D'oh

Discussing the interior is like discussing the styling, it's primarily opinion.

I haven't owned a BMW or Audi, but I've close friends who have, so I've had significant time behind the wheel and in the passenger seat, and while I agree that the both have very nice interiors, I definitely like the Z's more. I will concede that the Z material may not be as fancy, but the ergonomics are significantly better than any of the Audi's I've been in, and somewhat better then the BMW's. I think for the driver, it is very difficult to match the ease of use of the Z's climate, radio, and trip computer controls. I agree that the Nav Door could have been more intuitive, so people don't try and force it closed, but I find myself showing them the door as soon as they get in so if they play with it later they will know what to do, and that pretty much solves the problem. I also like the general idea behind the Z, in that it is primarily a sports car, and not a luxury coupe. Therefore, I find the somewhat spartan interior to be a perfect match for the overall design of the vehicle.

I guess people's opinions on the interior come down to what they were expecting and what they are used to (my previous vehicles were old trucks, so the Z is pretty big step up for me), so I guess I can see how someone who was hoping for a padded, pleather, interior could be somewhat dissapointed with the Z. The rest of the car is awesome though!

-D'oh!

john0213

My opinion:
Z= definitely isn't the car with the cheapest interior within the price range, imho S2k is.

Audi= Really really nice interior and finish, just that i don't think it's worth the price to spend so much money only to get an audi~

REMEMBER, only my opinion~~

TCL

I completely agree with both of these statements. I prefer the Z's cockpit to that of the 1999 M3 I owned.

Todd

Okay, while I'm not totally impressed the quality of the interior either, as I've said before, what the hell is wrong with the NAV door?? I think it works extremely well and feels very solid. Did you learn how to use it correctly?? If you want to see a crappy NAV door, go find a new Lincoln Navigator. The thing costs twice as much as the Z, but the NAV door is very cheap.

350zSpeedRacer

I personally can't stand my BMW. I can't wait to get rid of it. While it is a 97 840ci, which I thought would be pretty cool (and rare) to have, I'm finding out that the maintenance and everything that goes along with it is just not worth the effort. First, I HATE leather interior. I freeze my butt off in the winter and in the summer my legs get burned wearing shorts. Next, the thing DRINKS gas. Damn, my Z71 extended cab truck got better gas milage! Finally, if I want to put any mods on the damn thing, it costs an arm and a leg and it always seems to mess up something else. (I had the engine software upgraded and now the damn car overheats all the time!!)

I will never buy another BMW as long as I live. Not even an M5 with their V10 motor because of this car, and b/c I hate the BMW clutch and shifter feel. It feels like I could almost shift without the clutch, there's so much movement in the shifter. I want a good hard, stiff shift that isn't going to move once it's in gear!

But sorry to rant about my heavy clunker, I really like the interior of the 350Z. And if you want you can still get the leather which makes the car look really nice (just don't ask my to sit in it).

drake3

I had an '87 & '94 300ZX and now driving a 2000 (e46) 328ci. Out of all these cars I find that I like the interior of the BMW the best so far. Many people find the interior of BMW "cold", and I can see why. My car inside is all black with brushed aluminum trim. However, the quality of the materials and the way it has been designed just really fits me. Nothing really rattled or creaked in any of the cars, no trim or hardware has broken or fallen off. I may like the Bimmer because it has the most amenities, like 3 setting heated seats and a really nice 12 speaker Harmon Kardon sound system - I am a gadget freak. I can say I did find myself more "attached" to the car in the '94ZX. You felt like you were absolultely an extension of the vehicle. Maybe that comes from being a 2 seater compared to the Bimmers backseats. I'll attach some pics so you guys can compare. But there are things that I have never used on the Bimmer. 3 remembered seat and mirror settings that change when you unlock the car from the remote. Each key has a different ID, so if you short wife is unlocking the car from the key button, the seat and mirror will change to her settings, the climate control goes back to her setting and if she had daytime running lights programmed they will come on. The next time you unlock the car with your key everything gets reset back to your settings. Since I am single and the only person who drives I don't take advantage of that. The seats in my sport package car are nicely bolstered and feel good, as good as the last ZX. I have only sit in the 350Z at dealers and it looks and feels good. I think there are some things I will miss. Radio and CD controls on my steering wheel. When I get into my 4-runner after driving the bimmer I find myself pushing stupidly on the steering wheel to change the volume or track with no results of course. I think I will get used to the interior of the Z just fine. It is a very nice car. I just wish these dealers would lighten up so I CAN GET ONE for MSRP! (patiently searching to find the right dealer.)

Drake.

drake3

Instrumentation:

drake3

center console:

dnguyen

The closest I got to the 350Z was when I was at the TX state fair. I only got to inspect the door, and since we couldn't get on the platform, I paid as close attention as possible when inspecting. As far as I can tell, the door panel had the "dotty" soft plastic with a little cushion under it. It didn't feel as cushy as some sedans, but I felt it was way better than using hard plastic like some econo boxes. I think that the "dotty" feel was the way to go, since it added some texture to what would be been dull if left alone. I do NOT think that a faux leather texture on the door panel would have went well with the rest of the interior...the 2 wouldn't have mix.

Michael-Dallas

Personally, if Nissan used even cheaper materials and shed more weight or used the cost difference to add more power, then I'd be all over that.

Everybody classifies the 300 as a GT car. While the 350 interior is an improvement (IMO) over the 300, the interior still feels like a GT car.

Michael.

mattyZ

I have a 2002 Audi A4 3.0 which as most have said has a very nice interior, one of the best on the road...so when I went to view the Z for the first time at my local dealer I was expecting the worst from the interior based on all of the comments here...well guess what...I was dead WRONG!

I was pleasently surprised with the interior. I thought it was very pleasing on the eyes, ergonomics were excellent. Seats, shifter, and steering wheel were great. I don't really get what everyone is talking about (especially these snobby luxury car owners ).

Isn't there a reason why "luxury cars" are called "luxury cars". A major reason is because they have a much more luxurious interior. Its not fair to compare the Z to a luxury sedan or coupe (and I think the interior compares favorably actually). What you should do is compare the interior to those of the Vette, Boxster, S2000, etc..., and IMHO the Z blows these cars away as far as interior quality. I hate it when some luxury car owners give the rest of us bad names by stating "oh the Z's interior is so cheap!"

BS...the Z's interior is perfect for a $30,000 sports car! That's why I'll soon have my Audi for luxury and my Z for Sportiness, can't beat that combo

LowFuel

My previous car was an Audi TT and while the interior was somewhat better quality, it wasnt really THAT MUCH better. I'm very Happy with the Z's interior quite frankly.

You want to see a cheap *** interior? Go check out a Corvette or a Mustang. Bleggghhh!!!
(my ever so humble opinion)

Bluto

Look at the price of a base Z, $26,800. You can add leather, but you still have the basic interior of a 26,800 car. What do you expect?

Jeff_DML

Thanks, this what I wanted to hear. Thanks for the responses minus the flames

Jeff

jasonintoronto

here is my take on the interior, coming from an audi:

the materials quality is the major thing that you notice. audi is an industry leader in terms of interior build and finish, and i agree that the 350z lacks what the audi's have.

however, i find the ergonomics of the z to be better in many ways. the hvac controls, with the push and dial functions, to be excellent - probably the best i've seen. audi puts controls in some odd places (i can't reach my window controls and when i do, i usually open the wrong window).

the z's seats are better than all audi seats. there are award winning sports seats available in europe, but they are not available here - and they are not the same as the sports seats that were optional on the b5 a4.

the lack of a glovebox is a minor beef, but i understand that mounting the engine so far back for better performance is a tradeoff - one that i'm perfectly fine with.

my major beef is with the z steering wheel. it's a little too "beefy" for my tastes. this is strictly personal preference on my part - i'll probably replace it with the momo designed, nissan branded one offered in japan - the three spokes are thinner (i'll lose my cruise controls, i believe).

btw, the z interior is a lot better than the g35 coupe interior. that plasticy silver center console is not that attractive.

in summary, the z compared to the audi, lacks in materials quality but makes up for it in sports-oriented design and good ergonomics.

jasonintoronto

another point is that the tt's interior design was trend setting when it came out. so elegant and unexpected. however, as time goes on, a lot of the design features are being mimiced by other auto manufacturers - the tiburon, one of the new japanese compacts, etc. use the brushed aluminum accents. many speedos on cars are rimmed with silver.

would i be happier if the z interior mimiced the tt? no, i'm quite pleased that they went their own way.