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Administrator
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NJ
Posts: 9,930
Drives: 09 370Z MB Sports M6
Rep Power: 10
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Okay guys, I completely forgot about this Long Term blog. I was suppose update it from time to time. Here are all the submissions from day one.
Enjoy!
February 23, 2009
2009 Nissan 370Z: SynchroRev Match Making Things Too Easy?
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Ever since I learned to drive stick I've been trying to figure out how to master the heel-toe downshift. I've practiced on every manual-shift car I get in, have asked many an editor to teach me and even got Edmunds Senior Automotive Editor Brent Romans to make a video running through the steps. But I can NEVER get it. When to blip? When to brake? When to move my foot off the clutch? Is my foot too small? I know, I overthink things.
But then we got the 2009 Nissan 370Z Touring in our fleet. Another editor suggested I give it a go since it has the very nifty SynchroRev Match feature that blips the throttle for you when you downshift. "You'll be able to hear when you should get the revs up," he said.
So lucky me had the Z this weekend. It's much easier to manage than our old Z which felt like its clutch pedal was a foot off the floor. In any case, sure enough when I downshift, the car automatically blips the throttle for me, making for a smooth transition to a lower gear. Neat! At first I loved it. I felt like a superhero racecar driver...but then I realized that since it does the job for me, I can never practice and can therefore never master that elusive skill.
Sure, there's an off button for SynchroRev Match but 1) with that technology readily available, will the Average Joe still be willing to suffer through the annoyingly awkward stages of the learning process to master the heel-toe downshift? And 2) where is the off button?
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 1,757 miles
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February 24, 2009
2009 Nissan 370Z: A Gauge Cluster Worth Copying
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So the trip computer in the new 370Z is a little funky and those auxiliary gauges on the dash can be hard to see sometimes, but would you look at that tachometer?
I mean, that's how a tach in a sportscar is done. Big, clear and right in the middle. It seems so easy, yet all too often designers try to get cute and start shoving it off to the side in the name of symmetry. Stop it already, just copy this setup and call it a day.
Just take a look at the dials from Jacob's post below. Not bad for a sedan, but how much better are the Z's?
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 1,763 miles
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February 26, 2009
2009 Nissan 370Z Touring: You Write the Caption
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Deputy Caroline took this picture of the Nissan 370Z looking like the Cube is a growth on its nose.
I offer up "Dude, you made it come out my nose."
I'm sure you can beat that.
We'll post our favorite caption Friday at 4PM (Pacific Time).
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
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February 27, 2009
2009 Nissan 370Z Touring: Our Favorite Caption
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Thanks to vacagrande for this week's favorite caption.
Others that made us laugh:
I should've never slept with that pathfinder (cx7lover)
He's my brother from another mother (louiswei)
It's not a tumor! (gooney911) and It's naht a toumah! (Murtman)
Do these wheels make my butt look big? (shladney)
Extra, Extra - Nissan engineers discover the wind-tunnel! (Before and after shots). (bizz1)
Z: Hey, Lil' Man...You're in my space. (johnnyr3)
And you can always get me with a Star Wars reference:
Cube, I am your father (gooney911)
What was your favorite?
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
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March 6, 2009
2009 Nissan 370Z: Comfort Takes a Back Seat to Driver Involvement
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My first real seat time in a 370Z came several months ago when we did our initial road test. I loved it and said so in my second opinion. Now that I've had a little bit more time behind the wheel, however, I'm starting to realize that as a daily driver, the 370Z might not be my first choice.
It's not the power, the ride quality or the funky gas gauge either. It's the interior room, or lack thereof. I just don't fit in the thing. Now granted, at 6'2" I'm a little taller than average, but still the 370Z feels tight even when you're properly adjusted with plenty of foot room.
It's a good setup when you're ripping a tight road, but getting into it after work with a computer case and gym bag in hand, the Z fills up real quick. Add to that a low seating position and tight shoulder room and the 370Z just doesn't give you much room to relax.
Is it enough to make me not buy it? No, it's still too fast in a straight line and too sticky in the turns for that, but it would be enough to make me reconsider some of its competitors like the new Mustang or Genesis Coupe. Those cars don't match up dynamically to the Z, but they are a little more comfortable.
Ed Hellwig, Senior Editor @ 1,876 miles
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March 9, 2009
2009 Nissan 370Z: Small Touches Make It Survivable as a Daily Driver
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I put close to 400 miles on our 2009 Nissan 370Z Touring over the weekend. Although it started with a few turns on Glendora Mountain Road, the rest of it was nearly all freeway. After all that, I am in agreement with Ed that the Z is pretty amazing through corners but not the most livable daily driver in this price range.
Ride quality is pretty good in the 370Z, even with the forged 19-inch RAYS wheels and Bridgestone Potenza RE050As (P245/40R19s in front and P275/35R19s in the back), but road noise is high. On several occasions, I instinctively reached for the volume dial when my boyfriend started to say something, only to realize that I was trying to turn the car down rather than the stereo.
Similarly, the seats are well-shaped for my 5-foot-10 frame and proved comfortable for 2-hour stints. Yet, there's no question that the 370Z's smaller size (compared to the 350Z) affects the seating position. The dash is right up in your face, and with no telescoping steering wheel, there's no escape.
Still, there are a number of details on the 2009 370Z that helped me overlook its compromises. For one, its size. At 167.1 inches long, it's almost 3 inches shorter than the 350Z. It feels compact from behind the wheel and it fits in small street parking spots. (Please note that I would never park it like this overnight -- just for 30 minutes while at the farmers market.)
Another touch I like are the shelves behind the seats. The 350Z had a small, closable cubby back here, but I never found it very useful. Not so with these shelves. They're lined in felt and have a raised lip around their perimeter, so you can actually place something here with some assurance that it will stay put around cloverleaf entrance ramps.
Naturally, I put my purse on the shelf behind the driver seat, but the other shelf kept these dim sum leftovers from liberating themselves in the footwells.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 2,731 miles
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