Disappointment of the Year The previous
350Z / 370Z soldiered on too long. We thought Nissan might terminate
its sole sports car line, but news about its successor caught us a
surprise. Pictures showing its tailights and rumors about a 3-liter
twin-turbo V6 raised our expectation: Nissan finally builds a true
successor to the great 300ZX Z32 !
Except that it is not. The Z is built on a tight budget, so it has to recycle the 370Z's platform, keeping the fat proportion (which is not helped by strange front end design again), a less-than-rigid chassis and outdated suspensions. Yes, the new engine offers plenty of power, but the car is still slower than Toyota Supra or BMW M2. Worse still, its handling is mediocre. The soft suspension fails to tie the car down at speed or in hard cornering. There is more roll and pitch than a Mustang driver would accept. It bounces a lot on high-speed bumps. Its Bridgestone Potenza S007 B tires offer sub-standard grip, and that hurts braking performance as well. The interior bits vibrate over rougher roads. Its steering is also criticized for lacking feel. The Nismo version debuted next year corrected some of its faults, but that should have been from the outset. The Z's nameplate deserves better, much better. |
| Past winners 2022 Mercedes EQS 2021 Internal combustion engines to be banned 2020 Chevrolet Corvette C8 2019 Detroit kills cars 2018 Lexus LS500h 2017 Porsche 718 2016 Volkswagen Dieselgate 2015 Luca di Montezemolo stepped down 2014 Australian motor industry to disappear 2013 Lotus scrapped product plans 2012 Saab bankruptcy 2011 Lexus CT200h 2010 Goodbye Pontiac 2009 Detroit 2008 Lamborghini Reventon 2007 Chrysler 2006 Honda Civic 2005 End of road for Rover and Saab 2004 MG Rover 2003 Cancellation of Jaguar F-Type and X-Type R 2002 BMW design studio 2001 Jurgen Schrempp (Daimler Chrysler) 2000 Mercedes CLR Le Mans challenger 1999 Rolls-Royce / Bentley split |
