Modern stangs are that fast.

Who cares, though? Enjoy the Z for how fast and fun it is.

Agreed.

The Z is a fast car!!!!:hello:

:iagree::iagree::iagree::iagree:

A lot of people don't realize that once you start to dip into the mid-low 13s... that's pretty fast for a street car. :tup:

I was discussing this with shado yesterday at lunch... just because the Z has fallen behind the performance of it's competition in recent years doesn't mean it's bad or slow by any means. It's an excellent option for many people.

Your right plus allot of people forget that some cars have a 6 cylinder and the S2000 has a 4 cylinder it is definitely comparing apples to oranges.

Yep. The main thing is to drive what you enjoy the most... and instead of worrying about how you stack up against the competition, just focus on enjoying your car. Like I said before, you'd be surprised at how much better the ownership experience is when you don't give a f*ck. :tup::tup:

Like X10^

My Z feels slow after driving an M5 yesterday :roflpuke2:

Speaking of m5 I'm in the process of switching my z in for a 07 m5. Any opinions

Yeah. Get the extended warranty.

I drove an 06 and loved it. My friend kept trying to convince me to buy it whenever I put my foot down :icon17:

Would have totally done it if it wasn't an out of warranty bmw M car.

Word, maintenance costs are heavy

So I'm assuming we are just focusing on comparing the companies rather than the age old paper racing of the z and 5.0.

So as a former ford employee, I must remind everyone that while ford is doing rather phenomenal in the North American and European markets, they are doing quite terrible in the Asian markets as they have no true chinese partner, unlike GM/VW etc.

Never forget nissan was never expected to live. They were pretty much set to die, very similar to the american car companies, but they turned it around. The fact that they are doing as well as they are, is really a testament Carlos Ghosn. Never forget how beloved his is in japan for turning the company around and making them profitable. Although the 370z didn't sell well, other vehicles are.

Granted Ford and VW are experiencing steroid like growth recently, so comparing any other company to them outside of toyota wouldn't be fair.

All car companies are pretty amazing, even if its just for one or two vehicles that are better than their sales show (looking at you volvo and Saab)

I look at it as a great time to be a car guy. The bar is raised all the time! I admit that I put considerable value on exclusivity. I shopped the Z against used Caymans, 135s, and Audi TTs. Never really thought about Mustang or Camaro, not because they not great performance bargains, they are, just so freakin many of them.

For me it's really about having a fun car, that's purpose built, to do what it does well, and I think the Z checks the boxes for me in that regard.

Why? Yen is not favorable. Better for them to go with high end cars like GTR and other premium vehicles where exchange rates won't matter as much on cars they import.

...and Ford has no sports cars. They have an antique v8 with solid axle muscle car and some FWD econoboxes with boost? That's an accomplishment over Nissan who have state of the art GTR, 4 seater skyline coupe, 370z, successful electric car, etc?

And the forum Oscar for most delusional poster goes to...

While there may be some fanboyism to Shamu's commentary. In the most basic sense. He is right. Only thing is. Fords 5.0 is far from ancient, It's all new, They have a live axle, which is dirt cheap to manufacture compared to IRs yet they sell stangs in the same range as IRS cars. FACT is: The mustang is Not technically a sports car. And nissan has led in efficiency technology over the last 5 years or so.

Altima may be boring but gets 38highway on a large frame, No car weighs 3100lbs and is as big as the altima, which makes it a fast accelerator. Basically, Nissan can do with a regular engine, what ford needs eco-boost tricks to do. No DI or special fuel saving tricks. Pure intelligent engineering. There has to be merit given where due. The Leaf truly is the most successful EV cuz no one else can build a EV as high quality as the leaf and keep it under $40k.

He's not delusional. He's just over-emphasizing based on nissan negativity in the nissan forum. That said. I'm still disappointed with the overall altima/sentra external design... Lacks exciting lines. They should have borrowed a little bit more from the ellure concept. Lets see what the altima/sentra refresh looks like in 2016?

Nissan has produced great sporty entries. But the G37 is no more a sports car than the mustang. (Exception: BOSS302/shelby) I don't subscribe to 2 seats = sports car. There are 4 seat sports cars. Given the performance of the GT-R and its performance features. I would declare it as a bonifide sports car that is amazing. Many will nitpick on the part time AWD and DCT to discredit it as a tried and true sports car. But if some can be open minded about Tesla's? Then there's room to be open minded about DCT's even more-so.

Dude, I'll take a bunch of FWD cars with boost over a bunch of FWD cars with no boost or personality or manual transmission options. Nissan is turning into a strictly utilitarian brand (like I ranted about in my earlier post), and that is hard to swallow when they have created the Z, Silvia, and GT-R among other great vehicles. For us enthusiasts, this approach has us fearing for the future of those very nameplates that brought us to this forum.

And I will go ahead and say that, for the record, in ten years, people will look upon what was deemed the "most successful electric car" as winning in the special olympics. Electric cars are going to flop again. The only place that electric cars have found durable success is the golf course.

Buy a Porsche or Ferrari if you care about traditions. Nissan makes more money selling Altimas than Zs, they don't care about you

I gotta agree with that part.

All I see here are bunch Ford lov'n of Nissan haters. Nissan is doing great stuff - way more innovative than Ford. Let me know when ford comes out with independent suspension 2 seat sports car.:roflpuke2:

So when Nissan unveils new 2 seater what's Fords response? 350 Hp fwd econoboost? Rolf

Guess you all missed the Nismo announcement too?

Hmmmm? Nissan/Datsun have no Motorsports tradition? Think I'd argue that. Porsche makes more money selling SUVs and Sedans in China than sports cars!

I applaud nissan for not making crappy econobox tuner cars and focusing on real performance cars.

:iagree: i'll also add though that the new sentra i see as more of a competitor to hondas civic because when you compare specs between the 2 as far as their sedans go im not even kidding they both look almost identical as far as performance figures go and that's what i think nissan is aiming for in the sentra now is for it to be more of a competitor for the regular civic, just a point A to point B commuter car just a step up from the versa in terms of features, comfort and roominess. honestly after having seen a new sentra actually driving around on the road i kinda like the design, its not sporty thats for sure, but it does have a certain maturity to the design and thats also who i think nissan is aiming more towards as far as demographics of who is going to buy it is the mid 30's to 40's crowd who are just looking for a cheap but comfortable point A to point B commuter car that offers the features they want but cant get in say a versa.

2 seater sports car with independent rear suspension is a sign of a companies progress??

news to me.

Also NISMO's announcement should have just been a letter they sent to a news paper... nothing big.

That was what, 40 years ago? They are just trying to get back in because Toyota did well last year at LeMans. Are you going to tell me Infiniti's sponsorship to the Redbull F1 team is commitment to motorsports?

Porsche did okay without the SUVs, now they just have more cash to crazy things with cars. With everything said, 911 is still around after all these years as one of the car to have in different types of racing.

Super GT 2013: NISMO Eyes New Season - YouTube
You're being a little rough on Nissan. And it sucks that we can't talk about what upsets us about Nissan without attempting to make an onslaught of over-bashing. In spite of my personal complaints and being upset with certain aspects of Z progress... It's still a sick performer on the road regardless.

Race History 1

HISTORY OF THE NISSAN SKYLINE

Drivers, Teams & Suppliers Eye 2013 Super GT Start - Nissan Online Newsroom

Fact that Ford is being debated here vs Nissan is a real testament to the company.

They're doing great things nowadays and consumers are starting to realize that.

Sent from my SC-03D

Are you serious? Nissan has always had serious commitment to motorsports? From Datsun Roadster, to 510 that dominated series to 240 Z to 260 to 280 to the 300 to 350 and now 370. many many wins all over the world in many different series. they make totyota look silly in that respect. Then there were all skyline GTRs over history. Very significant heritage of being a car company involved in motorsports and they have announced even more support now.

Porsche ....uhhh I mean VWs recent commercial success hasnt been from its sports cars. If German government hadn't given Porsche 1.7 billion loan and VW hadn't bought them they wouldn't be here right now! Porsche was also on brink of bankruptcy in 90s. Now they are VW brand selling way more SUVs, Sedans not what made Porsche the sportscar namesake in 1950s to 1980s.

Good news though VW/ Porsche are about to introduce a new more affordable sporty spice SUV.:roflpuke2:

You're right, but VW and porsche started off from the same designing crew anyway. They found a way to sport up the world war 2 beetle design and that's how porsche was created.

If I was buying a car today all I can tell you is that I wouldn't be visiting a Nissan showroom. That isn't because they don't make good cars, it's because as of right now they are behind the competition.

What do you think is so innovative about Nissan? I'm curious. The GT-R? Because the Evo X is basically technologically identical. The Leaf? Because while I don't have the same hate everyone else does for electric cars, it isn't exactly a leap forward in technology (if it was you'd see more of them on the road).

Likewise, I don't give two ***** about a car being a true "sports car." I don't care. I don't care at all. And really, the reality is that anyone who trashes a car for the sole reason of "it isn't a TRUE sports car" is... well, the nicest thing I can say is silly.

All I care about is fun. What car offers me fun? If I walk into a Ford showroom I can find cars that I can afford that are fun.

If I walk into a Nissan showroom I can find fun, too. But I can't afford it or it is outdated.

Also -- I don't get this racing legacy talk. What does it matter? If we are comparing Nissan and Ford, then Ford likely even wins there.

Explain to me "behind the competition"? Last time I checked, getting 38mpg on a 2.5L gas engine is pretty good. And amongst the 4 cylinder mid size, it's been tested to be the fastest along with the Accord. VVEL is still a technological marvel few companies can produce. Getting something like that to operate effectively at 7500rpm is impressive. 350hp from a 3.7 liter engine without the use of direct injection is also unheard of. Sure Porsche engines of similar displacement are pushing 400hp, but again, $80k+ and direct injection. The car wasn't made to compete with the Mustangs and Camaro's in the world, it was the Cayman S. The only thing comparable is the price range. The Juke is selling damn well, they created that market. Your comment about the Evo X having the same tech as the GTR is crap. Last time I checked, the Evo dual clutch tranny didn't last long when power was boosted. the AWD systems are similar, but I would still venture to say that Nissan's electronic diffs react much faster. Aero on the GTR is in a league of it's own, and how is it the GTR achieves similar mpg and makes 250 more hp? 500hp EVO's have been tested against the GTR, they lost. The Leaf, I don't care for, but it's been around longer than any other full electric car. First to market also means first to age. The Titan and Armada are laughable compared to competition, but the Frontier is still competitive with the Tacoma. Outside of that, there aren't any small truck options. Pathfinder is brand new, it's gotten good reviews. Engine is a bit long in the tooth though. The Quest is a good Minivan, but ugly as sin and massive. The Versa is terrible looking, but I wouldn't say it's a bad car, consumers agree, and they are buying them. They do get 40mpg. Sentra gets 39, it's refreshed, again, it wasn't considered crap when reviewed. There are things about Nissan that need updated. V6's do need refreshed, but they are still competitive. The Maxima faired well in it's last comparo and the only things they really complained about was rear seat space and trunk space.

Ford has it's sour apples. The Flex and the Expedition come to mind. The Taurus doesn't sell all that well and the entire Lincoln brand is a sinking ship they are finally trying to save. They made the 13' GT500, an engine so under matched by it's chassis and tires that are woefully inadequate. Last time I looked, it was owned repeatedly by the ZL1, the car it was supposed to stomp to the ground. Their super special Boss got it's @ss handed by the Camaro 1LE at VIR. A car that is 200lbs heavier, longer gearing, and less horsepower.

I can go on and on about each car manufacturer and their issues. I do not believe you are correct when you say Nissan as a company is "behind the competition".

You can't seriously compare the Evo x to a gtr...

Styling is what sets them apart.

Ford (and all of the other American companies) lack in artistic capabilities - proven by their "retro" designs of their most popular cars.

Are you seriously marketing your higher-end cars to an older crowd? You're going to lose your fan base quickly.

The new Mustang body style is awful, and don't even get me started on the interior.

Same with the Camaro, Charger, and Challenger. Do they perform? Probably, but I wouldn't be caught dead in any one of them due to their ugly looks. Even the CTS-V Coupe has an ugly rear-end.

There isn't anything out there that compares to the Z's styling in or below it's price bracket - The Genesis Coupe is the closest.

As for legacy, Ford doesn't have much of one outside of NASCAR and post-GT40 era (and Australia). It's all been the other manufacturers (Dodge and Chevy) in the LeMans circuit, Daytona, etc.

Well looks are really subjective.....

What series did the 370 or 350 or 300 dominate? 350 Spec Class? Skylines were great, but they were in limited marketing and had limited exposure. I am curious to see how it performs in GT3 with the McLaren.

You said it yourself, Porsche tried true and hard in selling just sports cars and it had a tough time. There is no way Nissan would dump the Sentras and Altimas and just sell Zs and GTRs. Even with all the struggles, they never stopped making the 911.

This whole argument is...

I just wanted to be a part of it. ;)

I just checked on the ford website and they have a sports car
http://i.imgur.com/WbEAx3P.jpg

Pretty much :icon17: