370/350 comparison

Rob Gaskin

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Well I had a 370 GT for 24hrs last weekend - an extended test drive.

I wanted to see what they were like and if it was worth considering buying one. My 350Z has now done 116k mls (but it has a new engine).

Well tbh I was a bit dissappointed. They look good from some angles (love the rear arches) but I find the aggressive grill and stumpy tail hard to like. The interior is much better made however the Juke-box style dash and keyless start are a bit of a gimmick. The SatNav was poor, I tried it out and it wanted to send me wrong twice (not just an alternative route buy away from home) so I ignored it.

The synchro rev gear box is great to use but the exhaust is too quiet (very quiet) so it's not a sporty blip - but still good. The exhaust is too quiet for a sports car and added to that the engine is quite harsh and unsporty when extended. My 350 is nicer but the 240 by far the best (what a great engine the L series is!).

Luggage space - still too shallow but better now the strutbrace is moved. Without a spare wheel 350 and 370s would have a reasonable boot.

Visibility - the rear quarter windows are virtually useless with the headrests in place, I had a situation where I couldn't see enough to pull across a dual carriageway very much vanlike. The 350 window is better.

Performance - quicker than my 350 but not a lot (I was expecting more from a 50bhp hike). The car although lighter/smaller than a 350 actually feels bigger and heavier.

Steering and suspension were very good and sporty. Sharp nicely weighted steering and stiffness about perfect.

Also compared to running a 2004 350 the costs would be significantly more, double the road tax and I'm sure mpg is about 5 mpg worse.

Plus point women love them, quite a few of the women around me thought it was beautiful:thumbs:.

I just wish it was lighter and a bit louder/smoother. Perhaps that's what the Limited Edition should have been instead of just incorporating cosmetic changes and adding £3k to the price.
 

Paul_S

Club Member
I have to agree about the exhaust - I've always thought the same (just waiting for it to fall off!) I thought the key was a gimmick too but I soon learned to love it.

You are right about the visibility too - they chopped the extra length out behind the door and it tells in some situations.

Did you actually drive the LE version? The sat nav in the 2009 models is a bit poor but the 2010 one is far better (it also has a hard drive, USB MP3 option, etc.)

I guess being a little disappointed has made the decision a lot harder.
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
I can never see the point in built-in sat-nav - normally £2000 against £100-150 for a Tom-Tom......

Not exactly fair to compare it against anything other than it's direct market competitors but interesting and no doubt valid comments.
Sports-cars should be light, GTs should be heavier - what is this wanting to be ? Like most modern cars, a bit of everything.

Two pure seats, some nice noise, light and a bit of ommph......Nissan - bring out an MX-5 beater in a new Fairlady Roadster....
 

Paul_S

Club Member
I agree about built in sat nav. I had chosen not to go for the sat nav but I ended up with the limited edition yellow model that comes with it. Since I got a good deal I effectively got it for free (in my own head at least!) so I don't feel hard done by. If I'd paid the extra £1,800 then I would have been miffed. That said, I love the integration with the stereo, heater controls, phone, etc.

Rob, I am a little surprised that you didn't think the extra power was all that much more. I was very impressed from the step up on my '04 350Z.
 

Rob Gaskin

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I

Rob, I am a little surprised that you didn't think the extra power was all that much more. I was very impressed from the step up on my '04 350Z.

Paul, it was quicker but in my opinion it should have felt more. However if it had made more noise I might have had a different opinion. To be honest it's enough performance for a road car, it was fine - I just wish I had felt I was in a sports car and not a quick saloon. It was too much Audi TT.
 

Paul_S

Club Member
So are you going to save some cash and bolt a supercharger or even TT on your 350 then?! ;)
 

Rob Gaskin

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So are you going to save some cash and bolt a supercharger or even TT on your 350 then?! ;)

No Paul, for the road it's ok. For the track I would upgrade the brakes/suspension and reduce weight first.

Are you watching the RJN 370s in the Great and British Championship?

By the way two other minor issues with the 370 I tried, transmission whine on the overrun (noticed by my wife too) and steering pull/tramlining especially when braking - my 350 doesn't do that.
 

dav350z

Well-Known Forum User
Rob, very interesting comparison thread.
I did the Nissan Race Academy last year and was very impressed with the car on the road and particularly on the track. I have done a track day also in my car (04 350Z) and would say there is a considerable difference between the two cars, I think the quieter exhaust note on the 370 makes it very deceiving and feels slower, I have the Scorpion exhaust on my car.

Dave
 

BRONZEE

Well-Known Forum User
Luggage space - still too shallow but better now the strutbrace is moved. Without a spare wheel 350 and 370s would have a reasonable boot.

Performance - quicker than my 350 but not a lot (I was expecting more from a 50bhp hike). The car although lighter/smaller than a 350 actually feels bigger and heavier.
You could always do what Ebized has done across on the 350 forum. Put a proper spare wheel in. Extra weight, but a somewhat more confident feeling if one does get a puncture, especially if you have a fair way to travel to the nearest fixer 'er up or home.

To me personally, yes having the poxy tyre goop fix is obviously a weight saving, but I'd rather have an actual tyre. Or maybe people don't like to get their hands dirty these days and change tyres themselves. Spare tyres are easy to remove on track days, when one doesn't need the extra weight. Maybe we're stuck with it, until tyre makers come out with a fool proof, no puncture tyre that still performs (not good for their bottom dollar though).

and steering pull/tramlining especially when braking - my 350 doesn't do that.
Maybe due to the larger wheels?
 

3FIDDYZ

Forum User
Paul, it was quicker but in my opinion it should have felt more. However if it had made more noise I might have had a different opinion. To be honest it's enough performance for a road car, it was fine - I just wish I had felt I was in a sports car and not a quick saloon. It was too much Audi TT.

Rob, do you own a Blue 350z? If so did we meet at Silverstone at the Nippon Track day?
 

zedboy

Club Member
Thanks Rob - That's it decided then!!! I'll stick with my 350 then!!!!!!!!!!!!! (as if I had any other option anyway!)
 

Rob Gaskin

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Yes I do own a blue 350 and we did meet, ;).

If I changed my 350 for another modern Z I think it would be for the 313 350. I would want a test drive first though.
 

3FIDDYZ

Forum User
Yes I do own a blue 350 and we did meet, ;).

If I changed my 350 for another modern Z I think it would be for the 313 350. I would want a test drive first though.

Great to meet you there Rob :) And glad the boot weight worked!

313 is a nicer place to sit with the uprated interior but with the uprev and some mods then the 276 car is just as good.... I didnt really notice any difference in power between the 276 and the 313

I found the 370z to have good power out of the box, it did feel a little more sure footed than the stock 350, but lacking in certain areas like noise and it needed to be a little stiffer (they are built to attract a general audiance) in the suspension dept.

I still cant decide 100% on upgrading (yep I do feel its like an upgrade) but I know as soon as I got one I would need to make it different to every other one! And that would make it expensive! Think I will have a bit more of a play with mine and then decide in a year or 2!
 

SeanDezart

Well-Known Forum User
Great to meet you there Rob :) And glad the boot weight worked!

313 is a nicer place to sit with the uprated interior but with the uprev and some mods then the 276 car is just as good.... I didnt really notice any difference in power between the 276 and the 313

I found the 370z to have good power out of the box, it did feel a little more sure footed than the stock 350, but lacking in certain areas like noise and it needed to be a little stiffer (they are built to attract a general audiance) in the suspension dept.

I still cant decide 100% on upgrading (yep I do feel its like an upgrade) but I know as soon as I got one I would need to make it different to every other one! And that would make it expensive! Think I will have a bit more of a play with mine and then decide in a year or 2!

Good feedback here - personally, I wonder whether the price-tag differences are merited over a standard 'early' 350 but I'm maybe too biased being an owner of a 240 and satisfied with different 'thrills'..........:unsure:
 

chesterfield

Active Forum User
For me, the best way I could describe the difference between the 370 and the 350 woul be:

The 370Z felt like a 350Z but with every screw given that extra quarter turn. It just felt tighter, and more rigid. There is after all at least 7 years between the first 350 and 370, so we should expect some changes for the better. The interior I feel is a step upward from the 350. Much better use of meterials makes the cabin feel more "prestigious", without compromising the sporty feel of the car.
 

Rob Gaskin

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Update - I had a drive in a 7 speed Tiptronic 370 over the weekend and loved it. I didn't realise the Tiptronic has synchro rev too, so as you come to a slow corner you just touch the downchange paddle and it blips it before changing and no clutch in sight.

OK I know sporty drivers are supposed to use manual boxes but you tell an F1 or WRC driver to do that.

Another thing I learnt is that 370s don't have a spare wheel not even a spacesaver. A big bass speaker sits where the wheel would go. How silly, the shallow boot (not even deep enough at the back to hold a wine bottle or cereal box) could be twice the depth. For people like me who don't have a family car that extra space is needed at times.
 

Charlie Boy

Well-Known Forum User
I am going for a test drive on Fri the only thing I am concerned with is the driving position and lack of reach adjustment for the steering wheel . Reading Nissan will only give me a one hour test drive so I don't think thats enough to know if I will get on with it or not. Are there any lanky 370Z drivers out there who can comment, how is it for extended drives? I am 6'5" and fairly wide:)
 

Rob Gaskin

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Charlie, you should be ok I had the seat quite forward I'm 5'10".

1 hour will be enough as far as driving is concerned. It's all the gizmos that take time to understand.
 

BRONZEE

Well-Known Forum User
Find some backroads to go and play on Charlie. You'll soon find out what the car can do. Good point and bad points.

Rob, Ebized across on the 350 forum has a proper spare wheel in and ditched the junk tyre fill stuff from his 370. Damn good idea if you ask me. It doesn't take long or much effort to change a tyre. Even a teny tiny space saver is better than tyre gunk.
 
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