vern Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Some of the forum members that subscribe to EVO may have already read this, but the magazine ran a group test this month with some quite interesting results. They had managed to get hold of a 370GT Edition for the test and although my first thought was that it was out of it's depth in this company, they gave it 4 and half stars out of 5. They made the usual comments about the interior not being at the same level as the German cars, but were generous in praise for most other aspects. Not suprisingly they placed the Cayman and the BMW joint first. More surprisingly they placed the 370 3rd and the TTRS last. The other surprise was when they hot lapped them around their home track the Bedford Autodrome. The times were: Cayman: 125.5 BMW: 125.9 370z: 127.1 TTRS: 127.3 The previous time they had clocked for a basic 370z was 128.7, so the suspension changes made by the technical team at Cranfield would appear to have improved the car, at least on the track. They said that the TTRS was hindered by it's (standard) 18'' wheels, which is even more remarkable when you consider the list price for each car and the 'as tested' price. List price (as tested): Cayman: £51728 (£61402) BMW: £40020 (£45340) 370z: £35000 (£35000) TTRS: £45840 (£52945) Obviously 53k doesn't get you a set of 19'' wheels for a TTRS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 £61k for a Cayman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 So, value for money the 370 wins by a mile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 With a couple of changes to suspension and wheel alignment I reckon the 370z could be up top. When on track with George the 370z looks very very soft in corners which I think is it's only downfall to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 TBH, if you spent another 10K on the 370Z, you'd prolly beat them all and still be cheaper than the nearest price rival. You could replace the suspension with say KW Variant 3, add a full Motordyne exhaust (ART pipes, xyz pipe, true dual shockwave), induction kit and an UpRev tune at Abbey Motorsport for less than 10K really, maybe even squeeze a Vortech in there with that budget. Just thinking out loud.... EDIT: prolly forego the Vortech and replace all the bushes with stiffer ones, replace the antirollbars front and rear and if any money remains spend it on laps around The Ring, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djrm Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Who in their right mind would ever pay 53k for a TT?!?!?! Madness!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Who in their right mind would ever pay 53k for a TT?!?!?! Madness!!! My mates got a TTRS, and tbh, it's pretty damn quick. And since he's such a good customer at the local Audi dealer (bought an A3, 2x Q7, TT, RS4 over the last couple of years) he got the 19"s thrown in (jammy barsteward) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 The Cayman is 26k more than the Zed!!! If I had that money to spend I'd rather buy an ex-demo GTR that would eat all of them. If we're playing a game and you have to spend the money on a new car then a 370Z with £26 dropped into it (supercharger, forged internals, etc etc) would still eat them. Just crazy to spend that money on those cars. End of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky370z Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 my mate had a TTS, i know its not the same but it just wasnt that quick. he paid over 30k for it new. it looks lovely inside and out but. i wouldnt bother. he is a manager and was very p!ssed when i got the zed. as people were looking at my 10k car and not his 30k+ car. he sold it and bought a RS4 just to be better. i would get the 370 and spend some money on modding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 How can they compare cars which vary in price by up to £26k... They should really compare the 370Z with a TT, Boxster and a BMW all in the same price range. The again according to Audi's website, for £35k you get a 2.0L engine... The same price for a Boxster gets you a 2.8L etc etc. That would be a better comparison in regards of value for money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srobrien Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I would go for the 1M any day of the week, super quick, seriously tunable with its twin turbos, m devision handling and only a handful are being sold in the uk so their value will hold really well and will probably rise as they become rarer. R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I would go for the 1M any day of the week, super quick, seriously tunable with its twin turbos, m devision handling and only a handful are being sold in the uk so their value will hold really well and will probably rise as they become rarer. R How did we know you'd say that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srobrien Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I would go for the 1M any day of the week, super quick, seriously tunable with its twin turbos, m devision handling and only a handful are being sold in the uk so their value will hold really well and will probably rise as they become rarer. R How did we know you'd say that Haha, not that i have an M fetish or anything, just makes sense you could probably get the 1m over the 400 bhp mark with a simple remap...weapon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Numbers don't tell the whole story though. In terms of driving enjoyment they rate the Cayman R as very much right at the top of the tree, with the 1M not that far back but with the 370Z and the TTRS some distance behind. That's a shame for Nissan, a disaster for Audi, but it shows just how far on top Porsche and BMW are in terms of recognising what enthusiastic drivers want from a car. We don't necessarily want the fastest thing out there, we want something that just feels like the fastest thing out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I'd take the results with a pinch of salt. You can never get a definitive result. I don't like the TT at all really, so I would rate it lower, even though I know it is a great car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evilscorp Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I read the mag and thought it had fair comments but was surprised at the ttrs being such a disappointment, my dad has a tts and the interior is far superior to most cars and it feels quicker than my 350z by quite a bit (dsg gearbox, magnetic suspension.) but the Z is rarer to the common person on the street so I tend to get more looks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 it shows just how far on top Porsche and BMW are in terms of recognising what enthusiastic drivers want from a car. And they charge accordingly for this e.g 370z + £20k................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter10 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 it shows just how far on top Porsche and BMW are in terms of recognising what enthusiastic drivers want from a car. And they charge accordingly for this e.g 370z + £20k................. Yup, a 370Z is probably the best value for money car in its category and probably one of the best looking too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 It's all subjective though isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 it shows just how far on top Porsche and BMW are in terms of recognising what enthusiastic drivers want from a car. And they charge accordingly for this e.g 370z + £20k................. Yup, a 370Z is probably the best value for money car in its category and probably one of the best looking too. Good point, I'd also add that in my experience, buyers of new prestige cars stretch their budget and not reduce it. If you have a 50k budget then you'll buy a 50k+ car rather than save 15k on something not quite as good, I know I would. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 it shows just how far on top Porsche and BMW are in terms of recognising what enthusiastic drivers want from a car. And they charge accordingly for this e.g 370z + £20k................. Whichever way you look at it, the 370z is the winner to me. Either Evo are scared of what they big boys will do if they dared compare like for like price wise or they genuinely thought the 370z is comparable when you exclude performance, either way that bodes well for the 370z. Handlng may be better in the other cars, but I can sure as hell make the 370z just as good for less than £10k, let alone £20k. I'd still have that Cayman or BMW if they were giving it to me for free mind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerxp Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I would go for the 1M any day of the week, super quick, seriously tunable with its twin turbos, m devision handling and only a handful are being sold in the uk so their value will hold really well and will probably rise as they become rarer. While, yes I'd love a 1M, but can't get my head around the price for what is essentially a pumped up 1 series. Its interior is essentially the same low-rent one in the standard 1 series (lower quality materials than the rest of the Beemer range) and certainly doesn't feel right in a car nudging £50k once you've added the toys (things like sat nav, leccy seats aren't standard). Yes, it's got all the gubbins from an M3, but you could buy a massively specced used 135i and pump that up for a serious amount less than they're asking for a 1M (I know some who has!). Plus don't forget the new 1 series will be released soon which will make this 1M look dated and whack residuals. Yes there wont be many around but I'm yet to be convinced they'd hold their value too well - the M3 got battered from outset (admittedly mass-produced). If I understand correctly, it's not even in the highest tax band, which if true is just freakin' unbelievable. Don't get me wrong, I love the 1M, just think BMW should have released it 18 months ago which would have helped to warrant the price tag a bit. For me, I'd pick up a used M3 thank you very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vern Posted June 3, 2011 Author Share Posted June 3, 2011 It's remarkable really that Porsche can strip out all the extras and still charge 61k. (no air con, CD player etc) I don't see this as a viable track day car and honestly think they will find it hard to sell that many. Give me a Cayman S with PASM and Crono pack and I'll be happy. I think that it's a great result for Nissan, especially when you consider that most of the 'extras' that push up the TT and BMW price, are already included in the basic cost of the 370z. I also don't think that EVO were trying to do the 370 an injustice by placing it in this company. They have been flag wavers for the Z cars for a number of years and in many ways were highlighting the difference in costs for 'comparable' performance across the 4 cars. I'm sure if you told Nissan to produce a car that would retail around 60k, they would produce something really special..........actually, I think it's called a GTR!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 Its shocking what you have to pay for extra these days. Having just ordered a Alfa Giulietta with the missus, if we spec'd it like for like with the Zed, their top engine (not even Clover Leaf) would come out not far short of my Zed! A few off the top of my head Nav (£1300), leather (£2000), uprated brakes (£350), Xenon lights (over £1000). I think a Clover Leaf version would cost more than my Zed EDIT: Forgot to add a few - heated leather seats (£1300), Bose Nav is £2000 not £1300, folding mirrors - the list goes on Comes out as £31k, so pretty close to what I paid for my Zed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rogerxp Posted June 3, 2011 Share Posted June 3, 2011 I'm staggered you don't get brakes as standard in an Alfa these days; cut backs hey . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.