BMW 3 series coupe
4. And the 370Z as a last afterthought

Test drove the Z last out of all those, and wow i fell in love immediately. Punched it on the road right out of the dealership and the pickup and acceleration blew my mind. It jumped to the #1 on my list, and ended up buying one couple weeks after.

Drove a scion tc before this car.

Ran a E92 M3 from a 80mph roll to XXXmph. Pulled a car length on him twice. Dont know if he knew how to drive I even gave him a split second head start...twice!. Closed course of course... Will always love the M3 though no hate!

Great meeting you today Coltrain! Hope our little meet-up today helped you out :)

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

^Good looking out bigdog.

What are your impressions now coltrain?

1) Test drove an m6 + sports package and I was in love
2) 2004 Mustang GT but prior to purchase 2008 Camry DD
3) Drop the cats and get test pipes, the exhaust is too restrictive.

@Freshfish...the M3 driver couldn't drive. My experience vs a manual transmission its always driver but when running my buddy's paddle m3 its never close even with bolt ons it was still a car length between us.

Quote:

Originally Posted by coltrain (Post 1875498)

During the drive, I kept waiting for the power to kick in.

The power was there. Trust me. This car has been tested 0-60 in 4.6 seconds. That is fast.

The 370z has a very rigid almost numb feeling suspension. You don't feel much until you hit about 75 mph. It is also why you can breeze around corners without feeling like the car is tipping over.

I think your observation is based on the fact that the gear changes don't snap you back into your seat. The power delivery is linear across the entire speed/RPM spectrum which is actually a good thing because you have the same fast power delivery at 15mph as you do at 70mph.

My first car was a 90hp 1991 Honda Civic Hatchback. Popping the clutch into 2nd gear had more of a neck snapping effect than my new 370Z. Guess which car goes faster? It's all in your perception of what fast is. To you, getting a quick burst of power is fast, but in reality the 370z's gradual power delivery is faster even though it doesn't seem as dramatic.

Despite what I've said, I fell in love with my car during the test drive on the Freeway. That sold me. The power was real. I could only floor it for a few seconds at a time to keep it under 90mph. It has more speed than I really need!

Quote:

Originally Posted by coltrain (Post 1875498)

I drove it after i ordered it. haha.... kinda wack... i know, I drove it, I knew it had some potential, I was good to the 40th anny I drove, Didnt take it above 4k.

I had a B8 A4, MkV GTI and MKIV GTI

I think you need more time driving, if your driving around a chipped GTI you need to get that boost sensation out of your mind, as it isnt there in the Z(stock at least) I dove a few friends STG 2+ gti's and let me tell you the boost does knock you back, even stock, it is a different sensation though driving them was a not so great idead made me miss the vw/audi community even more. In fact A GTI is on a list of things to go back to. I feel even stock the Z is a lot of attention, im sick of having no where to put stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdog1250 (Post 1887345)

Great meeting you today Coltrain! Hope our little meet-up today helped you out :)

If you have any other questions feel free to ask.

Anxious to hear how it went. What were you impressions BigDog?

I don't understand how people don't "feel" the torque in this car?

I may be biased but coming from a s2000 and an rx-8 before that (literally no torque...) the 370z has the most torque out of any car i've owned and it definitely puts me back in my seat.

That said, my friend has a 2002 ws6 and when i'm passenger in that car, yes, the torque is impressive, it puts you back in your seat, BUT (and that's a big BUT) whenever I drive it, it feels "slower" than my car for some reason? Maybe it's me but I don't "feel" the torque as much when im actually driving than when im in the passenger seat not expecting a quick acceleration.

The ws6 and the 370z should be a drivers race "neck and neck" but to some people just the torque of the WS6 would make you assume that the car is faster...

Sorry for the wall of text, basically my point is get what you think feels right. The car feels extremely fast to me, coming from low torque cars like the rx8 and s2000, but its all in perspective.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cuban Z (Post 1890202)

Anxious to hear how it went. What were you impressions BigDog?

Impressions of... him? He's a cool dude that's a true auto enthusiast. He'd be a great addition to the Z community as he's passionate about cars (studied auto design) and knows his stuff.

He had been considering a NSX but due to its small size and cost to keep up, he was deterred. He really seemed to like the Z and asked questions about my day to day with it. While I'm more of a weekend warrior, I told him it was totally liveable with even in hilly SF (and I have a 6 speed). Also said it was much more practical than you'd think. Great grocery getter, and if you want decent gas mileage you can get it. But likely you ever would :)

I think I convinced him with our brief drive :)

First time I drove a Z.... I had already bought it. My test drive was after I paid for it. I just knew I would like it, for years. Crazy? Maybe. Worked out for me though.

I can echo bigdog's note about being in 2nd at over 3000rpm and punching the gas. Sounds and feels great !

People will make more comments about your unique looking Z than most other cars out there, too - if you care about that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigdog1250 (Post 1890330)

The NSX has always been my "unicorn". Lusted over them for years and told myself I WILL have one. Still to this day, I scan the NSX for sale section in search of the perfect car. Even though I'm told countless times about how it's a Honda and will last forever with maintenance. It's still a super rare car with no warranty and I can barely fit in it. My love for the car says "**** it, just do IT". But now my better judgement is creeping in.

I've compared the NSX to a pair of Ferrari Puma shoes that are 1 size too small. They're awesome for about a week, until they become painful day to day.