2009 Nissan 370Z Long-Term Test - Edmunds.com

AK370Z · 06-30-2009, 12:41 AM

Quote:

It's true -- our long term Nissan 370Z sits near the bottom of the pile in terms of desirabilty here. It is frequently one of the last test cars chosen and more than once sat unloved at night 'til the next morning. It occupies the same metaphorical space as... the Smart?! What's the problem? These items, I believe:

1. The ride is hard
2. The interior is small
3. The clutch and shifter aren't the greatest
4. It seats only 2

I refute these issues with:

1. It's a sports car
2. It's a sports car
3. True (but both aren't as bad as our LT Audi S5)
4. It's a sports car

One must make certain sacrifices when owning a sports car, but the benefits outweigh these.
The 370Z possesses great, quick handling, excellent steering feel, and a decent powertrain. And although I'm not in love with the exhaust note, it's OK.

It's the only true sports car in our long term fleet. (I consider the GT-R a GT; the name is GT-R.)

The big problem for the most of the people here is the seating capacity. Most of our staffers have friends or family to accommodate, and a 2-seater won't cut it for them.

For me, it's really fun to drive, and becomes even more enjoyable when you push it hard. It's in the top 5 in fun-to-drive for our long term fleet. The sedans, even the Evos, don't compare.

I was even going to sign it out for this weekend. But I may have to cart some people around...

Oh, nevermind.

Albert Austria, Sr Vehicle Evaluation Engineer @ 8200 miles

AK370Z · 06-30-2009, 12:42 AM

Quote:

As with my colleague Mr. Takahashi, I enjoy rev-matching on my own, but like him still have to admit that the Z's Syncro RevMatch is pretty cool.

But if Nissan can offer this ground-breaking technology, why don't they have what I'll call Syncro TimeMatch? I'm talking about the two time displays (a stand-alone clock in the upper pod and one in the nav/audio screen) that aren't matched. I've seen other cars with redundant time displays (VW and Audi come to mind) that are synchronized so this strikes me as rather odd here. And yes, I adjusted the clock after I posted this gripe...

John DiPietro, Automotive Editor @ 8,493 miles

Greg · 05-09-2009, 06:45 AM

Good read man! Thanks for posting all the updates!

WooZ · 06-30-2009, 01:21 AM

I haven't had a chance to test drive the 6M 370Z yet, but can those who have post their experience with the clutch and shifter? Is it difficult to drive smoothly?

ImportConvert · 10-06-2011, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WooZ

I haven't had a chance to test drive the 6M 370Z yet, but can those who have post their experience with the clutch and shifter? Is it difficult to drive smoothly?

Shifter is great, clutch is an on/off switch compared to any other car I have driven that had 3 pedals like God intended.

cossie1600 · 06-30-2009, 07:50 AM

It's smoother than cars like the Corvette and Porsche, but not as smooth as Mazda

ImportConvert · 10-06-2011, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cossie1600

It's smoother than cars like the Corvette and Porsche, but not as smooth as Mazda

I'll strongly disagree. The shifter may be smoother, but the clutch is an on/off switch compared to all the Z06's, ZR1's, and Grand Sport's, mustangs, F-bodies, and every other manual car I have driven. The clutch in my friend's 700+whp civic was more forgiving and had better feel.

I would say that was the biggest gripe I had during my test-drive of the 370Z's I drove.

cossie1600 · 10-06-2011, 08:48 AM

its not as easy as buying parts and toss it into the car, you need to start adding suspension, brakes and other stuff the faster you go

Pharmacist · 10-06-2011, 09:50 AM

Isn't the clutch supposed to be an on/off switch from a performance driving point of view as opposed to daily cruising? On a track, you stab the clutch quickly, shift quickly and then dump the clutch again. You don't feather or modulate clutches on a track. You want a very short range digital clutch, not a longer range analog one. Seeing youtube videos of racing drivers footwork, the clutch pedal on these cars doesn't seem to travel more than 10 or 15 cm from very top to very bottom.

ImportConvert · 10-06-2011, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist

Isn't the clutch supposed to be an on/off switch from a performance driving point of view as opposed to daily cruising? On a track, you stab the clutch quickly, shift quickly and then dump the clutch again. You don't feather or modulate clutches on a track. You want a very short range digital clutch, not a longer range analog one. Seeing youtube videos of racing drivers footwork, the clutch pedal on these cars doesn't seem to travel more than 10 or 15 cm from very top to very bottom.

Well when the 370Z gets an oil-cooler and some real brakes then you can make your "it's a track car" argument. Until then, it's just got a crappy clutch.

wstar · 10-06-2011, 10:14 AM

That just goes back to the compromise argument.

Nissan could change the 370Z's specs a bit and sell it as an awesome track-only car. Strip the interior, drop the power windows, power door locks, radio, etc. Give it an oil cooler and a factory roll cage, etc. You'd probably come out about even on mfg cost changes and it would be a great track car. But then it would never be worth it on the market: not enough of them would be sold because it'd be a horrible daily driver for a commuter, so they couldn't really afford to produce them that way in the big picture. The increased sales for track drivers would never make up for the loss of regular consumers who just like the look and sound and feel of it and want a "sporty" daily driver.

So they make compromises. The idea is to put out a track-capable car that's still cheap to buy, just barely commuter-friendly enough to keep the sales volume high enough to keep the car around, and only needs a few key mods to be ready for amateur track use.

ImportConvert · 10-06-2011, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstar

That just goes back to the compromise argument.

Nissan could change the 370Z's specs a bit and sell it as an awesome track-only car. Strip the interior, drop the power windows, power door locks, radio, etc. Give it an oil cooler and a factory roll cage, etc. You'd probably come out about even on mfg cost changes and it would be a great track car. But then it would never be worth it on the market: not enough of them would be sold because it'd be a horrible daily driver for a commuter, so they couldn't really afford to produce them that way in the big picture.

So they make compromises. The idea is to put out a track-capable car that's still cheap to buy, just barely commuter-friendly enough to keep the sales volume high enough to keep the car around, and only need a few key mods to be ready for amateur track use.

Ford is doing great with their BOSS/Leguna Seca car.

No, it doesn't go back to that argument. Just spend a few more bucks and improve the car with an oil-cooler, brakes, and clutch better suited to its mission in life: To be a sporty car that can be driven at HPDE's on the weekend if the owner so chooses.

wstar · 10-06-2011, 10:18 AM

Hah you quote faster than I edit. The Mustang is in the enviable position of having high enough sales volume to be able to afford a one-off variation for more serious use. We have the Nismo edition in that role, and I totally agree the Nismo should come with an oil cooler and better braking.

The clutch I'm not so fond of compromising on though. Changing out a clutch (to get back to the short quick version we have today) is kind of invasive and expensive, and I'd rather it have a more-tracky clutch in the compromise than a more commuter-friendly one.

shadoquad · 10-06-2011, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImportConvert

Well when the 370Z gets an oil-cooler and some real brakes then you can make your "it's a track car" argument. Until then, it's just got a crappy clutch.

The Z has trackworthy brakes. They're just not sufficiently cooled. The lack of ventilation is a design flaw.

Davey · 10-06-2011, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shadoquad

The Z has trackworthy brakes. They're just not sufficiently cooled. The lack of ventilation is a design flaw.

This also seems like "not an easy fix."

Pads, I expect to need to do. But brake ducting?

05-09-2009, 06:45 AM	#3 (permalink)
Greg Track Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Francisco Age: 57 Posts: 551 Drives: 06 350 ZR CS Rep Power: 300	Good read man! Thanks for posting all the updates! __________________ Chef Greg At Your Service

10-06-2011, 09:50 AM	#9 (permalink)
Pharmacist A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 1,249 Drives: 09 370z Sport 6MT Rep Power: 18	Isn't the clutch supposed to be an on/off switch from a performance driving point of view as opposed to daily cruising? On a track, you stab the clutch quickly, shift quickly and then dump the clutch again. You don't feather or modulate clutches on a track. You want a very short range digital clutch, not a longer range analog one. Seeing youtube videos of racing drivers footwork, the clutch pedal on these cars doesn't seem to travel more than 10 or 15 cm from very top to very bottom. __________________ 2009 370z Sport Touring/Nismo shift Knob/Z1 motorsports 34 row oil cooler

10-06-2011, 10:14 AM	#11 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	That just goes back to the compromise argument. Nissan could change the 370Z's specs a bit and sell it as an awesome track-only car. Strip the interior, drop the power windows, power door locks, radio, etc. Give it an oil cooler and a factory roll cage, etc. You'd probably come out about even on mfg cost changes and it would be a great track car. But then it would never be worth it on the market: not enough of them would be sold because it'd be a horrible daily driver for a commuter, so they couldn't really afford to produce them that way in the big picture. The increased sales for track drivers would never make up for the loss of regular consumers who just like the look and sound and feel of it and want a "sporty" daily driver. So they make compromises. The idea is to put out a track-capable car that's still cheap to buy, just barely commuter-friendly enough to keep the sales volume high enough to keep the car around, and only needs a few key mods to be ready for amateur track use. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

10-06-2011, 10:18 AM	#13 (permalink)
wstar A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 4,024 Drives: too slow Rep Power: 3595	Hah you quote faster than I edit. The Mustang is in the enviable position of having high enough sales volume to be able to afford a one-off variation for more serious use. We have the Nismo edition in that role, and I totally agree the Nismo should come with an oil cooler and better braking. The clutch I'm not so fond of compromising on though. Changing out a clutch (to get back to the short quick version we have today) is kind of invasive and expensive, and I'd rather it have a more-tracky clutch in the compromise than a more commuter-friendly one. __________________ 7AT Track Car! Journal thread / Car setup details

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06-30-2009, 01:21 AM	#4 (permalink)
WooZ Base Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Bay Area Posts: 116 Drives: An Auto Auto Rep Power: 17	I haven't had a chance to test drive the 6M 370Z yet, but can those who have post their experience with the clutch and shifter? Is it difficult to drive smoothly?

06-30-2009, 07:50 AM	#6 (permalink)
cossie1600 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: californee way Posts: 5,380 Drives: 370, Leaf Rep Power: 30	It's smoother than cars like the Corvette and Porsche, but not as smooth as Mazda

10-06-2011, 08:48 AM	#8 (permalink)
cossie1600 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: californee way Posts: 5,380 Drives: 370, Leaf Rep Power: 30	its not as easy as buying parts and toss it into the car, you need to start adding suspension, brakes and other stuff the faster you go