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Nissan's
Z is a sports car. It rides like one, handles like one, and has the same
interior space as one. In other words, it is a showy, fast, canyon runner with
room for two, an overnight bag, and your proof of insurance card. The really
great part of this new Z is its price. Starting out at around A$60,000 you get a
very well equipped two seater with a dynamic and frugal V6 engine.
To give you some idea of what a bargain that is you can
easily pay that amount for a loaded Mazda Miata with 142 horsepower. The Nissan
gives you 287 horsepower and that includes power windows, power door locks, air
conditioning, 17-inch alloy wheels, AM/FM CD audio system and an engine
immobilizer security feature. Of course, you can pay up to A$70,000 for a loaded
version of the Z if you order the optional trim levels for the 350Z: the
Enthusiast, Performance, Track and Touring. The basics are the same for each
version except the Track option, which has larger wheels and competition brakes
and a different transmission. Look for 0 to 100K times under six seconds and
Subaru WRX road holding capabilities.
In 1974 bought one of the first Z cars in the United States
that featured seating for four. These 2 plus 2 versions were nice riding, but
fairly slow and full of problems with the carburetion. We threw out the straight
six and planted a Chevrolet V8 under the hood and the car was much more
enjoyable. Over the years Nissan has caught on to this need for speed and the
new Z is much more fun to run because of this attitude. It also is a
good-looking version that never failed to draw attention. Everyone, from old to
young, asked about the Z. If you need attention, this is a great car to harvest
admirers and Nissan and The Car Family believe that the Z is easily going to
outsell the perennial champion Corvette now and well into the future. The reason
is price. However, beware that if you load the Z up you are going to be within a
few thousand of a base Corvette.
Dad's view: The ride is harsh, the handling is
excellent, and the gas mileage for this 3000 pounder was 23 mpg in mixed
driving. Expect to get 18 mpg if you order the automatic and drive hard.
Although I preferred the automatic transmission, which is nearly as fast and
much easier to drive in heavy traffic, than the five speed manual transmission,
if you want to get the most out of this eager ride the standard unit is more
fun. For me, the bottom line is that this is not a poser and so if you are into
its looks you are going to find its ride wearing over time. However, if you love
to drive, you are not going to find a better use for your money.
Mom's
view: Inside the Z was interesting, but not overwhelming. The shift was easy to
use and reach, the seats quite comfortable, but the rear view mirrors were too
small and rear visibility was limited. The three-pod gauge cluster in the middle
of the dash reminded us of our old Z's set-up. Our car did not have the optional
navigation system and so the place for the monitor was taken by a fairly handy
storage area. This was good indeed, because this car has very little room for a
purse or a package. There are storage compartments between the front seats and
beneath the rear cargo shelf.
The
"trunk" offers limited room because a large aluminium cross bar affixed to the
tops of the rear-strut towers reduces the usable storage area. My comments are
thus tinged by the fact that although this is a sports car, it is not a car to
go shopping and thus limits its use to those who have a second car or never buy
more then three bags of groceries. For me, the bottom line was how cute it
looked and its extraordinary pricing. I feel that just as the original Z
revolutionized the sports car scene over two decades ago, the 350 Z is going to
do the same thing today. But, I would hold out for the convertible coming soon
to a dealer with a waiting list near you.
Male
college student's view: Really stout, bordering on awesome, but don't bother
ordering the optional CD player because you are going to want to upgrade the 350
Z's stereo immediately. It just isn't right. The sound the engine makes borders
on good, more gurgle then grunt.
Young
working female's view: A very nice car. I liked the fact that even though it was
low to the ground it was easy to get in and out of. The passenger seat is not
nearly as good as the driver's seat so obviously, this is car is designed for
personal transportation. I liked the fact that the tilt steering wheel moved
with the gauge pod sort of like the Porsche 928.
You get standard limited slip differential and traction
control, 17-inch wheels and tires, Xenon headlamps, six-way driver's seat,
cruise control and a stereo as standard equipment, but the real feature is the
powerful engine and styling.
Family
conference: If you buy the 350Z now you are probably not going to lose any
resale money for a couple of years that is how eager the people who viewed our
test model seemed. We were impressed by its features and the way it wanted to
please us. Whether it is going to steal sales from Porsche, BMW, or Mazda is
doubtful. We feel it is going to attract a move up crowd from the slammed Honda
and Toyota crowd who have previously been limited to buying used Supras to find
six cylinder speed and handling and joining them well be those smitten by the
Z's good looks.
Certainly, a sales winner with the convertible due shortly
and someone, somewhere already placing a turbocharger under the hood and getting
nearly 500 horsepower on pump gas.
Written By The Car Family |
