Hello people, this is my first post here at My350z.com. I presently drive a 93 AWD Turbo Eagle Talon (same as an Eclipse GSX). I love my car but am sick and tired of the hassles of owning a used and abused auto. Its time for me to say F it and drop some change on a Z...
I like the Evo and STI for their handling and power but as far as ever wanting to own or buy a 4 door "sports car" (does that make any sense at all??!?) vehicle goes I can't see it in my near future... I am curious how the Z fares compared to either of the above cars as far as handling goes.
I am also very interested in drifting the Z and want to know its capabilities of doing so. I am not some ricer interested in being Takumi, I am just interested in different driving techniques and want to know if this car will be suitable for such.
I appreciate any and all comments, thanks for your time people!

 

for handling, the Z should be ligher with its smaller body and no heavy 4wd setup.

as for drifting, its a 287hp rwd car. and yes it can drift. from the factory as most all cars, they set it up for understeer. but a little throttle will fix that with no difficulty.

 

Lets see,

The new EVO and STI should perform better than the Z in a straight line, and will probably beat it on the track through sheer power.

The current WRX's are pretty close to the Z in a straight line (WRX's are slightly slower stock) but don't handle as crisply as the Z does. I don't know how the STI or EVO handling will compare to the current WRX, but I'm guessing they will both be better balanced and will therefore feel pretty good in the corners. The current WRX's understeer quite a bit more than the Z, but I've heard that the STI has a driver selectable Front/rear power bias, so you can really make the car balanced if you want. Both STI and EVO will probably exhibit quite a bit more body roll than the Z, since they have a higher center of gravity and a longer travel suspension.

The Z handles very well, but it is not perfect. It definitely understeers at the limit, and you really need to apply throttle to bring the rear around (at least in my limited experience), which will limit your ability to drift (probably only in 2nd gear corners).

I think it will be easier (cheaper) to improve the balance of the Z than the Z's power, but it will be much easier to increase the power of the STI or EVO by playing with boost.

I think that you really can't go wrong with any of the cars, although I prefer the Z first, the STI second, and the EVO a distant third.

-D'oh!

 

Thanks for all of the replys!
One thing no one mentioned is while the other two (Evo, STI) might have a little more going for it, the reliability factor is NOT there at all.

 

no they dont. but when you say stuff like that which cant be proved, you ussually get flamed.

someone might know better than me, but I thought the US versions would not be getting that front rear power distribution control? is that correct?

 

I'm not sure on if thats coming or not, my guess would be no; though I could easily be wrong.

I went to the dealership last night and checked out a Z, the car was damn sexy... I love the look of it, I'm just not sure which model I would get.

Could some one break down the handling and safety features for me? I thought the 350Z was just basic, nothing else. Then the Enthusiast has LSD? And then the Performance has VDC?

Am I right in thinking this? Which should I go for? I am really trying to stay under 30K. Is the VDC really worth it?

I would like to pick a Z up in June. Is there any reason why I should wait for the next models to come out? Is there a chance that the 2004's will change much in terms of the options and so on?

Sorry for all the questions, I am just dying for a new ride!

 

According to the subaru website, the NA models will have this feature. How sweet is that!?!?

 

personally I think base vs enthusiast is a sure fire win for enthusiast, you get TCS, you also get, xenon, home link, cruise control, and LSD. seems well worth 2000$ to me. performance adds 18" rims and VDC(its like TCS on crack, it can brake individual wheels to halt a slide/drift, rather than just stop peeling out) you can also add NAV to performance, which you cant have on the lower 2 models.

beyond that, touring has stereo and seats, and track has rims and brakes. those are added onto the base platform of a performance model.

 

Do you think VDC in the Performance is worth it? Or just say forget it and live with the TCS?

Also does anyone know of the changes for the 2004 model?

 

I have a performance, and believe that if you are questioning the need for VDC, you probably won't even notice that you have it, and therefore should not bother.

I've had the VDC come on a single time on the street (when I drive to work on a twisty mountain road), and a couple times during AutoX's (but I try to remember to turn VDC off when I'm racing).

VDC can definitely aid in avoidance maneuvers, especially when the road is slippery, but it still can't change the laws of physics. If you are careful then you probably will never need it, and if you are far too aggressive even VDC won't be able to save you.

Also, because the Z understeers at the limit, it is inherently stable and will typically just plow forward rather than spinning out of control. This reduces the need for VDC even further.

I personally am a gadget guru to some extent, which is why I thought it would be cool to have the VDC, but it doesn't really change the driving experience. It's just nice to know it's there.

-D'oh!