Road test: Nissan 350Z

Comfort and Handling

It's striking looks hide a chassis that just won't quit

Ingress and egress with the 350Z can be a little trying at times, due in large part to its low seating position and even lower ride height (your bum feels about three inches off the ground).

But after shoe-horning oneself into the soft buckets, a drivers cockpit of overtly sporty design awaits your control.

Sure, it's not the most immaculately finished interior going round - I think even the 206 GTi had better plastics - but it does envelop you like nothing else, giving you a feeling of being more connected to the car.

At slower speeds, the Zed's steering wheel feels a bit heavy but turn its agile nose into a corner at anything above 50km/h and you'll be offered a torrent of feedback and smooth, linear changes in direction.

The steering feels nice and well weighted when cruising in a straight line, and it's not too bad either side of centre. While it's turning circle of 10.8 metres kerb to kerb ain't brilliant, the speed sensitive power assisted rack and pinion system offers very precise input, and adjusting your attitude mid-corner requires only the tiniest rotation of a few degrees.

I really liked the overly sensitive steering (about two and a three quarter turns, lock to lock) as it means you can corner quite tightly but without getting all crossed up.

Our test car arrived with 17-inch wheels shod with generously proportioned tyres: 225/50R17 (front) and wider 235/50R17 (rear).

Generally speaking these tyres performed well and were very reassuring on smooth roads, but sadly, the term 'smooth' and 'Australian roads' don't often correlate. For example, hitting deep-ish pot holes will yank the wheel with a decent amount of force, something you need to be aware of when punting along at a good clip.

The main reason for this is the tight suspension setup - it's designed to provide maximum grip at various horizontal loads, so the car is very low, and fairly rigid. It's not so sharp to the point where driving over tram tracks or slightly bumpy roads will do your back in, but those used to Aussie-built cars will probably think its way too harsh.

I shudder to think how the 350Z Track model, which gets the low-weight 18-inch Rays alloys shod with 225/45R18 (front) 245/45R18 (rear) rubber, would react on deeply pock-marked roads with their thinner rubber. Probably with a piercing 'pop' and then a slow lolloping sound...

In general, the way the wheel gives feedback via the nicely-sized three-spoke steering wheel is very satisfying and very rarely are you caught unawares to the trajectory of the car.

Parked or in motion, the 350Z looks amazing: These images really don't do the car justice

It corners with very limited bodyroll, meaning the rear wheels both have a better go at equally getting their power to the ground, and the way it changes direction is just evil.

The weight distribution is marvellous and it almost reminds me of riding a late model Jap sportsbike, such is its flickability, and even going from hard left into hard right, the level of grip is always well above par.

For this you can thank an almost entirely forged aluminium suspension rig: It's stiff, it's light and it works in tandem with the chassis to provide a most invigorating drive.

Up front, you get a clever independent double wishbone setup with multilink bits and bobs [steel sub-frame, aluminium alloy upper A-arms, aluminium alloy lower L-arms, strut type coil springs, jointed mount anti-roll bar, strut tower brace] and at the rear sits independent trailing arms [aluminium alloy sub-frame, aluminium alloy upper A-arms, steel rod trailing arms, aluminium alloy lower transverse links, lower steel rod transverse links, coil springs, jointed mount anti-roll bar, strut tower brace] all of which do their job with a minimum level of fuss.

The Zed can carry such high corner speeds its scary, very scary. And your passenger will more than likely make this readily known to you. It's amazing how much grip is on offer - it's quite reassuring and even at the very limit the wheels refused to squeal like pigs. I can only begin to imagine how the 350Z would go with the bigger 18-inch wheels and fatter rubber...

Going round corners not your thing? The 350Z is also a very capable straight-line cruiser, with sixth gear dedicated to reducing fuel consumption thanks to its tallness, though first and second will get you to about 55 and 97 km/h respectively.

The predictable oversteer mentioned earlier is at the mercy of your right foot - flex and it will respond. That's what I love about rear-wheel drivers, the inherent oversteer available at high engine speeds.

Brakes? Yeah, they're part of the package and though we didn't get to stamp on the fatter Brembos affixed to the Track model, the standard setup is still remarkably good at washing off speed in a hurry. There was little evidence of fade and while I don't like to make a habit of it, braking mid-corner didn't upset the chassis balance too much.

One quibble with deceleration was that the rear end would often get very light under hard brakes and wriggle about a fair bit as the cars inertia rapidly shifts forward, which can be quite unsettling on narrow B-roads. Other than that, the standard 296mm discs up front and 292mm discs rear (both ventilated) performed very well under the circumstances.

In commuter traffic, the Zed behaves quite well and thanks to the glut of torque down low, you won't have to mess about with the six speed transmission too much.

It's actually not bad at changing lanes and popping into gaps, as everyone seems to slow down and take a good look, leaving you to casually make some headway.

7-spoke alloy wheels sit well with overall design

While the 350Z's performance is simply stunning, it's not as scary to drive as, say, the Ford GT. It inspires plenty of confidence and almost begs you to push a little further, brake a little later and squirt the throttle a little harder.

If you get down to the track a few times every year, or just enjoy the connection between car and driver, or the g-forces felt as you power out of a long uphill sweeper, the 350Z won't disappoint. In fact, it'll probably blow you away - I was.

Engine

The Japanese make a lovely engine. They build screaming small capacity motorcycle mills at such prices the Italians could only dream of, and the latest batch of super-coupes from the Nihon are already cult icons in the motoring world thanks to their killer powerplants.

The 3498cc VQ35DE-designated Nissan mill is a re-tuned version of the 3.5-litre V6 fitted to new Maxima's and other Nissan vehicles predominantly sold in America and Europe, such as the Infiniti QX4 and Nissan Altima.

The engine fitted to the 350Z gets a number of improvements over the 'stock' V6, including a complete reworking of the intake port design, and makes use of what Nissan types would call CVTCS, or continuously variable valve timing control system. The Nissan whitecoats also decided to throw in lumpier camshafts and an exhaust system that allows for better engine breathing (and a lovely note, I might add).

Together with clever fuel injection software and molybdenum-coated pistons, the 350Z makes a potent 206kW @ 6200rpm, which is less than 30kW shy of Porsche's nat-atmo 911 boxer engine. Not bad considering the price difference either - and yes, a couple of Porsche drivers were very interested in knowing everything about the Zed when we stopped for lunch in Katoomba on a sunny winters arvo.

The quad overhead camshaft-equipped powerplant delivers 363Nm of torque @ 4800rpm, though there's plenty of shove available from as low as 2500rpm. While maximum acceleration is achieved between about 5000 and 6000rpm, the 350Z will pull cleanly (no shudders) from as low as 1000rpm in fifth gear.

It's such a tractable engine, I can't help but think the carbon fibre composite driveshaft helps a little here.

It feels as though there's a reduced loss of power via the diff and through the driveline (perhaps due to a lower reciprocating mass) than the average four-wheeler, though unless we pulled it to bits and had a poke around, it'd be hard to be 100 per cent sure.

The gear change in the 350Z is yet another impressive aspect of the drive line, with the distance between gates very short.

The beating heart of the 350Z: 3.5-litre V6 makes 206kW and 363Nm

It snicks in and out of gates quickly and securely, and I only ever had trouble searching for third a couple of times.

The clutch is quite light with medium travel and combined with the sharp and sure shift of the six-speed gearbox, you can change ratios remarkably quickly.

There are various claims that the 350Z will pull 0-100km/h times of under 6.0 seconds, but I find this a bit hard to swallow. It's quick, but it's no GT-P.

Though our speed testing equipment consists of a sun-dial and a broken desk lamp, making accurate 0-100km/h times difficult to gauge at the best of times, the car felt pretty quick off the line.

Dial in about 3000rpm, let the clutch bite, and floor the throttle, then after a hint of wheel spin and two gear changes (it's a damn shame 2nd gear finishes just under 100km/h) our best guesstimate would put the 0-100km/h time at 6.7, maybe 6.6 seconds.

Low end grunt is pretty good for an engine with such a wide rev range, but it's the engine's mid-range that really flawed me the most. It's so usable and the torque curve must be very flat, such is the linear delivery of power from crank to rear wheels.

Another important facet of the drive train is the position of the engine. Sure, the engine has heaps of go and the suspension and chassis are well sorted, but because the engine is pushed back behind the front axle (Nissan calls this FM, or front mid-engine) the centre of gravity is lower, meaning the Zed corners more effectively, because it doesn't have to shift as much mass (the engine is often the heaviest component) a long way.

The engine emits a bit of noise through the cabin, and offers a fairly electronic sounding thrum, but one that goes from a slightly lumpy and docile tone at low revs, to a howling, shrieking petrol bandit as the tacho needle creeps towards the 6600rpm redline.

The final word on Nissan's V6 engine? Brilliant. And get this: There is even talk that Nissan will take this 3.5-litre engine and bolt on a pair of turbochargers for use in new 350kW+ R35 GTR, set to hit the streets in 2005. Drool...

Extras

Hmmm, not much to report here really. There's little cubby holes for CDs, a solitary cup holder and that horribly limp central storage compartment where the sat-nav should be. The rear glovebox is a hassle to get to and boot space is laughable.

The 350Z: Setting new benchmarks

The two-stage seat warmers are good for windows-down cruising -- and gee, they're big windows too -- plus automatic (express) up and down electric windows for driver and passenger make the cut, which is nice.

The windows in our test Zed had a propensity to rattle a fair bit, and I would suggest seeing if this is the case when you test drive the 350, though more than likely it's just a press fleet issue.

Other than this, there were no other annoying interior noises or shakes, suggesting solid fit and finish.

The cruise control buttons on the steering wheel are awesome - the best I've used - and the trip computer offers plenty of useful options and telemetry.

If you like your stereo rocking, the 350Z won't disappoint. You get a seven-speaker system, complete with sub-woofer behind the drivers seat and it also gets a six-stacker in-dash CD player, all of which is manufactured by Bose.

There's drilled aluminium pedals, leather steering wheel, gear shifter and handbrake, and a couple of map lights in case you get lost at night.

Air-conditioning is standard, as is the Traction Control System (TCS), ABS, EBD and a viscous limited-slip rear differential is also thrown in as part of the deal.

There's even a nifty button, down by the door handle, that promptly folds in the mirrors for tight parking (or reduced drag, if you like), and the side windows adhere to a two-step closing procedure for what Nissan calls an "optimum wind-tight seal".

Overall: 4/5

While the new Zed may not be a spitting image of the 240Z, it is most definitely a return to the classic car's ethos of a well-priced sportscar with ridiculously high levels of performance.

For the price you pay, you get an astonishingly capable sportster, and we're talking about the 'cheap' version here with the less adhesive tyres. It's refined, it's reliable and takes to corners with more gusto than I gave it credit for.

The reason we didn't give it four-and-a-half wombats is simple - it's a very impractical vehicle. There's only two seats, rearward vision is sloppy, combined with that hyper-rigid strut-brace that reflects brightly onto the mirror on sunny days, storage space is woeful and the ride can be harsh over poor roadways.

But at the end of the day, you won't buy this car because you want to haul heavy loads, or squeeze the family in for a jolly trip down the ice cream depository.

No, you buy this car because you want to turns heads, because it drives like a bat out of hell and because it's a rear-wheel drive coupe that cheats wind and defies gravity and has one of the best V6s available on the market today.

The 350Z represents a shift in the sportscar hierarchy, and together with cars like the RX-8 and perhaps even the similarly priced Crossfire ($70k), the sportscar landscape will forever be changed.

The Zed is back, and it rocks.

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