Dear Nissan,

I hope some of your reps read this post.

1. Lose some weight. The Z is like our significant other...we love them, but we'd love them more if they lost some weight. Drop the weight under 3000lbs curb weight and you'll have a winner.

2. Keep the style. I think the world knows the current look of the Z is sexy as hell. Keep the general style and proportions for the next Z.

3. Work on the tranny. The Z tranny is notorious for being finicky, notchy, and down right unpleasant.

4. Power bump. I dont care how you do it, make more power. You can use the 4.0 V6 or the 4.5 V8, or even a FI setup. A good target power range is about 300 wheel HP.

5. Spice up the interior. The 06 Z is a step in the right direction. Arm rests, better knee pads, 2-tone colors

6. Better stero. THis goes for Nissan in general. Drop BOSE, they aren't fooling anyone with their late-night infomercials. BOSE sucks and so does your radio!

7. keep up the good work! I am very happy with my Z in spite of her problems. I am proud to own the best looking car on the road!

Sincerely,

Harv

 

I was thinking option 2 is most likely, but heck what do I know? If a 450z means a 4.5L v-8 I cannot see that happening.

 

Man Harv, that means the Z will start out at 40k!

 

The description is more like a Cayman S.......

 

I fully agree. As long as the Z can resonably compete with a Mustang GT in a straight line (it doesn't have to beat it every time, but be competetive), handle a set of curves well and look sexy at the same time, it will sell.

In '03, the Z was the best thing out there less than $40k. Since then, other manufacturers got their act together and the Z no longer stands out from a performance perspective. This needs to change.

The fact that the base model has the same drivetrain as the Track model was a good decision, I think. I hope future versions don't have a weak base model; that would completely drag down the image of the Z. When I look at a late model 300zx, I always wonder, "Is that the turbo? No? Too bad." That was a good car, IF it had the tubo. Otherwise it's nothing more than a status car.

There is no doubt that it still looks sexy, and I hope that doesn't change. And please avoid those weird front fenders like the Mazda RX-8 has. Please.

 

I"m pretty sure the performance will be better. You can't expect to sell a sports car that's slower than the previous gen. My concern is the price.

I know this is a slim chance and will probably increase the price, but wouldn't paddle shifters be cool!

 

I'd prefer next gen. Z comes with a high rev engine,which outputs around 380hp,and around 1300kg curb weight.The new G concept has already shocked me,I absolutely believe that the Z will not make me disppointed.

 

i'm not a z owner but i think i understand the product. my comments in italics.

 

An automatic transmission would be the only way for Nissan to pull this off, and in my opinion they very well could.

However, doing a real manual "sequential" gearbox in a Nissan would be impossible at the 30-40k price point. I have a decent amount of experience driving "real" manual paddle cars, and suffice it to say it is not something the public in general could handle -- even the "sports car lovers" on this site would have a hard time dealing with it because it is a finnicky technology. This transmission type breaks constantly and wears through parts very quickly. The repair bills for the pump to operate the transmission would be approximately 1/2 the cost of the Z.

 

i can think of three ways they could implimment paddle shifters for the customer: with a modern but still 'traditional' automatic transmission, with an electrohydraulic actuated gearbox (bka SMG2, DSG, F1 transmission, etc), or with a continuously variable transmission (CVT)

the first method, using a traditional auto, is what some other cars are using today. i believe porsche calles it tiptronic. it could be done on the g/z: the g35 has a manumatic mode with the shifter where you hit the shifter up and down to shift. it wouldnt take much to make it so you could also do it via paddles on a wheel- the location of the buttons/controls only changes. the circuitry and fundamentals are essentially the same.

If Nissan really wanted to offer a real SMG like gearbox I think it would be possible also. The MR2 sells for less than the Z and it has one as an option. The problem is, I dont think Nissan has developed one, and R&D is expensive. That may not be a big problem for a big seller like the Z, but Nissan is still very much in recovery mode, and a technology like that is definitely not urgent at this point in time...

As far as the CVT option goes, thats an option on the v35 skyline 350gt-8 in japan. (note that this car uses a cvt and that is not an option on our g35):

 

thats a cool picture

 

Dear Nissan,

Just keep doing what you are doing now. Glad you are on top 3 of the volume sellers coming from Japan, following Toyota and Honda.
The new Infinit G/M coupe looks to be a seller!
Current Z are doing extremely well.
Please don't F*@k it up by jacking up the price of the new Z beyond average Joe's income, like the last generation 300Z-TT.
Learn from the past and continue to move forward, but keep the average Joe in mind.

My 2 cents



(\ /)
( . .)
c('')('')

 

agree 100%

 

If you look at Z history, about how often does the car get a bump in displacement? Is it 6 years?

 

And that will never happen cause if Nissan did that they would ahve to rais the price of the car and they are selling too many Z's to do that.

 

I know it's compairing apples and oranges but if they can stuff a 4.0 V6 in a 20K Xterra, I'm hoping they can use that engine (tuned for Z performance of course) in the 2007 Z. I had the same thoughts as DavidV on the past displmnt changes. However, I hope Nissan is above and beyond a timing pattern for changes. The time is now. Z's must stay competive in price and performance! Or let it be an option. If I'll pay for mods, I'll pay for the best engine they have available! Harv was right on the goals needing to be achieved.

 

Traditionally speaking, no argument. What I'm hoping for is something UNtraditional from Nissan.

I'm hoping for a revival of the hp wars. We appear to be moving in that direction (as long as there is no oil crisis or governmental restrictions awaiting). As competition grows fierce, the auto-industry usually responds to take their mark. In the 60's and early 70's, there was not one major competitive U.S. auto manufacturer who stood idle. Each year they were tuning and tweaking their engines to wring out as much hp as possible. In addition, there were many surprises as outrageously huge motors were dropped into many of them. One only needed to choose the option: small block, big block, 2-barrel, 4-barrel, 6-pack, etc. They did so to fight the competition and be on top of the market. They accomplished it with only moderate price increase, using the motors throughout the selection of their products. What happened to these cars? They are highly sought after collectibles.

Back in the 70's, Datsun couldn't shake a stick at the muscle car, but it had its agility and style. 10 second 0-60 was no slouch for a sports car. Today is different. The Z has developed beyond a typical sports car... it has become a sports car with a muscle car attitude. I would simply like Nissan to take the opportunity to optimize it in the wake of the current hp boom.

 

Actually, early history reveals...

1970 240Z 2.4 ltrs newly introduced
1974 260Z 2.6 ltrs displacement bump after only 4 years
1975 280Z 2.8 ltrs displacement bump after only 1 year