Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post

jginnane · 05-23-2009, 10:17 PM

It's now day 1+ on my pearl and persimmon 7AT. Yesterday, delivery was uneventful at a dealership ~40 miles across the state ... it wasn't the fact that they honored VPP pricing, but that they actually bothered to go out and look for the exact color combination I wanted, and succeeded in getting it (and trucking it up from VA for $275.) So, a hat tip to Windsor Nissan on Route 130 over towards the Princeton, NJ area. [While I checked inventory at over 400 dealerships myself, they apparently knew how to work with the tools Nissan gave 'em.]

I realize now after a few miles that if I'd gone with the manual transmission, I'd always be wondering about how good the AT was. But having elected to get the AT instead, I'm content. I know how to row, I don't *need* to row. Everyone who's not in the Z world probably thinks I'm rowing anyways ... the engine makes those kinds of sounds ... but it's butter smooth. You cannot, ever, make a mistake with the 7AT.

Overall, when you strip away the beautiful lines, what you've got is a conventional Nissan V6 designed for mid-to-large frames stuck in a lightweight frame. Everything -- suspension, rubber, sight lines -- follows from that simple penciled equation. You can get all the pinheaded auto magazine people talking about how presicely this car fits on the eternal hierarchy of Greatness ... it doesn't matter. This is: big engine, small frame. That's all.

And unlike American pony cars, in Japan they don't have Big Square States where you can lash the steering wheel to the mast and drive over the horizon ... you have to be able to turn, too. Zed does that. Well.

BTW, on those sight lines -- on the open road, no problem at all. Crank your gigantic truck-like mirrors full-width, so you can't see more than a sliver of your rear fender for orientation when you look over. And turn your head, too. It's a piece of cake.

The A/C blows some serious cool, the radio -- did somebody have a thread about there being no back speakers? Guess I'll have to check that out. My PC speakers are better. (But I knew going in that Bose Always Sucks.)

Doing my best to keep it under 4K, and there were only about three short blips up to 5K on the tach when I was passing at 90+ today. Usually the engine's loafing at 2600-2800 for normal highway overdrive.

Scale to 10: a 10. Couldn't be happier. Desire to have gotten any other color: 0. Interior trim -- anything less than persimmon would be zero. Manual transmission? Approaching 0, too.

And the big one people try to figure out here -- the sport package? That's confirmed as a zero for me today, because these "little" brakes are more than adequate for the street. Also: I don't have to worry about the forged Rays getting mucked up; I don't have to deal with expensive "summer tread" replacements on 19s; if I ever find a spoiler I like, I don't have to pry off the poseur one. The LSD is a track specialty item ... if I need to suddenly go fast, it's from 4th or 5th gear already.

(I still think I would have gotten sport, if it was the requirement to get the colors I wanted, but I'm awful glad it didn't come to that. If you're one of those people paying on time -- No, it is not worth an extra ten bucks a month, even.)

05-23-2009, 10:17 PM	#1 (permalink)
jginnane Base Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: coastal NJ Posts: 163 Drives: 09Z Pearl 7AT, 09 TL Rep Power: 16	Early Impressions on "Pearlie" It's now day 1+ on my pearl and persimmon 7AT. Yesterday, delivery was uneventful at a dealership ~40 miles across the state ... it wasn't the fact that they honored VPP pricing, but that they actually bothered to go out and look for the exact color combination I wanted, and succeeded in getting it (and trucking it up from VA for $275.) So, a hat tip to Windsor Nissan on Route 130 over towards the Princeton, NJ area. [While I checked inventory at over 400 dealerships myself, they apparently knew how to work with the tools Nissan gave 'em.] I realize now after a few miles that if I'd gone with the manual transmission, I'd always be wondering about how good the AT was. But having elected to get the AT instead, I'm content. I know how to row, I don't need to row. Everyone who's not in the Z world probably thinks I'm rowing anyways ... the engine makes those kinds of sounds ... but it's butter smooth. You cannot, ever, make a mistake with the 7AT. Overall, when you strip away the beautiful lines, what you've got is a conventional Nissan V6 designed for mid-to-large frames stuck in a lightweight frame. Everything -- suspension, rubber, sight lines -- follows from that simple penciled equation. You can get all the pinheaded auto magazine people talking about how presicely this car fits on the eternal hierarchy of Greatness ... it doesn't matter. This is: big engine, small frame. That's all. And unlike American pony cars, in Japan they don't have Big Square States where you can lash the steering wheel to the mast and drive over the horizon ... you have to be able to turn, too. Zed does that. Well. BTW, on those sight lines -- on the open road, no problem at all. Crank your gigantic truck-like mirrors full-width, so you can't see more than a sliver of your rear fender for orientation when you look over. And turn your head, too. It's a piece of cake. The A/C blows some serious cool, the radio -- did somebody have a thread about there being no back speakers? Guess I'll have to check that out. My PC speakers are better. (But I knew going in that Bose Always Sucks.) Doing my best to keep it under 4K, and there were only about three short blips up to 5K on the tach when I was passing at 90+ today. Usually the engine's loafing at 2600-2800 for normal highway overdrive. Scale to 10: a 10. Couldn't be happier. Desire to have gotten any other color: 0. Interior trim -- anything less than persimmon would be zero. Manual transmission? Approaching 0, too. And the big one people try to figure out here -- the sport package? That's confirmed as a zero for me today, because these "little" brakes are more than adequate for the street. Also: I don't have to worry about the forged Rays getting mucked up; I don't have to deal with expensive "summer tread" replacements on 19s; if I ever find a spoiler I like, I don't have to pry off the poseur one. The LSD is a track specialty item ... if I need to suddenly go fast, it's from 4th or 5th gear already. (I still think I would have gotten sport, if it was the requirement to get the colors I wanted, but I'm awful glad it didn't come to that. If you're one of those people paying on time -- No, it is not worth an extra ten bucks a month, even.)