Disappointed with the 370Z and Genesis Coupe 3.8
#1
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Disappointed with the 370Z and Genesis Coupe 3.8
I checked out both of these cars recently. Very similar and that's probably why I liked neither of them. On the plus side, they both have pretty decent power, flat cornering, stiff structures, short (although not great) shifters, and look swoopy.
The Z that I drove didn't have the Track brakes (which are apparently not Brembos any more but still monoblock calipers with Nissan branding?) but its brakes were decent. Nothing amazing but decent. The Genesis did have Brembos and they were good as expected.
My assorted dislikes:
Both have no steering feel
Both have crappy sounding engines (although the Genesis is a little better)
Both have clutch issues: the Z's pedal is too close to the brake just like the 350Z; the Genesis has a real funky takeup and clunks on upshifts
The interior of the Genesis is pretty chintzy, and the seats were just plain awful. One of the worst seats I've ever sat in. It has a leather covered armrest with zero padding between the leather and the hard plastic underneath, so it looks nice but feels exactly like hard plastic. Which wouldn't be a big deal except it's right under your elbow when you shift so you keep banging your elbow against it. Hell, the exposed hard plastic armrest in my old Miata was better than this.
I guess they have their redeeming qualities but what's the point of a rwd sports car if you can't really tell what's going on with the front contact patches?
In both cases I hopped back in my car and immediately thought "now that's MUCH better." This even though it's taller, narrower, has more body roll and some turbo lag.
So.......the only cars I've liked within the past few years have been BMWs, Porsches, rwd/awd Mazdas, and *ghasp* a couple modern VWs & Audis.
The Z that I drove didn't have the Track brakes (which are apparently not Brembos any more but still monoblock calipers with Nissan branding?) but its brakes were decent. Nothing amazing but decent. The Genesis did have Brembos and they were good as expected.
My assorted dislikes:
Both have no steering feel
Both have crappy sounding engines (although the Genesis is a little better)
Both have clutch issues: the Z's pedal is too close to the brake just like the 350Z; the Genesis has a real funky takeup and clunks on upshifts
The interior of the Genesis is pretty chintzy, and the seats were just plain awful. One of the worst seats I've ever sat in. It has a leather covered armrest with zero padding between the leather and the hard plastic underneath, so it looks nice but feels exactly like hard plastic. Which wouldn't be a big deal except it's right under your elbow when you shift so you keep banging your elbow against it. Hell, the exposed hard plastic armrest in my old Miata was better than this.
I guess they have their redeeming qualities but what's the point of a rwd sports car if you can't really tell what's going on with the front contact patches?
In both cases I hopped back in my car and immediately thought "now that's MUCH better." This even though it's taller, narrower, has more body roll and some turbo lag.
So.......the only cars I've liked within the past few years have been BMWs, Porsches, rwd/awd Mazdas, and *ghasp* a couple modern VWs & Audis.
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I guess to clarify, I like cars that let you wring them out a little bit even while putzing around running errands. There's plenty that just feel dialed in where you want to apex every turn on the way to work. The 370Z and Genesis seemed perfectly capable cars but not really entertaining in that point-n-shoot kind of way. That and the seats and armrest in the Genesis are awful.
Of course I'm no expert on this shit, I just know what I like...
Of course I'm no expert on this shit, I just know what I like...
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i got my g35 for the same reason. it's no super car but it's compfy and a blast to drive. and the brembos have saved me a few times do to these shitty drivers here.
Last edited by marvinp8700; 06-28-2010 at 07:36 PM.
#6
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akebono makes a lot of oem brakes.
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#9
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Never driven a Z car. Maybe I'll have to in order to see what this lack of feel is all about.
But maybe I should drive something like an RSX or a Miata first to get a baseline for comparison. As much as I love my Xterra, it definitely lacks in the driving excitement category. It makes my fiancee's base slushbox Impreza feel sporty.
But maybe I should drive something like an RSX or a Miata first to get a baseline for comparison. As much as I love my Xterra, it definitely lacks in the driving excitement category. It makes my fiancee's base slushbox Impreza feel sporty.