I went over to a Nissan dealer today in my dad's Audi TT in order to present the image that I would be able to afford the car.

I tested out a "Touring" model which comes with leather, 18's and navigation. The interior is nice, and the dash height isn't as bad as I remembered from seeing it and sitting in a G35 at the auto show. You can't really tell where the front of the car is though. Interior fit and finish was almost up to par with the Audi (hey, it's what I had to compare with) although some of the switchgear and assorted plastic bits were a bit cheap feeling. You do sit pretty low down in the car, and the view out the back window is just a slit. It's got a pretty big blind spot to either side in the rear. The guages moving up and down with the steering wheel is a nice touch and the overall driving position is just right. I had a problem where I kept catching my clutch foot under the dash because of my size 12 shoes. I tend to do that in some cars but it was easily correctable with a spin around the parking lot and a switch in how I step on the pedal. It would be nicer if I didn't have the problem, but that's what I get for having big feet.

Power didn't seem too overwhelming, probably because of the gearing and weight of the car. It felt maybe a bit quicker than the TT although the sound coming from the engine bay isn't very confidence inspiring. It's kind of this whiney "why are you abusing me?" sound, or maybe I'm just not used to V6s. Probably the latter. There's plenty of grunt available, it's just very smooth and you don't quite realize how fast you're going. 80 mph feels like 60, 60 mph feels like 40, etc. The shifter feels a lot like a Miata or Bimmer although perhaps not quite as precise. Nice short throws with a direct linkage since the shifter is actually on top of the gearbox. Oh and there's this annoying "rev" light on the tach which starts blinking once you hit 3500 (I think) RPM. The tach is center stage in the dash so that stupid light is blinking away right in your face.

My main problem with the car was the chassis calibration. The shocks don't have enough damping for the heft of the car and the spring rates which gives somewhat of a bouncy ride despite the fact that there is still some body roll. I would imagine that the Track model fixes this issue. Still, when I pulled out of the parking lot I broke the ass end loose and drifted across three lanes. Pretty cool. It's very easy to put the car into a controlled slide but you have to be really hustling. The brakes are by no means bad and fine around town, but they also don't have the sort of confidence inspiring initial bite that you get in a German car (once again the Audi as a reference). The Brembos on the Track model would probably be more than sufficient.

So for me personally I'd have to spring for a Track model if I was looking at a Z, but I would probably be more inclined to pick something a bit lighter along the lines of an S2000 or RX-8.

 

I agree with most of your comments. Underdamped and seems a bit overweight, although I thought interior finish was well below that of Audi (although much better than say the Altima). I'd spend my money on an S2000, personally.

 

wow man i used to have a lot of respect for that car, but after hearing you compare it to the TT so much, i really dont. the TT is a pig. in fact, they even look almost the same. so i guess the 350z is a pig too. im happy with my teg, but if i was to spend 30k on a car, it would either be an s2000 or a wrx.....with a little tinkering.

 

My dad's TT isn't a quattro, it's a front-wheel drive model which means it's about 300 lbs lighter than the Z (and 300 lbs heavier than an Integra). Really though, the TT is a horribly underrated car. It doesn't put up great numbers but it has a very satisfying feel to it. Plus the turbo spooling up makes you feel like you're accelerating rapidly since it's more of an exponential power curve compared to the Z's more linear delivery. In terms of actual speed the Z kills it, it has 107 more hp. I took it on the highway and went to pass the stupid slow people, out of habit I downshifted. It's a rocket. The salesman was like, "well you didn't really need to downshift but hey, why not?" I probably should have articulated that more.

The car is good enough that 60 mph on the highway could be easily mistaken for a spin around the neighborhood if not for the bouncy ride. I'm just a picky bastard and would spring for a Track model. Oh and the one I tested had the navigation system which has a definite "wow factor" although I'm not sure it's worth the $1999 price tag.

 

How about in the top end? Did the car feel "at home" in the higher rpms i know you saud it had a whining sound but did the car feel like it had power still reserved in the higher revs?

 

I'm not sure I want your crap from the basement :fawk:

I haven't driven one yet, their dealership is like 5 miles from the Infiniti one. If it's anything like the G35C, I agree with most of those comments. The G35C does feel a bit underdampened, but I didn't get the overweight feel. The fit and finish is nowhere near the TT, although I do like the Z's interior design better. Good stuff, Mike :thumbup:

 

It's got plenty of power at pretty much any RPM. There's no dead spots in the curve. The sound is a bit odd but I can't imagine you'd spend a lot of time past 4000 RPM unless you're on a racetrack.

For most people it's a great car, I still want the Track model.

 

FWD = 180HP version. I imagine the 225HP overcompensates for the weight difference, hence the quicker acceleration (although handling likely suffers).

The 180HP Quattro version is a dog.

 

The turbo spooling makes it feel faster than it is; the Z is by far much quicker.

 

between the two i would definitely get a TT. much cooler car in every aspect. overall speed isnt all that important as long as its fun to drive.