2013 Car and Driver Lightning Lap

UNKNOWN_370

I'm just going to say this. How I feel about the Z as a performance vehicle.

Do I love the overall package? Yes.
Is it flawed for my expectations? Both yes and no.

As an individual car, I believe the Z needs to be more. Where I disagree with most is when the comparisons from other cars come in. The only legit comparisons really are the Cayman S and Corvette. Not because of price... But because of expectations. Not that i expect the Z to be as good as the others. But meet 8 to 9/10yths of both cars expectations...

Does the Z do that? Yes. So why does it need to be improved?

Well, the car could have been better balanced and weighed less. The VQ37 should have been downsized this gen, but people didnt realize they wanted that till the FRS hype. So i don't fault Nissan in that either... They ga e customers exactly what they wanted out of the 350z. And when the people got it, they shytted all over it.

Biggest mistakes:
No first yr oil cooler
No second year brake cooling for both Nismo and sport
No upgraded radio on all base models.

3 stupid things nissan neglected imho.

But as an individual machine. The car is still fun. I expect and hope improvements will make it handle more porsche like and turbo (hopefully) will give it some of that vette style torque (of course not as strong but if its stronger than the strong ATS torque in feel. I'll take it)

I love my z and hope to FI it after me and the wife get in a house. And by the third model year. I may buy the Z35, C6 camaro or Even a C7 vette? We'll see? Till then. My skill and the Z seem to go hand in hand.

I'm not needing a quieter cabin. And I'm not too shabby in the twisties and corners. I surprise my friends with more powerful cars than mine, how i could hang, sooo. I'm personally happy.

Still can't wait to see improvements happen.

Did nissan piss me off with not addressing issues appropiately. Yes to the point of borderline fury.
Did that experience make me hate my car or want to trade it. No, the Z is still far above average in performance.

I dont compare it to 420hp cars either so im even happier. Maybe i'll add one of those 420hp cars to sit next to my Z if i dont like the Z35.

Life goes on, and im still loving my Z.

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Favorite Quote.
"I'm not gonna kill you... I'm just gonna Bash Your Face In" Jack Nicholson-"The Shining". 1980