Well,I took a test drive yesterday in 04 roadster/touring with 8k miles,manual transmission.
I was expecting a kick in the butt(I had an Audi A4,200Hp and wife has a Mazda 6(220Hp),both manuals) but what I got was a short sequence of nice accelerations,nothing thrilling...Granted,the rev limiter was set at 4800 RPM but still.
Am I expecting too much from this Z ?
Should I get a later model(new 05 still on the lot of a dealer I'm looking at)?

Thanks for any input,I really like the Zcar but it was not love at first sight

 

When you step out of a torque monster like the Mazda 6 into a 350Z what the hell do you expect!

 

If you shift at 4800 you are shifting right before the power band. It won't feel as powerful until you actually drive the car. This car is not a mustang or camaro that is a powerhouse that goes in a straight line. It does many things well, if that is what you are looking for. If you want a really fast car in a straight line there are other cars out there that are faster.

 

OK,I understand that the Z may not be a straight line runner but it "feels" much slower than my wife's Mazda6/5M ,which is only 220hp on a1-2-3 gear throw.

I'm in no way a drag racing person but I like to push it on the highway,hopefully past a Mazda6.

Anyway,I think that close to 300hp for less than 30k is hard to beat.
I don't think I'm ready for a Porsche yet(at least not financially )

Getting ready to try a new 05 that's been sitting on the dealer's lot for a year.
May be that'll change my perception!

 

Wait till you get it over 4800

 

Your judging the performance of the Z with a 4800 RPM limiter on it??? Go test drive one where you can rev it to the red-line, will make a huge difference...

I have a 2004 Roadster and its plenty fast, My brother inlaw has a Audi A4 also and I can easily smoke him...

Here's some magazine times....

2004 350z Roadster
0-60: 5.7
1/4: 14.3


2004 Mazda 6 (3.0L, 5 speed)
0-60: 6.4
1/4: 15.1

Couldnt find anything on the A4 1.8T

 

Dude if you only took it 4800, the power hadnt even really come on yet? Dont you know this? Why you make an assumption on a half-*** test drive?

 

+10000000 Yea....What HE said ^^!!

The salesperson must have been in the car with you and you probably couldn't REALLY open her up!!

 

Also, how do you get a 4800 RPM rev limiter on your car??? I sure hope he's not talking about the setting where you can set the "RPM light" to come on at a certain RPM, which has nothing to do with how high the engine can rev LOL. I think he should stick to Mazda's.

 

plus a roadster is a lot heavier than the coupe

 

+1

 

You need to test drive a coupe & redline it . . . and you'll change your mind about the Z. Your Audi & Mazda is nothing compared to the 350Z, which is a real sports car. And wait until you take it to a track, you'll really fall in love the way the Z handles itself.

 

The z also has a very flat power curve, so you don't get large surge of power. This makes it feel slower than it really is... I've beaten EVO's, bone stock, so there is plenty of power

 

oh my ... He probably had the REV light setting at 4800 RPM ...

To the OP if the REV light setting is at 4800 RPMs the red rev light (right below the tach) will start to flicker @ 4300 RPM and become bright red at 4800 RPM. The Zs actual REV Limiter is set to 6800 RPM. 4800 to 6800 is where all the acceleration is. 3K to 4.8K is decent but not a good indication of what the Z can do.

I guess I'm stating the obvious but the REV light setting is only there as an added feature of telling you when to shift. It's not an actual REV limiter.

 

I guess I've never paid attention to this but how do you set the REV light setting? Is this only on M/T Zs?

 

uhm... did u turn off traction control system?

 

Z begs to be driven above 5k RPM. There is now way either the 6 or the A4 compare. Sorry.
Take the Z out again get going highway speed in 5th/6th gear @ 60 mph. Rev match to 4k Rpms and drop into 3rd @ 60mph. Accelerate to redline from there and tell me the A4 compares.

 

i was disappointed too my 04' isn't as fast as a 997. but after i left a couple bmw 645ci & 745i sucking dust then i realize the stock roadster is pretty fast nuff for me

 

To my knowledge, the REV light setting is only on the 6 speeds. When you toggle through your Computer trip if you have manual the last setting before the speedo is the REV light setting.

 

2003 Mazda 6 s

Engine type V-6
Engine displacement 181 cu.in.
Engine horsepower 220-hp @ 6,300 rpm
Engine torque 192 lbs.-ft. @ 5,000 rpm
Valvetrain DOHC
Valves 24
Engine bore x stroke 3.5" x 3.1"
Compression ratio 10.00 to 1
Fuel tank capacity 18 gal.
Fuel economy city 20 mpg
Fuel economy highway 27 mpg
Drag coefficient .31
Curb weight 3,243 lbs.

3.153:1 first gear ratio,
1.842:1 second gear ratio,
1.258:1 third gear ratio,
0.947:1 fourth gear ratio,
0.733:1 fifth gear ratio


04 Nissan 350Z Roadster

Engine type V-6
Engine displacement 213 cu.in.
Engine horsepower 287-hp @ 6,200 rpm
Engine torque 274 lbs.-ft. @ 4,800 rpm
Valvetrain DOHC
Valves 24
Engine bore x stroke 3.8" x 3.2"
Compression ratio 10.30 to 1
Fuel tank capacity 20 gal.
Fuel economy city 20 mpg
Fuel economy highway 26 mpg
Drag coefficient .34
Curb weight 3,462 lbs.

3.794:1 first gear ratio,
2.234:1 second gear ratio,
1.624:1 third gear ratio,
1.271:1 fourth gear ratio,
1:1 fifth gear ratio,
0.794:1 sixth gear ratio

Just comparing the gear ratios of 1st and 2nd. Actually it's not even close to being a fair comparison.