The Official 370z Test Drive Thread
 

Well I cant test drive since I'm in Iraq but I know that they will be rolling in the next few days. It be good to have a place to put the early reviews from members.

:tup:

So has anyone had the chance to yet?

I'm going by a Nissan dealership that is right by my house later on today to see if the service manager will let me drive one.

Slidefox, which dealer do you work with???

I know some of the guys at Power Nissan off the San Tan and Gilbert.

I'm going to my dealership later today after work!
[:

That is who I thought you would say. I know that is usually where the Intense guys go. Check your PM...

I know who the Intense guys go through, but I have to keep that a secret... :D

You tease..... you......

The Official 370z Test Drive Thread
 

My dealership has know I wanted one since early December. Thought they were supposed to be in next week yet I got a call at 10am 12/30 from dealer saying they just got 3 in! Well, I drove em' baby!

Regardless of the fact they were still covered in plastic (inside & out), I was able to drive both M & A/T, Touring & Base. It is important to note that the only way you get the synchro-match M/T is if you opt for the Performance Package...stripped Base M/T is not the synchro-match tranny. Both Dealer & I were surprised by this finding...

I may be a bit bias since my 1st car was a 1974 240Z, had a 1994 300ZXTT & 2004 350Z but I have also owned a 2002 Porsche 911 and driven every sports car under the sun...so...

The 370Z is awesome. Simple as that. They brought the suede interior door back as well as the seats wrap around you. Push button start (no need to insert key, keep it in your pocket) is a blast as well. Fit & finish is much more attractive...its got leather all over the place, less plastic and more style.

1. M/T - incredible. Super soft clutch pedal (which I dont care for), easy short throws, REAL tight and zero slop. Now the real fun part...downshifting. It does what they say it does...pulling 6K on the tach in 5th, drop her in 4th - she roars to 7500 and eases into gear! Its insane! I must have said "wow" 100 times. 1st gear is a bit short but the car pulls all the way around the dial...

2. A/T - Im not a fan of tiptronic transmissions unless its the BMW SMG. I need that instant "slam" into gear...unlike Porsche's 5 min (exaggerated of course) engagement of gear...but...the 370's is good/good+. Slow speeds (slow meaning "normal" driving speed) its got some lag like the Porsche...hammer the right pedal from a stop and walk through the 7 speeds with "as close to instant as a converter will allow"...downshifts get the same "blip" of juice as the M/T...I found myself hitting the paddles up/down, up/down just to hear the engine. In tip mode the car DOES hold the gear until you shift...not like a Slaab, I mean Saab and shift for you.

3. Issues - we couldnt figure out where the iPod jack is on music box.

I am waiting a month or two till dealers cant sell it for sticker then I am getting a M/T with synchro.

Again, the 370Z is sick, I love it - looks & all. I have been waiting for the right car, almost bought another 911 but glad I lost a ton in market & didnt buy it...this is my car!

Check under the center arm rest for the ipod jack

Yup should be under the pad on the center arm rest. There are some pictures on this site that show it. I am very happy to hear that your testing of the cars went well. I am also very very happy to hear that the MT is as good as I have been reading, I can't wait to get one.:excited:

Nice to see you changed your mind in color.:tup:

370Z Info
 

You may all know that I drove one almost a month ago about 400 miles. I Loved most every bit of it. I liked it so much I wrote a bit about it here: http://upload.z1motorsports.com/2009Nissan370ZRally.pdf

I hope this helps shed some light on the Z and gets you all out there driving one.

Josh@Z1

AIM - JoshatZ1
Josh@Z1motorsports.com
(770) 838-7777 ext. 303

Z1 Motorsports
Z1 Motorsports Nissan 300zx, 350Z, & G35 Parts and Performance Experts.
Catering to your Z needs from the earliest Z32 to the latest Z34 plus Infiniti G35 and G37.

I drove the 370Z with sports package (6MT) myself today.

I pulled up just before they closed in my 2006 G35 Coupe, and had a salesman waiting for the second I got out of the car :icon17:

I have already seen it in person before (L.A Auto Show), so there was nothing to surprice me as far as the exterior goes.

The interior, which was the base car, is definately far superior to the current 350Z. Everything is just smooth to touch. And this isn't even the Touring model, not to even mention the Nav option.

Now, as far as the test drive. Just to let you know where im coming from: My G35 Coupe 6MT has full bolt ons + tune, with a full suspension (sway bars, track coilovers, etc).

The drive was honestly no real surprise. It's the same engine as that on the G37, so it felt just like it (obviously). The engine is smooth and very linear, and doesn't really have a real punch to it. But the power is very progressive. The car itself is also VERY quiet (but then again, my car does have an exhaust with no catalyctic converters). I was honestly not really impressed with the acceleration itself, but I guess I have my car to blame for that. My car is making alot more torque than the 370Z so it doesnt have that grunt my car has. Punch my car at 5000 RPM's and it slams you against the driver seat. That wasn't the case with the 370Z. That does NOT mean my car is faster...it just feels faster. I would predict my car is very close to the 370Z, if not, the 370Z should edge me out just a little bit.

The drive itself was also surprisingly very GT-like. I could have sworn I was driving the G37... but it did feel more nimble. Compared to my G35 Coupe, the drive felt very soft.

The transmission and clutch, once again, was no surprice as I have already driven the G37. The clutch itself is very light, and more hydrolic than my G35c. It might take me a week or so to get used to that feel. And the transmission feels a little more refined.

The synchro rev-match option is definately neat. It is very precise and delivers the right throttle blip instantly. It's a great feature to have, though I prefer doing the rev-matching myself. (Good thing there's an off button :D).

I didn't have the chance to really test the brakes, but they aren't as grabby as my G35c brakes. I'm sure they easily outbrake my car though.

Overall, im impressed by the car. Just not overwhelmed. The car definately has potential, and a full bolt-on plus full suspension 370Z should be a blast to drive. The fact that I have driven the G37 6MT and have a modified G35 Coupe probably took away the "awe" effect many have felt with the drive of this car. But that doesn't mean its an amazing car.

I will check out the Touring Model (and one with the Nav option) once I have the chance.

I might be in this car come Fall if I get the right deal [after my lease is over with my G35].

Ah Mr.Shumby you are back. Great now we can start this up again. Just remember you only get the ipod jack in the MB cars.

(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.