A recent review (Nov Sports Car International) offers extensive praise of the vehicle, see below. For those of us not lucky enough to have spent some time in the car, please share your thoughts on how good the car really is .
".. single most impressive feature of the new Z is the stiffness of its FM chassis"
".. as tossable and controllable as a Miata"
"..easy car to drive really fast thanks to its stable platform, lightning reflexes and excellent balance"
" ..most surprising part of handling equation is the comfort factor of the ride...near luxory-car quality ...
" ...six speed gearbox is a sweet device..."
" They've developed a black art winner (wrto spring rates, shock valving and anti-roll bar diameters)" ...that no other manufacturer has been able to duplicate for 2x the price"
" The seats are as good as the best in sports car land"
"...the instrumentation works better than any other in my experience"
" The 350 Z is an epochal sports car: a new product this good does'nt come along very often..."
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2003 CS 6MT Performance preordered: T 308xxx, no VIN.

 

the only thing I can say is that the ride is not near luxury. It is near harsh on some roads. bouncy bouncy!

But, I think most of the above is true. It is UNREAL in the handling. I have not been able to chirp the tires around a turn, but I have scared the **** out of my safety neuro-sensors! I get down right frightened sometimes by the maneuvers I do, and the Z could care less....

 

Just from a short test drive, it's a phenomonal handling car. Light and very quick. I drive all kinds of cars and this one really impressed me.

 

I agree with most of what was said. great car. I think the ride is pretty fantastic for a sports car (almost as nice as my BMW 328) I disagree about the tossability. Maybe I"m Either nota good enough driver or not aggressive enough but those tires stay planted. I have been able to toss the back end with a little gravel on the road though, but well under control. fun!!!!

 

Everything they say is true. Ironically, I enjoy driving my SE-R more than my 300 because it's so tossable. I get the same feeling driving my 350, but more because the 350 feels safer than the SE-R. Suspension-wise, the 350 is firmer than the 300 in Touring mode, but it soaks up all of the small bumps the 300 wouldn't.

Power-wise, neither holds a candle to my 300.

Michael.

 

I agree. Everything they say is pretty much dead on, except for the ride quality. Not luxo. Not even close. More stiff and bouncy on certain roads is more of a correct statement.

 

My 350Z Performance is a very competent and potent car, however it does not have the handling or raw power of my 1993 Mazda RX-7 Twin Turbo. The ride of my 350Z is bumpy on some roads but no where near as harsh as my RX-7.

 

WOOT! cant wait! 04 here i come!

 

damn, I cant imagine how harsh the rx-7 is!

 

I guess it's all a matter of what you have to compare it to. From my 280ZX's, Jeep Cherokee, Dodge 3/4 ton 4WD and my friends TT RX-7, I agree with the Luxury ride. I have more room in the 350 than the 280 or the 7 and while it eagerly eats the twisties, the ride isn't as harsh. I'm kind of amazed really. I was expecting a hard ride especially with the low profile tires/wheels. But it is a better ride from home to work both in terms of bumps and comfort. However, they are all real harsh compared to my fathers Roadmaster!


Enforcer

 

I agree with almost everything as well. As most have said, I wouldn't call the ride luxury. The stiffness of the chassis and well damped suspension really help mask the bumps though.

Also, my drivers seat started having a little side-to-side play this morning on the way to work (when I go around alternating corners I can feel it move a bit). I'll have to re-evaluate tomorrow, but I'm not sure how well the seats are constructed. Until this morning, I would have rated them as tops in the class, but now I need to perform further investigation. I have 1000 miles BTW. Not even out of break in yet.

-D'oh!