Went to the dealer today and sat in an '06 again. Soon my *** will fit those narrow bolstered seats, due to sitting in them so much.


This was the first '06 I sat in that was a stick, the others '06's at car shows were all auto's. I sat in a few '03-'05 Z's and they all had really stiff clutch pedals, that I could only imagine how much it would suck to be stuck driving in traffic. The '06 stick I sat in was extremely easy to depress. It was like using the clutch on an econo box 4 banger and it was NICE! Couldn't believe the diff between that one and the other pre '06's I sat in and or drove.

One of the things I never liked about the Z was that stiff clutch but I guess they did something to them for '06? I heard that there is some kind of adjustment that can be done to 03-05's to help minimize that problem but was just curious if they re designed the whole or part of the clutch or just did that adjustment themselves at the factory to lesson the pressure?

Another thing I noticed this time was that there really were a few more small details they did to the interior than I first thought. A lot of the ***** are now rubberized and just a lot of small details that don't make it feel so aheeeem cheap feeling. Seemed like the shifter was not as sloppy as other years too but probably was just because it was new, I dunno.

Another thing I wasn't aware of was that the base models now have High-intensity lights too! Turned them on and was like wait this is the base model, right?

I know I keep b!tching and complaining and asking about all kinds of reliabilty questions about this car but $30,000 is a lot of money, at least to me, which is why I am concerned with it but everytime I see, smell, hear, sit in or putt around in one, it's like none of that crap seems to matter anymore.

I love this car and hate it at all at the same time.

The car is like a chick, I swear.

 

I drove a 06 manual around and the clutch felt like crap, very disappointed
I really like the stiff clutch and high egagement point on my 03, yeah it sucks in traffic but it feels like your driving a real car and great on the track. The 06s' clutch pedal feels like cheap 4 banger grocery getter and hate that they put speed senstive steering, I also like the heavy steering on my 03.
IMO the 06 have had the ***** cut off to please people who dont know what a real sports car should feel like

 

LOL ok.

 

I just made the transfer from an 04 Z into an 06. I plan on giving a complete review on Friday so look for it. Everything you mentioned is correct and not only that but the car rides quieter now also. I initially did not like the engine due to the low torque off the line but I am seriously impressed with the amount of power up top now after 1 solid week of driving. The new engine doesn't even feel slow up top compared to the 287hp engine. People complained the Z did not feel fast (including myself)....but I don't feel that way anymore. The raise in rpm's also feels like the cars powerband will never end. I still think its the best car for the money. The base model is fantastic and comes with almost everything you need. The reliability of my previous Z was horrible to due to the turbo but before that it was a rock solid vehicle. The new one feels even better....

 

I actually agree with this...I liked the previous clutch better, it just felt more sporty in nature. The engagement seems even higher in the new model though...hmmm

The steering feels much better at speed now..I don't understand how you'd prefer the other one. The last part I just have to disagree with. The engine alone makes this car's "*****" much bigger than the previous. It actually pulls up top now...thats what made the previous car feel like sh$# on the hwy...all this coming from someone with 400whp/400lb ft Z

 

I have no complaints on the engine, I do agree it pulls harder on top, and as mentioned before does "feel" faster.
I was planning on buying on a 06 but could not get over the clutch
The steering I could deal with just really like the weight of the 03
The interior changes I have mixed results some things I like, others things I dont.
Walked from the 06 with a bad feeling, prehaps I'am being a little to hard but I will not retract my clutch statement!!!

 

The clutch doesn't make a bit of a difference to me. If anything I like the 06 clutch more. Sure it is softer.... WTF is wrong with that? It makes daily driving much easier. The stiffer clutches of the earlier models makes the car a jerky starter from every stoplight. I hated it. The only thing that really matters to me is the engine. The 287 hp engine has NOTHING on the top end. It feels like a truck engine. The high rev engine is a real sports car engine. It really pulls from 5-7k rpms. I can't find anything I like more about the pre 06 Z compared to the 06.

 

You measure the ***** of a car by it's steering sensitivity and clutch engagement point?

 

I am going to go ahead and agree with you on the clutch issue... i cannot stand a soft clutch...

 

One of my friend just bougt a '06 Z yesterday, and I had a chance to drive
it. Well, he wouldn't let me go over 4K RPM so I don't know about the
how the car pulls but I couldn't tell the difference w/ my '05. I knew about
the soft clutch in 06 and I was actually careless about that.
Then, he wanted to drive my 05 with CAI so I let him drive few blocks. His
first word was, 'so this is what NISMO clutch feels like...I like that!'
Um...I was like, 'what nismo? it's stock man...' (my car is covered with nismo
so he thought my clutch was nismo also..and I don't even know what nismo
clutch feels like ) So he now envy my clutch and I envy his tail lights

 

wonder how he measures his ***** :-D

 

 

LOL!

 

The clutch on a performance car should not be as stiff as a International Harvester, but it should take more “umph” than a Neon. Stiff or light isn't a priority. I’d like to see how the 2006 clutch stands up to 100 runs at the dragstrip.

 

So the 06 is going to be faster than my 03? Or is it just going to feel faster? I know that when I took a ride in my buddies honda it felt fast but when I raced him in my Z it wasn't even close, I killed him. I think I would rather have a fast car than one that feels fast. Maybe that is just me.

 

seems like all the numbers i could find showed the 06 300hp cars are actually a couple tenths slower if anything compared to the prev cars, in the 1/4 and 0-60. i still haven't even broke in my new 05 so i don't know what it's like at 6600 rpm, but sounds like the 06 motor is really sweet.

so far the clutch on my 05 feels lighter than the clutch on my 96 240sx! but it is a little tricky to shift smoothly, and what's with all the noise while the clutch is engaged??

 

Stiff clutch? The clutches on the Z are easy compared to other cars like Mustang Cobras and STi's.

 

I love my clutch, makes it easy to drive in traffic. I love my steering and I love my hwy power nothing like having the engine to pass someone when your already doing 65 just downshift to 3rd and VROOM!

 

We seem to be into “feelings” a lot lately.

 

i drove my buddy's Corvette with a stick......if it takes (guesstimate) 20lbs. of pressure to floor a Z's clutch, then it must be 200lbs. to floor a Corvette clutch.....i could hear my left knee popping as i hit the clutch.