Please tell me about your 370z

Please tell me about your 370z

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Discussion

stuart-b

Original Poster:

3,643 posts

225 months

Saturday 25th April 2015
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Hi chaps,

I am looking to move away from diesel into something fun - I don't have the requirement for 4 seats as I am organising something sensible when I need to take people/things around. As much as the BMW looks great and performs well, it doesn't sound great - and as I'm a person who enjoys the noise of a car as much as anything else, I've never really bonded with it, although I've had it nearly 4 years now. Time to move on!

I have toyed with lots of ideas from a Cayman, Boxster, TT - but I am drawn to the 370z, as a few years ago I test drove a 350z convertible and it was great fun (although a bit slow...). I have been reading up on the 370z and it seems to be a marmite car, but seeing as I'm not too concerned about road tax or fuel, it seems to tick the right boxes. Seemingly bullet proof, responds well to breathing bolt ons (and sounds fantastic!) and a rare sight on the roads, especially in this part of the world.

I have seen there are a few options, such as GT pack, Ray forged wheels, and various other bits - what would you say are crucial options? Should I be fussy whether it's a manual or auto? I've also seen the auto doesn't appear to be drastically bad as some other autos are, but the manual appears to be a much better performer in the real world. With sticky tyres a few mags have recorded less than 5 seconds 0-60, which is much faster than Nissan suggests! Although that doesn't really concern me as I rarely ruin my tyres and am more interested in mid range acceleration. The paddles are almost fooling me into thinking it's a DCT smile

I'll be driving back to the UK in the next month or two, any help would be gratefully received - please stop me buying a Z4 tongue out

Bat28

92 posts

156 months

Saturday 25th April 2015
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I've had one for just over a year and really like it !
Quite comfy, and the engine has torque low in the rev range.
I've got a manual and quite like the "synchro rev match" function .. especially now that I've got a nice exhaust on it (I've gone for the Cobra cat back and love it)
As you said, it's quite rare and I like it for that.
I know a few people that seem very happy with their Auto boxes, the manual is good but has quite an agricultural feel biggrin
It's not the most refined (tyre noise) or precise car but to me it looks and feels more special than a Z4.


Edited by Bat28 on Saturday 25th April 15:54

lilwashu

245 posts

164 months

Sunday 26th April 2015
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I had a 350Z for a year or so and was all set to buy a 370Z. I have owned or driven at length most of the cars on your list so my opinions are:

Z4 is great if you want comfort and looks but aren't fussed about feeling what it is doing or chucking it around corners, interior quality nice but rattly (see also SLK).

370Z: much nicer inside than the 350, I think the rear looks better but the front looks worse. Engine sounds less good than in the 350 and the auto was horrible. Both much more fun than Z4/SLK but all are a bit heavy and wallowy, the Nissans more so.

The convertible 350/370Zs look a bit rubbish with the roof up and mine had lots of problems with the mechanism.

If you think the 350 felt slow, you will probably be disappointed by a non-S Cayman/Boxster (I haven't driven an S so don't know if they are much different). The NA cars all have very smooth power delivery and don't "feel: as fast as they are.

nottyash

4,670 posts

194 months

Sunday 26th April 2015
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I've just bought a black 60 plate with the GT pack. Manual of course. I love it.
I expected it to be a GT car like previous m3s I've owned, but it isn't. Its a lot more raw, feels a special place to sit. A lot of road noise from the tyres, and still bites back even with traction control on.
The GT pack is more desirable. Bose sound, heated seats, sat nav and half leather\ alcantara as well as the bigger wheel. Late 2010 cars have the later premium connect sat nav with hard drive and touch screen. it rips your discs straight to memory.
For a better ride and less noise they brought out a "GT edition" softer suspension and soundproofing. I expect the Nismo to be the opposite.
Fuel economy is good for engine size. 22mpg booting it everywhere to nearly 40mpg sat at the 60 mph limit on the a road to work.

liner33

10,642 posts

201 months

Sunday 26th April 2015
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I have one of those "horrible" autos , having had a manual 350z with its agricultural gearbox and rattling dmf the auto was the obvious choice and I havent looked back , using the paddle shift mode its as quick if not quicker to shift than the manual* and a remap improves it even further , you also get the down shift "synchro -rev" that the manual gets but you cant switch it off like you can in the manual, you also get a 7th gear, I understand why people prefer the manuals though.

I've had my GT Edition (Not to be confused with the GT) for coming up 18 months and its been great, it averages about 28mpg with me but its only a weekend toy for hoons and shows etc

Servicing cost £224, I use a GTR specialist rather than Nissan dealer but it was a 3 year and included diff oil and brake fluid , I fitted the air filters and pollen filter myself. Its an easy car to work on

I replaced the dreadfully quiet exhaust with a Invidia Gemini which gives a much sportier sound and have fitted a few things like nicer kneepads, mudguards, GTR start button and "Z" badges as well . Just ordered a new set of MPSS tyres for £713 all round (19" tyres dont come cheapfrown) but I expect to get two years out of them and I'm going to fit uprated roll bars and have it remapped shortly





I think the 370z is a great looking car



  • according to the US forums the auto is quicker to 60 and on the 1/4 mile
However the 370z does not respond well to tuning at all ! I have a cat back exhaust, intake pipes, K&N filters and post remap I will be very chuffed if I can get 350hp out of it , a grand increase of about 22hp ! Thats not the full story though the cars are transformed by remapping , are much more responsive, quicker and nicer to drive with a map.

Edited by liner33 on Sunday 26th April 16:24

Alfa159Ti

827 posts

156 months

Wednesday 13th May 2015
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Hi there,

As chance would have it, I have just swapped my Z4 Coupe for a 370z Auto which was delivered on Tuesday morning.

I have had some good drives in the car now, having taken it over a deserted Woodhead Pass last night and Snake Pass early this morning.

Here are my feelings to date:

Positives:
+ Looks much better in the metal than in pics
+ Colossal mid range punch
+ Handles really flat in the bends and strikes a nice balance between being firm, but well damped
+ Brakes could stop a freight train and have a lovely feel to them
+ Very well specced
+ Cruise control has a nice action, which helps you manage your speed and improve your consumption a bit
+ SOOO much car for the money
+ Rare

Negatives:
- Interior has a lot of cheap plastics
- It is easy to carry more speed than you think given how well planted the car is
- The seats are an absolute disgrace and look and feel like they were lifted out of a 90s Jap import. A total joke.
- In daily driving around town and on the motorway the steering feels a bit heavy and inert
- Paddles are mounted on the column, so don't turn with the wheel. Much preferred the paddles on my outgoing Z4 coupe, however the Big Zeds are long and tactile and actually feel pretty good once you get used to them.
- In full auto the box is a bit slow witted if you want a quick squirt of acceleration.

What is interesting is that I was a little underwhelmed after I had driven it around town and on the motorway during my first day with it, but the car totally comes alive on a good back road in full manual mode. All it took was a few bends of Woodhead Pass to totally win me over. On a good road you can make very quick, satisfying progress, braking late leaning on the awesome anchors and also using a bit of gear braking, the car then adopts a lovely neutral, confidence inspiring position as you move through the bend, then you can surf that fat torque curve once you reach the apex, coming on the power to pull you out of the other side. I am also starting

I am really pleased with mine now, though the crapinesss of the seats is really bugging me. I am in the process of enquiring with Recaro about some similar to those in the more recent Nismo.

Here are a few pics of it on delivery day!









If you want to know anything else just let me know.

Alfa159Ti

827 posts

156 months

Wednesday 13th May 2015
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Oh and a few other observations...

Firstly I test drove a manual 370 and liked it, but found that the gear box didn't like to be hurried.

I loved my Z4 Coupe but the 370z definitely feels like a step up in terms of performance and presence.

liner33

10,642 posts

201 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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An uprev remap will help the gear box no end it sharpens the shifts considerably but the 'box does adapt to your driving style , if you have been plodding and then floor it then it seems a bit dull but after a sustained beasting it does sharpen up a bit

If the paddles are an issue you can fit extended ones ,it the same paddles on the GTR and they are a simple fit although they will just touch the back of the steering wheel at full extension on the zed unless you space it out by a couple of mm .

http://www.gtr.co.uk/forum/330313-larger-gear-shif...


I dont mind the seats myself , the Nismo ones are cloth so they dont appeal to me , 35 GTR seats come up occasionally they may be an option

elementad

625 posts

149 months

Thursday 14th May 2015
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I had one for 4 years and sold it about 6 weeks ago. Never let me down. Quick car, turned heads, cheap to service and I hold the car in high regard.
Also held onto its value very well. 4 year old car and maintained well over 50% of its value.

davey68

1,199 posts

236 months

Monday 18th May 2015
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What have you replaced it with Elementad?

elementad

625 posts

149 months

Tuesday 19th May 2015
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davey68 said:
What have you replaced it with Elementad?
F Type V6S

J4CKO

41,284 posts

199 months

Wednesday 20th May 2015
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elementad said:
davey68 said:
What have you replaced it with Elementad?
F Type V6S
How does it compare ?

I didnt realise that the normal 340 bhp V6 is Supercharged, apparently you can remap both the V6 and V6S to 400 bhp, would have thought there was more differences, appreciate the V6S has a shorter diff ration and some other bits but power wise, the normal V6 with a remap is potentially a bit of a bargain.

elementad

625 posts

149 months

Wednesday 20th May 2015
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J4CKO said:
elementad said:
davey68 said:
What have you replaced it with Elementad?
F Type V6S
How does it compare ?

I didnt realise that the normal 340 bhp V6 is Supercharged, apparently you can remap both the V6 and V6S to 400 bhp, would have thought there was more differences, appreciate the V6S has a shorter diff ration and some other bits but power wise, the normal V6 with a remap is potentially a bit of a bargain.
I'm not going to hijack this 370z thread, but to answer your question it's a nice move on from my 370z.
It's feels slightly quicker, interior is nice, I love the looks (as I do with the 370z) and it's a nice thing to drive.
I never had a problem with the 370z sound but this thing sounds superb standard. It's not far off being as loud as my pals 430 spyder and I'm not exaggerating.
I've got manufacturers warranty with my car so not bothered about remapping.
There are quite a lot of subtle differences between the v6 and v6s model, namely the steering, chassis, suspension and breaks are tuned for sharper response, you have the option to calibrate the cars settings manually also from throttle response to suspension etc. Comes with an LSD and the active sports exhaust - which is a necessity I reckon.
Just more of a focused version. The cars seen very welcome by jaguar to be taken on track also. The hand book even has information on how to look after your car before and after you take it on track.


davey68

1,199 posts

236 months

Thursday 21st May 2015
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Lovely car mate. I think the V6S is the sweet spot in the range and they sound superb!