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.
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.
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.
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.