lrh

To say droning tyre noise is desirable on a sports car is a bit of a stretch At least Nissan does listen and a facelift will improve things... Just like the 350Z facelift addressed the common complaints (heavy clutch/gearshift, low redline, plasticy centre console).

Worst thing is Nissan want £1,900 more than the 350Z 18 months ago, despite throwing out the Brembo's, oil cooler, and even the spare wheel. Porsche prices have actually come down a little in the same period.

In the UK at least, a GT Roadster is now virtually the same price as a Boxster. Sure it's not quite as quick and lower spec, but a lot of people would sacrifice a little speed and a few toys to have a Porsche for Datsun money. Not to mention a Boxster/Cayman is cheaper to tax (£215 vs £405), insure (18 vs 19), more economical (30mpg vs 27mpg), and will hold it's value better.

Come on Nissan you can do better

Bias? Here's Autocar and AutoExpress making exactly the same complaints about road and engine noise:

http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/RoadTestsHistory/Nissan-370Z-3.7-V6-GT-Auto/241917/

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/carreviews/grouptests/240601/nissan_370z.html

More worried by the random brakes, as per Car&Driver's Nismo crash

...the large arse it still has...

It's not the biggest arse in this pic

Just done this myself this afternoon. Have cleaned the throttle on all my cars in the past but this was the worst. Took multiple sprays and three whole paper towels to remove the layer of black sludge.

Only went out for a quick test after but hot idle seems to have gone from about 675 to 800 rpm, so it's definitely breathing easier on a light throttle.

Butterfly feels lighter sprung than one worked by cable but remember you're turning the motor when you move it. Just be slow and smooth opening/closing it and you can't wrong.

Reaction of the moped rider sums it up... You'd look a total bell-end driving around making that much noise

Looks aside, a lot of things that should have been improved over the 350 weren't or are actually worse: Weight, ride, noise, gearshift, visibility, practicality... Yet more tinkering with the VQ engine wont fix those!

The competition (TT, Z4, SLK) has improved a lot since 2002 and we'll get the Hyundai Genesis Coupe this year... I can't see the 370 lasting another 6-7 years before a major overhaul.

You need different wheel nuts as well

It was a TTS

...which is an Audi TT with 265bhp, 85 less than the Nismo.

I want to like it a lot, but it's a sad day when the ultimate 370Z is barely quicker than a regular 2006 350Z with 50bhp less:

2006 350Z Track ... 3:12.50

2009 370Z Nismo ... 3:12.00

2009 Audi TTS ...... 3:08.40

C&D have been doing these tests for years and have managed to not crash any other car, including an Infiniti G37 with very similar (if not identical) brakes... So I think they know what they're doing!

Even ignoring the failure, the car was thrashed by an Audi TT with 85bhp less power

Has anyone checked out the Marangoni 370Z-hydro on pages 32-33 - some nice touches

The GTR replica nose is a vast improvement on the fangs!

Just bought a copy... Not the longest or most detailed guide but seems accurate.

Not many pictures but then it's only 2 pages. The forum is listed though

The major downside to the GT pack, the dodgy Bose.

Except it has nothing to do with being a GT or the Bose amp All 350s suffer this because the unbranded Clarion head units are at fault.

Re-seating a connector in the CD changer solves the the left speaker issue. Skipping when cold can't be solved

My clutch pedal sat high with loads of slack that made smooth gear changes hard.

You'll need to move the ECU out of the way but even using a mirror it was a fiddle to lower the pedal without applying any pressure to the rod. Well worth the effort though.

This is a picture of a what's hidden under the dash. The bolt in the top left adjusts the height.

In next weeks AutoExpress I see

This weeks says there will be a buying guide and includes a small pic.

Have been open for business for 2 months and I stopped by in the first week.

Welcomed me into their posh showroom and even offered a test drive despite me being in dirty jeans and t-shirt

I think they're planning to sell mostly automatics because all their demonstrators were autos.

Adding Martins of Winchester to the "Good" list.

My drivers electric window started playing up on cold mornings a couple of months after buying my car from them. Took it in and they couldn't recreate the fault, so they tried greasing everything up to help. When I mentioned the used warranty only had a month to run the guy there offered to replace the motor the following morning, regardless of whether they'd already solved the problem (they hadn't and the motor was at fault).

Didn't charge me a penny for the diagnosis or labour, or even ask to see my warranty document. On both visits they looked at the car straight away. Buying experience was also good

Good

Ancaster South Croydon

Antelope Banbury

Barnard & Brough, Haywards Heath

Barton Townley Barrow in Furness. Very good price.

Chorley Nissan (Very Good)

Crystals, Lincoln (very good)

Dorchester Nissan (Very Good)

Edgars, Rowrah in West Cumbria.

Fish Bros, Swindon

Harrats Nissan, Sheffield.

Holdcroft Nissan Hanley(Very Good)

Humphris of Oxford

KJM Nissan, Reading

L&G, Manchester

Lockwood and Greenwood, Ashton -u-Lyne (forum discount to)

Lythgoe's, Bolton

Marshalls of Cambridge

Martins, Winchester

Middlehurst

Nissan Dartford

Parks - Ayr

Platinum Nissan, Bath

Sturgess Nissan, Leicester

WLMG (West London Motor Group, formerly Dan Perkins), Slough

Wakefield Nissan (Harratts)

Westover Nissan, Bournemouth

Bad

Arnold Clark, Liverpool

Benfield Motors, Portland Rd Newcastle upon Tyne

Evans Halshaw Nissan, Mansfield

Evans Halshaw, Aberdeen

Evans Halshaw, Bedford

Glynn Hopkins Ipswich

Lookers Nissan, Chester (new dealership)

Nissan Shepperton

Park's Motor Group, Hamilton

Sunwin, Nottingham

Westway Aldershot

Westway Basingstoke

I see from your plates that you got it from S2000-4U

First thing I spotted too... Look those jokers are still advertising it

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/sales/1216883.htm

For all the haters...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbkKOij12Ew

Sad to see it axed as they actually made the effort to get out and test cars... Usually months or even years before Top Gear wait for one to be delivered to their studio. Presented by people who can actually drive as well

An average Top Gear now features barely 5 minutes of one or two cars being driven up and down the same old runway... More time is devoted to someone plugging their new book... Not sure where the remaining £245k per episode goes?

Reading dealer has been open almost a month and surprised there's been no mention on here!

Stopped in a couple of weeks ago for a nose around... Despite being in dirty jeans and t-shirt a sales guy was happy to talk and even offering a test-drive. But don't go expecting to drive a manual version of any model because they only have autos.

G37 looks better in real life and interior is definitely a step up from regular Nissans. Headroom is a bit tight in the Coupe though because of a standard-fit sunroof. Heavy beast as well at over 1,700kg... Convertible is getting on for 2 tonnes! (1,888kg)

Coupe prices are not much more the the 370Z but the convertible starts at £39k so I can't see them selling many here

Top-Right of first pic: "SOUP-UP TECHNOLOGY"

Given the slightly mixed reviews it's getting I'm expecting a facelift within a couple of years for:

* Tweaked Engine/Exhaust for better sound

* Suspension tweaked by NTCE

* More sound proofing

"Last month I replaced the rear discs and pads. This week I have had a full service, replaced all fluids, changed the drive belts, replaced the front pads, plugs and lots more. This car really has had a clean bill of health and at a cost of £1k!"

Just tell him you want to see the £1k in receipts. If he starts making excuses, avoid!

mmmm, I hadn't noticed that...

Ooopppss... Shouldn't have mentioned it!

Probably nothing to worry about even if it has... A lot get resprayed because the blunt nose picks up stone chips so easy

All's well that ends well Mine was on a private plate... Usually a sign of a wealthy owner who's looked after it

Can't help but notice the front bumper is lighter than the bonnet/wings... Has it been resprayed? Hopefully less noticable in real life?