Tuesday 1st October 2002

Nissan 350Z

Canadian correspondent Nauman Farooq gets his mits on the new Z Car. Badge engineering or rebirth?

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If you look at every great auto-producing nation in the world, theyall have one thing in common, and that is they all have a sports car as theiriconic car. For America, it's the Chevrolet Corvette, which has been with us fora remarkable 50 years. The style-conscious Italians might have a few choices for a symbol of their automotive expression, but the name thatcomes to most people's lips, is Ferrari. You Brits are of course spoiled forchoice with Aston Martin, Jaguar and Lotus to name just three.

However, go east to Japan and you have the Z car. The "Z" carstarted life in 1970 as a Datsun with the 240Z and a long line of cars hasresulted in a healthy DNA of sporting prowess even after rebranding as Nissan.

Newborn

The last generation 300ZX bowed out in 1996 and since then Nissan had nothingto truly represent the badge in North America. That however is no longer thecase. Welcome to the present day and the reintroduction of the "Z" car inthe new 2003 Nissan 350Z. This latest "Z" has nothing mechanically incommon with the previous cars, but the "Z" DNA is very clear. Thestyling picks up on many cues from the original 240Z whilst bringingthe whole concept very much into the 21st century.

On the outside it's tempting to draw parallels with Celica headlights, a 911roofline and a rear not unlike the TT's. The large rear is compromised on theinside however with a strut brace reducing useful space dramatically.

That brace is there to stiffen up the rear and improve the handling. Andhandle it will, very nicely too. Whether you stay with the regular car (like theone I tested from Dermac Nissan in Brampton, Ontario - Canada) or opt for thetrack pack, you'll get a car that can handle most anything you can throw at iton a local road. This is a heavy car though and it does let you know it as you startpushing it in the corners, but trust the suspension design, trust the tyres, andmost of all, trust Nissan's VDC system (Vehicle Dynamic Control) and the car canbe doing things out of corners that will astound you. Granted, it might lack thedelicacy and poise of its most immediate competitor, the Honda S2000, but it isstill very impressive.

Screamer or Grunter?

Straight-line acceleration is pretty impressive. With that 3.5 litre, V6engine, producing 287 hp, it really has a lot of go. Not that you'll feel it atthe bottom-end though. Despite it's beefy looks, the 350 is a screamer not agrunter. Off the line, the car is not immediately fast. You have to build up therevs like in a VTEC Honda engine, and then, when it's breathing hard, you getthe punch. The result is in a 0-100km/h time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed ofabout 250 km/h (155mph).

The brakes are good in standard trim but if you're feeling more ambitiousthere is a track pack which gets stronger Brembo brakes. Drive this car forany extended period of time and you'll see the direction Nissan intended to headwith this car. Sadly, this is not a sports car; it's a sports tourer. It's athome cruising along the highways, giving you all the punch you need to blastpast traffic with ease.

Pricing

You have to give it Nissan for some smart pricing. The entry-level car startsat CAN$44,900 (~£18,000) and the top of the line track pack version setting youback CAN$48,300. That puts it just beneath the Honda S2000 in the pricecategory.

Nissan have some work to do in the marketing department though. Everynon-enthusiast I showed the car to, asked if it would compete with the HyundaiCoupe or the Toyota Celica. It'll take some work to restore the reputation ofthe Z Car.

Z Cars Links

Nissan|nissan Owners

[ErnestM]

quote:
The result is in a 0-100km/h time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed of about 250 km/h (155mph).

It would probably do faster, however a lot of cars are having top speed limited electronically to 155.

quote:
Everyone non-enthusiast I showed the car to, asked if it would compete with the Hyundai Coupe or the Toyota Celica

VW Bug. IMHO Nissan took all of the worst parts of the cars mentioned (Celica, TT et al) and said, "Right, let's throw that lot together and see if it sells. Try America, they're always good for a laugh. Besides, any country that buys that many SUV's will buy anything..."

I wish Nissan luck, but they should have picked another name and saved "Z" for something extra Zpecial.

Cheers

ErnestM