Paddle shifters? They should completely do away with the auto transmissions to be unique so women and old people can't drive them or thieves can't steal them anymore lol. No auto tranny or paddle shifters should thin the herd out a bit lol. I kid I kid. Since when did the Z have a smooth ride? The 350 had a rough ride and I've driven in a 300 which also had a rough ride. They must of changed that with the 370.

 

The 370Z with sport package has a firm ride with positive road feel. Not sure which Z he thinks has a "Buick-like ride".

My biggest dislike with the 370Z is the weaksauce torque. It's pretty gutless below 3000RPM compared to the old VQ35DE motor. My 370Z shines on the highway, but my G35 was more fun on city streets for daily driving. I would like to see the next Z have more lower midrange torque to improve the fun to drive factor on the streets. I'm skeptical that a direct injection version of the current motor will improve the lower half of the torque curve.

 

I test drove a 370 at a dealership while getting my 350 serviced. It was an automatic and had the sport package. I got in...started it up...and the first thing that struck me was how quiet it was. No exhaust "growl". Then, off we went down the road and it felt like I was driving a family car. Compare that to my first test drive of a 350 which made me feel like I was driving a go-kart on steroids (my previous vehicle was a pickup truck at that point). Perhaps there's something to be said for people driving a 370 that never drove a 350. For me, it did not feel like a sportscar at all.

Also, the interior of the 370 showed many signs of compensating for being a shorter car. The dash looks like a vertical wall instead of sloping towards you. Anything that was elliptical or rectangular in the 350 is round or square in the 370. Ergonomics aside, the positioning of instruments in the 370 isn't all that intuitive and putting a dedicated clock up on the dash (where the computer is on the 350) is a waste of a slot.

I won't comment on the 370's overall appearance...that's been discussed a million times. I really hope the next gen Z is a completely new car that stands on its own. I think Nissan has an opportunity here to be creative and reinvent its flagship vehicle. There seems to be a common trend with the front end appearance of other makes and models (sort of a trapezoid shape with lots of angles). Personally I like the look and hope Nissan can come up with their own variant that impresses or even something else that is stylish and uniquely aggressive.

 

LOL The GT-R is Nissan's flagship vehicle.

 

LOL...my mistake...for nearly all of Nissan's (and Datsun's) existence it was the Z. I think for the majority of people the Z is still thought of as the flagship car since the GTR is beyond most people's reach financially. But whatever. I still look forward to the next gen Z with the hope of buying one. That was my intent for the 370 initially (until it was released causing me to say, "WTF?").

BTW, if I had the money for a GTR I would buy an R8.

 

The 5.2 is the only one worth its salt next Godzilla so you better keep saving.