I sat in a Blue Z350 today at the dealer while getting my oil changed. I thought the interior sucked eggs. The doors are way ugly on the inside, way too much plastic, and the gauges are the plain jane orange number/needle ones from the Altima. The Maxima's interior blows away the Z's. Now I know that the reason for this is to make the car AFFORDABLE, but I still thought it sucked. Maybe the G35's interior is much better, I haven't sat in one of those yet.

Just wanted to throw this out there to get flamed.

I'd probably change my mind if I actually drove a Z , but they only had a couple and weren't allowing test drives yet unless you were really serious about purchasing. It probably costs more, but the Audi TT's interior is killer compared to the Z.

~peace

 

Other than clostrifobia I felt the same way when I sat in the Z it is a Sports car and the tiny interior is to be expected. I did notice the doors and overall interior quality and the Maxima certainly wins hands down in that department. I think Nissan will improve the interior at the 2 year mark or around the time the convertible Z arrives because every body will see the Interior then

 

I agree. I was severly disappointed after seeing the interior. Oh, and the exterior door handles. UGH!

 

The sales guy said to me "It's Nissans way of making it a viable alternative (price-wise) to the Maxima". We both agreed that it's obviously a totally different type of car, two seater versus 4, etc, but he felt Nissan wanted to sell this car to the performance nuts like us who can't afford $50,000 Vettes and the like.

Time will tell I guess, when we see how well they sell. And I hope they sell quite well because I own Nissan stock!!!

 

YEah a friend of mine had a covertible TT with the "baseball glove" seats, and MAN WAS THE INTERIOR SWEET! Probably one of the coolest looking interiors i've ever seen. . .

 

never been in a TT, but i think that most/all audis have sweet interiors. i fell in love with the A4 interior while i was shopping for my max. my dad's 2.7T A6 is sweet...

 

I've always prefered the G35 int. to the Z's. It has a much better fit and finish to it. The sliding door that houses the navi/storage is kinda cheapy, like it would break eventually. If the G35 int came in the Z I would probably get a Z, but the G35 coupe is looking better by the minute.

 

The hard plastic interior on the Altima was reason I went for a Maxima, although the Max has more than its fair share of squeaky hard plastic. The cheesey looking Altima interior reminded me of early-80's Japanese or current GM models. And now the Z comes out with really awful (IMHO) interior materials. Can anyone comment on the Murano interior yet?

It makes you wonder what Nissan is thinking, because this trend toward cheap interior materials is evident to one degree or another in all of their models. I keep my Nissans for a long time and appreciate the bulletproof mechanicals, but I'd spring for a few hundred $$ more to avoid the cheap plastic interior materials and to upgrade the interior fit, finish, and build quality.

 

Anyone sat in and/or test drove the G35 coupe yet? My dealer says they are in. So, I was gonna stop by and take a looksee.

Don't know if I would like either one now. They are practically the same weight as the iron-pig-slug I have now!!!


ADMAN

 

I agree with you on the Sweeeet Interior of the TT. One weekend at a SCCA race day(the Audi Dealership had two TTs there) I sat in it but felt boxed in. I'm 5'8" and 220lbs so that might be the reason.

Found the Max had better looking inside then the Z AND really hate that Rear Strut Bar....What Nissan Car designer thought a owner could fit their Golf Clubs in it. My thoughts as a golfer who doesn't mind owning a 350Z but jeez....IT wouldn't fit the two baby seats

No Regrets on my baby Max.

 

What? You didnt get the memo? That the 350 Zs are almost as overrated as the maximas (at least the 255 hp part ) I pity all the mid life crisis people that are giving up their TT 300Zxs for this piece of ****

Have a nice day

 

I would go for a G35 coupe... But if $$ is an issue the Z track edition is a kick *** car !

 

I too was very disappointed by the interior. it was so Altimaesque in quality. Max definately has the best interior. I also drove the 350....which was quite disappointing to me also. Could not tell much ..if any difference in power from my Altima.

The exterior of that car is fantastic...and unmatched

 

It's a shame the G35 coupe didn't come with a more powerful engine to supplement the weight. The G35 coupe wins hands down on the quality feeling and looks, but the Z's performance is quite impressive.

 

I test drove a G35 Coupe. It was a fully loaded automatic one, with the tire & wheel package, navi, everything. Very very nice car. Would have been much better with the 6 speed, but I was pretty impressed with how fast the auto shifted when changing gears with the manumatic.

Overall, the car is totally different the max and I love it. Sits much lower to the ground...everything feels very driver oriented..shifter sits in 100x better spot. The entire feel of the car is much higher quality. All in all, I was impressed...plus RWD and one of the best sounding exhaust notes I've ever heard on a car. Sounded better than probably 95% of what is on the road. I read somewhere that you would swear it had a v-12 in it from the sound of the exhaust...that sounds about right. Just had a really nice rumble to it when idling. Very impressive.

I'm thinking my max will be gone in the spring and a red g35 will be replacing it

Oh, a couple things, it isn't absolutely perfect...The few things I noticed when I drove it:

1) Visibility is a little limited...you sit pretty low and you can't really see around you that well
2) Controls on the radio are a little iffy....volume control on the right??? and not a ****, but an up/down button. Radios need a **** so you can change the volume quickly...and it should be MINE, not the passengers. At least it has steering wheel controls....
3) Summer tires, summer tires, summer tires. Not exactly the best thing to have in the Northeast with winter. The 18s look absolutely amazing...best stock wheels i've ever seen on a car...but I guess there are fitment issues with putting most 17" wheels on the car, due to the stock brembos...so snow tires would be a PAIN to get and put on this car. Not good news for me

Anyone else driven this car? They are calling me when the manual comes in so I can give that a shot...I'm sure the clutch and shifter will be much better than my max and will no doubt finalize my decision to purchase this car.

 

I just test drove a 350Z 6MT touring today. The interior materials could be better but it didn't feel cheap. The Maxima has better interior materials but then again we don't have aluminum lower control arms or a carbon fiber driveshaft. In today's car market it's rare for a vehicle to have the focus or the clarity of purpose the 350Z has. This is something you can actually feel when you drive the 350Z. If you want luxury and performance the G35 coupe fits the bill nicely.

Given the design of the 350Z, getting in and out, I always found my foot scraping against the interior door and the seat. If the entire interior door was leather, it would be destroyed in short order. I would propose making the upper two thirds nice and the keeping the lower third the way it is for longer wear/durability. Since the G35 Coupe is riding on a longer wheelbase and comparing the profiles of the doors, I'm sure the G35 Coupe is easier to get in and out of.

Driving the 350Z was alot of fun. Visibility is great from the front, but forget the sides and the rear. I can see where a good radar detector is a must because you aren't going to see the police if they are behind you or off to the sides. You can also tell a great deal of work went into the feedback and the sounds the 350Z gives it's driver. You are in no way isolated from the car like you are in a Maxima. The motor and transmission are fantastic. How can Nissan build such a great 6-speed for the 350Z and a such a crappy one for the 2k2+ Maxima?

Power was everywhere, but I was expecting a little more oomph down low. Driving my father's 2k3 6-speed max, it feels like there is a more torque down low than the 350Z. Make no mistake though, the 350Z is fast! The ride quality is comparable to my max running the H&R/AGX setup. The handling of the 350Z is in a different world all together.

To answer the million dollar question, would I sell my Maxima for it?
No. The 350Z is to focused as my only source of transportation. Would I sell Maxima to buy a pick-up truck and finance an 350Z? Heck Yes!