(Disclaimer: I own an AP1 S2000 and have test-driven an '05 350Z a couple of years ago, so my review is geared toward comparing the car against them)

I test drove a white touring model (6MT) with the sport package today, and honestly, I think it's a huge improvement over the 350Z. The interior is so much better than the 350's, with nicer materials throughout (no more cheap, hard plastics!). The suede door panels and stitched leather on the center console are nice touches, and I felt like I was sitting in a luxury car as opposed to a $30k Nissan. The seats were comfortable, supportive, and 4-way adjustable, which is nice compared to the limited adjustability of the s2000's seats. The steering wheel is nice and beefy as well, and can tilt (but not telescope). Overall, I felt much more comfortable in the 370 than I do in my s2000. Then again, I'm a pretty tall guy and shorter drivers may not feel the same way.

Now onto the drive itself. With the intellikey in my pocket all I had to do was press the start button to fire her up. Like many of the early reviews have stated, the stock exhaust sounds weak, but it's nothing an aftermarket option can't fix. When I pulled out of the lot, I noticed that the clutch feels very much the same as the old 350's--light, almost squishy with no feedback. That would take some getting used to coming from the s2000.

The shifter, on the other hand, was very impressive. Throws were short, almost on par with a stock s2000's, and each shift felt very precise--something I was not expecting at all. The engine was beastly, and I noticed right away that this car is much quicker than my s2000 and the old 350 that I tested before. Having torque available down low is also a welcome change coming from the s2000--I was able to cruise around in 4th gear without having to downshift.

Speaking of which, the synchro rev-match feature is pretty awesome. As much as I love blipping the throttle myself, I have to admit, this feature does it better and more consistently than I ever could. No matter how fast or slow I would shift or engage the clutch, I wasn't able to fool the computer. It would always rev the engine the perfect amount to ensure a smooth downshift, even into 1st gear!

I didn't get to drive the car too hard, but I was able to take it around a couple of corners pretty quickly. You can definitely feel the weight of the car in the corners, especially compared to the S, but it feels much more nimble than the 350 did, and there is a TON of grip available. The suspension was firm, but not jarring, and the car rides pretty quietly compared to the S and the 350. Steering feel is also much improved over the 350--the wheel is nicely weighted and provides much better feedback than the 350 or my s2000. And then there's the brakes. I don't have much to say about them, other than that they're awesome, and the pedal feel was pretty solid.

Overall, I think that the magazine reviews are pretty much spot on with what I experienced during my test drive. While I will admit that my s2000 is still the more fun car to drive, the amenities and features of the 370Z make it a very nice compromise of speed and luxury.

Well it is great to hear that all of the test drives have had pretty much the same reviews from independant testers.

I just realized there was an even more 'official' sticky test drive thread...Whoops.