2004 Nissan 350Z Review

Specifications

Dominating With a Price and Power Advantage

To say that Nissans 350Z has done well doesnt do it justice. The fact is that Nissans sexy coupe dominates its class with over 38% of the 2003 model year performance sports car market. To be clear that means it outsold the Audi TT, BMW Z3/Z4, Honda S2000, Mercedes-Benz SLK and Porsche Boxster combined for the 2003 model year. It also sold better than Americas sports car, the Corvette, in every month since it went on sale.

Why is it so popular? One test drive answers this question decisively. The Z delivers substantially more power than every car in its class, while offering particularly sweet handling that is at least on par with all competitors, and better than some. And to top it all off, it can be had for a great deal less money than any rival.

Lets do a comparison. A similarly equipped Audi TT coupe starts at $32,500, almost $6,000 more than the $26,370 2003 350Z coupe. Its 180-hp turbocharged 1.8-L 4-cylinder driving the front wheels is hardly the equivalent of Nissans real-wheel drive and 287-hp V6, its 7.8 seconds 0 to 60 mph time a full 2.4 seconds slower than the independently tested 5.4 second to 60 mph 350Z. Sure the Audi offers a 225-hp all-wheel drive alternative, at a whopping $36,200 base price and will soon sport a 250-hp V6 version in 2004, but it still plays catch-up to the Z in the acceleration arena.

As for the other cars on the list, the BMW starts life as a 184-hp 6-cylinder priced nearly $7,000 higher than the 350Z at $33,100, with the upgraded 3.0-L version sporting 225-hp starting at $40,250. While its engine is wonderfully smooth, its rather anemic compared to the Nissan V6. Hondas diminutive 2.0-L 4-cylinder makes a substantial 240-hp in S2000 trim, but that power is about as flexible as a pot iron tie-rod. Nothing of any consequence happens until 6,000 rpm, making it truly hopeless off the line. This will be partially remedied with a new 2.2-L engine for 2004, but its current $32,600 base price, likely to rise next year, is still steep for a 4-cylinder car.

The Mercedes-Benz SLK is wonderfully slick, but again from a performance standpoint hardly a match. At $39,600 its 192-hp supercharged 4-cylinder is taxed for sure, while the upgraded $45,050 SLK 320 offers only 215-hp - barely adequate to play in this league. The 349-hp SLK 32 AMG remedies this situation with authority, but at $55,450 it enters Porsche territory. And that leads in well to the $42,600 Boxster. While beautifully balanced its 217-hp horizontally-opposed 6-cylinder is underpowered when compared to the 287-hp Z. Even the $51,600 250-hp Boxster S leaves 27-hp on the table.

But wait a minute? Im comparing the price of a coupe to convertibles. Everyone knows that a convertible offers a higher value proposition on todays market than a closed car. OK, lets be fair. Remember all the 350Z performance benefits? Now add a fully automatic convertible top complete with a glass rear window for all season driving, as well as pretty well every standard feature - less side curtain airbags - available on the top-line 350Z coupe for a base price of $33,850. Not bad, once again considering just how phenomenally quick and well refined the car is.

Dropping or raising the top takes a mere 20 seconds from a tug on the single center latch to when the cloth top is stored conveniently under the racy double bubble tonneau cover, mirroring the arcing shape of the fixed asymmetric roll protection bars just ahead.

While the 350Z was initially designed and engineered with a convertible model in mind, the roadster still weighs a little more than its hard top sibling - 216 pounds to be exact. This is due to extensive stiffening of the A-pillar and windshield surround, beefier rocker panels that connect at four points to a rigid X-brace, a completely new rear bulkhead and dramatically reworked rear floor construction, etc, etc.

The result is an amazingly tight structure with nary a creak or groan even on less than perfect road surfaces. The serpentine roadways surrounding North Americas number one ski resort, Whistler, where it was introduced, were hardly a challenge. The roadster performed even the tightest hairpin corners at more than double digit speeds with no perceptible body roll. Few cars allow the driver as much intuitive control, becoming the extension of mind, hands and feet to carry out each and every thought with absolute precision.

And its so easy to get comfortable in. Its standard leather drivers seat that is shaped differently than the passengers in coupe form, replicates its partner in the roadster. The seats themselves, however, are both distinctive from the coupe, with a one-piece shoulder bolster headrest wrapping over and around what is essentially a low-back bucket. Theyre superbly shaped and completely supportive.

For those missing the incongruity of the coupes seats the roadsters door panels still mismatch from one to the other. Some like it, some dont, cest la vie (thats life). I love their contemporary design, featuring a solid looking piece of dark gray textured plastic with tastefully placed metallic trim highlighting a vertical door handle on the passenger side and grab handle to the drivers left.

Interestingly, the power passenger seat moves forward slightly when opening or closing the top, settling back into place when the job is done. This might be disconcerting for the passenger at first, but the movement is so minimal it will be hardly noticeable the second time around. Why only the passenger seat moves and not the drivers is anyones guess, the Nissan staff on hand didnt have the answer. It must have something to do with clearance, but looking at both seats side by side made it hard to figure out.

Just the same the power seats work flawlessly. I found myself searching for their switches from time to time, found atop the lower inside bolsters rather than the usual place under the outside of the seat. Nissan came up with this clever idea recently, first showing up on the superb G35 sedan that shares 350Z architecture. They sure are easier to reach than conventional switches and take only a few days to get used to.

The twin cylinder headlight and wiper stalks have a premium feel, flanking an ergonomically perfect leather-clad steering wheel, complete with the requisite audio and cruise buttons only a thumbs-reach away. The wheel moves up and down via a motorcycle-style instrument pod, optimizing ergonomics. A row of ancillary gauges atop the center stack pay homage to the original 240Z, and all Z-cars since, and include a trip computer, plus oil pressure and voltmeter gauges.

The Zs 240-watt AM/FM audio system incorporates a dash-mounted 6-disc CD changer as well as a cassette player, feeding a set of superb Bose speakers - including two giant ones just behind each seat. Just under the audio interface are three large climate control dials. Theyre simple in operation, incorporating all necessary functionality into a tidy package.

A tiny little trunk limits storage to 4.1 cubic feet of low-height cargo, while the interior offers a variety of handy bins and compartments. This might be the Zs only weakness, offering much less space than the Boxster for instance.

The interior is pretty well 350Z coupe, with the only change other than the seats being a power folding lid for the optional navigational package, also available in the 2004 hard top. The only other exception is a rather slick color choice. The seats are covered with perforated black leather inserts surrounded by burnt orange leather outer bolsters that match the metallic orange exterior paint scheme perfectly. Additionally, a blue cloth top is optional to the standard black, only with blue, white and silver exterior colors.

Pull that top down and the roadsters superb aerodynamics - a 0.34 Cd compared to the coupes 0.30 - make for one of the most serene convertible rides Ive had in a long while. A little breeze is still capable of tossing the coif, a must for a roadster, but wind noise is kept so low that conversation is easy even at get-there-yesterday speeds. Only the throaty exhaust note, particularly appreciated in a car that promotes sport above all other attributes, brings silence to driver and passenger, alternatively causing smiles and girlish giggles of adrenaline induced excitement.

And thats for good reason of course. The aforementioned 287-hp 3.5-L V6 is one of my personal favorites, second only to BMWs M3 engine - lofty company indeed. It revs with such abandon that I found myself shifting up and down through the gears just for the fun of it, paying little attention to the fact it makes the majority of its horsepower at 6,200 rpm and optimizes its 274 lb-ft of torque at a much lower 4,800 rpm. A viscous limited-slip differential and traction control system with dash-mounted defeat button are standard.

The Z Roadsters official fuel economy is the same as the coupe, which delivers 24 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway in manual form, and 22 and 33 mpg respectively as an automatic. Its also LEV certified.

Despite the additional curb weight the roadster slows down with grace, composure, and most important, rapidity. The 11.65 x 0.95 inch vented front and 11.5 x 0.63 inch vented rear discs make use of a sophisticated 4-sensor, 4-channel, 4-wheel anti-lock system with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD), while P225/45R18 91W front and P245/45R18 96W rear performance tires on gorgeous 18 x 8-inch 6-spoke alloy rims create the same magic stopping that they do in the corners.

There are basically two models to choose from, with only one option available to each. The models are the 350Z Enthusiast model, with either an ultra-smooth short throw 6-speed manual transmission or one of the best 5-speed sequential shifting automatics on the market. The Enthusiasts version features standard power seats, a power-operated soft top, rear wind deflector, 17-inch alloy wheels, xenon headlightsa and automatic climate control. Again the 6-speed starts at $33,850 with the automatic needing $34,820.

Next is the 350Z Roadster Touring Model, with an MSRP of $36,220 and $37,190 for manual and automatic transmissions respectively. It adds a 7-speaker Bose audio system with 6-disc CD changer, leather-appointed heated seats (optional ventilated net seat design), heated mirrors and side-impact airbags.

Six-spoke 18-inch alloy rims are optinal on either model, while side-impact airbags are available on the Enthusiast model. An optional landscape view navigation system comes only on the Touring Model, while unlike the coupe no Track version is available. While a far cry from the coupes $31,690 base Touring package price, $37,190 for a top-line roadster is still excellent value when compared to the aforementioned rivals.

And those competitors still cant keep up. The 350Z Roadster offers quicker acceleration than any of the Europeans, supplies at least equal amounts of style along with premium brand interior quality, outshone in this latter category only by the best in class Audi TT. But once again, to sports car buyers, performance is what matters most. The Z Roadsters price and power advantage will no doubt make it as much of a success as the coupe.