[!Xoible]

please! jk

so with the whole economic meltdown and shit i thought i should cut down my expenses before i get shitcanned at work and be homeless. so i started looking into a replacement for my m3. today i went ahead to test drive the 370Z

The car i test drove was kinda basic and didnt have the sports package. but i do not think it really really makes a huge fucking difference. here's what i got:

i like the alcantra touches on door panels, the leather-wrapped interior, but i couldnt ignore the cheap plastic all around. it's not a huge deal i can live with that it's a $30k car. i like the gauges and little gadgets and shits here and there. awesome! shifter is awesome, the throw is pretty good, better than the M3 for sure. keyless ignition is standard, awesome.

now i turned it off and i took off. that's when i said FUCK ME for buying an M3. now i cannot feel any other car

the car has absolutely no fucking power, like none. the engine feels so lazy in revving and once you hit 6,000 RPM or so it struggles to rev up higher although the red line is at 7500. when you go high in the RPM it makes no difference u might as well just shift there.

steering feel wasnt bad, i would say it's better than the 335 or more nimble, but felt pretty disconnected and not as precise as i would have expected from a 2 seater (i have no clue how they say this compares to the Cayman S). makes me think really low of the cayman now.

The throttle seemed more sensetive in idle than the M3. when i was double clutching i clearly over-revved i was like wow! but i got that down pretty quick.

Here's the fucked up part that really frustrated me: V fucking DC!!!! WTF with VDC kicking in so fucking much! it's so goddamn intrusive, it's ridiculous. every shift from 1st to 2nd gives a tad of a wheel spin, VDC kicks in and cuts power off, then 2nd to 3rd same issue. every time i take a turn VDC kills my power im like u know what this is not even fun at all!

u turn off VDC the car slides a tad and what not, but u get this noice with wheel spin as if u scraped the bottom of the car. it's weird.

the cockpit is so fucking noisy it's so annoying. drone and shit from stock exhaust!

here's how i would rate it: (and i dont even drive a perfect car either)
power: 3/5
steering: 2/5
interior: 4/5
handling: i cannot really say i havent pushed it enough. i hope it's good if they compare it to Cayman S
transmission: 4/5 pretty sporty, the way i like it. very different from BMW transmission but typical Nissan/infiniti transmission (aka notchy, and jerky from 1st to 2nd)
fun: 0/5 with VDC
exterior styling: shit those wide rear fenders are hot! 4.5/5

going back to my M3 i think i can never enjoy a car less than an M car. i.e. im a M badge whore now. officially.

kthxbai -_-'

Edit: btw i have test driven other cars i think the Mini S is more fun (fuck front wheel drive tho), 135i was much more fun, but the Z is way better than the s2gay

UPDATE - TEST DROVE AGAIN WITH SPORTS PACKAGE

So i went to another dealership and asked for a test drive. This test drive comes after a day of driving my car hard and kinda pushing it, then driving a brand new STi (fully broken in). The car was warmed up because somebody has just taken that car out on a test drive.

Here's my new impressions:
1. awesome navigation system

2. pussy exhaust. i prefer G35/350z or G37's exhaust, but no problemo exhaust would be first mod

3. VDC sucks ass still, too intrusive and without it the car is hella fun but really with no control. i'd like a setting somewhere in the middle (MDM? lol). But fine i can live with it on or off

4. Handling was awesome! if the M3's handling is 10/10 (which is not) then the 370z is like 8.5 or 9. I actually thought handling was great and the LSD makes a day and night difference between then non-sport and sports package. It was very nimble, a lot of fun until we get to one corner. So on the way to Irvine Nissan there's a right turn, it's pretty sharp but i was going fast in my M3 and it did fine. I took that turn with the Z and we almost crashed! i almost went over the fence to be on the freeway that was scary. the guy was like "youre the craziest man i've ever encountered on a test drive" lol

5. Power... well it does put more power and it does put you ahead of traffic. rev match it (whether you use ur foot or use the synchro-match feature thing) and BAM ur ahead of everyone. But here's my problem. The car does not feel fast. there's no torque push. and you know what that problem does exist in the M3. u see ur speedometer jumping 10 mph at a time (maybe less in the 370z) but you dont feel it Yah maybe it'll lose a drag test with the M3, but the feeling of power is pretty similar

6. Steering is definitely tighter with sports package. i was doing all kinds of crazy stuff. the car felt pretty nabil... *ahem* i mean nimble.

7. Sound inside the cabin i guess it's too noisy for a drive coming back from a long work day at 8 or 9 pm and with an aftermarket exhaust it will be noisier but it is what it is...

This car right now kind of tops the list of cars im looking into. a hair over the STi (which is a whole different story)

[vgame64]

Good to know. Would you say it is worth the money?

Thanks for the review.

[RMA]

Go with a lightly equipped 135i

[blue2fire]

I would just get a Cobalt SS and save the money. The Z thing is certainly not without its faults. The 350Z for instance also drones and makes only a noise when you put the pedal in the carpet, it is annoying and i did not like it at all.

[Kev]

how about a new Z4 with N54 and DCT?

[!Xoible]

i just wanted to review the 370z in this thread. thanks for suggestions: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=203146

I would say yes, it's worth the money, and it's a very good option during a horrible economy. although my thoughts about it are not recession-friendly (they include some Volks, coilovers, body kit)

[ejazbmw]

i had a 350z for a few months, its a nice car for the price although you can't really compare it to a ///M. I didn't like how every ricer wanted to race me at a red light lol

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by Railgun

Well of course you can't compare it to an M. Why not compare an M to a Ferrari while you're at it?

For the market that the car is in, what's it's rating?

it's not really the point. what i was trying to say is i got spoiled, more snobby in a sense. btw i drove the mini S and other cars and i can definitely live with those more than the Z. yes i already admit it's an awesome car for this shitty economy

[just4kickz]

couldnt understand the first part of what you wrote. but i guess... "going back to my M3 i think i can never enjoy a car less than an M car. i.e. im a M badge whore now. officially. " sums it up

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

The car i test drove was kinda basic and didnt have the sports package. but i do not think it really really makes a huge fucking difference.

it makes a huge fucking difference.

[E90SLAM]

nabil....u got screwed with the M3.....there's no way back man...

[Cyber]

No way back. Only up.

[RT8_M3]

Originally Posted by limited_slip

are you selling your ///M3?

I think he was posting it up for sale...

But anyways, thanks for the write up about the Z. Gives me a better idea of how the car is.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

it makes a huge fucking difference.

doesnt change throttle, doesnt change steering, doesnt change the fact the motor seems overly pushed past 6k RPM. maybe handles better and more steady at higher speeds. what else does it make a difference in?

i mean sport package is not like it becomes a GTR

[Jammin Jason]

get an EVO IX!!! it will NOT disappoint you. trust. well, maybe your Gas and Insurance.
EVO X...ehh, I personally prefer the IX. maybe i'll sell my e90 in a couple years and get a IX

[Mk23]

Originally Posted by Kev

how about a new Z4 with N54 and DCT?

At the risk of sounding like an ill-informed noob... The Z4 is coming with the N54 and DCT?

[josephr25]

Sport package adds viscous LSD, Brembos, 19-inch wheels, aero chin spoiler, and rev-matching. How is that not a big difference?

The 370Z engine is high-strung; it's not going to feel fast until you really rev it. When I still had my 350Z, it felt like it had no torque compared to my 335i. The 350Z would feel like it's choking around 5.5K, but my intake and exhaust mods changed that. That said, the original VQ35DE was nearly maxed out from the factory so it was very hard to make any power unless you went FI. Of course, a maxed out engine from the factory is never a bad thing.

From your review it feels the 370Z is more of the same, with a better interior. I wish it were quieter, but then people would look at the G37.

[!Xoible]

in terms of performance sports package wouldnt make a difference in my test drive except for the LSD. brakes were alright even the non-brembo ones.

[Spool]

I never liked the looks of the 350, 370Z...looks squished up, i like the styling of the G35 a lot more, and the G37 looks bubbly too...


performance wise, after driving a tuned 335i, it's hard to find a car that'll fill those shoes after...

[SpecC]

you drink too much haterade

[Mk23]

Had a 350z for 4 years, loved it. But after driving around a 335i for awhile I don't think I could handle the switch back. I think the major issue I had with the 350z was there was no storage areas... what was I supposed to do with my Purell antibacterial wipes!?

I'd like to add that I think the 370z looks horrific compared to the 350z... or for that matter any similarly priced competitor.

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

doesnt change throttle, doesnt change steering, doesnt change the fact the motor seems overly pushed past 6k RPM. maybe handles better and more steady at higher speeds. what else does it make a difference in?

i mean sport package is not like it becomes a GTR

LSD, fatter, stickier tires, syncro shite, godlike brakes. big diff mang.