Ride along for a hot lap at Laguna Seca in Nissan's track-ready Nismo 370Z as part of Motor Trend's 2009 Best Driver's Car competition. For the full story, check out the October issue of Motor Trend magazine.
What I meant was that the 370Z was designed to be an affordable, serious sports car/roadster while the G37 was designed to be an affordable luxury sports coupe. So while both cars share the same platform, they're target markets are completely different and I believe Nissan did a great job with both cars.
best piece of editing you guys have done ! my compliment to the video editors. I only wish there was more trackside cameras to blend in, or overlay over the on-car cameras. 5 stars !
The autobox doesn't transmit the same vibration and sound up thru the center tunnel, so they feel a bit less coarse. This engine has been strong and versatile, but has never been a model of smoothness. Some testers have said it is sensitive to hard use in hot weather. But then BMW's 335i has had that problem, in spades. Check out the u-tube comparo between 335i and G37 (Motor trend, I think). Bmw had to limp home until cooled off.
the suspension of the zr1 has magnetic ride suspension which is the same found in the cts-v so its pretty comfortable your thinking of the leaf springs in the z06
What are the white circle (tic-marks?) that MotorTrend put on the steering wheel? I've noticed they've been on all of the Laguna Seca cars for this comparison. Just curious... is it for the driver or to record the amount of steering lock?
yeah where did you look that up? might want to look it up on chevy's website or a trusted site i know that on google if you type in zr1 under a link is a little description saying it has leaf springs but if you click on the link it says magnetic ride
It’s a great car for a technical course. Not a whole lot of straight line power but it’ll go. Engine sound isn’t the best. I owned a 370Z and I’m debating getting one again for the weekend. Get the sport package at bare minimum. LSD, bigger brakes, trick manual, and wider wheels. These are a great bargain right now. An oil cooler isn’t a bad idea either.
What do you mean, fails to live up to the hype? Is it fast? Yes. Does it handle great? Yes. There you go...lived up to the hype. The sound of the engine has nothing to do with it.
Where do you get "school bus engine"? My 2017 is pulling like a rocket all the way to that 7,500 redline. You writers have to throw shade at it every time. This is undoubtedly the best there is at that price range. And it's aerodynamics and looks are off the charts.
The cameras and additional testing equipment have a negligible affect on lap times. Remember, F1 cars, Indy cars & Nascars all have exterior cameras as well.
The Noise Vibration & Harshness (NVH) can also be felt in the G37s. It's just not as pronounced when compared to the 370Z Nismo. Two ways they reduced it was by improving the firewall and tuning the exaust system. The G37s was designed to be an entry level Luxury Sports Coupe and it's on par with a 335i and A5.
didn't feel any vibration or harshness when i took it out for a test ride. The 370z, definitely noticeable. Ways to improve vibrations is through motor mount engineering and proper engine placement. That is also more of the reason why the g37 is so smooth. Didnt really understand the relevance of your last sentence though.
Gunzkevin the price is surely justified. I never said the GT500 was too expensive I said it's more expensive. And the GT500 unoptioned starts just below 48k. With options over 50. The nismo starts at 39k, with options just about 41. So 10k difference is just about right.
Who cares what other people think. Sometimes I like cars for no other reason than they just tickly my fancy. I like Z cars and they have never been about all out horsepower. I think it is more about the spirit of the car. Which to me is just simple, fun to drive, with decent power. It wasn't to long ago 350hp was considerd a lot. I am perfectly happy with the power vs. mpg and I think for $30,000 you get a lot of car for the money. Could it be better yes, but is it fun to drive? Probably yes as the guy sounded like he had fun it it. I like the 370z Nismo, especially the 2015 with upgraded final drive. I own a 335i currently and this has been the worst car purchase I ever made. There is always something wrong with it. Every time I go WOT I get a reduced power signal on the dash. The guy says it sounds like a school bus engine but the N54 sounds like a diesel at idle and is just as loud (I had a 350z so I have a good comparison) at highway speeds. Overall I will be glad to get another Nissan (owned an G37s coupe before this and boy do I regret getting rid of it).
ALOT of friends of mine are having problems with their newer BMWs as well. Apparently, the reliability vs extra doodads is biting them and making their Ms end up more in the shop than the road
True, but MotorTrend states that lap times aren't relevant for this comparison. Instead, they reviewed how the car handled and responded to the driver while going around the track. As for lap times in a production car. The new Devon GTX holds the record at 95.075 sec. Just a hair faster than a ZR1.
i think this is a better handling more appealing car than the camaro and i got that from impressions when i was cross shopping with a buddy the other day. as for the 135i this should be more engaging but the bmw costs an arm and a leg for the extra refinement.
i think NVH is justification in saying an engine doesn't like to be revved. if it sounds like it's going to explode and fall to pieces, i'd say its not revhappy. i'm not sure but i think the g37 coupe may have a lower redline, but i could be wrong
Personally I'd rather have the Cayman S but... The Nismo 370Z track time was approx 106 seconds vs. Cayman S 103 seconds.I think it does an amazing job and comes close. And for $25k less than a Cayman S its the better buy. Unless you're a pro-race car driver like this guy in the video there probably is no substantial difference in either car. For me, I want the Cayman S because I like the body styling more. And hopefully its a car that I can some day grow into skill-wise.
@CommanderB9488 To be fair, Mustang and Camaro are on the same price range as the 370Z. The entry models for the Mustang and Camaro (not GT or SS) are actually cheaper than the 370z's entry price. And let's not forget the Hyundai Genesis coupe. Right now, it can't beast any of the existing contenders, but its worth a start. Still, the 370z is an awesome car. And the Nismo makes it even more awesome, which is not possible lol.
@bronxboyXXX there's some differences between a corvette and a camaro such as longer gearing, much lighter car, less restrictive exhaust, better aerodynamics. the vq35 engine in the sentra is rated much higher than in the 350z. same engines don't mean shit when it comes to mpg.
@luisponce11 camaros have always been slightly ahead of 350z and 370z's on the track, even in the 80's the iroc camaros beat out the nissan z31... it's just most people view camaros as some big straight line muscle car for some reason. They came into the world in 1967 for trans am road racing, and since then they have always been used in road racing series'
the 370z is a purpose built Sports car. Yes it lacks the refinment of say..a porshe, well what do u expect from a 35k vehicle? many reasons why the engine is so coarse is because the more power u pump out of a small v6, that coarser it will get. Eseentially, all engines are naturally noisy or lous or coarse. What keeps it from feeling that way is NVH. The G37 Has an amazing exhaust note and sound all the while returning smooth operation from the engine thanks to NVH technology.
@gmracing15 yes they do, it's not like if you can afford a Z that money means nothing to you. if you drive 20,000 miles a year in a given car then every mpg saves you over $100 a year in gas.
Anyone know how many miles the Nismo Z had on the engine at the time of this test? The Z's engine will make more power the more miles it has on it. These magazine reviewers sometimes use cars that aren't yet broken in. This is a respectable review and the lap time in any Z is always a reflection of the driver's limitations. The "natural drift" was only discovered by the driver and not fully utilized to get a better lap time. Any Z owner knows how well the car rotates...
I got trouble believing the ZR1 rides like a Caddy lolz I know I know thats not exactly what you ment.. But anyways I'm not too sure about that I looked it up and the ZR1 chassis I saw had a composite leaf spring setup front and rear. So maybe I didn't know what I was looking at but its hard pressed to have a car that handles and rides good. Nissan did it with the GTR but the Vette doesn't have anywhere near the electronics.
Personally I rthink it's great for the money. Out of the cars in it's price range it outscored the Camaro SS and the 135i as stated it not all about numbers.
This guy knows his stuff, but I have to disagree with him on the engine. I do like the sound/feel of the VQ35HR better than the VQ37, both being 7500RPM engines. The 3.7 is a longer-stroking engine, so that might be where the coarse "school bus" feel he was describing comes from. Having driven a ton of miles in a pair of 350z's, I've found the VQ V6 to be a joy. Sound great, feel great, linear power..
@gmracing15 I know lots of people that will consider fuel economy when buying a sports car more on the high school/ college student age level and used not new but it does effect the resale value. I've considered it somewhat because I want to be able to hope in my car go 500 miles and not regret it because I'd rather have a sports car I can drive ALOT but all sports cars are pretty close about 25ish mpg highway mustangs and camaros are better than Japanese for sure
I understand the doubts about the Z's engine. The problem is that the exhaust is extremely quiet, does not free the sound that the Z hides. It's absurd, this GT with an engine from such a beautiful voice cannot mount an exhaust like that.
@bronxboyXXX it doesn't have better fuel enconomy, the EPA numbers have the 370z and edmunds did a cross country drive with the 370z and got 27+mpg cruising. 370z has ran 60's sub 5 seconds and 1/4 miles 13.5 or a little lower, both very close to the almost 100+hp camaro. 370z is made with more quality, brakes better, runs higher slalom speeds, higher G's on skidpads and has a VQ series engine, which is considered the yard stick of v6 engines.
@dhillskier75 as a correction the camaro IS cheaper, then the Z and fuel economy is bout the same between the two, BUT on that note no one buys a sports car and conciders fuel economy if thats your game then buy a versa or crz instead.
I'm sorry I ment I looked it up when the ZR1 came out I seen it on autoblog. Ya I seen it on Chevy's website just now. Hey I'd welcome a ride or drive in the ZR1 anyday I'll review it no problem lolz.
I just do not understand all the hub bub about the engine sound. I LOVE the sound! It sounds like a mean little 'race' car to me. Cayman S = Man of War (I think was that horses name) Z 34 Z/NISMO = Seabiscuit
And soooo...Did it ever occur to you that people like you are proof positive of everything that is wrong with today's car industry. The 370Z is a pure adrenaline rush to drive in any trim level. This is a real man's sports car for real drivers If you want refinement go buy a Rolls Royce and order some Grey Poupon for the glove box. ;)
@JellyBird12 i don't think you understand the data correctly. 2sec. a lap at the speeds these cars are doing is HUGE only on paper the nismo lost by only a little bit, but the truth is the z got smoked by the gt500 and camaro ss
