Every time I have a child my father gets the urge to buy a sports car. We usually go out and test drive a few only to have him come to his senses before signing on the dotted line. Well, my third child seems to have been the charm. We test drove a Honda S2000 and he was leaning in that direction. But then, all on his own (i.e. without any assistance from myself) he test drove a Nissan 350Z and bought it that afternoon. I was only informed after the fact.

Since he lives 700 miles away I did not drive my old man's new car until recently. After putting nearly a hundred miles on the Z, it became clear to me why this could be the last time he buys a car on impulse.

Nissan 350Z Reliability

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Styling

My mother suspects my father keeps the car just because he loves to look at it. He does. Many people do. He mentioned many times how every time he drives the Z people comment on how much they love the styling. I experienced this myself. It’s the reigning hot thing.

When I look at the car, I see many elements borrowed from the Audi TT, the hot thing of a couple of years ago. Most notably, the Z borrows the TT’s proportions (a snub nose with the wheels pushed to the corners) and arching roofline. At the same time, it adds enough hard edges and vertical elements—including a few harking back to the original 240Z—to possess its own distinctive look.

Personally, I still find the last 300ZX a more beautiful car, even if the 350 is more in line with the latest aesthetic trends. That car approached timelessness. This one is trendy. The clunky metallic finish exterior door handles could age especially quickly. Luckily, my father bought the car in silver, where they stand out the least. The rear end also looks a bit stretched out to my eye.

The interior similarly recalls the 240Z of the early 1970s, most notably with armrests mounted low on otherwise spare door panels and a trio of gauges atop the center of the dash. At the same time, the interior also includes a number of trendy elements like metallic finishes and cross-hatched textures. As with many current Nissans, the main gauges are contained in a free-floating binnacle shrink-wrapped around them. This looks better in the Z than in the other applications.

One reason my father bought the car on impulse was the very reasonable price of the base car—under $27,000. He paid list price. Given the character of the car—which I will cover below—this is probably the best way to buy the 350Z. Higher level models have heated leather power seats, a Bose stereo, cruise control, traction control, skid control, and the like. An argument could be made for a limited slip differential—included on the next trim line up (“enthusiast”). But that will set you back another couple grand. The base car includes a passable stereo with CD player, power locks and windows, 17” alloy wheels, and the same engine and suspension found in all the trim lines. Pretty much everything you need, to paraphrase a recent ad for Nissan’s Xterra.

The cloth on the base seats is grippy and of high quality—perfectly in keeping with the nature of this beast. Overall the quality of materials is a notch better than the Altima and nearly equal that of the Infiniti G35 (with which the 350Z shares a platform). Could be better, but plenty good considering the price.

Accommodations

For a two-seater the 350Z is quite roomy. The low, narrow center console enhances this impression. The spare door panels also contribute. And this roominess is not just a matter of appearances. There is more legroom and elbowroom than in smaller two-seaters like the Audi TT.

The driving position is better than I expected. Given the TT-like styling, I expected a TT-like “sitting in a deep bathtub” sensation, something I do not care for. While the door panels are high, they are not quite uncomfortably high, even for someone like myself who prefers an airy interior. Better, the view forward is very expansive.

Still, the driving position has its faults. If your hands are on the wheel and shifter, your elbows will be unsupported. The armrest on the door is too low, and that on the center console is nonexistent. Not good for long drives. This is one of the things my father dislikes about the car.

Storage capacity, as in most sports cars, is sparse. Though the 350Z lacks a conventional glove box, a number of small enclosed storage compartments are included on the center console and behind the seats. An encased rear strut tower brace divides the cargo area into two areas, neither of which is large. Plan to use soft luggage. That is, if you care to drive this car a long distance in the first place.

On the Road

Driving the 350Z is a much different experience than I expected. A unique experience. Even at times a very good experience. But overall, this is not a car many people will enjoy as a daily driver.

The 350Z's performance is hard to fault. The 287-horsepower 3.5 liter DOHC V6, a variant of the engine to be found in many other Nissans and Infinitis, moves the car effortlessly. Especially when paired with the short-geared six-speed manual it feels very torquey underfoot. Fast shifts at the redline in the first two gears effect a chirp and slight sidestep from the rear tires.

Where the 350Z falls down is in regular driving. I found it downright difficult to drive the car down a straight road at under fifty miles-per-hour. The new Z chomps at the bit when not given free reign. It constantly reminds you that it wants to fly. It doesn't want to relax, and like a restless child won't let you relax, either.

The engine makes decent but not especially sophisticated noises of a much lower frequency than I expected from an imported DOHC six. Most of the engine noise is throaty exhaust. Very American, actually. Shades of pre-1990s Corvettes, when those were still rough beasts. As in those Corvettes, the 350Z's exhaust drones on even when cruising—at any speed. Invigorating along a twisty road, it’s not so fun then.

Many times I’ve written in favor of slightly notchy shifters that require a bit of effort to operate. But this can be taken too far. That in the 350Z goes too far. Not only is the physical effort required too high, but the shifter hesitates going into gear much of the time, especially when upshifting into third. As a result, shifting requires too much mental effort. As the miles wore on I adapted somewhat, but moving through the gears never became intuitive. Once again the new Z recalls old American iron. The Honda S2000, with perhaps the best shifter on the market, has a huge advantage here.

The new Z handles very well. The steering has a nice heft to it, something I personally like even though the car magazines now prefer a lighter wheel. I also enjoyed the quickness and immediacy of the steering. Not quite an S2000 is this area, but close.

Thrown into turns the chassis feels very evenly balanced and forgiving. Although the tires on the base car are not exceptionally wide, they stick well. The only exception is under heavy throttle in turns, where the rear end steps out fairly easily. I found this oversteer more progressive than that in the S2000, where it took me by surprise. Its also easy to correct—just ease off the throttle a bit.

If this seems like a bit too much excitement, then perhaps the “Performance” trim, which includes stability control, is worth the extra $4,000. If this stability control is like the system in the Infiniti G35, it will nip oversteer in the bud. The limited slip differential standard on all but the base model should also help put the power down more evenly in turns.

I now come to the deal killer—the new Z’s ride. It’s not harsh, at least not with the 17” wheels on the base car. The ride is, however, very busy. Especially at low to moderate speeds there is much vertical motion. This motion is fluid, but of a large amplitude—the sort of motion that induces nausea in some people. Tar strips and other minor road imperfections are the worst. I found this extraordinarily tiresome. Once over fifty the ride began to even out. Engine and road noise levels are moderately high, in line with the car’s elemental character but potentially tiresome on long drives. When unlatched the passenger seatbelt buckle constantly bangs against the B-pillar—until you secure it in the clip that Nissan has provided to prevent this banging.

A final complaint: the seats lack an adjustable lumbar support, and left both my father and myself with sore lower backs. Another strike against the 350Z as commuter or long-distance cruiser.

Pricing

For quick, up-to-date new car pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

The 350Z ranges in price from $26,800 to $34,600. This is considerably less than most competitors. The only other high-performance sports car in this price range is Honda S2000. Although the Honda lists for $33,060, unlike the Z it no longer sells at sticker. I came across three on one dealer’s lot marked down to $29,990. So which is the better buy? These are very different cars. The Honda is much lighter on its feet and the roof comes down. The Z is much torquier and generally heavier in feel. Neither is well-suited for long distances or commuting, but driving the Honda does require considerably less physical and mental effort. Though uncomfortably noisy with the top up, it’s the more refined machine. The Z, in contrast, is a brute.

Among imported V6 coupes the Hyundai Tiburon is the cheapest, costing well under $20,000 equipped like my father’s 350Z. While a much better car than I expected, especially in terms of interior quality, the Tiburon is not in the 350Z’s league in terms of acceleration or handling.

Update: The new-for-2004 Mazda RX-8 costs about the same as the 350Z, but has much better steering, more balanced handling, higher quality interior materials, and room for a second pair of adults in the back seat. The Z's engine provides much more low-end and mid-range grunt than the Mazda's rotary, but overall I strongly prefer the Mazda. Anyone about to buy a 350Z should at least check the new RX out.

Last Words

The new Z attracts attention and is a blast to drive hard down a curvy road. It possesses character in spades. Think classic GT. On the down side, this character never goes away. In regular driving it quickly becomes tiresome. Be warned. I suspect that many people who buy this car as their only car will soon be selling them. My father has yet to put two thousand miles on his in four months. He didn’t sell the Lexus GS 400, and now finds it more pleasant to drive than ever. He used to complain about the ride of that car compared to the LS 400 he owned before it. Not any more.

There's so much performance here for the dollar that I cannot give the car less than four stars. Still, I can only recommend this car for those who are willing to suffer various discomforts in trade. Although I personally like a car with relatively high control efforts, I could not live with this one day to day. Perhaps as a second car, but even then I'd be inclined towards the Honda.

For additional refinement and a semi-usable rear seat, check out the slightly more expensive Infiniti G35 coupe. With a much longer wheelbase it probably does not handle as nimbly, but the ride should be less busy.

To learn more about my reliability research and sign up to participate in it, or to perform thorough up-to-date new car price comparisons, visit www.truedelta.com. A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 26,800
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: Base, manual