New Motortrend review of 2012 370Z
 

Have to say, this is one of the few reviews that i can absolutely agree with from motortrend on the 370Z, sorry if this is a repost, but video was posted by motortrend on the 27th of this month.

2012 Nissan 370Z: The Rough and Tumble Sports Car! - Ignition Episode 30 - YouTube

i take it from the lack of responses everyone has seen this video already? lol

Pretty much spot on. Sums up my impression of the car. I like the fact that the Z requires some effort to drive, like the old sports cars of my youth. That's why I bought one.

Why is Motor Trend reviewing so many 370Z's lately? And even still, why aren't they reviewing the 2013 model?

I want to know more about the Euro Tuned suspension!! And how it compares to the 2012 model. So if they're going to test the Z twice in the same week, at least should have made it the 2013 model.

Two and a half years 21,000 miles and not one of those problems he mentioned.

I dont think its a second review. Its just the video to the original review. And I would like to point out again a 0-60 time on Par with 400+ HP muscle cars.

yeah none here either and i've got 25,000 on mine, but then again he does say that the car he is driving is a press car so it has basically had the crap beat out of it lol

True. The problem is people do not understand that I jump to conclusions, kind of like that Nismo CarAndDriver put into the wall at VIR a few years ago.

eh no problem man, heck even i know my VLSD will eventually go out but i plan to replace it with a real LSD long before then anyway...still kinda disappointing that nissan would choose to cheap out on not putting a real LSD in there to begin with though or at least give us the option of putting one of their Nismo GT clutch type LSD on the car. i know i was just browsing through their build your own Z tool and noticed they now give you the option of choosing Nismo parts including the catback exhaust system.

Yea the LSD should have been better but I guess that's how they keep cost down. Performance of a 55-60k Cayman/Boxster for 30-40k.

Hi Im Forest...whats a LSD can do to your car? Would it help me stop RUNNIN???

nah, only a box of chocolates can do that

Best Review In Years...

Some people may not like how the Z gets the job done. But when it's done, in most cases it will be the victor. The Z in the hands of a skilled driver is one of those cars, that a skeptic in the passengers seat will be shockingly surprised after a thrillrush ride.

If you are set on driving one type of car ONLY,ie muscle or lightweight sports car like miatas. The Z will feel like it doesn't have an identity. But if your driving skill can adapt to anything? The Z's Bi-polar capability will be intoxicatingly addicting. The current Z is a car for those that get it... in other words a seriously niché car.

exactly the reason i liked this review compared to the other ones motortrend has put up. the other review that was written on the 29th just seemed like the guy was basically copying what everyone else has said before about the 370 and when he started picking apart the interior quality that just turned me off of his article completely cause at that point i knew he had nothing more to say that hasnt already been said before and he needed something else to critique so he chose the interior. this carlos lagos guy however seems to "get" more of what the Z's true intentions are and he doesnt really sit there and go on and on comparing it to other cars, but takes the car for what it is....a no holds barred no frills true classic feeling sports car and to me at least that's what a sports car should be, none of this "oh it doesnt have blu tooth so it must not be good" BS that alot of other reviewers seem to be spitting out lately. not saying that all that isnt good for some people, but to me when you are driving fast around a track or going down a canyon or mountain road, the less distracting crap the better.

:iagree: Taking it for what it is.

everyone says this but I bet you dont even knwow what a new lsd would do

your right i don't, but i do know the basic function of an LSD is to make sure power goes to the wheel with the most grip and the VLSD does that, but it will eventually wear out and have to be completely rebuilt. only thing i was saying is i would have liked a sturdier design from the factory.

Cool. Review wasn't lazy, random regurgitation or PR for other cars. It was actually Z relevant. Win!

not a bad review, nice to know you have to work it, and that is why I enjoy my Z,
problems are probably because its Press Car and everyone it testing it.

I have almost 20K on my in a year, and it still runs nice and strong, just wished I had more time to autocross it than I have only 3 times since I got it in October 11

Be grateful. Still more than many.

Since you know so much about LSD's... Can you explain the strengths and weaknesses between Nissan's in-house Vicious Limited slip differential and the much praised Torsen LSD that everyone praises?

the torsen keeps working past lap 1 :roflpuke2:

Great review and I agree but that z has been beaten on it's whole life to test its performance. The dude recognized that and test it for what it was. Just a really fun, fast, car to drive. Even if it's a repost, it's a great one.

lol... I was hoping you'd troll this thread. :icon18:

for the sake of giving a serious answer:

1: reduces (effectively removes) the heat issue; keeps working for track use
2: doesn't burn up after a couple of track days
3: significantly more consistent and predictable lockup, not to mention faster response with the torsen
4: fanbois don't tell people their torsen diff is a "vicious" differential :icon17:



The torsen still runs into delivery issues if you lift a tire, but for most weekend warriors, losing power over a curb isn't catastrophic (and may even be preferable)

Hmmm, pretty fair review compared to some I've seen

I do find this car is tougher to manipulate than some others but thats why I love it and everyday I'm still learning how to get the most out of it

I never get tired of seeing a Z in action (since I never get to see me driving lol)

Thanks... I knew that much, but I felt Mr. Racer should have schooled Z_ealot since he was so quick to pass judgement on his comment. Everyone's a critic but no one is an educator these days.

But you do have much more track time than me and I would like to ask you, between quaife and os giken. Which do you recommend as a dual street and track lsd and why? This I don't know so i'm seriously asking? Thanks in advance. :)

thats what i have wikipedia and books for on this type of stuff, no need for anybody to be "schooling" anyone, we are all here to learn one way or another :D

I've never run the OSG, but SPOHN and the other who use it have nothing but good to say about it.

I really personally have a strong preference towards torsen over clutch-type, mostly because the engagement on a clutch-type diff can be harsh, and the need to rebuild is a PITA. I understand that the OSG has relatively mild rebuild needs, and it doesn't come on too harshly. You'd probably be better served talking to someone that has run with one.

For my money, I'd go with quaife, although I will say that it seems like clutch-types are getting more civil.

Thanks, I'll hit up spohn. Leaning toward quaife myself, but so many good things said about OSG. I better get testimonials on it. I have experience on quaife, torsen, cusco and this in house vlsd. Cusco works well when it works but has a short life span and a major PITA to rebuild. I rather spend the extra money in something better. Quaifes worked great for me so I have some bias in that area so i can use some schooling. There are lots of LSD's out there for the Z now. Just wanna make the right purchase the first time around. Performance and reliability must be equally high.

Anyone know what the pros and cons are for the torsen vs. a quaife?

the quaife is a torsen

oops, i thought we were referring to a brand, haha, ok.

I guess technically Torsen is a brand, but it's a bit like Kleenex or Band-aid, in that everyone refers to helical diffs as torsens.

Interesting....

An honest review. Nissan makes a brute type of car w/ power and torque.

I'm just glad he wasn't blindly bashing it like most people seem to have been doing in their reviews lately.

You know whats wrong with car magazines today. Car guys don't test cars. journalists do. Corporate sponsored drones who test cars based on a one sided spectrum vs the universal spectrum of the automotive industry.

So if a guy loves Camry's? He expects the z to have 6 cup-holders. If he loves Cadillac's...Why doesn't the z have 12 memory power seats? If he loves Mustangs... Why can't the Z have a V8... This isn't car reviewing.

Are they basing a car on its talents or your bias interpretation of a sports car. It's ok for a reviewer to express his preferences in order for the consumer to relate to the driver and understand why he would prefer a, lets say, "Mustang" over a Z. But it's another to compare the cars as if they serve the same performance purpose, when they don't.

At least mustang has camaro and challenger to show up. The genesis coupe can go 10k upmarket and battle the G37 and 3 series. In a way, the 2.0 and FR-S doesn't match but makes more sense due to them being priced equally and both being RWD 4 seat coupes.
The Z has no competitor in its class and can only be compared the Porsche Cayman S, Boxster and BMW Z4 over $20k upmarket, double what the gencoupe deals with.... They can say the others are more refined but can't say they outperform the Z. So the Z needs to be underdogged by near non-competitors in order to keep the corporate sponsors happy. The Z is too unique in its price-point and other car companies are to scared to make a real competitor. Imagine GM's version of a Z? Or ford? Dodge maybe? lol.

The vette is something else... Japanese couldn't make a vette... Americans can't build a Z. And you can't review them like they are one of the same. BUT that's what american/british magazines do.

WE NEED TO GET CAR GUYS BACK IN THE CAR MAGS.

You should go test cars for a living. :tup:


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Thanks. lol:tiphat: