Nissan 350Z: Ninja with Z sign
Most of the mass cars “Nissan” – “Primera”, “Almera”, “Micra” – are proper names. But an exclusive, a real ninja, in which a generation is already content with an index of numbers, supplemented with the letter “Z”. Maybe because it serves only to satisfy the driver’s passion and is not used for economic purposes …
Driver and passenger
Reflections about impractical double sports cars evaporated with the first dose of adrenaline. This time, the excitement, accompanied by a rapid pulse, arose even before the engine started.
The unusual, but very modern look of the new Nissan-350Z, huge 18-inch wheels with Bridgestone Potenza tires, Brembo brake machines, two chrome-sparkling muzzles of the exhaust system immediately tuned to the desired mode. Available, according to the creators, the sports car looks like a very expensive supercar. It does not disappoint inside.
It cost the leather seat with developed lateral support to fix the body, as the legs immediately found shiny metal pedals and a platform for rest, the left hand rested on the rim of the three-spoke sports steering wheel, and the right squeezed the short handle of the six-speed gearbox. Conveniently. Restraining the almost overwhelming desire to break off, I push the chair, adjust the mirrors, the steering column and click the belt buckle. So: the review back is good only in the outer “mugs”, and in the interior mirror only a narrow window opening is visible. The desired position of the seat is found quickly, but the steering wheel moves only up and down, the adjustment from itself is absent. But together with the steering column moves the instrument cluster with round dials – great! The rim of the donut will never block the speedometer and tachometer.
The key to start. What a pleasant unobtrusive, but distinct engine bass. In this solo, you can hear all the power of the atmospheric V-shaped “six” of large volume. Let’s hit the road! The first bright impression strangely left pedals. As it should be for a sports car, they are tougher and more informative than in a normal passenger car, but just enough so that the increased effort when squeezing the clutch, braking or gas supply does not cause rapid fatigue or discomfort.
Accelerated “Nissan 350Z” very convincingly. But this is not surprising – 280 forces under the hood oblige. And just by getting accustomed to the excellent dynamics, you note: at the very beginning, when moving from idle to low engine speed, there is still a short “lag”. It is characteristic of all machines that comply with the latest standards of toxicity. Nothing can be done – “ecology” does not allow the engine to sing in full voice. There are other restrictions – the electronic “brain” forbids the “Nissan” to travel faster than 250 km / h. I liked the gearbox very much: precise shifting, short lever strokes, harmony of transmission and engine capabilities.
“Nissan” on the shoulder winding tracks with complex bundles of turns. He willingly and promptly responds to the driver’s commands, demonstrating neutral steering. The steering wheel, sporty sharp and moderately heavy, requires precise, smooth and measured movements, and the power steering system manifests itself in its entirety only when maneuvering at low speeds.
Suspension – tough. At first, this seems to be an uncompromising tribute to controllability, and only then you realize that the deliberately muscular character of the suspension is a subtle game with the sensations of a driver. In fact, it lacks both comfort and energy intensity. Anyway, on European roads. “Nissan” is still designed for daily and long trips – the consumer will certainly not forgive him for racing “chisellers”.
… It’s time to try on the passenger seat, giving the colleague a place at the wheel. Peres, I do not recognize the car: the feelings have become different. The posture is more imposing, seemingly improved smoothness, the landing-landing has become easier. Mystic? No, Nissan experts confirmed the assumptions about asymmetry. Similar, like siblings, the seats are actually different! Driving is tougher and bold for better fusion with the car and full of sports impressions, passenger is softer, and its lateral support is lower – while maintaining the style, here we paid more attention to comfort.
Aluminum and CFRP
The engineers had a difficult task: to design a worthy change for a perfect, but too expensive (for the Nissan brand, of course) model 300ZХ. That is, to create a car no less outstanding, but cheaper. Perhaps, it was possible to cope with such a controversial task. The new “athlete” with the 350Z index clearly demonstrates that not only mass products can be made on Nissan. This time the engine is not equipped with a turbocharger, but 280 “horses” and 363 Nm of torque are quite decent indicators for a 3.5-liter “aspirated” with variable valve timing.
The weight distribution of a classic car layout with rear drive wheels is close to perfect: 53% is on the front axle, 47% on the rear axle. To reduce the mass of parts of the front and rear suspension, as well as wheels forged from aluminum.
