Youtube video 370Z test drive review and article
 

I found this on another 370Z site and didn't see it posted here...



YouTube - Nissan 370Z Test Drive and Review SyncroRev Match


YouTube - Nissan 370Z Test Drive and Review...



Article by Di*k Ryan

THE NEW NISSAN 370Z

Nissan unveiled their brand new 350Z as a 2003 model. That was 6 model years ago, so it was about time for a new Z. The 370Z will be in the dealer showrooms in January, and they have hit another home run with the new car.

The redesigned 370Z does not share a single body panel with the 350Z, but it is easy to see that there is a direct styling relationship between the two cars. The new Z has a 4-inch shorter wheelbase, is about 3-inches shorter overall, and is about 1-inch wider than the 350Z. The 370Z is also about 95 pounds lighter. Due to the reengineering process, the front chassis structure is about 30% stronger and the rear is 22% stronger than the car it replaces.

The seats in the 370Z are much better than the ones in the 350Z. They you’re your body much better and provide great support in all directions. During hard cornering the improvement is dramatic, because you do not have to hold onto the steering wheel just to stay in the seat. The 370Z’s steering wheel is not round like the one in the 350Z. It is oval shaped and lets you see the instrument cluster better.

All the Zs are fun to drive, and the new 370Z continues the legend. The new motor provides about 25 more horsepower (332 HP) than the current 350Z and about 45 more than the early 350Z. The extra horses (and lighter weight) mean a reduction in 0-60 times. The 270 foot pounds means the 370Z can pull smoothly from 2000 rpm up through the rev range without any complaints.

I think the most fascinating innovation on the 370Z is its new “downshift rev matching” option for the 6-speed manual transmission. It is the world’s first one. We all know that learning how to “heel & toe” is a required technique for a sports car driver during the downshifting process. It usually takes drivers a while to learn how to do it, and then it takes time to relearn it when you move to a different car. Nissan has taught the 370Z how to do it, so you don’t have to learn it.

Assume you are driving along in 4th gear at 4000 rpm. If you want to downshift into 3rd you would need to rev the engine up about 800 to 1000 rpm for a smooth downshift. If you wanted to go from 4th to 2nd you would need to blip the throttle to rev the engine up about 3000 rpm or so. The new transmission knows the difference between these two choices and revs the engine enough to complete a smooth downshift without heeling & toeing. A 7-speed, paddle shifted, automatic is also available.

The 370Z’s ride is quite an improvement over the early 350Z. The early 350Z had a very stiff ride that was hard to endure on long trips. The 370Z’s ride is much smoother, and it would make a great every day driver. From the way it handled in the short time I drove it, I don’t think that the on-track handling will suffer at all.

The shape of the 370Z is new, aggressive and distinctive. Yet it still is very easy to tell at a glance that the car is a Nissan Z. The overall shape is similar to the 350’s design but the first things to standout are the headlamps and tail lights. They are both shaped like boomerangs. At first I didn’t like them, but after a short period, I started to like them and now, I think they look great.

I only have one complaint. The left segment of the instrument panel is just plain ugly. It is a rectangular box that is colored silver and has the trip computer readout in the center. This is probably the only shape in the entire interior of the car that has right angles and it looks very out of place. How did that one sneak in?

There will only be two 370Z models and the prices have not yet been posted. The base model will start at about $30,000 and the Touring model is estimated to start about $35,000. There will be only 2 option packages. The Sport Package will include a limited slip differential, bigger brakes, front and rear spoilers, 19” wheels, and performance tires. The Navigation Package will include a touch screen nav with Real Time Traffic Information, a 9.3 GB Music Box hard drive, and an interface system for an iPod. The 370Z Roadster will be a 2010 model.

We have had many Datsun/Nissan vehicles over the years. I think that Nissan provides one of the best performance values available in the automotive marketplace in the past and today. I define performance as the combination of horsepower/torque, braking, and handling.

You can always find sports cars with more horsepower, better braking, or higher cornering g-loads, but those sports cars cost much more than a similar Datsun/Nissan. So when you add cost into the performance equation, Datsun/Nissan sports cars always provide a very cost effective performance value. This is important to 98% of the potential buyers looking for a car that is fun to drive because most of us don’t have bags of money to spend on automobiles.

By Di*k Ryan

Freelance Automotive Journalist

Member of the Western Automotive Journalists

He said he was driving a base model, but I didn't think the syncro-rev matching system was available in the base model.

My god, I love the sound of this car, love when he downshift the gears and how the syncro auto reving trans sounds when match gears. Very Aggressive sound.
Nice review.


Well, on the Base model you can get the new toy, syncro transmission, with the sport package (aprox $3K to get it).
My only concern is, what if I set the Auto Rev. option always, normal driving. It will be any problem in the future? It can be always turned on?:confused:

I can imagine myself by mid september with this baby :rolleyes: yep yep.

Well if you are downshifting I do that all the time now so it would be the same anyway. I probably wouldn't have it on unless I was getting aggressive though. You aren't supposed to be able to get the syncro-rev though from my understanding without the sports package.

^^^^ I hear only black cars are getting it.

^I guess then I will have to still buy my monterey blue and ask them to take the syncro-rev out of yours and put it in mine then:icon18:

I heel-toe as it is... I'm not 100% I even want that option. But I'm going to get it and keep it off at first. I may decide at some point to turn it on (like if my dad or friends drove the car) but that's not likely since I don't like other people driving my car. I learned to rev-match when I learned to drive manuals... However, I think this is going to be an open door to idiots that want to down-shift just to stop the car... They need to learn that brakes are much cheaper to replace than transmissions. Using a transmission to slow a car down is really bad for it (because of how the gears are cut). I only down shift when I'm driving aggressively or turning.

Well I don't think I am an idiot for wanting that syncro-rev. I of course don't down shift to a light though. I just think it is cool to say hey I have the car that has the only rev matching manual transmission in the industry.

Hahah the author's name got censored.

And on what Crash said about people downshifting: I was in a car with a friend driving a manual and he kept downshifting to without rev matching to slow down the car. I asked him why and he said it saves the brakes. Then I tried to explain to him that he was destroying his synchros by doing that and that brake pads are a hell of a lot cheaper than a new tranny. But alas, its how his "father taught him" how to drive and his father is infallible... so he wouldn't listen.
But a rev matching option would help to preserve your synchros around town if you aren't one to heel toe all the time.

Yeah there is really no need to heel toe just to save the brakes. My civic's brakes on the front with my Honda ex-employee discount is 43 bucks for stealership parts. I would much rather pay 43 than 3000 bucks for a transmission rebuild. Some people will never re-learn

Good article. Very informative. As a 350Z owner I especially liked the review from someone who owns a 350Z and can compare the two cars.

LOL! Yeah... "My dad taught me" AND?!?! Smack him when his tranny goes.

I learned from a friend of mine that is an expert canyon racer. He basically told me to stop down shifting to a stop. After he explained it to me, I stopped... It took me a little while to get out of the habit, but when we go through the canyons, I still heel-toe.

I definitely like that they have rev-matching, but it's not going to be of much use to me.

^ Yeah it may not be of much use to you but it will still be cool to have it, you know for those lazy days that you just want to enjoy the scenery:tup:

^^^ LOL! Doesn't mean I don't want it!!! MINE MINE MINE!!!!

:D But you're right. Those lazy days DO happen.

Great vid
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9p9dZBBHz4A&feature=fvw

This also showcases the syncro rev... you can really hear it working with this view around 3:30 or so when he gets to the track