I was not saying my car even felt as powerful as the Z, only the feel was close to that of my current car. I thought I was very respectful with my initial post and yes, it was the members that started with the insults and got defensive.

Laugh all you want about my Stratus, if you need to. I am just curious, did every current owner of a Z have a previous generation Z? Did some even actually drive a Honda? Not to mention possibly a Honda Civic?

My Stratus, was merely a point of reference.

 

Mom, is that you?

 

Har har har, very funny.

 

I thought I had responded to the positives early on. I think the Drive by wire was the whole cause of my impression.

I do apologize to those that did respond in a positive and informative manner by generalizing in saying everyone was getting defensive.

I come from much more hostile boards than this, and was hoping, after a couple months of reading that this board would be little more welcoming. Which it was to some extent, but still has some hostility.

My entire reason for my posts was to figure out what I had done wrong during my test drive, and to see if what my opinions were common/true, or just merely overexagerated impressions from a person unfamiliar with driving the Z.

thanks to all those that responded positively.

 

learn how to drive the z and then decide...

drive an auto z... or learn how to drive stick...

my friend has a VW - Jetta 1.6T... She was over the other night... she wanted to know how to drive with the triptonic or what ever its called shifting.. so i showed her... she had no idea her car could move fast... that was her first time going over 4500 RPMS

 

My bad, after looking back I did see that one post, but it got buried in the multitude of flames afterwards.

Give the auto a try and see how that goes.

Good luck!

 

If I do buy the car, I would be getting the 6sp, so thought I would basically be wasting my time by driving the auto. though, it probably would give a better head to head comparision to my current vehicle.

I just need to go for another test drive!

 

Zivman


Don't let these guys bug you. I felt the same thing when I first drove my Z. I've had a lot of sports cars (all sticks) and the Z didn't feel that fast. A lot of it has to do with the power curve. If you get used to driving Honda/Toyota you always feel a big power surge when you go into Vtec land. You don't get that same feel and sound. However if you look down at the speedometer you'll see that this thing is fast. Another good sign is if you launch it hard. The back end will get sideways and you'll know about the Torque factor that is missing in a lot of other cars.

I think a lot of people get fooled into thinking their cars are faster then they are because the noise they make.

 

That's exactly how I felt when I test drove thr Z the first time(I used to drivr RSX-s). I like the low end power of Z, and rear wheel drive is definetly nice(no more tourqu steer).

You(Zivman) are the one going to drive the car, so if Z does not meet you expectation, maybe you should keep looking until you find a car you really like.

 

My story, previous car a Pontiac Grand Prix GT As soon as I took the Z on a test drive I was sold. I had the biggest sh*t eating grin on my face. I just knew that I had to have one.
I went from test driving a Mazda 6 with a on the road price of 26,000 to test driving the Z. I was able to get the Z on the road for 27,500...sold

Love my Z

Ian

 

Very True, I used to drive a 99 Prelude SH, it felt FAST after the VTEC kicks in...I found the power curve is VERY linear in the Z, thus may not FEEL that fast, but look at the speedometer, it climbs a lot faster than the Prelude yet may not feel that much faster.... just my 0.02
don't let the sound/feel fool you, look at your speedometer

 

I second that... I was quite unimpressed too at first. There is no surge in power at the high rpm's but you get the very linear pull from having torque at the low to mid end. Also, the Z has a pretty quiet engine/enhaust. Try opening your window, and punching the throttle to ~5000 rpm. It'll feel faster even if you aren't going faster. I hear putting performance stickers on your car will do the same...j/k

If any of you guys are motorcycle riders, the difference in feel is similar to a comparison between the twin-cylinder Ducati's and I-4 japanese sport bikes. Ducati...tons of torque, linear accel, and no surge in power at the higher rpm's while the inline 4's give you that punch from 7000-14000 rpm. You feel faster in a inline 4 because there's a more significant difference in power as you push to higher rpm's.

 

It's nice to know others felt the same way I do. Thanks for all the responses.

 

well its a good idea to try the stick, get the feel of it, make sure you like it.

but worrying about stalling ect takes away from the experience your always worrying about shifting and not listening to the engine or the radio or any of that.

try the auto, the difference is minimal and you can atleast get a feel for its complete power and know that in the stick with experience it will only get better.

 

A high jerk, as it's called, is often the cause for people thinking a car is fast. A high value for derivative of acceleration is jerk. The Z has very little jerk. Your car has very little jerk. That is probably the reason...

 

I had this very same problem when I went to test drive the Z. I felt as though the power wasnt there, it didnt seem to send me back in my seat and curl my stomach. This is due to two reasons.

1: I had never driven that type of stick before, very short and difficult to do well when it is your first time. I knew how to drive stick well just not such a short setup.

2: I was shifting too early and not giving it enough gas.

After I purchased my Z and was able to shift properly and without a salesman in the seat I was floored by its' preformance.

My advice: go again, floor it as hard as you can, and shift past 6000 rpm

 

Well, I know personally know of a 911 Cabriolet, a Camaro SS, a Mustang GT and a Pontiac WS6 driver that should have a good opinion of the Z's accelleration after we went through the gears.

Unless you drop your clutch at 2k rpm, take it up to 6,600 rpm, powershift into second, go up again to redline and do it again in third at which point you realize you're approaching 100 mph in what was a very brief period of time, you wont see the power.

Alternatively, sit in the passenger seat when someone else drives and noticed how you're being pushed back into the seat. The feel is very different than when you're doing the driving.

 

yea, if i hadn';t known before i went and drove my friend's Z (i take it to lunch daily haha) about the throttle, i would have been unimpressed. once you get on it thought, it is a blast.
now my mr2's were decently fast (see sig), but i love the Z. it is fast in a completely different way, and that is why i am converted. Always thought i would own mr2's, but after i drove a Z around a while, i changed my mind, sold my MR2's and am now saving for a Z. granted the Z could stand to lose a little weight (i had my one mr2 under 2550 LBS, and my second one was 2830).
But besides that, you have to drive the Z hard to make it fast. otherwise it is a nice, comfortable, smooth car that doesn't beat you up on your way to work. overall a good package. harndles daily driver type work, and hard runs just as well, if not betrter than my mr2's did. even if it is slower (than my modded 2's)-- but then again stock mr2's only ran a 14.2, and the Z can always be improved as well.

 

The throttle is definitely a large factor in getting used to the Z. In most cars, the last 30% of throttle makes almost no difference in performance, but in the Z, that last bit makes a huge difference. It really is true that you need to floor the pedal to reach WOT.

My HID's are aimed very low. Not too impressed with lighting, but too lazy to change it (at least for now). High beams rule though.

Manual tranny is quite fun, especially if you get one without any problems. The auto is very nice too, though.

You may also want to find a twisty road and take a few hard corners. That should really make you appreciate the Z's cornering ability (and will help excuse the stiff suspension).

Overall, I find your feelings pretty standard from someone who has driven the Z at 6/10's but hasn't had a chance to really open her up. If you still want to like the car you may try to take another test drive and take a couple hard runs just to confirm your feelings.

-D'oh!

 

Hey Zivman- i'm JAG over on 2g-
With my experience in my Stratus (which is a 5spd, not auto), and driving our Z (6spd) and a friends Auto, I can stand up for the true performance that the Z has compared to the Stratus. It will simply smash us in a run, curvy or straight.
As for vibration in the stick, I am used to it, and I think it would get that way for you. With my stiffer bushings that I installed w/the short throw shifter, my shifter may have a bit more vibration than stock, being closer to the Z.

Take it for another drive. I think you'll change your mind