With Nissan building so many engines and cars in the US, I was thinking how it would be cool for them to put out a car that rivals Ford / Chevy for a higher displacement V8 engine in a small car. I don't know if I would actually want to buy one, but it would be funny to see an import company come in and build a V8 car that would beat the performance of Mustangs and that new Austrailian car Chevy has.
To me, that is the only area left that imports have not explored. Nissan's Titan/Armada have trumped the big 3 with full size trucks now. I would say a 4.5 version of the Ttian V8 in a car that is that size of the 350z would be cool. I know everyone is going to say how much weight that would put in the front and that they would never do that with the Z because of tradition, etc.
I really just want to know what you guys think of the idea. I know there are a few guys on here that like straight line acceleration better than a tight suspension.
Would you want a high displacement import sports car?
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SILVER97LE
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I'd love to see it happen, but I don't think it ever will. Import cars, with their better engineering, fit and finish, etc will always make a better car.
However, Japanese emissions controls are not solely based on Hydrocarbon, NOX, and CO outputs plus fuel effeciency (MPG) like ours are. The actually have a surcharge on total engine displacement. So, the car would have to be an extrodinaraly expensive Halo-type car in Japan...making it even more expensive stateside. I don't think it would sell well in japan (mfr's primary market, and I don't think we would want it here becasue of the price. Look what happened to the Supra or the VR-4...they priced themselves to death...the same thing would happen. I would rather spend my $55,000 on a Z06 or $80,000 on a 911, rather than on a similarly priced, untested car that may not have the aftermarket support at introduction, and may not be around long enough to generate it.
Just my .02
However, Japanese emissions controls are not solely based on Hydrocarbon, NOX, and CO outputs plus fuel effeciency (MPG) like ours are. The actually have a surcharge on total engine displacement. So, the car would have to be an extrodinaraly expensive Halo-type car in Japan...making it even more expensive stateside. I don't think it would sell well in japan (mfr's primary market, and I don't think we would want it here becasue of the price. Look what happened to the Supra or the VR-4...they priced themselves to death...the same thing would happen. I would rather spend my $55,000 on a Z06 or $80,000 on a 911, rather than on a similarly priced, untested car that may not have the aftermarket support at introduction, and may not be around long enough to generate it.
Just my .02
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SILVER97LE
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Maybe I didn't explain my thought in enough detail. To keep costs down, the car and engine would would be built in the US. The Titan V8 and the Altima are already built in Tenn. Nissan already has a bunch of platforms based around the Altima (Z, G35's), so I wouldn't think a version that could handle a V8 would be hard to accomplish. It would be a car that is sold 85% to North / South America.
Again, just a thought.
BTY, is it Toyota that is going into Nascar this year?
Again, just a thought.
BTY, is it Toyota that is going into Nascar this year?
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drifter sx
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imports arent as small as they used to be, they're getting bigger every year it seems. for one to have a v8 you'd prolly need a newer platform and again i dont think any company is willing or ready to go that far yet. i agree that it WOULD be cool cuz almost all import sport cars spank the locals but i dont see it happening
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raging panda
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Silent Drifter
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IveBeenBad
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So you guys are basically asking for a "Pony car" from Asia, correct? Big power, but to keep costs low, volume high, and segmented properly(so as to not interfere with other model lines from the same maker) they build the car around the powerplant and call it heritage and personality, that leads to bad interiors, bad suspension design, and poor chassis ridgidity. Again, to keep costs down and to not interfere with the car just above it in price, with the same engine, but costs $15K more, because it has decent build quality and R&D and isn't built on the cheap.
Sounds like the dead horse that gets beaten about once a month: "why can't Nissan give us a sub-$20k rwd turbo? who cares if it would chop the legs off of Z sales, they're ugly and cost too much anyways"
Keep in mind, Nissan is rebounding... not cashing in on "heritage" of fifty or even 100years of auto manufacturing, like the Corvette or the FoMoCo. Mustang Mach1, BOSS, T-Bird, ...Pontiac with it's GTO....
What does Nissan fight back with? the 510? Maybe a modern spin on the 510. Maybe the 560, after the 5.6 Titan engine? A cramped car with decent enough amenities and huge power! Sounds like the formula for a Ford Mustang pony car. Back to square one...
Sounds like the dead horse that gets beaten about once a month: "why can't Nissan give us a sub-$20k rwd turbo? who cares if it would chop the legs off of Z sales, they're ugly and cost too much anyways"
Keep in mind, Nissan is rebounding... not cashing in on "heritage" of fifty or even 100years of auto manufacturing, like the Corvette or the FoMoCo. Mustang Mach1, BOSS, T-Bird, ...Pontiac with it's GTO....
What does Nissan fight back with? the 510? Maybe a modern spin on the 510. Maybe the 560, after the 5.6 Titan engine? A cramped car with decent enough amenities and huge power! Sounds like the formula for a Ford Mustang pony car. Back to square one...
SILVER97LE wrote:... BTY, is it Toyota that is going into Nascar this year?
Toyota Tundra's a racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. It's NASCAR's 3rd division from the top.
Top - Nextel (Chevy, Dodge, Ford)2nd - Busch (Chevy, Dodge, Ford)3rd - Craftsman Truck (Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Toyota)
Pontiac "pulled" it's support as of the end of the 03 season, but NASCAR allows for the cars to still be used for 2 more years (applies to Busch and Nextel/formerly Winston Cup).
<yes, I follow the sport way too much>
Back to the topic, isn't a G45 slated for the near future??
Nathan, even the $50k ZO6 doesn't fit your criteria. Looks are subjective, and the GM standard Delco radio(also found in Suburbans, Astros, and Silverados) that came in the first ZO6 to hit the South Puget Sound was pathetic and crude. Archaic.
$40k would be the bottom rung in today's market, and then you'd end up with serious shortfalls in quality. Back to square one...
There has to be a compromise between all out performance, and every day use. This compromise is where you find the current Z. Not too nice, or it would directly compete with Nissans other affordable sporting car, the G35. If they put the Q45 engine(for instance) in the Z, and then appointed it with fine leather, who would buy a Q or a G, when they could have a package (smaller, sportier than the Q, but much more powerful than the G) that would wipe out not one, but two other Nissan model lines. It won't happen until other cars in the current lineup are phases out. (2007, GT-R)
--Power vs. Luxury.-- You want both go get a Maybach! or 760Li, SL600 or Bentley Arnage. Notice MSRP of those cars.
$40k would be the bottom rung in today's market, and then you'd end up with serious shortfalls in quality. Back to square one...
There has to be a compromise between all out performance, and every day use. This compromise is where you find the current Z. Not too nice, or it would directly compete with Nissans other affordable sporting car, the G35. If they put the Q45 engine(for instance) in the Z, and then appointed it with fine leather, who would buy a Q or a G, when they could have a package (smaller, sportier than the Q, but much more powerful than the G) that would wipe out not one, but two other Nissan model lines. It won't happen until other cars in the current lineup are phases out. (2007, GT-R)
--Power vs. Luxury.-- You want both go get a Maybach! or 760Li, SL600 or Bentley Arnage. Notice MSRP of those cars.
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SILVER97LE
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Thanks for the responses.
I hear what you guys are saying about the quality/ cutting corners issue if the car if it were to be affordable. I still beleive that the price of the Mustang, even though a good value by power standards, is over priced. And, there are a bunch of cost cutting measures that are used with those cars (live rear axle, cheap/uncomfortable interior, etc.) Some of these problems may be cured with the new car, but my point is that thousands of people have been buying that car for years. So there is obviously enough people out there that care about power more than comfort. The kicker is that American V8's have a reputation for reliability problems. That is where I see Nissan filling the void. If they were able to make another use for the V8 that is used in the Titan, it would not be just a matter of money made on the new car, but also a lower cost to make the engine for the full size cars/trucks due to better efficiency. Maybe back to square one is what I am thinking about. Does anyone here have a 240SX that has a lot of amentities and doesn't have a cramped and loud interior (even before exhaust)? We still want them because they are core sports cars.
Personally, I like it when imports come into a segment and raise the bar. It makes every automaker take a step back and say, "we HAVE TO build a better car to compete now". I just don't see that happening with the affordable V8 sports cars yet. I'm not anti-american cars, I'm anti-poor buying decision.
Something else you see more of is import engines in American cars. Nissan did it for a while with the Quest, Toyota did it with the geo/chevy prism, Mazda did it with the probe, and most recently, the Saturn SUV caries a Honda V6. I love how the new commercials say, "now with a class leading 240HP V6 engine". I drove one for kicks and I must say that the engine changed the car ( I had driven a friend's with the old V6 before). Wonder if Nissan will go that route with a sports car?
Anyway, thanks for the input and we'll just see what the future holds. 10 years from now, there will probably be a guy sending a post like, "Would anyone want a twin turbo V10 in an import?".
I hear what you guys are saying about the quality/ cutting corners issue if the car if it were to be affordable. I still beleive that the price of the Mustang, even though a good value by power standards, is over priced. And, there are a bunch of cost cutting measures that are used with those cars (live rear axle, cheap/uncomfortable interior, etc.) Some of these problems may be cured with the new car, but my point is that thousands of people have been buying that car for years. So there is obviously enough people out there that care about power more than comfort. The kicker is that American V8's have a reputation for reliability problems. That is where I see Nissan filling the void. If they were able to make another use for the V8 that is used in the Titan, it would not be just a matter of money made on the new car, but also a lower cost to make the engine for the full size cars/trucks due to better efficiency. Maybe back to square one is what I am thinking about. Does anyone here have a 240SX that has a lot of amentities and doesn't have a cramped and loud interior (even before exhaust)? We still want them because they are core sports cars.
Personally, I like it when imports come into a segment and raise the bar. It makes every automaker take a step back and say, "we HAVE TO build a better car to compete now". I just don't see that happening with the affordable V8 sports cars yet. I'm not anti-american cars, I'm anti-poor buying decision.
Something else you see more of is import engines in American cars. Nissan did it for a while with the Quest, Toyota did it with the geo/chevy prism, Mazda did it with the probe, and most recently, the Saturn SUV caries a Honda V6. I love how the new commercials say, "now with a class leading 240HP V6 engine". I drove one for kicks and I must say that the engine changed the car ( I had driven a friend's with the old V6 before). Wonder if Nissan will go that route with a sports car?
Anyway, thanks for the input and we'll just see what the future holds. 10 years from now, there will probably be a guy sending a post like, "Would anyone want a twin turbo V10 in an import?".
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Silent Drifter
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C-Kwik
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Can the Titan's V8 even fit in a passenger sized car? That motor is huge. The intake would definitely need to be redesigned as the Titan's intake runners appears to run vertical. And if they did end up shoehorning this behemoth into a passenger car, why decrease the displacement to 4.5L or even at all for that matter. Nissan does have a V8 offering in that size already. I'd rather see them put a sportier cam on all 5.6 Liters and pull out some 350+ HP without breaking a sweat.
What you guys are saying isnt making alot of sense to me. Why dont you just go out and buy a Cobra or a Vette? By making what you guys say import cars would be identical to domestics. What makes a jap car a jap car? The size, gas mileage, and small engines. If you want a big V8 then you should get what the domestic sports car is know for, a V8.
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SILVER97LE
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The ONLY reason I started this topic was to see if there were other poeple out there that thought it would be cool to see a small mustang sized import V8 sports car beat a domestic V8 at its own game.
240sxedup > I don't buy american because sadly they are not as reliable nor do they hold up as well as imports. I have no idea why domestic automakers continue to put out cars these cars. Nothing would please me more than to buy a american car that has a good design, good engine and will run for 100K without major problems. I just don't see ANY cars like that available.
240sxedup > I don't buy american because sadly they are not as reliable nor do they hold up as well as imports. I have no idea why domestic automakers continue to put out cars these cars. Nothing would please me more than to buy a american car that has a good design, good engine and will run for 100K without major problems. I just don't see ANY cars like that available.
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100Dollar240
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Nothing would please me more than to buy a american car that has a good design, good engine and will run for 100K without major problems. I just don't see ANY cars like that available. [/QUOTE]
What's the problem? I pushed 230K out of a '70 Olds 350 V8, & 237K from a Mopar 2.2 turbo with no rebuilds whatsoever. Both cars were still running fine when I sold'em.Do that scheduled maintenance, ladies & gentlemen.
Ron.
[/QUOTE] What's the problem? I pushed 230K out of a '70 Olds 350 V8, & 237K from a Mopar 2.2 turbo with no rebuilds whatsoever. Both cars were still running fine when I sold'em.Do that scheduled maintenance, ladies & gentlemen.
Ron.
SmithSR wrote:Nathan, even the $50k ZO6 doesn't fit your criteria. Looks are subjective, and the GM standard Delco radio(also found in Suburbans, Astros, and Silverados) that came in the first ZO6 to hit the South Puget Sound was pathetic and crude. Archaic.
I dont like music, hence the radio is a moot subject with me, also I think the Z06 is dead sexy
edit:
Silent Drifter wrote:Why do people think you need 8 cylinders to be fast? Makin a 4 cylinder fast takes alot more skill than makin a V8 thats why I love em.
Yeah, but ultimately you WILL reach a practical point where the 4cyl. is just too expensive to make more powerful, or starts breaking things. The larger engine will be able to keep going past this point, and hopefully stay intact. Which would you rather have, a 500hp 4 cyl that is really peaky, or a 700hp 5.6 liter V8 which is barely straining and has a much bigger power band? I know what I'd want...