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| 2005 Nissan 350z Review | |||
| Whether you're about to spend $40K on a brand new car, or half that on a used car, it is always important to learn as much as you can about the used car. Read these car reviews to learn about all aspects of the vehicle. Each of the usedcar reviews cover interior and exterior features, options, road tests, and more. | |||
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Introduction
| Road Test
| Inside & Out
| Other Thoughts
| Last Word
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| Road Test | |||
The 350Z incorporates some of its forebears' best traits, featuring up-to-date multilink suspensions and powerful brakes like the last 300ZX while keeping things simple in the spirit of the 70s cars (no 4-wheel steering, twin turbos, or electronic suspensions this time). Like all Zs, it houses a six cylinder engine under the hood (placed almost far back enough to make this a mid-engined car) driving the rear wheels.A car's manual transmission usually makes the first impression, and the 350Z reminded me of the new Mustang. The shifter is a little grindy and crunchy, and both it and the clutch (which has been softened this year) put up a bit of a fight. That's not a criticism; firmness befits a sports car, and the shifter's accuracy lets you find each of its six gears with ease (unlike, say, a Celica's). The throttle also felt perfectly calibrated to me. With no slack in the pedal - touch it even a little and the engine revs - the 350Z's a cinch to launch. If you stall it, don't blame the car. Another surprising low-speed trait is the steering: since when did Nissans need such effort to turn? It's almost as if the 350Z were trying to be a muscle car. It could if it wanted to. Its namesake has stepped up through 240, 280, and 300 over the years for a reason: that engine keeps growing. This Z being a 350 (3.5-liter V6), it now packs enough cubes for a drag race. It might not be enough to beat a Mustang GT, but 0-60 in 5.3 seconds is Porsche Boxster territory - shabby it ain't. Better yet, in company that includes the RX-8, S2000, WRX, and Evo, the Nissan stands as the only Japanese entry in which you can do burnouts without frying the clutch. It's the only one that gives instant thrust at all speeds; you could live your life without using gears 1/3/5. Note that this also makes it the most compatible car to buy with an automatic transmission. (Hmm, why is everyone suddenly paying attention?) The one-word answer to all this: torque. 274 pounds-feet of it make for great flexibility. Which brings us to the 350Z's last distinction among its imported peers: even with variable valve timing ("CVTCS"), it's the only one that doesn't offer a top-end rush. Whereas the other four are weak at the low end but give a kick in the pants at around 6,000 RPM, Nissan's V6 is moderately strong at all times. It's pretty much done by 5,000, and the redline spells game over at 6,600. All of these engines make sweet sounds along the way, so just ask yourself: should I take my speed now or save the best for last? With a 53% front weight bias and skinnier front tires, the 350Z is just asking for understeer, but the stick of the 18-inch rims assures that it happens only at speeds where you should be more worried about crashing. You can switch off the stability control and floor it around corners for tail-out good times, but after doing this a few times on ramps feeling like I was about to merge onto the freeway sideways, I don't recommend it. The rear end doesn't break away predictably. Its stiff suspension and fairly quick, high-effort steering say sports car, but overall it seems more capable than intimate. Like its other traits, the 350Z's handling seems to be leaning at the edge of the class boundaries. It almost feels like... an Infiniti. No coincidence there: this car was conceived of as a sports sedan first and a sports car second. We call that sedan the Infiniti G35, an outstanding car that rewrote many rules in its class. But just as fine literature doesn't always make a four-star movie, the approach of starting with a sedan isn't without consequences. The 350Z outweighs the Mazda RX-8 by 200 pounds, the Honda S2000 by twice that. As mentioned, its engine's torque curve is flat instead of rising. And for all the stiffness in the suspension and effort in the steering, the chassis could be more communicative. While the 350Z has a shorter wheelbase and body than its Infiniti cousin, the more obvious distinction is how the G35's more forgiving suspension doesn't thump and thunder at you all day. The 350Z is advertised as a sports car, but more accurately, it straddles the line between three worlds: sports car, muscle car, and sports sedan. |
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