Before spending the last thousand miles with our 2009 Nissan 370Z Touring, I'd thought that anyone who wanted parking sensors or a back-up camera on a sportscar had issues with spatial relations and parking in general. That might still be true, but I'll tell you this: After two weeks with our Z car, I'm still terrible at judging the rearward view.
This is exactly what I see when I'm belted into the driver seat and turn my head to look back. If there's someone in the passenger seat, that useless rear quarter window is blocked. In a crowded parking lot, my only strategy is to start backing up verrry slowly and hope that I see cross traffic before it's too late.
I actually haven't had any close calls in our 370Z, but if bumper sensors or a camera were optional on this car, I'd swallow my pride and order them.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 3,890 miles
carguy622 says:
11:30 AM, 03/16/09
I almost backed up into a car today while backing out of a spot in my Miata with the top up. So it's not the size of the car that matters it's how well you can see out of it.
carguy622 says:
11:32 AM, 03/16/09
Also... those side rear windows are laughably small from the inside.
wobbly_ears says:
11:40 AM, 03/16/09
And this rear visibility is the reason why the Hyundai Genesis Coupe has that 'dip' in the rear window.
I sat in the Gen Coupe few weekends ago & while the visibility wasn't great, it was much much better than the Z.
dougtheeng says:
11:40 AM, 03/16/09
That seems pretty dangerous. Do other sports cars this size also have similar blindspots?
cwc1 says:
11:55 AM, 03/16/09
There has been a styling trend in the last few years of high doors and low side glass. In addition to the Nissan Z and Infiniti G coupes, there's also the Audi TT and Chrysler LX cars (300, Charger, Challenger). This limits visibility in the name of style. Other great body styles that have come and gone haven't necessarily had this problem, so I don't really see the current trend as an acceptable compromise.
audisport says:
12:19 PM, 03/16/09
My Mom used to drive a Chrysler Crossfire and that thing was a joke trying to see to the back or sides. It's like the picture of the Z above but alot worse.
desmolicious says:
01:07 PM, 03/16/09
Worst car that I have recently driven for visibilty is the Toy FJ Cruiser. That thing is impossible to see out of the back (much worse than the Z) and hard to see out the front.
Real bummer cuz the suspension/driveline is so good.
cabriniman says:
01:16 PM, 03/16/09
That picture doesn't look a whole lot different than my 350Z from that angle. Leaning forward seems to help some in the parking garage but it's still a little frightening. Other than parking garages I haven't had a problem though. The blind spots aren't an issue on the highways if the right side-view mirror is properly set.
carguy622 says:
01:54 PM, 03/16/09
carbriniman: How many people have their mirrors properly set though? I imagine the great majority of them are still able to see the side of their car in the mirror.
I don't remember where I read the article about how to properly adjust your outside review mirrors but it makes a huge difference.
firstwagon says:
02:05 PM, 03/16/09
Properly set mirrors do make a big difference but you should always shoulder check too. Bad designs like this make it really difficult.
The worst I've driven (not counting panel vans) was a Mini convertible. The hoops and headrests were annoying with the top down but when we put it up I couldn't see squat.
Another really bad one is the firebird/Camaro convertible from the 90's. Unlike the Mustang, it doesn't have a side window for the back seat so the blind spot is huge.
cabriniman says:
02:12 PM, 03/16/09
carguy622 - I'm positive you're right that most drivers don't adjust their mirrors correctly. I rarely see a driver's face in the left side-view mirror when I am passed (usually it's an empty passenger seat). I think the Z really forces you to angle your mirrors right and trust them (that or 1. you are frightened all the time and/or 2. you never merge into the right lane).
billt9 says:
02:56 PM, 03/16/09
carguy622,
You know from experience (coupled with modern car styling), I learned that adjusting rear view mirrors "correctly" means adjusting it until you can't see your car's side windows.
If you can still see the body of your car that's fine. (Modern styled cars, sometimes the body buldges out farther than the windows.)
If I adjust the mirrors all the way out so I can't see the body at all (which is further out than the side windows), I am spatially lost, as the mirror displays a view that no longer has any relation or landmarks to where I sit.
Complicated I know. But try it on a stylized car where the body bulges further out than the windows, and you'll understand.
brn says:
03:53 PM, 03/16/09
Cars have improved in a lot of ways in the last decade. This isn't one of them. Lots of cars are getting a lot harder to see backwards out of.
Maybe we have backup sensors/cameras now because they're needed now.
equ says:
06:34 PM, 03/16/09
Identical problem in my cayman... Not sure which one is worse or how the problems compare, but the passenger rear quarter is the only blind pot in the little porsche. Funny that when nissan benchmarked that car for their new 370Z, they copied the blind spot as well. :)
moogle says:
03:26 PM, 03/18/09
Most all 2 seaters suffer from poor rear 3/4 visibility. I almost ran over a few people in my old s2000.
For the commenter about the hyundai genesis, yes, the rear window dip is to help rearward visibility. but the fact that it's a 2+2 also helps make it easier to see out of it than a 2 seater.