A test drive of the new Nissan 350Z:

$29,000 "estimated" not including dealer markup
3.5L V6 putting out 260 HP
0-60 in 6.0 sec "estimated"


No thanks, sounds like all engine, no car just like the altima, I for one will stick to my TT.
Besides it does not sound as great as it should have been. Like the altima which has a poor interior, Nissan had to have cost cutting somewhere on this car, hmm wonder where it could be?

interior?
safety?
suspension?
longevity?
transmission?

 

Bet on 20-30 more HP than it states there.

 

It depends on what you value -- for example, TT still has much better style inside and out than the Z.

You'll have to register (for free), but Autoweek has driven the prototype 350Z (and it's very much prototype). It doesn't look like Nissan is going to skimp on the engine or suspension. The <a href="http://www.autoweek.com/search/search_display.mv?port_code=&cat_code=carnews&cont ent_code=08703346&Search_Type=STD&Search_ID=259613 &record=3">article</a> also talks about the Infiniti G35 and <a href="http://www.autoweek.com/specials/2001_tokyo/nissan/gtr/1.htm">Nissan GT-R</a>. The GT-R sounds like a beast -- it's got a turbocharged version of the same 3.5l V-6. Frankly, the front end is extremely ugly (like a beast?), but I really like the rest of the car.

And, although Nissan did skimp on the interior, the Altima gets a very good <a href="http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/roadtest/48102/article.html"> review</a> from Edmunds. I really like the Altima's exterior, although I'm not going to buy one.

Tony
PS Here are two paragraphs from the article:

Here's why: The Z sits on Nissan's new FM platform (FM stands for front mid-ship, referring to the engine location). FM is a rear-wheel-drive setup already in use on the Japan-market Skyline and Stagea models and which is planned for the new GT-R. Wheel movement is controlled by an all-new suspension Nissan only refers to as "multilink" for now, so we'll fill you in on that later. We do know weight distribution sits at 52/48 front/rear, a balance made slightly nose-heavy on purpose to give the Z better grip at turn-in. In mid-corner, under acceleration, balance then goes to 50/50, say Nissan engineers. Drag coefficient is "below 0.32," which isn't world-class but does allow the aerodynamic trade-off of zero lift at high speeds.

The 3.5-liter longitudinally mounted V6 in our test car made less than 250 hp, but with a reworked port design and continuously variable valve timing and control, engineers say production Zs will make "at least" 280. Without the Z's advanced tuning, the basic 3.5-liter engine from the VQ family found in the Altima produces 240 hp. Only the twin-turbo GT-R gets more power than the Z from that 3.5-liter V6, though we don't yet know to what extent.

 

all it has to do is sell and get people reinterested in the brand. If the Z is nothing but engine - it could be argued that the TT is nothing but just design