Test Drove a 370
Test Drove a 370
I just got the title to my 350 updated (clean title) and had some time on my hands afterwards, so I stopped by my local Nissan dealer and took a 370 out for a spin. The dealer is only a mile away from the Motor Vehicle office.
The 370 was a Touring automatic w/Nav package in Smurf Blue. It was good that it was auto since my 350 is also auto and this did not distract me from observing the car's differences.
I will be keeping my 350. Nothing about the 370 was over and above the experience I have of driving my car. In many ways it was less. The first thing I noticed was I could barely hear the engine or exhaust (no growl). Next, I noticed how the hood sticks up in your field of view over the dash. You end up seeing two V-shaped valleys to either side with a bump in the middle.
The rear view mirror complete displays the rear window (including some of the framing around the window. It looks extremely small compared to the view I have in the 350. The only thing I liked about it was I could see straight out the rear of the car. I'm almost 6 feet and in my car I need to dip my head down a bit to see straight out the rear through the mirror. This is not a big deal but it can be a liability when scanning behind you for approaching LEO's on long trips.
The car has, on average, the same get up and go as the 350. I think if you're an **** type about power you may be able to detect a difference but for an average driver it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. The overall ride has been softened. The car drives like a Buick now (no stiff sporty ride feel).
The internal materials have been upgraded but the instrumentation is weird in my view. One of the three dash dials is now a dedicated clock (what a waste). The other two are Oil Temp and Voltage. The digital Speedometer and Oil Pressure gauges have been removed along with Tire Pressure sensors. I'm not sure about Oil Temp...I think I would rather know when my oil pressure is dropping rather than when oil is getting hot.
The left LCD screen shows fuel level, a weird MPH gauge which takes up most of the display, and water temperature. Fuel and water are shown as dots. I didn't bother with the NAV unit. My overall impression of the instrumentation is that it is not well placed. The information you need does not "flow" naturally if that makes sense. The speedometer does not stand out beyond all the other gauges...you have to look for it. Perhaps this would fade in time but I wasn't impressed. Most cars you just get in and everything is right there staring back at you...not so in this car.
The rear storage area is smaller even though the strut bar has been moved forward. I think the bar was moved because the floor of the hatch area is now much more shallow. If the bar had not been moved you would not be able to slide your luggage under the bar (or golf clubs since Nissan seems to think Z owners play golf).
So there's my take on the 370. I couldn't include any real postives because I didn't experiencing anything beyond what I get with the 350. I'm happy with my car and wish all 370 owners all the best. It's still a Z in the long run.
Edited to add:
I forgot to include...the MSRP on the car I drove was $38,965. As stated above, this was a Touring Automatic with the NAV package. Seems like a decent price to start negotiations with. The salesperson was drooling over my 350 when I told him it had just turned 3 years old and only had 16K miles.
The 370 was a Touring automatic w/Nav package in Smurf Blue. It was good that it was auto since my 350 is also auto and this did not distract me from observing the car's differences.
I will be keeping my 350. Nothing about the 370 was over and above the experience I have of driving my car. In many ways it was less. The first thing I noticed was I could barely hear the engine or exhaust (no growl). Next, I noticed how the hood sticks up in your field of view over the dash. You end up seeing two V-shaped valleys to either side with a bump in the middle.
The rear view mirror complete displays the rear window (including some of the framing around the window. It looks extremely small compared to the view I have in the 350. The only thing I liked about it was I could see straight out the rear of the car. I'm almost 6 feet and in my car I need to dip my head down a bit to see straight out the rear through the mirror. This is not a big deal but it can be a liability when scanning behind you for approaching LEO's on long trips.
The car has, on average, the same get up and go as the 350. I think if you're an **** type about power you may be able to detect a difference but for an average driver it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. The overall ride has been softened. The car drives like a Buick now (no stiff sporty ride feel).
The internal materials have been upgraded but the instrumentation is weird in my view. One of the three dash dials is now a dedicated clock (what a waste). The other two are Oil Temp and Voltage. The digital Speedometer and Oil Pressure gauges have been removed along with Tire Pressure sensors. I'm not sure about Oil Temp...I think I would rather know when my oil pressure is dropping rather than when oil is getting hot.
The left LCD screen shows fuel level, a weird MPH gauge which takes up most of the display, and water temperature. Fuel and water are shown as dots. I didn't bother with the NAV unit. My overall impression of the instrumentation is that it is not well placed. The information you need does not "flow" naturally if that makes sense. The speedometer does not stand out beyond all the other gauges...you have to look for it. Perhaps this would fade in time but I wasn't impressed. Most cars you just get in and everything is right there staring back at you...not so in this car.
The rear storage area is smaller even though the strut bar has been moved forward. I think the bar was moved because the floor of the hatch area is now much more shallow. If the bar had not been moved you would not be able to slide your luggage under the bar (or golf clubs since Nissan seems to think Z owners play golf).
So there's my take on the 370. I couldn't include any real postives because I didn't experiencing anything beyond what I get with the 350. I'm happy with my car and wish all 370 owners all the best. It's still a Z in the long run.
Edited to add:
I forgot to include...the MSRP on the car I drove was $38,965. As stated above, this was a Touring Automatic with the NAV package. Seems like a decent price to start negotiations with. The salesperson was drooling over my 350 when I told him it had just turned 3 years old and only had 16K miles.
Last edited by scrapser; Apr 27, 2009 at 03:06 PM. Reason: Additional information
I just got the title to my 350 updated (clean title) and had some time on my hands afterwards, so I stopped by my local Nissan dealer and took a 370 out for a spin. The dealer is only a mile away from the Motor Vehicle office.
The 370 was a Touring automatic w/Nav package in Smurf Blue. It was good that it was auto since my 350 is also auto and this did not distract me from observing the car's differences.
I will be keeping my 350. Nothing about the 370 was over and above the experience I have of driving my car. In many ways it was less. The first thing I noticed was I could barely hear the engine or exhaust (no growl). Next, I noticed how the hood sticks up in your field of view over the dash. You end up seeing two V-shaped valleys to either side with a bump in the middle.
The rear view mirror complete displays the rear window (including some of the framing around the window. It looks extremely small compared to the view I have in the 350. The only thing I liked about it was I could see straight out the rear of the car. I'm almost 6 feet and in my car I need to dip my head down a bit to see straight out the rear through the mirror. This is not a big deal but it can be a liability when scanning behind you for approaching LEO's on long trips.
The car has, on average, the same get up and go as the 350. I think if you're an **** type about power you may be able to detect a difference but for an average driver it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. The overall ride has been softened. The car drives like a Buick now (no stiff sporty ride feel).
The internal materials have been upgraded but the instrumentation is weird in my view. One of the three dash dials is now a dedicated clock (what a waste). The other two are Oil Temp and Voltage. The digital Speedometer and Oil Pressure gauges have been removed along with Tire Pressure sensors. I'm not sure about Oil Temp...I think I would rather know when my oil pressure is dropping rather than when oil is getting hot.
The left LCD screen shows fuel level, a weird MPH gauge which takes up most of the display, and water temperature. Fuel and water are shown as dots. I didn't bother with the NAV unit. My overall impression of the instrumentation is that it is not well placed. The information you need does not "flow" naturally if that makes sense. The speedometer does not stand out beyond all the other gauges...you have to look for it. Perhaps this would fade in time but I wasn't impressed. Most cars you just get in and everything is right there staring back at you...not so in this car.
The rear storage area is smaller even though the strut bar has been moved forward. I think the bar was moved because the floor of the hatch area is now much more shallow. If the bar had not been moved you would not be able to slide your luggage under the bar (or golf clubs since Nissan seems to think Z owners play golf).
So there's my take on the 370. I couldn't include any real postives because I didn't experiencing anything beyond what I get with the 350. I'm happy with my car and wish all 370 owners all the best. It's still a Z in the long run.
The 370 was a Touring automatic w/Nav package in Smurf Blue. It was good that it was auto since my 350 is also auto and this did not distract me from observing the car's differences.
I will be keeping my 350. Nothing about the 370 was over and above the experience I have of driving my car. In many ways it was less. The first thing I noticed was I could barely hear the engine or exhaust (no growl). Next, I noticed how the hood sticks up in your field of view over the dash. You end up seeing two V-shaped valleys to either side with a bump in the middle.
The rear view mirror complete displays the rear window (including some of the framing around the window. It looks extremely small compared to the view I have in the 350. The only thing I liked about it was I could see straight out the rear of the car. I'm almost 6 feet and in my car I need to dip my head down a bit to see straight out the rear through the mirror. This is not a big deal but it can be a liability when scanning behind you for approaching LEO's on long trips.
The car has, on average, the same get up and go as the 350. I think if you're an **** type about power you may be able to detect a difference but for an average driver it's 6 of one, half dozen of the other. The overall ride has been softened. The car drives like a Buick now (no stiff sporty ride feel).
The internal materials have been upgraded but the instrumentation is weird in my view. One of the three dash dials is now a dedicated clock (what a waste). The other two are Oil Temp and Voltage. The digital Speedometer and Oil Pressure gauges have been removed along with Tire Pressure sensors. I'm not sure about Oil Temp...I think I would rather know when my oil pressure is dropping rather than when oil is getting hot.
The left LCD screen shows fuel level, a weird MPH gauge which takes up most of the display, and water temperature. Fuel and water are shown as dots. I didn't bother with the NAV unit. My overall impression of the instrumentation is that it is not well placed. The information you need does not "flow" naturally if that makes sense. The speedometer does not stand out beyond all the other gauges...you have to look for it. Perhaps this would fade in time but I wasn't impressed. Most cars you just get in and everything is right there staring back at you...not so in this car.
The rear storage area is smaller even though the strut bar has been moved forward. I think the bar was moved because the floor of the hatch area is now much more shallow. If the bar had not been moved you would not be able to slide your luggage under the bar (or golf clubs since Nissan seems to think Z owners play golf).
So there's my take on the 370. I couldn't include any real postives because I didn't experiencing anything beyond what I get with the 350. I'm happy with my car and wish all 370 owners all the best. It's still a Z in the long run.
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Joined: Mar 2009
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From: Dayton Ohio
If you wanted a Sporty ride you should have tried a Touring with the Sport package which includes the 19" wheels and 14" brakes. It definately has a sportier feel to it. You did not mention anything about the 7 Spd auto with the paddle shifters. I personal like the new auto quite a bit. It is very good sport automatic. What did you think. I drive both the 350z and 370z's every day. The 370 is much more comfortable and has more mid and top end power.
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