New Car Review: 2008 Nissan 350Z
Sports cars - like supermodels - rarely have long careers. It might be those fine lines around the eyes.
Or (for our sheetmetal eye candy) an engine that's suddenly been outgunned by the latest competitors.
Either way, the pace of change is swift. Yesterday's star is often tomorrow's also-ran.
Nissan's 350Z is one of the few cars of its type to remain consistently appealing, even though the current model's not much different from last year's. Or the year before, for that matter.
Yes, there's a slight uptick in rated output. The 3.5 liter DOHC V-6 now delivers 306 horsepower (vs. 300 previously). There's also a new "power bulge" hood, too. Side impact air bags are now standard - and Bluetooth wireless is available. For hard-core enthusiasts, there's a NISMO package that adds a body kit (lower front and rear fascias, side skirts, underbody air diffuser and rear wing) along with upgraded brakes, track-tuned suspension calibrations, a more aggressive-sounding exhaust system and unique-to-this-model gunmetal gray RAYS super-lightweight forged alloy rims.
But even with these tweaks, today's Z-car is still very much the same as yesterday's Z-car.
Which is why it's still such a contender.
The car is perpetually fun to drive - as well as easy to drive (unlike, say, the peaky and high-strung Honda S2000). Its engine has horsepower on top and torque down low, so it works equally well with either the standard six-speed manual or the optional five-speed automatic. It is capable of decent fuel efficiency, too - close to 30 mpg on the highway and (more significantly) 20 mpg around town. Compare that with the SUV-like mid-teens around-town of the Ford Mustang GT.
Pedal to the metal or just putting along, the 350Z is an exceptionally agreeable companion.
Though quick (0-60 in 5.6-5.8 seconds) and fast (140-plus on top) the Z-car doesn't stake its claim on horsepower alone. The big V-8 in the Mustang GT pulls more strongly, but Ford's pony car can't match the Z-Car's yin-yang handling and reflexes. Corvette will beat it - but costs almost $20,000 more. BMW's Z4 and Mazda's RX-8 are formidable corner carvers, but their styling is love it - or leave it. Meanwhile, the shape Nissan introduced back '03 has held up well. It still looks current and (more important) ought to look just as good in another five years, too. Ten, even.
How many late-model cars can you say that about?
Another thing to like about the 350Z is the driver (and passenger) friendly layout - especially relative to other two-seaters out there.
The Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, for instance, are absolutely gorgeous cars - on the outside. But on the inside, they're nightmares - from virtually impossible to reach switchgear for the power windows to the hard-to-read instruments buried deep in the dashboard to total absence of useful/usable storage cubbies, even for very small things like loose change or an iPod. (Then there's the issue of borderline cheap materials in both these cars - and the shockingly poor sealing of the convertible top and ridiculous levels of wind/road noise intrusion into the cabin.)
The Nissan doesn't depend on the latest electronic gadgets to distinguish itself from the pack, either.
No "mouse inputs" or "menus" to deal with. You want to turn on the AC? Push a button. Turn the temperature up or adjust the fan speed? Turn a knob. It can all be done without taking your eyes off the road - and you'll never fee like putting your fist through the dash.
The 350Z is one of the increasingly rare high-powered sports cars that doesn't require fumbling through the owner's manual to understand how basic controls work - because everthing's obvious and self-explanatory.
Big 8,000 RPM analog tach in the center of things; speedo off to its right - with three smaller gauges for lesser essentials canted toward the driver on top of the center stack. Meaty three-spoke steering wheel with just a few easy-to-comprehend secondary controls for things like stereo volume/channel. A handy (and decent sized) storage cubby right there above the audio system. Rotary knobs to adjust the seats (electric assist is available for those who want that). Short-throw shifter that perfectly fits your hand.
The whole ball of wax unencumbered by the unfortunate kudzu of over-elaborate techno-excess that is making cars from BMW, Lexus and some others as exasperating to drive as they are capable.
Its layout is direct and focused and very much in keeping with the idea that animated the original '70 240-Z. It's a driver's car; not a yupped-up showcase for stuff that's not really relevant to the task at hand. Sharp-looking, too - with a sport bike "pod" theme for the main gauge cluster that tilts with the steering wheel that adds a unique (and functional) touch to the car's racy personality.
The reason the early Z-car made such a great impression and lasted as long as it did was its "legs" - the basic greatness of the design. The same can be said of the current-generation 350Z, which, like its esteemed forbear, should continue to put as big a smile on its owner's face tomorrow as it does today.
Or another five years from now, for that matter.
Is it the "latest thing"? Well, no. But sometimes new isn't necessary an improvement.
Buyer's note: Nissan reportedly will be bringing out an all-new, "next generation" Z-car for 2009, perhaps in spring/summer 2008. It may - or may not be - an improvement over the current car, depending on what you're looking for.
Some Z-Car fans, for example, were unhappy when the original two-seat 240-Z morphed into the two-plus-two 260-Z. And from there evolved into the ever-more-glitzy (unkind souls might say "DiscoDanny") 280-Z, then became the getting-pricey 300ZX - before returning to its no-bullshit 240-Z roots in the form of the current car.
It's hard to know what Nissan has in mind for 2007, so if you like the original and see in this latter-day descendant a kindred soul, now's the time to think seriously about cutting a check.
Come '09, it may be too late.
