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2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive

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Starkeshia
04/17/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
You lyin' about the BBQ? You say that the BBQ place was in Diboll, but the sign out front says best in Montgomery Co.? Diboll ain't in Montgomery Co. It is in Angelina Co. WTF?
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Matt Hardigree
04/17/09

@Starkeshia: There's the City of Diboll and the village of Dobbin. This was on the village of Dobbin. I did some work in Diboll and my brain inverted the two.
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Landau_Calrissian loves our President Camacho.
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
350 looks better. Especially the back. and WTF happened to the healights?

Like a previous poster said, the 370's best feature to me is that there will be lots of cheap 350s around now.
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Braff
04/16/09

@Landau_Calrissian loves our President Camacho.: enjoy looking at the taillights of 370Zs and uncomfortable seats
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VTEC
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
I'd still take the 370z over the ugly, heavy "full of character" Camaro.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@VTEC: Since when was the Camaro full of character?
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VTEC
04/16/09

@Wes Siler:

Ok, my apologies. For some reason I thought you were referring to what you yourself thought of it in the Camaro review, but instead you were talking about how it will be perceived by the general public:

"It'll beat its competitors hands down, not only in a numbers-based pissing contest, but also in the public's imaginations: an advantage presented by its futuristic-yet-retro styling."

Re-reading the last paragraph, you do make it fairly clear that it's an upgraded musclecar, and not much else. So yeah, my bad.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@VTEC: No worries and yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
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bmoreDLJ
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
THIS is your first drive of this? Geez...it's already won a comparo in Car&Driver...a month ago.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@bmoreDLJ: Sadly Nissan didn't see fit to put it in front of Jalopnik readers until now.
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Braff
04/16/09

@Wes Siler: hey if you ever need a man on the street in CA... I am here.

[www.nadaguides.com]
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SundaySunday
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive

SORRY, TEH CONSTRUCKSHUN GUYS EATED UR COOKIE

:(
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nataku8_e30
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
Can someone explain the synchrorev match feature to me? Normally, when double clutching, you hit the clutch, shift into neutral, you rev the engine once while in neutral - this spins the front section of the transmission up to speed, when you hit the clutch again, engage the next gear, and rev the engine once more to make sure it's just right as you let the clutch back out. It sounds like the computer can't know how quickly the engine needs to rev until you're selecting the next gear, at which point you're relying completely on the synchros to match speeds inside of the transmission. So, it sounds like this feature eliminates double clutching and puts more wear on the synchros? If someone could clarify this, I'd appreciate it.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@nataku83: Try this link: SynchroRev Match
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nataku8_e30
04/16/09

@Wes Siler: Yeah, I read that before posting. It SEEMED like it doesn't rev until you actually select the gear, so assuming it's not shift by wire, you're already engaging the synchros by the time the computer decides to blip the throttle. I tried watching the video as well, but it went quickly and there was no audio, for some reason... I just wanted to confirm that this was actually the case, because if so, it may be another Nissan transmission issue...
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Braff
04/16/09

@nataku83: it doesn't double clutch, it simulates heel-toe downshifts. Thus matching the engines speed to the gear and allowing for better setup and exit in corners.

...or for the average driver on the street, to make your passenger think you are a pro at leaving the grocery store.
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nataku8_e30
04/16/09

@BrAff: Hrmm, ok then, but double clutching is normally part of heel-toe, right? I guess that's why this just "simulates" it.
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Braff
04/16/09

@nataku83: double-clutching is not necessary for a heel-toe but can be done. (I think...)
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@BrAff: correct, double declutching and heel-toe are different.
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nataku8_e30
04/16/09

@BrAff: hrmm, this might explain part of why I can't effectively heel-toe, I'm really unwilling to downshift without double clutching. Give me a call when Nissan figures that one out!
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Braff
04/16/09

@nataku83: how old is the car you are driving? A modern transmission should hold up just fine with double-clutching unless you are running an endurance race somewhere.
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Boosted Lego Wagon
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
Cole's Notes: ZZZzzzzzzz....
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jark
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
I see a 370Z and think "Wow that'd be a fun weekend car but just not practical for the commute and I can't afford two cars." Hardigree drives a 370Z and thinks "Wow this car is more competent than I am and isn't trying to kill me so therefore it's boring"
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Maymar
04/16/09

@jark - horsepower war reenactor: It's an extension of an idea that's been kicked around for a few years, that cars have gotten so good that you've got to be flagrantly breaking (or outright nuking) traffic laws to really exploit them, and several are kind of dull otherwise.
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Danimal
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
Matt and Wes in all you comments you keep bringing up "character" which I'm totally cool with. It is one of the most important things I look for when I consider a car.

Perhaps some kind of character camparison of the new batch of front engine RWD sports cars is in order? (Genesis, Camaro, Mustang, Challenger, 370Z etc)

Ignore all the technical specs and tell us which one gives you the best experience, plain and simple.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@Fourstring85: I haven't driven the Z yet, but I look forward to answering that question.
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bugattatra
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
Not the most descriptive drive test I've ever read.

How is turn-in? Steering feel? Brake effectiveness, fade resistance, feel? If you can't make a relatively light, high-powered RWD coupe that's made to oversteer, uh, oversteer perhaps you don't know what you're doing.

Sorry to be a dick, but that was lame.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@bugattatra: That's not what Matt does, that's what I do. Matt's more like your bookish, eccentric uncle who wear's corduroy sport jackets with leather elbow patches.
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Bentoboxx, My Tank is full of it
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
Matt, How did you end up with an Automatic? call me and I'll get ya into a 6 speed out in cali, dude
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Braff
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
The car is better than the last one but you don't like it?

The 350Z was a huge disappointment and Nissan is one of the few manufacturers pushing a popular model in the right direction - more power, less weight, better overall product.

I think you are just pissed they stuck you with the slushbox... the manual is a blast.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@BrAff: I think Matt's point is that the 350's flaws made it entertaining at a moderate pace. The 370 is so good that he (as he admits, not the best driver) can't have fun within the envelope that he's comfortable in.
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Matt Hardigree
04/16/09

@BrAff: Visually, the car has a lot of character and I freely admit it's a very well-engineered car. But it lacks character and this isn't the first Nissan/Infiniti car I've driven lately that has the same problem. It's benchmarking against identity.
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aSoundofSleep-less nights
04/16/09

@Wes Siler:

Then it's not the car he should be knocking, but his driving skills. (More so than the car)
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snapoversteer 'bout to get told
04/16/09

@BrAff: The 350 was a disappointment to whom, exactly? Certainly not to Nissan or the tens of thousands of people who bought them.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@Duke Sound Vtechen of Sleepenburg: Grr, chest thump, beer chug. Me real man, me smash.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@Duke Sound Vtechen of Sleepenburg: But seriously, matt's driving skills or lack thereof are probably more in line with the general public's than those of most professional car reviewers. He's saying that for the average joe, the new Z is less fun than the old. That's a relevant opinion.
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aSoundofSleep-less nights
04/16/09

@Wes Siler:

I'm not trying to come across as a douche, I was just trying to point out that we can't fault the car. Hell, this car actually implements a technology for everyday general-populace drivers, the rev-matching on the manual. Like I stated before, it just came off that way. It's kind of hard to grasp that something is better in every way, but less fun.
Now I'm definitely going to have to test drive one.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@Duke Sound Vtechen of Sleepenburg: See, I don't like the idea of rev-matching because I do like the idea of driving being a skill you can't constantly improve on.

I think that rev-match system is probably indicative of the car's overall character, it's great, but it does too much for you.
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MushyHeirloom
04/16/09

@Duke Sound Vtechen of Sleepenburg: Not quite - I think the issue is that driving skills are honed by fighting the laws of physics, not the laws of stability and traction control and ABS.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@Wes Siler: can constantly improve on rather.
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Braff
04/16/09

@snapoversteer: to me... (does that count?)

to be fair, I only got to drive a 350Z convertible and it was terrible.

I have driven the 370Z with manual trans and I loved it.@Wes Siler: ahh... the same complaint (albeit on a different scale) that people have with the GT-R. The car is great and there isn't much left for the driver to do.

@Matt Hardigree: I think Nissan/Infiniti are putting out a lot of good vehicles right now - the new Z, the new Altima (great for the $), the G37 sedan is one of my favorites, the FX is quite fun to drive, and of course the GT-R. I think they are in a good place right now, in terms of offering vehicles that function very nicely on a daily basis, yet are still fun to drive - a mix that others fail to find on a consistent basis.
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Bentoboxx, My Tank is full of it
04/16/09

@Wes Siler: Button on the right turns it off for those drivers trying to reach Imperfection Nirvana
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Cognitive Friction
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
"persimmon-colored" ?!?

Easy there, Merriam Webster...we didn't all go to Gudger College
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Matt Hardigree
04/16/09

@Cog. Friction, fueled by Jalopsinthe: I kid you not, that's what Nissan wants people to call it. It's the interior color's official name.
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Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
Still, it's refreshing to see a downsizing and weight reduction, as opposed to the way the 240/260/280/300Z steadily gained weight.
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FЯeeMan
04/16/09

@Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing: Glad I wasn't the only one who caught the typo about a loss of weight!

Wait, what? That's for real? Color me shocked!
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Leeeeena the Jalopchick
04/16/09

@Charles_Barrett - Now with Variable-Valve Timing: Didn't both Mazda and Audi say they were going to be trimming the excess weight from subsequent generations?
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aSoundofSleep-less nights
04/16/09

In reply to 2009 Nissan 370Z: First Drive
It's almost too competent for its own good.

I guess I just don't understand that statement. The Z has almost always been about cutting edge performance and handling in a nice tight little package with medium sized balls. It seems to me like this car has evolved they way the wanted it to. No, it's not going to have the brute force like, let's say, a new V8 Mustang or Camaro. But then again it can drive cicrles around them on a road course. I don't think we should damn it just because it's too good at what it is. Maybe I'm just getting the wrong vibe from the write-up, who knows. Either way, you've made me hungry for BBQ now, and a test drive.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@Duke Sound Vtechen of Sleepenburg: But has that competence come at the expense of character?
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aSoundofSleep-less nights
04/16/09

@Wes Siler:

I guess when I sit inside a car for the first time I do get a sense of character. Having improved the car in almost every way from the previous generation should increase it's character. I'm an average skilled driver myself but I still like to push my car to it's limits. Just because the car is more competent than I am doesn't mean that I will think it has no character. I'll just think that I'm not a good enough drive for what the car demands. I can see where Matt is coming from, I just think it came across like he was condemning the car because he couldn't handle it.
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Wes Siler
04/16/09

@Duke Sound Vtechen of Sleepenburg: You need to stop looking at car reviews as pissing contests. At the speeds at which Matt drove the car he found it a bit boring, even if it was fast. This is a criticism that's often leveled at current 911s, they're stunningly capable cars, but aren't any more fun than say, an E-Class, until you start throwing them around on a racetrack.
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