370Z = old technology?
 

Got some free time at work and did some browse on car reviews at Edmunds. I was surprised by some 0-60 results. The cunky X3 can do so in 5.8 secs and 2013 Accord = 6.1 secs.

Our Z is roughly at 5.x secs (roadster / coupe / auto manual all different). Z is a true sport car, but it's < 1 sec quicker than X3 and Accord.

Is the current Z getting old?

vq is slightly dated and we get zero traction out of the hole. whereas the x5 is awd so someone could just put the right pedal down and go. i imagine if u looked at the 1/4 mile times of all vehicles u listed u would see the z start to put quite a gap on the rest

I would hesitate to classify it as strictly “old technology” – as that carries an unnecessarily negative connotation. I mean, there’s plenty of truly old technology out there that still can achieve impressive performance (think pushrod V8s and live rear axles).

That’s not to say that Nissan couldn’t incorporate some technologies such as direct injection for potential gains, but the Z’s performance is mostly a matter of its power/weight ratio. Same with the examples you mentioned. The new Accord Coupe was tested by Motor Trend to get to 60 MPH in 5.6 seconds, with a 14 sec 1/4mi @ 101.4 MPH.

C & D’s first 370Z instrumented test resulted in a 4.9 second 0-60 and 13.5 sec 1/4mi @ 106 MPH. Weight between the two is very close (as tested in those two tests the Accord Coupe was 3367lb and the Z was 3373lb). Roadholding was of course much better for the Z at 0.97g versus only 0.83g for the purposely softer Accord.

I guess what I’m getting at is that shaving considerable time off of your acceleration figures once you’re in the sub-5 second range is a matter of diminishing returns. Look at the Nismo, for instance, with an additional 18hp and 6lb-ft and yet I think the normal 7AT Z still turns in the best 0-60 times.

The bottom line is that performance cars have less room to improve than normal sedans and crossovers, so this isn’t just a conversation for the Z. Heck, base Corvettes (430hp 6.2L V8) achieve a 4.5sec 0-60 - just 1.1 second faster than an Accord Coupe.

You're oversimplifyling the results. For one, 0-60 is magazine racing is stupid. It's an old way of thinking about performance. The quarter mile time and trap speed is more accurate at measuring straight line performance. Also, 1 second difference is HUGE. If the Z cut a whole second off it's 0-60, you're looking at supercar territory.

Is your only criteria for judging a sports car it's 0-60 time ?

this^ :iagree:

how the Z drives and feels and delivers the power is what makes it a great sports car, not just the stats. yes they are important but i promise, the Z is much more exciting to drive than a '13 accord :driving:

The Z has handles over the accord and the x3 all day. Not to mention sex appeal.

The Accord has lots of new tech actually. In fact, you should test drive an Accord and tell us how you feel after that.

For what it is, I love my Z, wouldn't think twice about any other car right now, yeah it doesnt have the most power out the box, but thats what mods are for, 370z FTW! (spoken like a fanboy I know :rofl2:)

:happydance:

for 33,000 I feel like i got all i could get. Even though gas mileage is more horrible than i thought, it doesnt matter because i got a car that has a monster V6, looks great and handles good enough on the streets for me.

take those 2 cars and bring it to the track, huge difference!

Horrible gas mileage, was your old car a prius? Lol. My old RX-8 got between 15-16mpg on the highway...the Z sips fuel by comparison.

Unless you step on the pedal, I realized grannying it on the highway vs a couple pulls on the highway and im down like 3-4 dots. :icon17:

Worth it though.

I'm getting 13-14mpg all city driving. Probably the norm for city driving but dam thats brutal with 4.30 A gallon,.

yeah momentary pleasure, then you get to the gas station look at the gas prices, and debate filling up. :rofl2:

If anything the Z = NEW TECHNOLOGY. Did everyone forget about the Synchro Rev Match? What's another production car with this capability and affordable?

it's the only car that does it as far as i know, at least with a 3 pedal manual. seems like everyone else is working on dual clutch transmissions

Porsche is in the process of copying it actually

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1...d-downshifting

you guys are feeding a troll...

I honestly cant imagine this being a serious question.. dude has gotta be almost going Full retarded..

how long does it take to get get from 0-60 in the 13' base coupe?

:iagree:

:rofl2:

++1 :iagree::iagree:

read his other posts.

About the same as my 300ZX tt day to day. On long trips the 370 is 4-5 MPG better.

Haters gonna hate..:facepalm:

ibtl

the 2JZ-GTE is a pretty old engine yet that will smoke alot of newer motors stock

just cause its old doesnt mean its slow :)

EDIT:
its over 14 years old so ya, just cause its old doesnt mean its slow

The engine is based on a pretty old platform. No DI, uses more fuel that most V6's now, and doesn't really have any tricks up it's sleeve, like start-stop and cylinder deactivation. However, it does have a 7.5k redline, which is still on the high side of things, and makes 90 hp/l, which is pretty good for a higher displacement engine.

The manual has SRM, which is definitely new tech.
The auto isn't a dual clutch, but is snappy and fun with the paddles with 7 gears.

Carbon composite driveshaft is more advanced than most. Wheels are lighter than most. Gripper than cars in its price range too, even with conventional springs and shocks.

So the Z is more conventional than the new cars coming out, but everything that I'd say is old, I'd also label as being very refined for the tech.

Troll or not, it's not that terrible of a question.

I agree wholeheartedly (I own a Z, after all). I do find it funny, though, that when you reverse the situation and start talking about a car like the FR-S being underpowered or slow, FR-S enthusiasts/owners would likely use a similar response to this criticism (…“there’s more to the FR-S than sheer HP & acceleration stats”).

Truth is, when you have the stats to back you up, they’re fun to quote. When you don’t they’re easy to refute and excuse. I've been a stats junkie since I first started reading car mags as a kid, and while I agree that they only tell part of the story (look how legendary the Miata is) that doesn't stop me from commiting them to memory.

With all that said, the Z doesn’t need any excuses – it’s a top-notch sports car with great performance and amazing styling (that’s why I bought one).


Perhaps, but it's one of the few performance stats you can legally test on the open road within the speed limit (that is, unless you want to test the 1/4mi time of a Smart ForTwo). My old 2002 G20, as much as I loved it, was an absolute slug (0-60: ~10 sec). "But at least it handles well" is the G20-owner's mantra - but that only gets you so far. When you get dusted at a red light by a Versa, that's just wrong for a car with "sport sedan" pretensions.

Again, though, I don't think the Z has anything to hide within the realm of 0-60 testing. It sits right where it should given its power/weight and pricing. The new Accord's acceleration is impressive, given the car's genre and price point, but that shouldn't be viewed as threatening to a Z enthusiast.

It's clearly obvious the Honda Accord is a far superior car than the Z. I think the new Accord is faster around a track than a GTR.

Yeah, city driving will give you crap gas mileage. I get about 20-21 with mixed driving. If it's mostly city driving, def in the teens.

I thought the v6 Camry and Altima were faster than the Accord. At least they used to be back when I bought my last car (07 altima v6)

Does it have some old technology in it? Yes.
Is the whole car old technology? No.

Like everyone else mentioned the engine is getting a little dated the VQ architecture came out in 1994.
Also for being an 08-09' model it held up fairly well to the current market.
With that said I can't wait for the next gen Z, really curious of what they will do with the nomenclature and of course the specs :)

accords are slow, always have been and always will be, but that wont stop some kid who put a fart cannon on his accord from telling you otherwise

:bowrofl: isnt that right, but I see it as they are car guys like us to I guess, so I cut em slack. :rofl2:

I had a 2000 Prelude that was pretty fast for FWD. I only had intake,header,exhaust + good driver = faster than 350Z,s2000,g35. Not as fast as STI or EVO but that prelude h22 in an accord can do damage.

I hope you are being sarcastic because with your list of mods, there is no way in hell your little prelude is faster than any of the cars you mentioned. :icon18:

Ya... ??

tell me how your fwd prelude with those mods, making anywhere from 160-170whp, weighing just shy of 3000 lbs (ya i researched quite a bit) beats a 350z which makes ~100 more hp AND is RWD AND weighing only 200 lbs more... or the s2k which is rwd AND makes about 50whp more AND weighs slightly less than a prelude....

http://brandingadvice.typepad.com/ph...ed/bsmeter.jpg

It's a 3400 LB car with roughly 260 RWHP. That is not a recipe for low 0-60 times.

It's an awesome car, but it's not a dragster. No shame in that.

Well, it just depends on what you are used to. My old C6 Vette had a huge lumpy cam in it, made 517 RWHP, and would get me 31 MPG on the highway with an average of 18 MPG with mixed driving.

And no, I did not baby that car. I drove the snot out of it.

I believe the 370z used existing 350z architecture as a starting point, so that may be considered older tech. The VQ37VHR is the newest version of VQ. Seems like VQ35DE is much older and more widely used from the past 5-10 years. The VVEL (variable valve event + lift) is newer technology used in the 370z/G37's engine.