2009 Nissan 370Z: If It's Too Loud, You're Too Young

Woo!!! This is the absolute truth! Thank you for speaking to all of us that recognize that sports cars sacrifice all for performance and that is what the engineers wanted to build and the buyers wanted to buy.
Kevin

Here's the trick, and correct me if I'm wrong.

The BMW M3 in your fleet could outpace, out-corner, and out-brake the 370Z, all while singing a song from its exhaust that no diva could match. Best of all, it will do all this while addressing the complaints of the editors you named, yes?

So it has the characteristics of a performance car without the characteristics that make some people turn up their noses. Such as looking like an angry catfish. Yes, I'm looking at you, 370Z.

So, really, it isn't that the 370Z is this freakishly fast machine that is brutish because it must be. It's simply brutish by design.

Why are all the latest posts so grouchy and confrontational? It's like the blog version of "Get off my lawn you young whipper snappers!"

I don't think it would hurt the Z much to add just a bit more sound deadening material. People used to say the less luxurious 350z was fine inside. "You want luxury, buy an Infiniti." Now that the 370z has a much nicer interior nobody complains, and I'm sure nobody would complain if it were a little quieter. It's about being well rounded. Nobody seems to have a problem with the RX-8, Mustang, Camaro, or 1-series when it comes to noise, and they all handle fine.

Thank you, finally someone who gets what a sports car is suppose to be.

@eidolways: So? BMW M3 = $67,370. Nissan 370Z = $40,320. I would hope that $27-grand would buy a little more sophistication -- along with four doors and a backseat.

I was under the impression that the gripes were mostly about the quality of the sound. This engine sounds nowhere near as good as any of the aforementioned loud car examples, and therefore it isn't rewarding to rev, and therefore it's pointless as a sports car, and since it isn't good at anything else, it becomes just pointless.

@actualsize: And the G8 GXP, which costs approximately the same, will out-pace and out-brake the 370Z, all while singing a sweeter song. The one spot in which it might fall short is out-cornering. And the wind noise is kept at a minimum, the ride is still comfortable, and you can hear your music. It also has 4 doors and a backseat.

Again, it boils down to the fact that the 370z is not brutish because it MUST be. It's brutish by design. If that's your cup of tea, then by all means drink deeply.

The 370z's engine doesn't sound bad. It doesn't sound 'refined,' but it does sound as though it's taken a few shots of testosterone. If I want a 'refined' sounding six, I'll take a Camry, or its acoustic doppelganger, the BMW Inline six, and give up on life like the respective owners.

What I think is funny (and is on the flip side of the argument) is the 370z's interior is far nicer than the 50k M3's.

I like the G8 CXP and all, but it's not the same thing as this. It's not as nimble or as focused, but it's bigger and has a backseat, so it kind of proves my point.

I guess I don't have to wonder who "The Mechanic" is anymore.

The Z is a fine car but the type of people to do a double-take are pretty much the exact same type of people I'd want to avoid at all costs in any social situation

Why is a back seat a good thing to have in a sports car?

Doesn't that take the "sports" out of sports car?

Santiagofdz, you beat me to it! Also... this post makes me want to test drive a 370Z.

@actualsize: Put a set of aftermarket springs/shocks/sway-bars and R-compound tires on the thing and it may well be as nimble. >:)

If a car's going to be focused, it needs to be rewarding enough to drive to overcome the niggling aspects that often come with said focus. From what many of the editors here have said, the 370Z is simply not.

On that note, my Dad and I test-drove a 350Z once, and we just weren't impressed. The car was focused, sure, but the way it handled and felt didn't please enough to compensate. Then again, perhaps we're simply pampered from all the Camry's we've owned over the years (nevermind that my family has never owned a single Toyota and it is my Dad that taught me my love of the third pedal).

@eidolways, pampered by a Camry? LOL. The curiosity of the Camry is that it manages to not ride well to offset its horrible handling.

"Look, do you want a sports car or not? Be honest. If you don't, fine. Look elsewhere. Pick something with four doors and a backseat."

Bingo. That's where the Infiniti G37 coupe and sedan come into play.

Unfortunately it is impossible not to look like a complete arsenugget in an Infiniti of any stripe

The problem is that buyers want their car to do everything. So they spend unfortunate amounts of money on cars that do everything fairly well (M3 a perfect example). The crazy thing is, you could spend that money on a proper sports car AND a proper luxury car and have the best of both worlds.

@wrinklebump : What? The general consensus is Infiniti = luxury car with a douche-ectomy.

Bravo!

Speaking of that sweetheart Lady GaGa...what's with that "ride your disco stick song"? I heard it playing the other day and saw a bunch of young kids singing and dancing to it - :-(

"Back in my day..."

Funny Dan. But you're ranting to the wrong crowd I guess. What about all those youngsters at the office?

Infinitis are essentially chick cars / rich spoiled college kid cars in Michooligan. Can't speak for the rest of 'Merica, I suppose, but the car culture here is pretty biased so my opinion vis a vis Inifnitis may very well be worthless

Also the only guy I ever knew that owned a G35 was a complete sack of pigballs so that probably had something to do with it

Dan said what I've been wanting to say to everyone for too long. It's a sports car, not a luxury car. Deal with it. I would be more than happy to spend that amount of money on a sports car like a 370Z, and I wouldn't complain about whether it's loud or has a hard ride. It's a 370Z, if you want to spend thousands more on something that is more comfy, that's your choice. You're not who Nissan is trying to sell this car to.

and this car is over $40,000 right? that's a lot of money for a car. if 90% of the editors don't like it, there's something wrong with them? no, there's something wrong with the car. Ferrari's aren't quiet, but no one is complaining because the noises sound good.

If Nissan is trying to target a tiny demographic of die hard sports car enthusiasts, then that is a good business model for failure. I do know they are not selling well in my area, as I don't see many. Perhaps making it more hardcore has scared off the women buyers that helped so much in the sales of the 350Z.

Just wondering how you guys came up with the 40K figure that you're casually throwing around (even "over" 40K). This car can essentially be bought for <30K. If you want all the bells and whistles, don't look for a 2-seater sports car !

It's posts like these that ring true for me. I love good tunes in my car, but I'll sacrifice a stereo for a real sports car, as well as many other comfortable things. The tingle of feelsome, direct steering, a quick-reacting and powerful motor, and a balanced, talkative chassis are worth the loss of anything "luxurious".

All I have to say to this blog entry is AMEN!!!

Dan, I'm not sure, but I think these people are crying you a freakin' river.

Hey, it is a sports car not anything else. I dont like the Z or the GT-R...I think the are piles of crap for reliablity but they are what they are. I agree with Dan 100% Sports cars are not for me but they are the end-all for some people and they should have a choice like the Z to make them happy.

There is no such thing as a pure sports CAR. The fact that there are 4 walls, a roof, and a floor are concessions to comfort and practicality over performance and handling. If you want a "pure" sports vehicle, get a motorcycle! However, most people want the added practicallity of a car as opposed to the bike, but the bottom line is that practicallity and comfort ALWAYS need to be addressed as part of the equation. A good sports car still needs to balance these against its performance, and its these deficiencies that seem to make the z poor as a day to day car.

Its not the level of noise its the quality of the noise that's questionable. The VQ hasn't been the same since it was a 3.0L.

"There is no such thing as a pure sports CAR."

- Porsche GT3
- Honda NSX-R
- Honda S2000
- Ferrari F430 Scuderia
- Ferrari F360 Challenge Stradale

If those aren't pure sports cars I don't know what is. Unfortunately for the real driving enthusiasts heated/cooled seats, slush boxes, navigation systems and dialed in understeer, pure sports cars are a dying breed.

@huyracing: I see a good number of them. Statistically, this is a car 90% of the auto buying market should hate or not be interested in- it's a Sports car, not some Honda for schlepping people to Golden Corral every Saturday. You're also off on the price by about 30%.

@wrinklebump : try talking to an Audi or BMW owner. Infinitis are for people who give a crap about driving dynamics and not "Flame Surfacing."

That said, having driven this car (unlike pretty much everyone who seems to have commented on this post), I don't find it too loud at all, nor is it too harsh. It's extremely comfortable and the cockpit fits like a glove. Yes, when you floor it all hell breaks loose, but I'm at the age where it's grin inducing.

^^ Even the gt3 still weighs 3000+ lbs because it is loaded with leather (or alcantara, either way it is still just dead weight) and is designed to keep its idiot driver alive in a crash. If the car's only concern was speed and handling, do you really think it would have walls and a radio? How about 2 seats? Isn't even the fact that you can take an extra passenger a concession to practicality?

You what?

Stuff it, old man.

You know why a generation of kids might be horrified at how much noise a car makes?

It's because their parents insisted on buying something nice and quiet and practical.

We weren't the ones that convinced Toyota of the 80s that what they really needed to do was quit selling cool SUVs, simple sports cars and quirky 4wd wagons and focus on the CamRolla.

We weren't the ones abandoning station wagons for Minivans.

We weren't the ones demanding our Blazer/4Runner/Cherokee/Bronco have a car-like ride, leather, 4 doors and 6.023x10^23 cupholders.

We had no hand in creating the automotive landscape that's before us today: you did. Every time you bought based on the Consumer Reports blob thing, every time you chose silverish beige, and went with the automatic.

I've come to really like the VQ engine in my G35. It's course compared with the old 3.0 liter VQ in my Maxima (a bit of a disappointment), but it pulls nicely and sounds strong. Perhaps the sound deadening in the infinity helps a bit, but I find myself rowing the gears just to hear the engine rev.

@MadScience:

why so bitter?

why blame a generation (without being tongue-in-cheek like Dan was)?

do you think Bronco's and Blazers and Cherokee's have a car-like ride?

personally, I'm waiting for the Supra to come back.

so...I'm with you!...sort of...

Amen.

@bkochuk: That was "in character"...mostly. There's nothing more frustrating than asking "why can't I get a _____?" (wagon, stickshift, diesel) and having the answer be "they tried that back in ___, it didn't sell".

Do a search for AWD, stickshift station wagons on Autotrader. You'll find 1 S4 (drool), 1 Passat (seriously: W8 AWD 6MT!) and a pile of WRXs. Hence, I drive a WRX.

The Bronco, Blazer and Cherokee are dead. Sacrificed so that the panty-waisted Expedition, Tahoe and Liberty could live on.

(I realize the 2-Door full size Blazer was renamed to the Tahoe, but in the intervening years they've totally softened it up)

@Mad_Science The Expedition and Tahoe, even the Liberty were all real trucks. . Your vitriol should be directed at the pansy Subaru Foresters, Honda Pilots, and Toyota Venzas- those vehicles are actually useless styling gimmicks.

And who wants an AWD stickshift wagon? Nobody does except for a group of people who somehow think they've got crap they need to haul FAST aka nobody.

If you've got a wagon you're schlepping kids and the wife is going to gripe if it's a manual. Audi just made AWD wagons because they don't have a real RWD platform. If you don't live in the snow belt, who cares? That's why the mass market doesn't want a Subaru WRX- for that kind of money they could buy a car with such luxuries as a decent radio.

The wife vetoed a Magnum in favor of the WRXagon b/c you couldn't get the Dodge with a stick. Seriously.

In fairness, you're right that most of the BOF SUVs are still useful for something. It's more that they begat crossovers, which auto makers tend to favor producing over either real, rugged SUVs or wagons.

A sporty wagon takes the place of 2 cars: a sports car and a compact SUV. I have crap that I haul sometimes and I drive fast other times. 1 car with many uses...what a thought.

I'd happily rock a FWD or RWD car if CalTrans didn't require chains on non-4wds the second a snowflake hit the ground. Unfortunately, they'd rather we all clunk along on wet, clear roads, which really puts a damper on getting up the hill.

I recognize I'm waaaaaay outside of normal when it comes to car preferences and that it's a very difficult business case to make to satisfy the oddball tastes of someone like me. My frustration lies with mainstream consumers. I can't get a stickshift G8 GT because too many of these people are too lazy to row their own. Low volume = not available.

Great Article.

As for the M3, it's a sports-sedan. I'd buy the coupe if I had the money, but it's $180k in Australia, so even a GT-R would be cheaper at $140k. So if I was paying $180k for an M3 over an $80k 370Z, I'd expect to be able to hear my music.

As for the G8 (Holden Commodore), it'd definitely be out-cornered. Straight-line? The 2 would be comparable. The G8 is a family sedan with a little bit of "rice" to make it more performance oriented, it isn't a sports car. Australia doesn't build sports cars, in case you haven't noticed.

Cars I would consider sports cars?
Porsche 911s
Dodge Viper
Corvette Z06/ZR1
370Z
Ferrari 360/430
RX-7
NSX

Supercars?
Ford GT
McLaren F1
Lamborghinis
Nissan GT-R

Attempts to be sports cars?
RX-8
S2000
Celica
Pontiac GTO (and Australian equivalent Holden Monaro)
Pontiac G8

pwned.

"It's too loud," they say. "There's lots of road noise. I can hardly hear my iPod."

Ooh, man. I would punch the first male human being that said that to me about this car.

@timez: Ours is a 370Z Touring, which costs $34.4k + $3k sport pkg + $1.9k navi + misc. = $42k. True, the 370Z Base model costs $29,930, but I'd say the $3,000 sport package (upgraded brakes, bigger tires, SynchroRev match, Limited slip diff, etc.) is essential for purposes of this debate, so the cheapest you'd spend on a sport-focused version is around $33-grand--if you could find one.

The 370Z seems to be a better car in every way except perhaps NVH and a rev reluctant engine.

If you need a better ride and sound are what defines a sporstcar, you may as well buy a Malibu and with the money left over, get a sex change. You don't deserve testicles anyway.

The 370Z seems to be a better car in every way except perhaps NVH and a rev reluctant engine.

If you need a better ride and sound are what defines a sporstcar, you may as well buy a Malibu and with the money left over, get a sex change. You don't deserve testicles anyway.

Reluctant revving? I've never experienced this in my 370. It revs fast and will run all the way to redline with glee. Its revs faster than the 350 I had and is easily as responsive as the RSX-S and Miatas I owned. It responds faster than the V8s I've driven and dragged. Those who think it is reluctant in revving, can you help me understand why?

Thanks,
Kevin

^^By reluctant I meant the vibration that crept in above 4500rpm. I haven't driven this car but I did drive the 350Z and the G37 manual and it didn't seem that bad to me. I actually think it adds to the driving experience.

@ace47 - thanks for the explanation. You haven't driven the Z? You should get some seat time and I guarantee you'll enjoy it!

@mikeolan - I am in the same boat that this car is grin inducing at high rpms. I wish more folks would actually drive the Z and think about the level of acceleration and handling rather than their delicate little ears.