Nissan putting Z on a diet in order to compete with FR-S?

[MuranoDriver]

NEWS! ... bad IMO. FWD... WTF Nissan?!?

http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-mini-z.html

Looking to plug the gap below the 370Z in its sports car lineup, Nissan is reportedly developing a compact, front-wheel-drive sports car to do battle with the Scion FR-S/ Subaru BRZ.


Known internally as the Mini-Z, the small coupe will use the Juke crossover’s platform, a source close to the situation told Motor Trend. Power will come from the Juke’s 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, while all-wheel-drive (based on the Juke’s system) with torque-vectoring could be an option to help the car better match up against the rear-drive FR-S/BRZ twins.

For better or for worse, the Mini-Z will reportedly thumb its nose at traditional stylistic conventions in the same manner as the Juke. Expect a radical look outside of the sports car norm (although perhaps not as wild as the Urge concept, pictured above).

Notably, the project is a joint Japan-China effort, with Japan doing the heavy lifting in terms of development and China handling design and data assembly. China will be the car’s main market, and it will also be offered in Japan and Europe. A decision on U.S. availability has not yet been made.

Development on the Mini-Z is well under way, with a launch possible as soon as late 2013. Look for a base price of under $22,000.

[Bubba1]

NEWS! ... bad IMO. FWD... WTF Nissan?!?

http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-mini-z.html

Looking to plug the gap below the 370Z in its sports car lineup, Nissan is reportedly developing a compact, front-wheel-drive sports car to do battle with the Scion FR-S/ Subaru BRZ.


Known internally as the Mini-Z, the small coupe will use the Juke crossover’s platform, a source close to the situation told Motor Trend. Power will come from the Juke’s 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, while all-wheel-drive (based on the Juke’s system) with torque-vectoring could be an option to help the car better match up against the rear-drive FR-S/BRZ twins.

For better or for worse, the Mini-Z will reportedly thumb its nose at traditional stylistic conventions in the same manner as the Juke. Expect a radical look outside of the sports car norm (although perhaps not as wild as the Urge concept, pictured above).

Notably, the project is a joint Japan-China effort, with Japan doing the heavy lifting in terms of development and China handling design and data assembly. China will be the car’s main market, and it will also be offered in Japan and Europe. A decision on U.S. availability has not yet been made.

Development on the Mini-Z is well under way, with a launch possible as soon as late 2013. Look for a base price of under $22,000.

Looks like a lowered Isuzu vehicross. That's not a good thing,

[NolimitZ32]

f*** FROGS!

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

I had windows on the doors of my old box truck...and is the entire side of the car really plastic?

[OriginalWheelman]

That pic was a Nissan Concept car from a few years back.

[hannibal]

My thoughts:
I don't see how a cheaper, less powerful, and slower Z would threaten sales of the 370Z.

I think the next S should be a coupe version of the G25. VQ25 with 100 less horsepower, drop 300-400lbs, and give it a different 2+2 body. Biggest expense would be the new body.

That should be fast enough to compete with the FR-S and slow enough not to steal from the 370. And it cant be called a Z. But 250S sounds like an evolution of the S14. Perfect!

But i thought the G25 had a QR25 til I read this thread, so what do I know?

[MinisterofDOOM]

NEWS! ... bad IMO. FWD... WTF Nissan?!?

http://www.leftlanenews.com/nissan-mini-z.html

While the info in the article may or may not be accurate, the pic itself is OOOOOLLLLDDDD. That's a concept model from 2005 called the Urge. If this rear-drive-four-cylinder sports car DOES happen, I can guarantee it won't look like that.

[Eikon]

http://www.motortrend.com/future/future ... t_frs_brz/

"Instead, it's a compact, front-drive-based sports car that will be aimed squarely at the Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ."

If someone from Nissan decides to read this.... I have a message for you.. If you try to compete with the BRZ/FRS by bringing out a FWD car.. you might as well quit your jobs and go home... because this would be the dumbest idea in the history of automobiles (well.. maybe right after the Murano Convertible). Now, if you want to compete with the Honda CRZ or Civic SI, or Hyundai Veloster.. then great.. go for it. But please don't try to make the Z a fwd car. Please don't try to compete with the Toyobaru with a lame FWD. Get a clue Nissan!!!!

[PapaSmurf2k3]

Why make a new fwd car when you could just make the Sentra SE-R Spec V not suck?

[themadscientist]

Still small IMO.

Who gives a shat about peak power.

You act like that number doesn't do things. Here's another number 10.70. I guarantee you the guy in the VW cares about it. That an engine is small does not mean it can't put a hurt on a bigger one. If that's a KA in your car I would suggest you remove it immediately for something larger. After all it's "only" 2.4 liters.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWuAHMo86Wk[/youtube]

[asoomal]

Yea it's fast, seen some videos and articles of Mobnes CA but I bet it's a dog around corners.

IMO, having a car with a big punch in the lower and mid range is better for a car that's supposed to hug corners.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Why make a new fwd car when you could just make the Sentra SE-R Spec V not suck?

Because you'd have to start with making the Sentra itself not suck. That'd be a big leap. The Sentra hasn't not sucked since 1994.
Also an SE-R that didn't suck would have to have a manual transmission, which means it couldn't have a CVT, which is about as likely as me being voted Sultan of Wales in the next 3 minutes.

[flohtingPoint]

Still small IMO.

Who gives a shat about peak power.

You act like that number doesn't do things. Here's another number 10.70. I guarantee you the guy in the VW cares about it. That an engine is small does not mean it can't put a hurt on a bigger one. If that's a KA in your car I would suggest you remove it immediately for something larger. After all it's "only" 2.4 liters.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWuAHMo86Wk[/youtube]

Because that video has anything to do with a production car of 1.8 litres. Please... I like CA's as much as the next guy, but this has nothing to do with anything when we're talking about vehicles rollling off the factory line.

A bigger motor can make more power in a safer manner and in a wider powerband, which means happier owner and happier manufacturer as they dont have to replace as much crap because it's not being maxed out.

[themadscientist]

Yea it's fast, seen some videos and articles of Mobnes CA but I bet it's a dog around corners.

IMO, having a car with a big punch in the lower and mid range is better for a car that's supposed to hug corners.

You are entitled to your opinions and I don't begrudge you your selection of your vehicle based upon your desires. You are not entitled to your own facts, however. I have owned a CA18DET 180SX for over a decade. When it was bone stock, not pushing 700+ horsepower it was no dog by any definition. Your larger KA24 would have required a turbo kit, piggy back computer and a prayer for the connecting rods to try to chase this dog's tail.

What a dog!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsBcqMYJ9zM[/youtube]

Because that video has anything to do with a production car of 1.8 litres. Please... I like CA's as much as the next guy, but this has nothing to do with anything when we're talking about vehicles rollling off the factory line.

The stock CA18DET was a formidable bullet when they were new. The presence of newer larger motors does not suddenly make a previous design retroactively ineffective. That makes it completely relevant to give an example of a little motor that brought the goods.
Mobne's car is just a demonstration of the bleeding edge possibility of little motors. More reasonable builds were bloodying the noses of bigger engines until the passage of time rendered them fewer and farther between.

A bigger motor can make more power in a safer manner and in a wider powerband, which means happier owner and happier manufacturer as they dont have to replace as much crap because it's not being maxed out.

That depends on what the owner wants to do. If every car buyer was looking for that kind of power and those kinds of numbers, forcing the issue of a big engine would be justified. If a lighter motor covers an acceptable envelope of your target market why overengine the car?

Your Kart has a tiny engine, how do you put up with that?

[flohtingPoint]

The stock CA18DET was a formidable bullet when they were new. The presence of newer larger motors does not suddenly make a previous design retroactively ineffective. That makes it completely relevant to give an example of a little motor that brought the goods.
Mobne's car is just a demonstration of the bleeding edge possibility of little motors. More reasonable builds were bloodying the noses of bigger engines until the passage of time rendered them fewer and farther between.

Not saying that their design is terrible, their design is why I stopped dorking around with SR's and was able to get rid of the two spare heads I had just in case my motor decided to obliterate valves. Little motors are well and good but even the FRS with 200 hp from it's tiny block is totally gutless. Honking on the throttle, you almost get the feeling that you should cut the floorboard and yabba-dabba-doo it for extra power.

That depends on what the owner wants to do. If every car buyer was looking for that kind of power and those kinds of numbers, forcing the issue of a big engine would be justified. If a lighter motor covers an acceptable envelope of your target market why overengine the car?

Do you know how much a LS3 weighs? About 400-415 (depending on what accessories you have bolted to it). Big displacement, small motor. Here is what it looks like in one of my friends NB miata, looks factory. Didn't take leaps and bounds to put it in there.


Now this is a gross exaggeration but a happy medium from tiny gutless motor to 400 whp would be nice to see in cars, as would this thing called torque which is horribly missing from most small motors. This is not reliably achievable if you have to severely break the 100 hp per litre plateau, meaning no car company will do it for a get around vehicle.

Your Kart has a tiny engine, how do you put up with that?

My kart motor is a true racing application. It makes 304 hp per litre of displacement and has a 20 hour lifespan (top end is more like 10 hours). It has nothing to do with a production vehicle.

[Bubba1]

That's a concept model from 2005 called the Urge. .

I feel we should give Nissan props for that concept's clever name "the Urge" . when I first saw its picture, I got an immediate urge.....to vomit.

[frapjap]

http://www.motortrend.com/future/future ... t_frs_brz/

"Instead, it's a compact, front-drive-based sports car that will be aimed squarely at the Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ."

If someone from Nissan decides to read this.... I have a message for you.. If you try to compete with the BRZ/FRS by bringing out a FWD car.. you might as well quit your jobs and go home... because this would be the dumbest idea in the history of automobiles (well.. maybe right after the Murano Convertible). Now, if you want to compete with the Honda CRZ or Civic SI, or Hyundai Veloster.. then great.. go for it. But please don't try to make the Z a fwd car. Please don't try to compete with the Toyobaru with a lame FWD. Get a clue Nissan!!!!

WTF is this crap?!

How is that sack of s*** going to compare to a FR-S or BRZ?

The only market Nissan is going to be able to compete with in regards to that sorry excuse for a vehicle would be used cars. A 2004 Hyundai Tiburon, a 2002 Mini Cooper, or a 1988 Cadillac Allante would be more appropriate, except all of them would probably embarrass that fetal alcohol syndrome baby looking car that Nissan has drawn up in the concept photo.

[TurboSauce]

........ ^ Leave it to Nissan. *facepalm*
Who ever is on their design team needs something done to them I dont know what but something.
FWD and not visuallty attractive. Yay.

[simmode1]

If that rendering was RWD, I could tolerate it. The design isn't horrible. But being FWD, that thing is an abomination. If Nissan wants to compete with the Scion TC, Hyundai Veloster or whatever crap, sure this works. For the FRS/BRZ? Hell no.

No RWD? No care.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I sincerely hope Nissan isn't dumb enough to build a FWD "sports car" and then try to market it as competition for real sports cars. If they do that, I'll turn in my Hamburger badge for good.

[Bubba1]

I sincerely hope Nissan isn't dumb enough to build a FWD "sports car" and then try to market it as competition for real sports cars. If they do that, I'll turn in my Hamburger badge for good.

Don't get too attached to that badge. We are talking about a company that recently attempted to market a FWD CVT only Maxima as a "4 door sportscar"....

[MinisterofDOOM]

That was Strike Two.
Killing the Q was Strike One.
FWD failtasticness would be Strike Three.

After that I order some blue oval shirts and get used to the taste of Miller Lite. Because I'm finished with Nissan.