'03 Nissan 350Z track vs. '09 Nissan 370Z Sport

[dmuramoto]

This week I've had the opportunity to drive a 370Z with the Sport package extensively. This car comes closest to my '03 track pre-order model that I first took delivery of almost seven years ago. And while I drove similar pre-production model 370Zs last year at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Nevada, this Chicane Yellow coupe was the first production car I've sampled in my home state of Colorado.

First off, the styling of the 370Z is IMHO done very well indeed. Nissan produced a car that is clearly linked to the 350Z, yet has certain styling cues harkening back to the first 240Z. But look at the beautiful styling details such as the headlight/tailights and roofline and Nissan has progressed (in a positive way) from the outgoing model. The 370Z's interior is, as I stated in the feature article on the 370Z (issue 10), a vast improvement over the 350Z.

Engine performance is also quantifiably better, with 330 HP vs. the 287 of my original VQ35DE. But one thing that never gets mentioned (much) with the Z is how good the fuel economy can be. After driving to the mountains and back, the VQ37VHR leaned out the fuel mixture and averaged 30 MPG over a 450 mile trip! This can only be topped by my 350Z which has seen as high as 32 MPG on a highway-only type run. The only other critical issue to consider is engine overheating, as the VQ35DE doesn't have the same issues as the VQ37VHR is sustained high-speed driving.

The seats in both the 370Z and the 350Z seem to fit me pretty well. Just the right amount of bolster and cushioning for sporty, yet comfortable driving. Steering on both cars is best described as telepathic and both Zs have incredible brakes that can be called upon time and again. One glaring detail on the 370Z that I noticed, yet again, is the silver gas/temp gauge with the multifuction display on the left gauge pod. I'll say it again: this does nothing for the legibility of instruments and moves the gauge away from the line-of-sight visibility of the 350Z. Not only that, but the 370Z also lacks the digital speed readout (useful for checking corner exit speeds at the track) and real-time tire pressures for each corner (370Z gets an idiot light only).

The pivot point of the 370Z is right under the drivers seat and my wife was a bit nervous as we changed over the switchbacks and narrow roads of Independence Pass. "Can't you SEE? It says 15 MPH!?" Despite assurances the 370Z and its pilot were well below the cornering limit, she couldn't get the image out of her head that a yellow streak was going to go sailing off the edge of a cliff! No chance of that. But the 350Z, with it's longer wheelbase, will definitely be a bit more stable and less prone to snap oversteer at the limit that its successor. Fianlly, I noticed some cost cutting going on with the 370Z. The Homelink auto-dimming rearview mirror was replaced with a standard manual one. And when it started snowing (on June 14th, no less) on the mountain run, I reached for the rear wiper switch and came up...empty. Sure, I know plenty of people who deleted theirs, but I still use my rear wiper from time-to-time. The final word between the two cars is the pricing. My '03 350Z track came in at $34,978 and there was no discount from MSRP back in those days! This 370Z base+Sport model retailed for $34,240 in 2009 dollars and I'll bet you can get one for less on today's market.

Bottom line: value for money remains as much a Z virtue as outstanding performance, handling and utility. The 370Z is a sexy, modern sportscar and carries on the Z lineage in fine fashion. 350Z fans, beware, you're gonna like this car!