Quote:
Originally Posted by Redglare
the z being a japanese mustang It should at least be able to go toe to toe vs the new gen mustang, (lighter weight/ 475hp)
Only way to do this is to go F/i /v8 or drastic weight reduction, I am talking sub 3000lbs with 350+ hp
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I would be willing to bet that the Z will only hit sub 3k weight by getting its own platform and while that would be nice, I doubt Nissan has the cash flow to do such a thing.
While I really want the Z to stay relevant against new muscle, Nissan is not Ford and it is entirely plausible that the Z simply won't be able to match the new Mustang at all. Provided Ford gets it right and hits the right marks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck33079
What are you willing to give up to cut that weight? Are you ok with a price increase, since lightweight materials cost more than heavier ones?
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Personally, with the GTR moving past the $100k mark, I do feel it opens up the top end of the range on the Z to have some growing room. Depending on what they did with the Z, I would have no problem with a top end Z being $60k and competing head to head with the Cayman S again.
Things I would look for would be a transaxle setup, DCT and/or better MT, 3000-3100 weight with upwards of 400hp (don't really care how be it NA, FI, etc.). The interior of the Z is already pretty solid and comparable enough imo.
Would still like to see the Z start in the $30 range and then scale up to the $60k mark if it needs too.
What would be really cool (and I think would work well for Nissan long-term) would be to design a new platform that gets dedicated to the Z and a new Silvia. Have the Silvia be pretty bare bones and live in the $17k-$28k range to get some volume and then have the Z be ~$33k-$60k as a more focused sports car with the GTR staying where it is (although I would like to see it sub-$100k again but whatevs). Silvia could use the current Juke motor up'ed to 2.0L and have it cap around 260-280hp, with the Z using probably whatever they have already come up with.
Anyway, that is what I would pay!!!
