I can't believe I'm reading the same old prejudices again from yet another uninformed MT owner. Come back and say it when you've driven an AT 350Z. Until then, you have no evidence to back up your statements. All you are is one more person who "thinks" ATs are not sports cars. Well, you are wrong, and I have 38 years of driving MTs in sports cars you never heard of to illustrate it. BTW, Top Fuel Dragsters and F1 cars seem to perform quite well w/ATs, HUH!

 

I bought an automatic so my wife could drive the Z from time to time. And I refused to sacrifice clutches in order to train her to drive MT. Not to mention the car, itself.

I had MT in my 1990 300Z and absolutely loved it. But the manual mode in the AT 350Z is SSSSWWWEEEETTTT!!! At 33, I'm about performance, comfort and style. If it was all about the performance, I would have kept my 6 speed Hayabusa and destroyed just about everything else on the road.

The point is...WHO CARES...AT/MT, STILL A Z!!!!

 

Sorry to bust ya boomer, but it's not the same thing. The AT on the Z is nowhere NEAR the performance level of the SMG (sequential manual gearbox) on the BMW M3, the aston martins, the ferraris, or Top fuel, and F1 cars. Totally different ball of wax. It's a completely different type of transmission. And an SMG transmission will totally fade ANY driver of a stick. Instant shifts with instant throttle, and clutch engagement. The BMW, Ferrari, and Aston Martin SMG transmissions have different settings that engage the clutch and throttle differently for different driving conditions. There are street settings, and race settings. Street setting is closer to what the Z AT is like, but the race settings are far, FAR beyond anything you can imagine.

 

Blah blah blah blah freaking blah. What in the hell does not having a standard tranismission have to do with understanding or appreciating a sports car? And for sure who gives a rats *** about dragsters? WTF does that have to do with anything? I don't drag race. I go on spirted drives from time to time that's about it. I bought a vehicle that gets me to work every morning so that I can pay for it. I don't drag race people to work for pink slips. I'm not a pro race car driver. I doubt few here are. I bought the car because of its beautiful design, outstanding performance and to a much lesser extent the history that goes with the Z name. I have driven standards all my life including a 66 corvette that would eat up the tires in 4th gear and send any 350Z on this board packing. I got exactly what I wanted when I bought the car. After driving standards for most my life I decided that I wanted something different. I was tired of driving a standard day in and day out in traffic of which I spend about 90% of my time in with no hope of racing someone much less coming out of 3rd gear. If you have a problem with automatics fine, but until you actually ride in one or being the big racers that you guys are, race one then keep your negative opinions to yourself and revel that were are all lucky enough to enjoy and appreciate such a fine sports car.

Sorry so long.

 

YEAH, vova151! Couldn't have said it better myself; to each his own and my own is an 5AT. All the MTs gradually became boring, the 5AT is fun, faster?, who gives a rat's ***? The Z's torque lends itself very well to an AT, SO WHY NOT, its my money and my business. Adolescent posturing was out of my system long ago, and I like what I like because its my decision, not someone else's.

Boomer--Brickyard/Frost/Touring 5AT

 

nicely said vova

 

Getting an automatic on a sports car is just ludicrous. You can't compare the Z's tiptronic to a sequential F1 type transmission like in Ferrari's or BMW's. Those systems shift faster than most people can and are useful out on the track. Even then, I doubt I'd enjoy them as much as a stick. An automatic just goes against the whole sports car philosophy. It's kind of sad to see Nissan put it in there.

 

A wonder why some people are so resistant to technological advances, and to think that the automatic tip Tronic transmission in the new Z is any less sophisticated than BMW or other manufacturers just because it may not be quite as expensive, Nissan has over 100 patents pending in Japan on this transmission alone. And it's only 14 pounds heavier than the manual.

D Monte

 

The new SMG is faster than anything nissan has ever made by a phenomenal amount. It's one of the first available tipronic/auto trans. that is faster than driving stick. And with the launch feature you don't lose anything off of the line either.

 

So, the number of patents pending a company has signifies how advanced the company is? That's new to me. Virtually everybody can patent something. Trust me, it's not hard. I really really doubt the Z auto is as advanced as the SMG in BMW or we'd be hearing about it, and it would be marketed like crazy. If you haven't noticed, many cars are coming out with that tiptronic stuff. It was an innovation 5 years ago, not anymore.

 

Oh and the new Hyundai elantra comes with a tiptronic now too. Patents pending of course. j/k

 

My mistake, that was not 100 patents pending, that was 100 actual patents on just that transmission as per Nissan. one Awesome transmission.


I believe Nissans technology is up there with the best, I would hope if you also purchased one that you would think the same

D Monte

 

I know a couple of people with 2002 maximas with the auto and am told it is the weakest part of the car. Just because you own a car doesn't mean you have to respect the individual parts of it. My Z06 has very loud suspension as well as a crappy length throw on the shifter. I don't respect these problems but I do respect the car as a whole. Just as I respect the 350 and nissan on the whole but hate their auto's and the cheap plastic laden interiors. And especially with tranny's nissan is not up there with the best. They're quite good but nothing can compare to the new ferarri paddle shift or the Beamer SMG. They are simply superior and based on new technology.

 

What does the 2002 Maximas auto have to do with the Zs do you know about this product?
And you like the interior of a Corvette you don't think it's cheap and plastic ?

 

The thing is I haven't purchased the Z. I'm still trying to figure out what car to get, basically between the S2000 and the Z. I think overall Nissan technology is good, but its not quite cutting edge, state of the art stuff. And who can blame them when they were bankrupt just 6-7 years ago.

 

I also almost purchased a S2000, and in hindsight I haven't regretted it at all I've driven the Honda numerous times and since I've had my Z mid-November I am so glad I waited for this car .
Get one you will not regret it.

D Monte

 

like I said before....if you have a car with lower hp, you WILL feel a power diff between an AT and MT. Now, if you have lets say, 350+ crank hp, you HARDLY feel the difference.

Its all about personal preference...I know that they guys over at LS1.COM dont flame each other because they purchased an Auto...hell, some people prefer autos because you can slap a 3800 TC and dive into the mid 12's STOCK.

The days of inefficient slush boxes are over...this isnt the 80's/early 90's

I do agree that its not as FUN to drive than a stick...but each have thier pro/cons. grow up people

 

I think that about sums it up IMO.

 

What's that suppsoed to mean? The Z has the type of automatic where you just sit there and it does all the shifting for you right? All I'm saying is that I would prefer a stick. I don't need to buy the Z to tell you that.

 

You might want to pick up the book called love then lust Z book, it's about 25 bucks it will give you a lot of technical information about the new Z. last year I purchased the one for the S2000 and it was super informative also it gives you details that only the manufacture would be able to tell you.


DMONTE