you missed my point. what i was trying to say is that, IFFF anything, go forward not backwards [and by that i dont mean make a v8 Z..]. def keep it at 6.

im not sure what bmw was thinking by making a v8 m3. as fun as it was to drive and as much of a beast as it was, it was trying to over reach its "comfort zone" imo. v6 suited the e46 nicely..they shouldve kept it at that while generating more power for future m3s. let the bigger boys Ms take the v8+ engines and keep the m3 at 6.

v6 is the perfect balance in my opinion. if nissan goes lower...they will eventually [probably] realize it wasnt a smart idea and go back up to 6 again.

my 2 cents

As per OP's first post, Z designer Shiro Nakamura and product chief Andy Palmer are looking at a smaller Z with a turbo 4.

Most automobile manufacturers will use the same engine across a number of their cars (Nissan does it with the VQ) in order to keep costs in check. Here's my questions and I want to know what you folks think.

If Nissan did in fact come out with the smaller/lighter Z with a turbo 4, what other Nissan cars would it power?

They need to call the new Z the 370Z Twin Turbo. :) They did the same thing with the Z31 and Z32.

Hopefully not juke or sentra, we know the new maxima sedan will be a 3.5 w/ some electric motors.

Most likely will be found in the new G coupe/sedan (Q50 something whatever I am calling it G coupe)
-knowing that G coupe/sedan are pretty massive cars, Can't expect any less power/torque or they will risk becoming slower than civics.

So I'd say a high boost 4, north of 300hp 300tq from a 2.0+ displacement,

Would love to see less mass in the chasis, but wouldn't be upset if it was close to 3200lbs w/ more power... as long as it doesn't gain weight.

They can always just eliminate the 370 and just call it the Z. No point going backwards to a 200Z.

Or call it the Z35.

They could somewhat easily turbo the VQ. The issue would be the cooling capacities and space for said components. On the flip side, they would have to hold peoples hands on the maintenance plans and force the mechanics/salesman to actually train on the systems instead of following a script.

I for one wouldn't really care if the Z35 comes with a turbo 4-cylinder. I just wouldn't consider purchasing it. If they give us a 6-cylinder with some nifty stuff like direct injection and hybrid electric systems, I would consider it depending on the implementation. I am happy with my TT-Z now and would not want to give up the smile she puts on my face for something that I have to rework to get the same type of thing.

They could use this motor if they are indeed in league with Mercedes Benz; 2015 Mercedes-Benz E400 Twin-Turbo V-6

i would agree, but it has already been put out that Nissan's weight target for the next Z is around 2800lbs

Seriously doubt they will meet it w/ out alienating a lot of the customers.

Look at some of the recently released cars, most had weight reduction goals - and almost all ended up gaining weight. Just to name a few, the c7 chief engineer said they originally wanted the new vette to be ~100lbs lighter, it ended up being a little heavier vs the outgoing model.

The only thing holding me back from a turbo 4 is the sound. For me, thats part of the sports car experience and I just dont like how 4cyl sound...especially with exhaust. I personally would like a downsized v6 turbo instead.

I'd buy a V8 Z in a heartbeat. A 560Z would be awesome. And the E46, like all of the M3s before it came with an inline 6.

I'm sure this has been mentioned already, but could this be accomplished with the VQ25HR?

not really sure how reducing the Z's weight would alienate customers, but seeing as Nissan has been one of the few manufacturers to keep on goal as far as weight reductions in their vehicles i would not be skeptical about them actually reducing the weight of the Z as they have consistently been able to knock at least 100-200lbs or more off of all their vehicles that they have released lately

the new 510

Nissan should leave the turbo 4 for the IDx and make the Z slightly lower displacement but with a supercharger, or a high revving V8 :stirthepot:

Nah. The VQ25 isn't that great of an engine. Highly unlikely but it would be cool to see a new 3.0L v6.