2014 Nissan 370Z

[DoomsdayJesus]

Meh. The 370Z is one of the most unpleasant cars I've ever test driven. Incredibly loud road noise, overweight, what felt like pretty sloppy handling for the price, and awful visibility.

I was really between that and the BRZ, and I'm really, really happy I went with the BRZ. For all it's foibles it just seems so much more refined.

[BRZer86]

A car with a hatch that big isn't going to handle well.

[natehan]

Looks like a dealer is addressing the competition directly on their website. Has anyone ever seen anything like this?

http://www.gilesnissan.com/custom/37...-Nissan-Dealer

[mwjcyber]

^That's weird, almost like they're selling FT86s.

[juliog]

Early reviews have praised BRZ and FR-S as fun and affordable sport coupes. But both lack the engine power, chassis sophistication, and overall dynamic capability of a true sports car like 370Z.

[Bad Habits]

Originally Posted by DoomsdayJesus

Meh. The 370Z is one of the most unpleasant cars I've ever test driven. Incredibly loud road noise, overweight, what felt like pretty sloppy handling for the price, and awful visibility.

I was really between that and the BRZ, and I'm really, really happy I went with the BRZ. For all it's foibles it just seems so much more refined.

x2

This was one of the cars I test drove as well. Hated the seats. Drove the 6spd and the auto and didn't care for either. That 7 speed auto is worthless. Only n/a car I've ever driven that felt like it had turbo lag. How I felt about that can only be described with this. I shall quote from the book of May-

"There is a place reserved in Hell for the man who put that gearbox in that car. And it’s the ratios - it’s a case of many are called, but few are chosen. And many who are first shall be fourth and many who are third will actually kick-down into second" - James May about the BMW Z3

Must say their fanboys are pretty funny. Stance's FB had a nice pic of a 370 and a BRZ. The general consensus of why people buy a BRZ is because they are "too poor to afford the 370" lol.

[Bad Habits]

Originally Posted by natehan

Looks like a dealer is addressing the competition directly on their website. Has anyone ever seen anything like this?

http://www.gilesnissan.com/custom/37...-Nissan-Dealer

Nothing wrong with that. I hear fat girls need love too.

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by MightyMeeple

Wow...gotta say I would have seriously considered the Z back in January if the base was at that price. I may have still gone with the BRZ (driving/handling dynamics plus a backseat), but I would have at least test drove a Z to compare.

This is a smart move by Nissan. Now if they can just fix the awful floating gauge cluster.

I did drive a Z in comparison, and... it thrashes the twins in power, hands down. No contest. But honestly, it felt (though it wasn't) ponderous. They're heavy cars, after all, with that beefy v6 up front. But there's just that missing something that comes from a light weight, well-balanced car like the 86 that the Z-series is missing. Numbers-wise, the Z is the winner by a long shot, but it just didn't feel right. The 86 felt right, like a good sports jacket.

[gaveup]

Originally Posted by SirBrass

I did drive a Z in comparison, and... it thrashes the twins in power, hands down. No contest. But honestly, it felt (though it wasn't) ponderous. They're heavy cars, after all, with that beefy v6 up front. But there's just that missing something that comes from a light weight, well-balanced car like the 86 that the Z-series is missing. Numbers-wise, the Z is the winner by a long shot, but it just didn't feel right. The 86 felt right, like a good sports jacket.

I'll just throw my 2 cents in here.

Compared to the twins, I can see how someone can say the Z feels heavier, but it also *IS* heavier lol. Truth is, it feels a lot bigger than it really is. It's a loud and almost crude sports car. To some that's a put off, but to others it's the point of owning a sports car.

I've driven both cars and own a 370Z (2010 with basic mods). While I love the way the twins handle, I don't HATE the way the Z handles. In some cases it feels like you're going slower than you really are around turns and it plants itself pretty well. I'm not johnny racer hitting up the AutoX's and races every weekend, but as far as having fun on the streets the Z does a good job.

I suppose it is a give and take between the 2. If you chose the twins over the Z you prefer the driving feel of those cars over the Z. If you chose the Z, you most likely prefer the available power and roughness. I personally enjoy having the power on tap when I want it and that's kind of the one thing keeping me from considering purchasing the FRS.

My last few cars have been pretty quick ( srt4 - trapped around 110mph, WRX - 12.7@106 and my Z which went 13.3@107 stock) and I am not sure if driving something as slow (and I stress this: Please do not take that to heart.) as the twins daily would feel underwhelming. I really need to go test drive another one to see if it is something I will like day in and day out. There's something about the FRS that I really like, and I can't deny that.

[OrbitalEllipses]

You know, the twins don't have that much horsepower...but I find the powerband to be deceptive. Yeah, I'm not winning any highway pissing contests with a decent V6, but I find the acceleration pretty adequate to pass; though I find myself going faster than I thought simply because the powerband is linear.

[gaveup]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

You know, the twins don't have that much horsepower...but I find the powerband to be deceptive. Yeah, I'm not winning any highway pissing contests with a decent V6, but I find the acceleration pretty adequate to pass; though I find myself going faster than I thought simply because the powerband is linear.

See that's the thing I have to see if I can adjust to. If I can, seems like the frs would be the perfect car for me. The problem I see is that I got such a good deal on my Z, that to get the FRS would maybe save me $30 a month payment wise.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by gaveup

See that's the thing I have to see if I can adjust to. If I can, seems like the frs would be the perfect car for me. The problem I see is that I got such a good deal on my Z, that to get the FRS would maybe save me $30 a month payment wise.

The forefront of getting a new car should never be "well my payment will go down..." as that's a trap that can lead you into a car you don't really like. My suggestion is to ask a local for a test drive. I KNEW I wanted this car so it was purchased sight unseen without a test drive. Not so for you; I highly recommend some seat time first.

I dislike the feel/sound of a VQ, but there's a lot of be said for the power that kind of displacement provides.

[SirBrass]

I'm starting to realize that while I LIKE the linear powerband down in the low to middle mid-band, I've grown so used to turbo-charging (for the past 4.5 years I've DD'd an AWD turbo, either the wrx or sti), I'm expecting and now missing the bit of punch that comes from the turbo past 4k rpm.

Good thing we even have turbo solutions for these cars, so that's not really that much of a downside. We're GOING to mod these cars anyway to suit our tastes, so... okay. Only thing to that is I want to wait and see how these cars hold up in the long run at stock compression to low boost turbos like the AVO kit.

You don't exactly have room in the engine bay of a 370Z or 350Z for a turbo kit... that big V6 takes up most of the room.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by SirBrass

You don't exactly have room in the engine bay of a 370Z or 350Z for a turbo kit... that big V6 takes up most of the room.

A local shop was telling me they had someone come in with a Z for a clutch change and he neglected to tell them about the turbo kit taking up all the room by the tranny, blocking the clutch from access. Needless to say, they were pissed.