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1 x 350z, 2000 miles, 4 countries, 6 days.


Tomm

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Firstly - apologies for the size of this post, its bloody massive :teeth:

 

I recently returned for a 2000 mile trip across Europe in my Zed, and was asked to post some pics and info by ZAndy who got in touch through PistonHeads. So – here goes….

 

I bought my Zed 9 weeks ago from a guy called Anthony in Basingstoke, who I think was a member on here, so he may / may not still be around on here, sure the pics will discover this.

 

This is probably going to be long winded – so make tea, and hopefully it will be worth the read……

 

Day 1

Home – Lens, Switzerland. Around 7-800 Miles.

 

This trip has been planned in advance, the missus having a military style list and everything is neatly organised in a black folder – I ripped the **** out of here for this, but truth be known it turned out to be very handy and made a lot of sense. We packed the car up late Friday night – and despite the press reports and ill informed posts on various sites, the boot space actually soaked everything up we threw in it – we have the tonnau cover thing which separates the boot loads – this is such a good idea and very handy for trips like this.

 

We have Bird View – but also purchased a TomTom Xl Europe as I think the Bird View isn’t all that, not to mention ours is years out of date.

 

We arrive at Dover at about 4am, and drive onto the ferry with a totally unwanted piece of clutch control getting up the ramp – concentration at this time in the morning is real pressure, on and in we head up to watch the sun rise as we arrive in Calais.

Ferry.jpg

 

This is our first trip in Europe, so driving on the right is new to us – the missus takes the first stint and off we go with Switzerland programmed in to the TomTom – Interestingly the Bird View now shows an empty grid – so it doesn’t have Euro maps then!

 

Pretty boring drive down through France and the weather is superb, we churn through the CDs we had prepared. One fill up with Sans Plomb 98 – the rumours of 100 octane fuel appear not to be true, in services at least.

 

France have services every 20k or so, these are just car parks with Toilets but very handy and generally very clean – however I would recommend you only use these for **** breaks, as the mens toilets are a hole in the floor – yes, really. The services with a petrol station seem to be a nicer place to stop.

 

We drove down to Lyon, and then across into Switzerland through some nice roads, at the Swiss border we are pulled over (only UK car in a large queue) Has a look over the car and takes our passports off for 5 mins, we buy a Vignette which is Swiss Motorway Tax for 40CHF, this allows us to drive on any Swiss motorway for a year. Off we go into Switzerland, almost immediately the scenery is more interesting and the roads are getting progressively better.

 

Another couple of hours on motorways, where I must say the lane discipline is superb – NO lane hoggers and we make some real progress as speed limits are 130kmh (80Mph) Cruise Control set at 85Mph.

 

We are getting close to the Chalet, where the TomTom sends us up a mountain pass which is probably the most frightening thing I have ever done in a car, the inclines and hairpins are pant wettingly scary! We arrive at the chalet, where the owner laughs at the way we came up the mountain explaining that there is a normal road up – and we should have read his instructions! Lesson learned – TomTom knows the quickest routes – but also the scariest.

Zedatchalet.jpg

 

The car looks high here as parked on a slant

Zedatchalet2copy.jpg

 

Day 1 over – a few beers and a good nights sleep. 7-800 miles covered and car faultless so far.

 

Day 2 – Tourist stuff, car didn’t move so wont bore you with this.

 

Day 3 – Lens to Lake Como, Italy

 

Heading up through the alps, we drive through Visp and end up on what was a pretty amazing road that leads up to the Nufen Pass – this road took ages to drive but is amazing, long sweeping bends and hardly any traffic – enjoyed this road a lot, scenery stunning as into the Alps now. Get to the Nufen Pass – a series of hairpins and more inclines lead for what seems like ages takes us up to a Glacier! We had not planned this route, so are gobsmacked at what we are looking at – we pull over and soak it up, then head off down the other side of the mountain, more hairpins – we got stuck behind a truck thing, soon despatched! Overtaking on the wrong side of the road, down a mountain pass is something you HAVE to experience, spine tingly and with the windows down the car sounded awesome!

Visp2copy.jpg

Carrying on down the hill we have about 10 miles of overtaking fun with a new Scirocco on Swiss plates, he waves as he heads towards the Gotthard Tunnel, I was quite surprised how well he kept up with the Zed, I was leaving him behind but he was soon back on my rear bumper. These roads are amazing and we are both buzzing.

ZedGlacier.jpg

Soondespatchedtruckcopy.jpg

ZedNufencopy.jpg

 

Onto the motorways and into Italy towards Como. Sat nav again takes us on the scenic route which makes the Zed feel VERY wide, as we head through many small Italian lakeside towns on narrow windy roads with tunnels carved through mountains common. A few close calls – and its hilarious how bad the driving quality has become just by crossing a border, the Italians tailgate like I have never seen before, not to mention smoke, talk on their mobiles and overtake on blind corners at the same time – they are truly mental.

 

Arrive at hotel, beers, swim, dinner. What a day – will never forget that road today.

 

Day 4 – Como to Stelvio

 

We head off the Stelvio Pass, some 160kms away – but this being the Alps there is no direct route. Drove through some nice Italian towns, hilarious to see the Police using the old type Fiat Panda’s 4x4s – think I would fancy my chances against one of these ☺ Arrive at the Stelvio Pass, and I am genuinely nervous having watched this on YouTube and Top Gear etc. We start the Incline and nothing you could have watched prepares you for this road, it isn’t just the 50 hairpins – there is a long part leading up to this which is superb, I was using the Sat Nav as a kind rally style guide of what was coming up, and it worked very well! We pull over half way up, and the Views are mind blowing. Something I had not been ready for was the tunnels, they mostly blind and single lane – you have to head through these with severe caution as more than once we had bikes coming at you at speed on your side of the road!

Stevlio.jpg

We start the hairpins, sliding the Zed on almost every one – although I must point out the TC was on, the drops there mean turning it off would require larger balls than mine! Traffic up is empty, but down is heavy with bikes. Strangely, we had not seen another English car since France, and we then see a battered old Corsa on UK plates coming down the pass!

ZedStevlio.jpg

 

You can just about make out the road here

Stevlio2copy.jpg

 

My mouth is so dry as we arrive at the top, and then becomes clear why there are so many bikes – as there are hundreds at the top so must be a meet or something, carnival like atmosphere as we poke the Zed through the crowds – was very pleased to see the attention the car got, lots of pointing etc so obviously gave the throttle a tickle as the exhaust sounds superb ☺

ZedGlacier2copy.jpg

 

We pulled up at the car park where the Top Gear boys stood before saying “shall we do it†Looking down on the other side of the pass and up at the mountains, superb – this is a life experience box ticked.

DSC_5364.jpg

SevlioSign.jpg

 

We drive down the other side, back up and then back down the north side of the pass heading back to Como – we were behind a Mk6 Golf GTI on the way down, too much traffic to have too much fun but there were a few little straight’s where we had little hustle. What a day – pool, beers, bed. Weather again has been superb, 32deg and the car again, faultless – I experienced the car like I never have before, the car came alive on these roads, I look at the car from the hotel balcony and I love it – we have driven some 1000 miles and car has delivered on every count !

GolfStevlio.jpg

 

Day 5 – Back to Switzerland, no planned route

 

We had planned to stay in Italy for another day, but the hotel was a nightmare last night – the owners dog barked all night, and all his mates came round for a smoke – underneath our room, complained but his what was good English soon disappeared and he only now speaks Italian. This is a 4* Hotel / Spa – shocking.

We found Italians to strange, and whilst Como is an amazing place we head back to the sanctuary of Switzerland – the chalet we stayed at has a room – result.

We filled up near Milan – this was a strange experience. People come into the petrol station from all angles, wedging their cars in to the pump – no queues, and getting in / out is tricky! Not a pleasant experience! Two Italians nearly scrapping over an argument about the pump – very, very funny.

 

This route took us over the Simplon Pass – and again – wow. This road whilst not being like the other passes, is an absolute engineering masterpiece, with roads clinging onto the side of mountains and some awesome bridges – we seemed to be on this road forever, and wish it could have been longer. Driving in Switzerland is a real pleasure. I will never forget this road – the only words we muttered we things like “wow†and “amazing†– its just mind blowing, you have to drive these roads.

Simplon.jpg

 

Back in Switzerland we arrive in a town called Crans Montana, which is higher up the mountain to where our chalet is – we have to kill some time as the chalet owners are out. We drive in Crans and stumble over the Omega European Masters golf ! We drive through very busy streets, people again pointing at the Zed which is some compliment as Crans is like Monaco and Ferrari’s, Lambos are all quite common here. We walk round the course and watch a few Pro’s play in the Pro Am – I play golf so this was real unexpected treat.

 

Chalet, Dinner, Bed.

Alps.jpg

 

Day 6 – Lens, Switzerland – Home. 800 Miles or so.

 

We were supposed to going home via the Nurburgring, but they gits closed it to the public that week until 17:15 :rant:

 

I have been dreading this journey, its 8-9 hours to Calais, and we are not booked on a ferry not to mention the 1h 20 min drive from Dover to home at the other side – its going to be a long day. Thankfully, the missus offers to do the entire drive! Result.

 

It rained like I have never seen, and as your driving through cloud the visibility was pretty much about 3m! Mrs M performed very well, while I bit my nails to pieces...

 

We arrive in Calais, get on a ferry pretty much immediately and although the crossing was very rough we are back in Blighty in no time. I drive home, get in at 10pm, we left the Chalet at 08:30 – I have allowed for the 1h difference here. Fish N Chips, Bed.

 

Conclusion –

 

We had an amazing time, and I am so glad we went as we were not sure if it would happen. I would recommend this to anyone, you have to do this as it really is a good way to spend a week and cost wise it isn’t so bad.

 

The car – the good.

Well, this is my first jap car after owning an R32 Golf, M3 etc and I am pleased to report the Zed delivers in EVERY area. Its like a time machine as long trips just done seem to take that long – we were both amazed when we arrived at the destination to get out feling OK, no bad back (I have a bad lower back) Cruise Control was an absolute godsend and makes the car a real GT. Plenty of space, and having all that area behind the seats is superb for long trips as everything is reachable – the Zed really is practical enough for couple on a long trip, we took a weeks worth of clothes in big case and still had plenty of space.

 

On the good roads the Zed was spectacularly good, the noise, the grip, the handling,- everything was just awesome. Sounds maybe a bit gay, but I really felt like I bonded with the car – this happens rarely with me, as I change cars every 6 months or so – I cant see it happening here.

 

The car – the bad?

Well, not much to report here but there were a few little annoyances. I cant seem to get the AC right, its either too hot or too cold, or the windscreen mists up – am I being a div?

The Airbag light came on whilst doing the Stevlio pass – I have reset it, but it comes back instantly – needs a diagnostic

Headrests don’t move forward – this was annoying as meant neither of us really slept on the long drives, car is very comfy otherwise. Lesson? Take a travel pillow

 

We only saw 1 other 350z on the entire trip! That was a Swiss black GT – the car got a lot of attention everywhere, which surprised me a little.

 

Figures

2 people

1 350z GT

1950 miles

29.1 MPG over the whole trip, this is hugely impressive considering we used cruise a great deal and were going up mountains all week!

5 tanks of fuel

6 days

6 packets of sweets

2 large smiles

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Onto the motorways and into Italy towards Como. Sat nav again takes us on the scenic route which makes the Zed feel VERY wide, as we head through many small Italian lakeside towns on narrow windy roads with tunnels carved through mountains common. A few close calls – and its hilarious how bad the driving quality has become just by crossing a border, the Italians tailgate like I have never seen before, not to mention smoke, talk on their mobiles and overtake on blind corners at the same time – they are truly mental.

With you all the way on this. Just got back from a week in Italy and driving ther is a truly terrifying experience. Luckily I was in a hire car, I would have gone nuts with people driving that close to my Zed!

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A very good post and a great road trip. And the Zed commendably clean for the photos after all that driving.

 

Thanks all - was an awesome trip :)

 

The car is actually filthy in the pics, GM is awesome for hiding it. Iam trying hard to leave it alone, I was happy with it but just looking round this site and I have now decided I must have some wheel Eibach 20mm spacers, and some LEDs on it too.

 

Why do I get the feeling that joining this forum is going to end up costing me :lol:

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Great writeup Tomm, sounds like a you had a real blast!

 

Really enjoyed the read - and I do envy you for getting to drive the Zed over those great passes. B) We drove to Switzerland two weeks ago too (reading your post was like reliving it again) but we didn't do the mountain driving bit, we left the zed in the car park to do some hiking instead... But overall experience was very similar:

 

- zed is great for driving on the long road, drove 10-12 hours a day, no problems whatsoever (just add lots of caffeine)

- the Dover-Calais ferries aren't that bad to get into, just watch the french parking the car really close to you. However, the Boulogne-Dover catamaran was a different story, it's like a multi-storey inside, and they double-park you inside too! Mad! Great views from the top deck though.

- was also the first right-hand drive trip for us too, but it was far, far easier than I expected. Used one of those small stick-on convex mirrors for the left-side blind spot, worked a treat!

- +1 on the french motorway stations. Also, driving in France is expensive - not only they have motorway tolls (spent like 100 Euros :scare:) but the petrol's dear too!

- why did you went via Lyon? We drove via Basel and Bern. I can say though that there's a very busy stretch of motorway there (busier than UK) and navigating through Basel is a bit of a nightmare

- also caught really heavy rain when driving back through France - that can really slow you down

 

Got similar MPG to yours - but without mountain driving. I thought cruise control was supposed to improve the fuel economy?

 

Anyway, great to read your story again. What did you listen to in the car?

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Thanks for the comments all, my other half is a part time photographer hence some of the pics are so good.

 

@ zDan, we drove to Lyon for a few reasons. The SatNav said it was quicker to blast down the motorways then cut across than go through Basel. I am very familiar with Basel - been there a few times, so fancied going a new route. Music wise, well a mixture lots, you get through a lot of music on these trips. I have a broad music library, from the Stereophonics to DJ Hype, to some Snoop and then some Alanis - which errrrr.........was for the missus obviously :blush:

 

Last few pics I promise :D

 

Bench.jpg

 

DSC_5296.jpg

 

The Stelvio Pass

Stelvio.jpg

 

This road was like this for miles, overtook that MPV pretty sharpish :) What a road. You can see it snake into the distance.

GreatRoad.jpg

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