OK, We've seen road tests for the 6MT, when will we get a 5AT Test? One of the articles from Zfrenzy.com specifically referred to driving the 5AT. Also, it or one of the other articles said 1/3 of the preorders are 5ATs. I know you purists out there will lose your dinner over this, but I thought long and hard about buying my first auto sports car( not an oxymoron), check out the trans in Formula 1 cars.

I want a test so I can see for myself the car can still go very fast with an auto and the drivability is still what I hope for when I plunked down my $1K in February.

Boomer--Serious as a heart attack.
Brickyard/Frost/5AT

 

We'll have a detailed review of the 5AT in our Fall 2002 issue (release date late August) in our 12 pages of 350Z coverage.

Dave Bexfield
Editor, Sport Z Magazine
www.sportzmagazine.com

 

Boomer,
You probably saw the review in IZOOM.com. Didn't really say too much about the 5AT, but does mention how well the engine and transmission perform together. I was quite encouraged by the comment.

Here's the address:
http://www.izoom.com/

I admire your taste in cars. Your car is the only Brickyard, Frost, 5AT one I have seen on the forum, other than the one I have on order.

 

I'm not going to comment on the "automatic tranny in a sports car" arguement, but I don't think you can compare the semi-auto trannies in an F1 car to the Z's automatic. The only cars on the market with a similar system are the BMW M3 SMG, Ferrari 360 Modena, and Toyota MR-Spyder. These cars are still automatics in a sense, but they are closer to manual trannies as they don't have torque converters (which rob power). The Z's automatic wont be like this, instead it will be similar to the systems offered by Audi (Tiptronic), Honda/Acura (Sportshift), Lexus (e-shift), etc.

Regardless, I think the automatic wont be too much slower than the 6spd manual. Since the 3.5L is fairly torquey with a wide powerband, the automatic should match up quite well.

 

Wonderful, Dave. I'll look for your August issue with great anticipation, as will all of the other members on this forum. We' ll tell as many others interested in the Z as we can. I can hardly wait.

Boomer--Perfect timing!
BR/FR/AT

 

Hi, Pooh. Thanks for the reference, it was an interesting story if not loaded with a lot of material. It was good to read about former 240 owners who will think the new Z is like an old friend. I am more encouraged with every new article about our choice to preorder a new Z without anything but mag stories to recommend it. I haven't seen one in person yet.

We do have good taste, don't we? Always nice to find a kindred soul.

Boomer(Keith)

 

You are correct, Pork Chop. It was a difficult choice for me to choose an AT, especially in the Z after 32 years of MTs. I still have misgivings from time to time, but I think the car is going to be so good , it won't matter which trans is chosen.

An earlier article or post?, said the Z's AT won't shift for itself in manual mode, so you have to upshift for yourself, the trans won't do it for you and it resets to 1st gear when you stop. I hope this is correct, haven't seen a confirmation from Nissan, since this what I thought when I preordered. I haven't found the reference since, I've looked, it sure would be nice if Nissan officially confirms it and lets me know I wasn't dreaming.

Also, the Z's AT is supposed to have only about a 20% parasitic loss(all trans, MT or AT) have such losses getting the power to the driving wheels, while the Z's MT has 13-16%? Not too bad a difference if true.