Street
Scene
by Larry Mason
2003 Nissan 350Z
It has 287 horsepower and 274 pound-feet of torque. It's the most technologically advanced Nissan ever brought to the United States. It's sort of like a rolling technology lab that can't wait to get to the test track to log some data. Nissan says that it "fuels the rebellious spirit", and let me tell you - it does! Every time you get in the Z you just want to drive it hard. Pedal to the metal action is what it's all about. Now don't get me wrong, you can drive this car just as docile as you'd like. You can even set the cruise control to keep you out of trouble in the speed traps. But the bottom line is that this car likes to be driven, and driven hard.
The first thing that impressed me about driving the 2003 Nissan 350Z is how solid the chassis is. It feels as though it's been machined out of a solid piece of billet aluminum. No chassis flex, squeaks, or rattles were detectable even when going over rough roads and driveways. There's very little road noise coming into the cabin from the tires, a relatively smooth ride (due to the long wheelbase), and there's also very little wind noise. Is it fast? Well Car & Driver published 0-60mph times at 5.4 seconds and the quarter mile at 14.1 @ 101mph. It's a heavy car (3,247 lbs) but has phenomenal amounts of grip. Even in the rain, the Z has more grip than some cars do in the dry. With the Vehicle Dynamic Control option you could push it hard in the rain knowing that if you applied too much throttle in the middle of a turn, the VDC would make the necessary corrections and scoot you on your way. I left a tollbooth one damp and cool day and after I redlined it in first, I grabbed second only to have the traction control system kick in. I turned VDC off another time in the dry just to see what it would do and it chirped the tires in second gear. Minimal body roll in the corners and relatively little brake dive help make this car feel connected to the road.
Inside, there's no conventional glove compartment. That's been relocated behind the passenger's seat. It's still accessible from where you're driving, but certainly not as convenient. The gauge cluster tilts up and down with the steering wheel so you'll always have good visibility. The aluminum accents inside are true aluminum - not aluminum flavored plastic. The rear hatch opens to expose a decent size trunk area. However the rear strut tower brace interferes with the amount of space you have. I was able to fit two bags of golf in there although it was a bit ungainly.
The best feature inside the Z is the DVD-based Navigation system. I used that system everyday to find my way to the dealerships and my hotels. I got into the habit of just punching in the phone number of the dealership and that lady with a beautiful voice would say "Proceed to the highlighted route", and I'd say "Okay". She'd then tell me where to turn while I watched my progress on the display map. Pretty soon I would arrive at my destination refreshed from the drive and the confidence of not having to know where I was going. As long as I followed what she said to do, I never went wrong. A close second when it comes to cool features would have to be the over-the-top trip computer that included a tire pressure monitor and programmable tachometer upshift indicator light. For the latter, all you do is enter the number that you want your shift light to come on at. For example, if you set it to 6,500 rpm, the upshift indicator light will start flashing at 6,000 rpm. At 6,500 rpm, it stays on solid. That's a cool feature taken right from racing!
You might be thinking by now that I think this car is perfect. Well think again. There are some minor annoyances like the cheap feeling navigation cover, the poorly placed cupholders (behind your elbow), and the cheesy tow hook cover on the front grille. There was also a problem with the "AudioPilot noise-compensation" system in the Bose stereo that caused it to overdrive the bass response. Apparently there were enough complaints that Nissan has made a running production change and has offered to fix the ones already sold. The six-speed gearbox is good, but I wouldn't call it great - especially when compared to the one in the Honda S2000. Other than that, it's truly a car that you could live with everyday.
The base Z starts at an MSRP of around $26k. The fully loaded Touring model I was driving came out to just over $36k. Nissan will produce about 30,000 units for 2003. Nearly 8,000 were already pre-sold and they are still in short supply. If you want one, put your order in because I don't know of any dealers that are actually giving test drives. Heck, they're sold before they ever arrive. If you do find a dealer giving test drives, take one, and then write your check. I think you'll be glad you did.
| As slick as liquid mercury, this chrome silver 350Z turns heads everywhere you go. | |
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Photo curtesy of Nissan. |
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Larry Mason
©Copyright 2003 Larry Mason