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Originally Posted by mook
THE QUEST FOR THE PERFECT CAR. 
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370Z - for me was the biggest disappointment of the year. All that hype... and then pfffffffffffft....
Numbers aside, does not feel anywhere as fast as it should be. Since the red line feels like it should be at 6,000 (anything above that makes you feel that you accidentally pushed the self-destruct button), you just don't feel like pushing it. The sound just does not encourage you to rev the living daylights out of it, like in S2000. The engine feels remote and reserved compared to Mazdaspeed 3 swooshing, hissing fire dragon. |
Sounds to me like you never really explored what the Z can do. If you shifted at 6,000, you were driving a 200hp car, not a 332hp car. Check out the torque and horsepower curves.
But frankly, you should drive whatever floats your boat. There is no better/worse, except on a racetrack.
I haven't driven the Mazdaspeed 3, but I briefly bought a Mazdaspeed6 which uses the same engine, but has AWD. It is a nice engine.
I had an RX-8 before the Z, and it really is a great handling vehicle. Plus it takes abuse well. I tracked mine every other weekend for the two years that I owned it (except in winter). I loved winding it out and shifting on the "beep". It reminded me of the S2000 in that respect. And the handling around windy back-country roads is superior, and better-balanced than the S2000 IMHO.
Where I drive most of the time, it is difficult to stay in the high revs. The S2000 is less than inspiring below 6000. It's still a fun sports car, but really not even as much fun as a Miata at 30mph. BTW, I had a heavily modified turbo Miata with about 230hp that was an incredible blast to drive. Anyway, I like the S2000 and find it a great sports car, but not really my cup of tea.
I also think the Cayman S is a fantastic sports car. I nearly bought one. But I found it a bit too refined for my tastes. I prefer the immediacy and brutality of the Z.
Again, I think you should drive what you like. What's better? Whatever floats your boat. Thanks for sharing your perspectives with us here.
HJM