Nissan 350Z

jay057

It seems particularly odd to me that only the touring model has leather seats. Anybody agree or disagree?

blueguydotcom

...That people continue to believe leather is somehow a detriment to performance.

Guess someone should tell Porsche, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Lambo and a whole gaggle of other supercar makers that leather seats just aren't good for performance cars. ROFL

mikemajesty

its detrimental but i think its absurd to say that leather could ever hold like cloth or alcantara can. if it could, im sure rally racers would use leather instead. but it cant, just by the laws of physics it cant. there is no way that leather can create the same amount of friction as cloth.

ligart

I believe the leather in the marques you mention just tells you what consumers want. Wouldn't the true test be to see what racers use?

hgiles

I'm with blueguydotcom on the leather thing. I bet many of us who want an upscale sports car would like leather. If you really want to drive a car in the spirit of a true racer then you'll want to tear that pesty air conditioner out and leave it in the garage. And don't get me started on the rear window.

locke2c

I've got leather seats, heated even, and I'd give 'em up in a heartbeat to have grippy cloth instead. Hard to sell a $38k car with cloth though, eh?

And that's why the Z doesn't have them except in luxury trim. Nissan is trying to give you all the sport and minimal luxury-- remember guys, the last Z didn't leave on its own terms, it FAILED.

-Colin

wishnhigh1

Good sport seats will be grippy regardless of the material they are covered in, because of the way they conform to your body. I can understand sliging around on a leather bench seat(ie cadillac), but in a sports car this is unacceptable.

habitat1

in my S2000 hold me firmly in place just fine - and are extremely comfortable to boot. I have heard they are made for Honda by Recarro. I am sure that no one will slide around in a 350Z if Nissan can design or procure similar quality seats. A sports car capable of 0.9+/- g's is not a Formula 1 racer capable of 3+ g's.

On the other hand, I wouldn't mind seeing Nissan or Honda offer a 5-point harness in place of a 3-point seat belt in the passenger seat. The Honda's seats offer considerably more side bolstering than a child booster seat. A 5-point harness, in combination with a passenger side airbag shutoff switch, would enable me to feel comfortable taking my 7 year old out for an occasional slow ride on secondary roads.

snaphook

Each wheel is wearing out its tire at a certain rate. This rate can easily be converted into a cost. Rotating your tires will not change this rate of wear. A simple example. Your rear tires will wear out in 30k miles while your fronts will last 60k. After 120k miles you will have replaced your fronts twice and your rears four times. You have purchased 12 tires. By rotating the tires they will all wear out at 40k miles meaning you will have replaced all 4 tires 3 times. Still comes out to 12 tires. I certainly agree that people should rotate their tires from left to right because you would never want a great disparity in tread between the sides. But front to back is totally different.

locke2c

Usually high performance tires are directional which means you can't swap left and right side tires unless you unmount them from the rim and remount.

No rotation at all is a good way to replace tires a whole lot more often than even 30k, since summer tires wear fast even when able to be rotated properly. (12k-15k typical, some tires with more sedate driving capable of 30k or more.)

-Colin

habitat1

but I don't think you can even rotate unidirectional tires lef to right by taking them off the rims. I believe there is an "inside" and "outside" to each tire that would be reversed if you dismounted them. Correct?

locke2c

if they are assymmetric and directional then there is an 'outside' and an 'inside'. in this case the tires are sold in specific left- and right-side variants.

-Colin

verozahl

California is a foreign country for all I care. When will the 350Z be available in America, that's what I want to know.

tntt2

Does anyone know anyplace where there might be some good chat on the latest doings of the 350z? It does not look like this place is that active. Or maybe there is not that much new info to be had. Any new figures on the horsepower of the 350z engine? Is it still at 280+?

verozahl

Freshalloy.com compares the exhaust note of the 350Z, spotted in California, to that of a Corvette. Watch out, American sports car market.

afty

Check out www.zcar.com's 350Z forum. There are a lot of frivolous posts there, but there is also some good information.

revka

In addition to the feedback here, you'll also find direct links to related 350Z articles/features in the Helpful Links (left side). I'll be updating this area as new features arrive, so be sure to check back. Good luck.

To afty & verozahl- Thanks for the links! To everyone- Feel free to share any interesting news you find at other websites with us here. Let's work on making this place more active.... Thanks for your participation. ;-)

Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards

tntt2

I have read all the posts here and found them interesting, but I thought it odd that interest seems to be slowing with the 350z coming out in a couple of months.
I am an Audi TT owner who is seriously considering the 350z. Last week I spoke to a Nissan salesperson who is a true believer in the new z. He told me that I probably will have to wait two years to get my hands on one, unless someone cancels their order. We'll see.
I really am interested in seeing the interior of a non showcar 350z. The salesperson said that z would share certain dashboard characteristics with the new Altima. I was not that impressed with the new Altima's interior.

atlz

go to my350z.com for the latest on the Z. it has the most up to date info. and its more informative than zcar.com. there are some pics of actual prduction cars in different colors (not the chrome show car that we have all seen)

bobbyb

Does anyone know what the interior specs are yet? Headroom?, legroom etc? I am 6'3" and wondered if this machine would accomadate a large person comfortably? Thanks..BB

drew69ca

I got Daytona Blue w/ Touring package. Am I missing anything? The only options are GPS and side airbags correct? I wish I could get the front and rear spoilers but that's just on the track model and the track doesn't have the Bose speakers, leather heated seats and goodies. Lemme know...

ligart

...you're gonna be one happy dude in a few months!

hylndr61

From pre-order information sheet:

head room- 38.2"
leg room- 43.2"
shoulder room- 53.6"
hip room- 53.9"

ligart

It was parked out front of a bookstore in Marin County, CA, had a dealer tag on it. Looked to be Silverstone with the orange leather. Sweet! Sorry, no pics :-(

afty

Check it out:

http://www.caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/roadtests/2002/august/0208_roadtest_z.xml

759397

It is nice to finally get some performance figures and HP numbers finalized. The performance is Boxster S for 15K less, there is obviously a market for that. I'm not so sure I like the packages that are offered.....I like to have everything. Gimme the track model with all the other goodies available.

It will be interesting to see where it rates after a few years.

blueguydotcom

Actually, it's a good 20k cheaper than a Boxter S. 26-27k to get into one and the only difference in performance will come from the wheels and suspension between the top of the line Z and base model. Two simple mods (wheels and suspension) and boom, the car's the performance bargain.

afty

The 350Z pretty much equals the performance of the old 300ZX twin-turbo, but for a good bit less money even without accounting for inflation. Not a bad deal, IMHO.

759397

I was assuming the $35k version of the Z....50k for Boxster S that is where I got the 15k....even at that smaller spread it is a good performance bargain. The thing I like is no forced induction. That is what I like about my current M.

However if the Z gets more expensive (ie. dealer mark-ups etc.) than $35k-ish there are other options to consider.

sphinx99

Page not available??

afty

C&D pulled the article! I guess they just figured out that everyone had found the link even though they didn't post it on the front page...

ligart

They think they're gonna make me buy an issue to read all their content? I'll just read it at the bookstore for free! :-P

blueguydotcom

The Z's pretty and a nice bargain but I like the 2+2 and added luxury of the Infiniti version.

gotenks243

The Boxster S isn't quite 50k. The sticker on a base one is $52k, Edmunds TMV is at sticker. Good luck finding a base one too...most Porsches on dealers' lots are loaded up with (expensive) options. If I remember correctly, the stickers on the ones I've seen have mostly been between $55k and $59k, maybe even a $62k one.

A loaded 350Z (Track) with Nav system and everything is $37k. A base one is close to $27k. So the difference can be as low as the $15k you stated, but it can be as much as $30k or more. The similarly-equipped difference would probably be more like $20k.

In any case, the Z is a great bargain over the Boxster. As is the S2000. Lately, there are quite a few very nice, very fast cars available for not very much money. What a great time to be a car lover, huh?

Mike

759397

In this time of stock market issues the more attractive bang for the buck segment might be a home run. I test drove the Boxster S when I bought my car and while impressed, it wasn't $20k better than the M that I bought or any of the other cars I considered.

I still think the Z looks like a cross between the 911 and TT. I will have to see it in person.

blueguydotcom

Sexy car in person. Big though. Quite big.

habitat1

the reported curb weight of 3,300+ lbs is even heavier than originally estimated and heavier than a Corvette. Not to mention 600 lbs heavier than an S2000 and 500 lbs heavier than a Boxster S (both of which should have a disadvantage as roadsters) and 300 lbs heavier than a V-8 Ferrari Modena. This is abysmal for a hardtop 2-seater. And it would make for one massively fat convertible, if Nissan doesn't do some serious re-engineering rather than a "chop-top" like their previous attempts.

I'm going to reserve judgement until I test drive it, but I'll be very surprised if the overweight Z meets my subjective requirements in terms of nibleness and handling precision. According to the article, thanks to suspension reinforcements and big rubber, they can pull reasonably good g's around a circle (0.88 vs 0.90 to 0.93 for the S2000 and Boxster), but I was hoping for something a little more 240Z'ish than Corvettish or Viperish. I like to drive twisty roads, not circles.

Sorry if I sound a little down on the review of the 350Z. I still love my 1995 Maxima SE (3,000 lbs)! Maybe it was just wishful thinking that Nissan would build a ground up "Z" car the same way Honda could afford to build a ground up S2000. The "spare parts bin" comments are not complimentary to the original Z.

By the way, I agree that there is no such thing as a $50k or even $55k Boxster S. The one I test drove stickered out at $62k and it does not appear you can get one for any less than about $60k (MSRP)given that every damn thing you would want is an overpriced option. Boxsters are now being discounted from MSRP, but that's still a big turn off in my book. A Boxster S without a sport suspension? Come on, Porsche. I may have the bucks, but I still want to keep my nickles and dimes.

759397

I felt teh same way with Boxster. I felt like I was at an a la carte eatery. Oh you want gas in the tank...that's an additional $50 for the special Porsche certified gas. Seats with side bolstering...oh that will be extra....you want something other than the two colors on the lot....more more more. Yeah $50 may have been an understatement on my part....I was more or less ballparking for comparison purposes with the Z.

I am also concerned with the weight of the Z. For a coupe that is porky. I don't think it will feel "nimble" at 3300 lbs. "Tossable" would have been nice...but at that weight I'm not sure if you would call it "tossable"

locke2c

Well, they're far off their own target of 3000lb which I thought was an absolute limit.

My M3 weighed 3125lb with leather and a sunroof at a divisional autocross. I don't see the new Z as a winner formula on paper, but I'd love to drive one to see what reality is like vs. theory. I can wait a few months or even a year though, since I'm not buying I don't need to get out and lay into a car someone else has been looking forward to buying.

-Colin

afty

Don't the E46 M3s weigh around 3400 lbs.?

locke2c

More than that IMO, but I've never seen one on the scales. My car is a 1995 though so it's an E36...

-Colin

shoes

There was a very nice show at the Museum in Blackhawk in the SF Bay area over this weekend and there was a blue 350Z on display. Quite honestly, most of the excitement was out in the parking lot where owners of Z's from 240 to 300 had parked their cars, many of which were breathtaking examples of the breed. By comparison the new 350Z indoors seemed sort of low key.

The car on display was represented to be an early production model, but still really considered pre-production. There were no surprises for anyone who has been following the development of this car, but this was the first time I was able to see the car in person.

I found the interior to be depressingly similar to modern Japanese econocars. The exterior is also somewhat derivative- I got none of the excitement in seeing this as I did when I first viewed (and fell instantly in love with) the 300ZX in 1989. I would describe the exterior as a cross between the Audi TT and the Lexus Convertible. Now if you happen to like those two cars, you will likely enjoy the way the 350Z looks as well. The price is probably what will motivate a few purchases, but I am wondering if the 350Z is just another variant of the Altima, which if looked at from that perspective, seems expensive. Also, since the 350Z is so heavy, I am wondering why I shouldn't just pick up the Infiniti coupe instead, so that I don't have to subject myself to the humiliation of shopping at a Nissan dealership.

speedracer3

What is so humiliating about shopping at a Nissan dealership??.

sphinx99

Shoes is a 2003 SL500 owner. Nissan dealerships are beneath him.

blueguydotcom

>>I am wondering if the 350Z is just another variant of the Altima<<

That makes ZERO sense. Lets see, different platform, drivetrain, tranny, size, number of doors, EPA rating. Oh yeah I see how a 5 speed 4 door FWD sedan is similar to a 2 door, 6 speed, FM-platform, RWD sports car.

>>Also, since the 350Z is so heavy, I am wondering why I shouldn't just pick up the Infiniti coupe instead, so that I don't have to subject myself to the humiliation of shopping at a Nissan dealership. <<

I'd go G35c anyway. 2 more seats, more interior room, more luxury, a real trunk and Infiniti service. It's the luxo Z. Buy the leather version and then go slap some 18s and a suspension mod on it.

speedracer3

Yeah, I think the G35c is probably better for ya since it has better snob appeal than the pedestrian 350Z.

pbhatti

Here's another link to the Car and Driver article:

http://zcar.com/forums/read.php?f=5&i=52876&t=52818

theapple

The weight car and driver published was a typo. Nissan recently sent out a package to all of the people who preordered Zs. In it, among other things, were the full specs on the Z.

These are the correct weights:

Base: 3,188lbs
Enthusiast: 3,197lbs
Performance: 3,217lbs
Touring: 3,247lbs
Track: 3,225lbs

locke2c

I bet those are dry weights, thus C&D's wet number was accurate.

But then again I'm not often confused with an optimist. ;-) I think Nissan is "trying really hard" including a strange HP rating-- took forever to come up with a number, and it isn't a very round one-- and now the weight.

-Colin

sphinx99

Those weights are a little better, given the amenities that ship with it, but this is still an extremely porky car. 2-seat hardtops shouldn't be clocking in a 3,200 lbs. If it weighs this much, why didn't they go ahead and add a freakin moonroof?!

The Z feels like a Mustang. You trade off rear seating, torque and utility for horsepower, handling and interior look.