A few more goodies for y'all...
 

This is the subtle pattern in the center dash that I was trying to describe...

You can see how high the doors come here...the driver (any guesses?) is 5'11''...

Very nice kevin, I really like that texture.

You drive the A4 right? I think Audi does one of the best jobs as far as materials are concerned?

In relation to the A4...how would you rate the interior of the Z. And make any other comparisons too if you can.

Thanks. Nice pic.

MAN, this car is wide! Check out the fender flares...

And just for the heck of it...(can never get wnough engine shots)...

Wow, I don't see any cosmoline in that engine compartment to clean up on arrival. Awesome if the production units show up like that!

Yeah, the A4 is me...

Ooooh...not really a comparison. Even the harder plastics on the Audi are really nice, and a lot of stuff has a rubber-type coating on it. There were some materials I liked on the Z, like the one in this pic. Some I did not, like the center console/arm rest area, reminded me of '01 Eclipse-type hard plastic. Overall really better than I expected, though. The fit generall was good except for the front cup holder (rattly), the big 2-cup holder lid (light and a little on the flimsy side), and the nav cover (really flimsy but nice finish). The look of the guages--the amber colored ones--seemed pretty typical of the other Nissan guages I've seen. Didn't see them lit (it was light outside).

Door finish from top to bottom was outstanding, kind of a rubbery feel I think (anyone remember?). Brushed metal pieces all seemed to be real brushed metal--nice.

I'll go down to the Nissan dealer tomorrow and check out a Maxima and some others and let you guys know if anything is the same as far as I can tell.

I'll try to think of some comparisons over the weekend. If you're like me, this stuff is really important...

Thanks for the feedback. Yes the interior is VERY important to me. Fit and finish, attention to detail, the whole package. These are things you can't change. And to be honest it is what a driver will see most, it better be nice to look at and interact with.

My impression was that it was a tough sort of cloth that felt rubbery due to its resilience and weave. Maybe it was some kind of rubbery stuff that felt sorta cloth like. :confused:

the seats in the 350z have height ajustmant right?

Hmmm, good question...

I know on the power seats there are only two switches next to each other on the right side for slide forward/backward and the back part of the seat forward/backward...if there was a height adjustment it was somewhere else, but that would be odd...didn't play with the manual seat.

PS (you can see the pic, you decide for yourself)...I'm a little disappointed with the look of the engine (that probably sounds stupid, it's not supposed to be an aesthetic feature I know)...it kinda looks like a Japanese compact car engine with a cowling over it. Doesn't make me go "oooh" like a Vette or even a BMW i6...

anyone else think that, or am I high?

Was does a Vette engine look like?

BTW: just for curiosity sake, what camera are you using and what's it bit rate?

Thanks, great photos!

i totally agree with you!!! I could never understnad why the domestic cars can't have good fit and finnish. Oh well. There's nothing like sitting a car with Bently like quality for 1/10th the price.

Yup, I'm gonna have some problems. I'm only 5'4-5'5. :( I really hope the seats have height adjustment. I drove my friends maxima the other day and she had two switches - one round, one rectangular. the round one went up and down, the front one move front and back, and also moved the back part of the seat. That's hopefully the 6-way they're talking about. :)

Sort of. Both the power & manual seats have a knob that will raise & lower the front of the seat, but not the whole seat.

After owning a BMW for 4 years with the ooh factor of the engine cover, I can honestly say that I could care less about that engine cover. Its just one more thing to break and one more thing I have to take off when I do any service. Functional covers are good. Aesthetic ones I can do without.

I'll assume the "bit-rate" questions was directed at me, since still cameras are rated in pixels.

The camera was a JVC GR-DVP3u Mini-DV. Theorhetically the resolution & bit-rate is the same as DVD. From a practical stand-point it is somewhat less.

Granted, the posted videos resolution & bit-rate are far lower than the camera is capable off, but remember: TANSTAAFL. If you wanted to go full resolution & bit rate, those 5MB files would jump to 30 or 40MB.

Zgirl: I would definitely say that taller is better than shorter for this car. I've got a picture of my wife sitting in it and she's around 5'2" (well, usually she's 5'4" because of the shoes she wears ;) ) I could send if you'd like.

The seats in the Z DO NOT have the adjustment you describe. The 6-way is front, back, recline forward, recline back, tilt seat front down, tilt seat front up.