So after many wrestless days and nights I went to a Nissan dealer to drive a new Z34. I had many concerns about interior space in the Z being able to accommodate my "6,5.5 frame, which turned out to be well-founded but that's not the point of this post.
The car is astonishingly quick, and while it has similar performance stats to the 135i the cars couldn't feel more different. The 135 feels more smooth and calm in how it picks up seconds in traveling to the redline as where the Z just punches it's way to the right most portion of the rev tachometer. This explosiveness somewhat defines the Z's overall personality in being a very organic but fluid and composed performer. Handling was tight and super responsive requiring the easiest of inputs on behalf of the driver, and the ride feels firm but not jarring. This latter aspect makes the Z a real hard prospect to overlook, and to do so would be foolish for any buyer of interest.All in all it's a great package; the interior finish is better than any current Infiniti(Nissan how did you let this happen?) and everything feels just right. The 7AT I drove responded so quickly and smoothly it felt right in sync with the rest of the Z's powertrain.
The downside? I'm simply too tall for this car, and while most of my length is sectioned in my torso my legs are long as well. During the extent of my time behind the wheel in the Z34 my right leg stayed pinned between the steering wheel and driver-side biased portion of the lower center counsel.
The Z34 is by far one of the best cars I've driven in my limited span of driving years, and while I'm not an experienced professional driver I know a damn good car when I drive one. The Z34 is that.
