Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

Sephiroth · 04-10-2010, 04:33 PM

I got the chance to test drive a beautiful graphite 40th anniversary Z with sport package. I took a day to subconsciously summarize what i learned and felt about the drive, and Ill try to compare it to my old M3. Ill detail my experience here:

Dealership Experience

I don't know about you guys but every time Im shopping for cars i cringe at the idea of going to a dealership. Pushy salesman, the "we don't let people test drive our cars" line, and the lack of knowledge about what they are selling (and sometimes outright lies) are contributing factors. No so with this dealership. They were willing to find whatever car i wanted and trailer it if i wanted.

I've got to say my experience with the salesman, sales manager, and the dealer in general was very good. They asked me first if i was legitimately interested in the car. I showed them my company ID and told them i was serious and thats all that was needed. They drove it off of the showroom floor and gave me the keys. The salesman was an older retired gentleman who later told me he used to drive a Triumph, well what do you know, a fellow enthusiast! If i were to ever purchase a Nissan i wouldn't hesitate to go to him.

Car Impressions

I like the interior overall. I like the snug feeling in the cockpit; it has exactly the amount of room that i need and no excess. I didn't notice any cheap plastic on the dash, doors, storage compartment in the middle, or the audio and air controls. I felt the switches for the seat heaters were a little cheap, but no big deal. I didn't like the red color of the seats or the fabric material. I think i would go with black matched with a red exterior paint. The gauges were nice and clear, the tach where it should be and the pods are a nice touch. The most disappointing aspect of the interior was the exterior visibility. The blind spots are HUGE and I had to look several times to make sure i could change lanes. The cargo room was adequate for my needs.

Im still coming to grips with some aspects of the exterior, although generally the car looks good in person and in pictures. The rear quarter panel above the rear wheels looks odd to me at certain angles, and the generally high belt line of the car is weird. I love the wide fender arches for the rear wheels when seen from the back. I like the 19" forged wheels as well.

I didn't want to push the car too much due to break in so i kept it civil. I drove it briefly on the highway and then on some back roads. I've got to say im impressed with the suspension. It wasn't harsh at all and very composed with quick direction changes, minimal body sway, and even over bumps. Dare i say it was as good as my old M3 in that department.

The Synchro Rev Match feature is really nice, and the shifts felt short and direct. The M3 had longer throws and was a bit more lazy. The transmission was still new and i wasn't used to the clutch travel so i took it easy with the shifts, but i just love that the motor instantly responds to a downshift. One thing i did notice is i have the tendency to coast in neutral and when i do, i wiggle the shifter. Sometimes the car thinks im about to downshift so it'll try to rev the engine. Im not sure if there are any dangerous implications to this but luckily i was traveling at very low speeds so the car didn't rev high or anything like that. But it surprised me.

The motor is where i was the most disappointed. I felt it didn't have that presence of torque that i felt in my M. Right at 2000rpm is when the M3 would wake up and then it would pull strongly all the way to redline with the motor singing beautifully. The 370 im sure is very fast, but it didn't feel like it. The engine revs smoothly and the tach and speedo build quickly, but it didn't have a sense of urgency to it. I didn't have the heart to push it to anywhere near redline, but I suspect its behavior at the top of the rev range isn't too far from the 350Z Nismo i tested a few months ago. Its not the car's fault, i just didn't realize what a gem of a motor the S54 really is.

Generally when you drive back you instantly know if the car is right for you. I had that feeling when i drove the Nismo and the M3 back-to-back. But with this car i had mixed feelings. I loved the snugness and look of the interior, the super cool rev match feature, and the wide-body exterior and this is what brought me into the showroom. But when asked if i would walk away with the keys, i couldn't honestly answer the man. I had to think about it, and we all know that usually means 'no'.

Now its a matter of finding a Z4M and seeing how i feel about it.

Thanks for reading.

04-10-2010, 04:33 PM	#14 (permalink)
Sephiroth Base Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: KY Posts: 6 Drives: Beater Rep Power: 15	Update! I got the chance to test drive a beautiful graphite 40th anniversary Z with sport package. I took a day to subconsciously summarize what i learned and felt about the drive, and Ill try to compare it to my old M3. Ill detail my experience here: Dealership Experience I don't know about you guys but every time Im shopping for cars i cringe at the idea of going to a dealership. Pushy salesman, the "we don't let people test drive our cars" line, and the lack of knowledge about what they are selling (and sometimes outright lies) are contributing factors. No so with this dealership. They were willing to find whatever car i wanted and trailer it if i wanted. I've got to say my experience with the salesman, sales manager, and the dealer in general was very good. They asked me first if i was legitimately interested in the car. I showed them my company ID and told them i was serious and thats all that was needed. They drove it off of the showroom floor and gave me the keys. The salesman was an older retired gentleman who later told me he used to drive a Triumph, well what do you know, a fellow enthusiast! If i were to ever purchase a Nissan i wouldn't hesitate to go to him. Car Impressions I like the interior overall. I like the snug feeling in the cockpit; it has exactly the amount of room that i need and no excess. I didn't notice any cheap plastic on the dash, doors, storage compartment in the middle, or the audio and air controls. I felt the switches for the seat heaters were a little cheap, but no big deal. I didn't like the red color of the seats or the fabric material. I think i would go with black matched with a red exterior paint. The gauges were nice and clear, the tach where it should be and the pods are a nice touch. The most disappointing aspect of the interior was the exterior visibility. The blind spots are HUGE and I had to look several times to make sure i could change lanes. The cargo room was adequate for my needs. Im still coming to grips with some aspects of the exterior, although generally the car looks good in person and in pictures. The rear quarter panel above the rear wheels looks odd to me at certain angles, and the generally high belt line of the car is weird. I love the wide fender arches for the rear wheels when seen from the back. I like the 19" forged wheels as well. I didn't want to push the car too much due to break in so i kept it civil. I drove it briefly on the highway and then on some back roads. I've got to say im impressed with the suspension. It wasn't harsh at all and very composed with quick direction changes, minimal body sway, and even over bumps. Dare i say it was as good as my old M3 in that department. The Synchro Rev Match feature is really nice, and the shifts felt short and direct. The M3 had longer throws and was a bit more lazy. The transmission was still new and i wasn't used to the clutch travel so i took it easy with the shifts, but i just love that the motor instantly responds to a downshift. One thing i did notice is i have the tendency to coast in neutral and when i do, i wiggle the shifter. Sometimes the car thinks im about to downshift so it'll try to rev the engine. Im not sure if there are any dangerous implications to this but luckily i was traveling at very low speeds so the car didn't rev high or anything like that. But it surprised me. The motor is where i was the most disappointed. I felt it didn't have that presence of torque that i felt in my M. Right at 2000rpm is when the M3 would wake up and then it would pull strongly all the way to redline with the motor singing beautifully. The 370 im sure is very fast, but it didn't feel like it. The engine revs smoothly and the tach and speedo build quickly, but it didn't have a sense of urgency to it. I didn't have the heart to push it to anywhere near redline, but I suspect its behavior at the top of the rev range isn't too far from the 350Z Nismo i tested a few months ago. Its not the car's fault, i just didn't realize what a gem of a motor the S54 really is. Generally when you drive back you instantly know if the car is right for you. I had that feeling when i drove the Nismo and the M3 back-to-back. But with this car i had mixed feelings. I loved the snugness and look of the interior, the super cool rev match feature, and the wide-body exterior and this is what brought me into the showroom. But when asked if i would walk away with the keys, i couldn't honestly answer the man. I had to think about it, and we all know that usually means 'no'. Now its a matter of finding a Z4M and seeing how i feel about it. Thanks for reading.