I finally had the opportunity to test drive a Z yesterday after months of window shopping. For reference, I currently drive a loaded Audi A4 turbo quattro AWD 5spd that is chipped to about 215 hp.

I live near a dealer who has had a red Track model for about 9 months and I know they're desperate to sell it, so I finally dropped by for a drive. The car is gorgeous. It had 102 miles on the clock. They added black factory Nissan leather, but no power controls or heated seats. Speaking pure asthetics, there isn't a car out there that looks better in person than the Z in my opinion.

I was expecting ALOT out of the Z. Coming from my 1.8 liter Turbo that has a fair amount of drivetrain loss due to AWD, I was ready to be impressed with the power of the Z. I wasn't. I know that a car with only 102 miles isn't broken in, but i was disappointed still. Perhaps I was going faster than what it seemed, but I honestly couldn't get excited about the power. The handling on the other hand seemed extremely tight and predictable.... very livable as a daily driver too.

I am a prospective Z buyer in a two car family. The Z doesn't make much practical sense, so I really need it to WOW me to pull the trigger on one. I suspect I really didn't drive the right Z. I'm pretty sure it is a very early build date 2003 Z, and since it has been on the lot for 9 months at least.... there could even be something wrong with the car that I'm not noticing yet. I'm not giving up on the Z, but I have to say the first drive was a letdown....

They offered me ALOT of money for my Audi, and got the price of the Z down to 31K (new 2003 track w/ factory added leather) in about 5 minutes. I'm sure they'd go further south from there, but I just wasn't feelin it.

 

Read the numerous threads on how the 350Z "Feels" slow. I assure you that it is not however. The power is extremely linear and you are not gonna get the huge right off idle torque of a big bore V8 nor the high RPM rush of VTEC. Its just linear all the way throughout. The suspension does not move during gear changes so you get no "cradle rock" that furthers the sensation of acceleration. Its a fast car that will blow that Audi in the weeds.

 

I was very disappointed the first time I drove a Z. I went back 2 days later and drove another one. I was much more impressed the second time around. Dont ask me why, but they felt like two completely different cars.

 

In my opinion the "slow feeling" of the Z is due almost entirely to the fly by wire system. The throttle appears to linearize torque with pedal travel. In most regular cars you get most of your torque in the first 3rd of pedal travel.

It took me a while to get used to the Z throttle.

Once you are used to the throttle you can easily see the advantages. Despite having nearly 300 hp, my 6MT Z is EASY to drive in stop and go traffic. My previous sports cars have been jumpy at low speeds because even a light press of the pedal caused them to leap forward. The Z's linearized throttle makes it easy to manage at low speeds and increases driver control over torque. I like it!

The other (minor) factor is that the Z handles so flat that when you get a bunch of power to the rear wheels the front does not come up and the back does not squat down. This lack of body movement also makes it feel less fast.

 

Go for a 2nd test drive and tell the sales guy to take a hike. Bring your buddy along that you trust with your A4 and do a few runs.

 

Coming from a small displacement turbo, you probably expect a rush somewhere in the power band like what you get when the turbo finally spools. You won't get it in the Z. It is much more linear as has been said before, and that makes it deceptive in power delivery.

No, it isn't going to put a crick in your neck, but it is still fast.

 

With only 120miles on the Z. Its not going to feel fast. Let it breakin for few thousand miles. I raced a Audi S4 and beat it. A4 is much slower. Yeah its true the Zs power is linear because of the almost flat torque curve. But in city driving it snaps me back even half on the gas pedal. My Z has almost 14,000miles now. We are talking about a 4 door vs a pure sports car. Even with stock 17s my Zs ride is jarring.
BTW I never had so much fun in a car before

 

ok i don't get it. i'm getting tired of these 'should i buy a z' posts.

i test drove a bunch of cars before i bought the z...but for every one i didnt like you didnt see me posting my disappointment on the respective car forums. you didnt like it, so cripes just buy something else. obviously the people here DO like the car which is why we bought one so you already know how people here are going to respond.

 

Did you give it hell? As everyone has said, the Z feels tame. I tell everyone (new) who drives the car to drive like they would their car. Then I tell them to floor it in every gear (foot all the way to the floor) not just half way, not to the floor and back up . . . all the way to the floor and leave it. Only let off abit for gear change. That feeling always cracks a smile!

 

Another point about the feel of acceleration that us Z owners seem to now forget about now that we are used to it:

The tip in on the throttle in the Z isn't like most cars. Most cars, by the time the pedal is half way to the floor, you are maybe at 70% throttle. The Z's drive by wire setup is made to be very linear, so that 50% pressed is 50% open. Brakes also work similarly on the Z.

This throttle gives the impression of slower acceleration because you are used to getting more with less foot travel.

 

Come on Zero, that's not exactly fair.... These forums are for knowledge exchange (good and bad) and for people (owners and otherwise) to discuss the car! I'm a BMW M3 owner, but I'm considering a Z now, and I've been browsing these boards to get people's opinions and insight on the Z vs. my M3. I would hope that after I drive it this week, I can come here and give my unbiased opinion without people taking offense to it. Afterall, comparing it to an M3, who knows what the outcome will be....

Bottom line, I dont think the thread starter came here to bash the car, he was just posting his initial opinion.

 

i really wasnt throwing you into this category. he didnt have any questions like you did that would lead me to believe he was looking for input to aid in his decision; just came in to say he wasnt impressed by how the Z drove. posts like yours are fine, i just have as problem with these repeated 'test drove a z and not impressed' posts...i don't understand the point of them.

 

My car has 8K miles and its still breaking in. I got it with 4K miles on it and it was extremely tight. Its starting to loosen a little and has gotten much faster.

 

Fair point! And i guess I didn't look at it like that. In that case, I can see where you're coming from... My mistake!

 

Ryno,

I gave my thoughts on AWOT.

 

I think he did give input-- positive input. He's just not impressed with the straight line speed, which ISN'T what the car is built for.

 

The informative response by 'AndyB' I think sez it all!

YUP! I agree 100%.

 

I hate how the title of the thread says "from a german owner". I am also a "german owner" but i still love the Z. So what if you own a german car? Your german car happens to have a very tiny engine with AWD, so it doesent feel too powerful either. My best friend has an A4 just like your, its very nice, but has no power at all. My "german car" is a BMW 745 4.4 liter V8, its VERY fast, but i still give much props to the Z.

 

dont forget Z does feels slow when the engine is cold so warm up the engine a little bit for your next test drive.

 

Good point...just like Honda engines with VTEC-which will not kick in when the engine is cold, ours also needs to be warmed up before the performance is there as well.