11Past9

A friend and I had a 2009 Nissan 370z Touring in black for 24 hours and here is the review.

Exterior:

I was not ashamed to be in it, that is for sure. I think it is a nice looking car but there are some things I noticed and would change. The front end of the car looks nice, however the rear looks rather odd ( I understand it's replicating the Z of old ) The wheels/tires did not fit properly regarding appearance. I feel that if they were wider that it would look more natural and fill the awful 3/8ths inch overlap of the fender and quarter panel. The car as a whole in my opinion, though attractive I feel it is a bit too busy. The lines may be nice but I think it tries too hard but again that is just my opinion. I feel the 350z is the more attractive of the two simply because it is a bit toned down.

Interior:

The quality was better than the 350z however I see how it many parts were just re-dressed if you will. If the 350z interior were a woman, the 370z would be that woman in some hot skanky booty shorts instead of wal-mart jeans but in the end... it's still the same woman. The materials were improved for sure but the seats were annoying as all hell (not the fit or feel) but moving them forward of getting them to move to get whatever crap I had in the back (slowwwwwww as death).

Now to the stuff people actually give a crap about...

Braking:

The brakes were touchy, they took a second to get used to and there is not a whole lot to say about them. They were great, no fade, the peddle feel once you got used to it was intuitive and overall I have NO gripes what so ever.

Handling:

The car is planted and predictable, steering feel was excellent and this car though chattery over the rough stuff was reasonably comfortable and well mannered. It flowed nicely into hard turns, soft turns and was good for every day driving as well. On top of that, it is a very capable track competitor in the Auto X, Road Course and or Drag strip. Pick your poison

Traction:

Excellent, the VDC assists very well and unfortunately when it is off too. With the auto/paddle shift it will NOT allow you to break the rear loose, no scandinavian flick, no too much power out of 1st or 2nd outside or coming inside of a turn combination would do it... maybe I missed a cheat. This car can make an idiot look like a very good driver.

Power:

It loved every gear, more than others depending on the moment obviously but the powerband was strong and the car was surprisingly quick and did not feel like a heavy weight they claim the 350z to be. It is much improved in this department over its older but weaker brother.

OVERALL:

Would I buy one?: Probably not

I feel this is a solid package for someone who wants a sporty looking and feeling 2 seater sports car and does not care about the feedback it offers (or the lack there of). Though to some how easy it is to be fast in may be a good thing (as I stated above an idiot could be fast on a track in this car, or seem so at least) it is not my cup of tea. I feel the car does far too much for the driver and it takes away from the actual experience. The rev match feature is nice but I personally would rather do it my self. I take pride in knowing how to drive well through my experiences, screw ups and time in seat and I feel that I would be cheating myself with all these goodies.

The other part that contributes to the lack of personal interest in owning one is the sheer abundance of them in due time. Right now they turn heads, but pretty soon people will see them all the time and that will change. The car is a very good performer, it looks nice, I am sure it is reliable, it definitely is fun but it is just not my cup of tea.

Thank you all, and here she is:

6-speed

iTrader: (20)

Hmmmm.

I was planning to test drive one last Saturday but wound up being too busy.

I'm actually going to stop by the local Nissan dealer tomorrow and have a look at the car.


Did the car you drive have the Sport package? I would think some of the Sport package's items would positively add to your review


IMO the car looks better in White rather than Black anyways.

spoolme

iTrader: (5)

really dont like what they did to body on these new models

Clutchdc5

iTrader: (1)

its one ugly peice of machinary

Shizzle

iTrader: (4)

those seem like honest impressions, and similar to my opinions... and your signature had everyone laughing here at my house 11past9

11Past9

Hhaha I aim to please.

11Past9

Performance was not the problem, it performed just fine. This was a touring.

fromWRXtoEVO

iTrader: (18)

I like your review, I am just not diggesting your final review of not wanting the car. Your review is precious but even without your review this car already climb to the top of the hill by own merits, best braking of its class, best handling of its class, best price, best acceleration, etc.

The Evo ties the 370 z on lateral acceleration but even on braking the Z edges the Evo marginally. It is even good on gas mileage and ultimately good on price as well. I think I would recommend this car for many reasons:

- because of all of the above highs
- and because this car has little competition price wise (Evo X and Camaro SS)

The one thing found now through 370Z owners is that the 370Z is going into limp mode during road courses and people are making big complaints.

My question to you, if you don't recommend this car, what would you recommend for $30-33Gs?

Carlos

J_Atreides

iTrader: (18)

Impressive specs on the car, but really not digging those fish hook headlights nor the tail lights.

6-speed

iTrader: (20)

Good point; really not much besides the Camaro SS, Evo X, STi, and Mustang GT...........

And then only 2 of those 4 I listed are coupes.

11Past9

I think the Genesis coupe is the only competition.

CJ2X

iTrader: (4)

Agreed.