And the Ugly? Not with our long-term 370Z. Almost everything's good-looking, inside and out.
But the seat controls are both good and bad.
I love the power fore-aft and seatback rake controls on the bottom cushion right-side bolster (that are on most Nissans.)
Not only are they easy to access in the tight sportscar confines of our Z, but they also clean up the inner door panel (if instead Nissan decided to put them there due to the tight clearance between the door and seat.)
If you're not used to them, the seat bolster-mounted switches are slightly difficult to find at first, but after that they're quite convenient.
Why don't more carmakers copy that switch location?
The two knobs on the side of the seat are used to manually raise and lower the front and rear parts of the bottom cushion.
Sometimes, you have to lift yourself out of the seat slightly to raise the back portion.
I suppose because of no additional motor, those knobs may reduce this sportscar's mass...
Not a fan.
Albert Austria, Senior Engineer
@ 13,046 miles
tra2883 says:
02:02 PM, 10/ 7/09
I wish more cars came with those dials, though. Most manufacturers, if the seat height is manually adjustable, only give you a single lever to raise the seat up and down, without the ability to adjust the angle of the cushion. I'm 6'4" and most of my height is in my legs, so I need to be able to raise the front of the seat all the way up, and the back all the way down, so I have enough leg support. Without a power seat though, this isn't possible in most cars.
zcalvert says:
02:13 PM, 10/ 7/09
@tra2883 - VW manual seat controls allow you to do what you describe using a single lever that acts like a ratchet.
The best way to describe it is to picture the seat pivoting on an axis parallel to the front edge of the seat. The front edge stays the same height, while the back of the seat rises and falls, allowing for more of the thigh to be supported.
...if that makes sense.
it can certainly be done if the seat manufacturer puts enough effort into the design of the mechanism.
subaru123 says:
03:23 PM, 10/ 7/09
My $0.02 on seat controls.
All manual works fine if it has lumbar and height adjustment which my Prius is lacking both. Or do all power like my Tribeca minus lumbar which is manual (but how often do you really move it?). However I do miss my Yukon Denali which either had 12 way power adjustable seats (seat fore & aft, rake foward and back, lumbar left/right/up/down, and seat cushion front up/down,seat cushion back up/down, and whole seat cushion up/down). The half and half design like in the Z is just stupid to me. If you put in half of the power controls why not just finish the rest. Seems half baked to me.
bankerdanny says:
03:47 PM, 10/ 7/09
Personally I am not a fan of the dial approach. Infinite adjustablity if nice, but in the tight confines of a small car interior sqezzeing your hand between the door and the seat can be a challenge.
The knob for seatback rake is especially annoying. I have shoulder issues and it is very uncomfortable to reach behind me to get to the dial.
Give me levers or a power seat every time.
jederino says:
04:25 PM, 10/ 7/09
The G35 adds the additional mass for the motors, and you get switches instead of those two knobs. Nice.
These seat bolster switchers in the Z, however, are in improvement over my G35. The switches placed a little higher in the G35, and it can come as a surprise to you when your thigh brushes them during spirited driving.
subaru123 says:
04:44 PM, 10/ 7/09
@bankerdanny
You can still get infinite adjustability with power controls. My Tribeca's seat can go so far back that a 6' person couldn't reach the pedals and so far up a 4' person can drive it comfortably. And the rake is near infinite too. The only stopper it has going back is the 2nd row of seats and going forward it can have less than a 90 degree angle which you would never need.
bodyblue says:
04:45 PM, 10/ 7/09
Usually BMW changes controls and functions for no reason. Some things dont need to be changed. That is why other cars have not moved the seat controls.
altimadude00 says:
05:03 PM, 10/ 7/09
I think Nissan was looking to give motor control to the adjustments most used when going between drivers (seat rake and for and aft). The cushion controls have been a Nissan staple for a long time. My 2000 Altima had them and I adjusted them once.
I also seem to recall that the last generation Infiniti G35s were lambasted because they put the seat controls on the inside of the seat.
church123 says:
07:42 PM, 10/ 7/09
I hated the right side bolster switches on my G35. I suppose for small people they might not be a big deal, but at 6'1", 230 lbs, my thighs are a little bigger and I hated having to poke down at those toggles.
I much prefer the old MB approach of putting a seat simulacrum on the door. Press back on the top of the represented back rest and the seat reclines. Press up on the front of the seat cushion and you get more thigh support.
If you can't have power seats though (and I wouldn't expect them in the Z), then rotating knobs aren't bad. Not good for quick adjustments, but great for getting precisely the position you want.
dderosa says:
12:05 PM, 10/ 8/09
The seats look nice, though. Good post.
bodyblue says:
05:30 AM, 10/ 9/09
"simulacrum " Thats a big word!! ;)