sipar69 Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 We all know you're gonna buy it. You won't be disappointed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisS Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 Bugger, they just phoned. Test drive booked for tomorrow.......i will let you know what i think. All this just because I didn't wash Rosy for you last weekend. (you won't fit in a coupe,you need a Nismo roadster................ want to borrow an angle grinder ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 We would miss the flying caps 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted April 19, 2014 Author Share Posted April 19, 2014 So I took the nismo out for a spin yesterday and here are some of my thoughts. Firstly it looks stunning in black. I was never a fan of the body kit in the pictures, I didn't like the front as it looked too elongated and the back was too fussy. Reminded me of the nose on the veilside which I'm not a huge fan of. In the flesh I changed my mind, it looks stunning. I love the dark wheels and red clippers really stand out. I loved it. I will however say that it doesn't work in white for me. I've seen in pretty much every photo ad on all white nismos that the front and rear bumpers just don't match the colour of the rest of the car. Unfortunately The same was true in the flesh. From some angles the colour is perfect and looks great but from most angles it looks different, and in some cases very different, often looking cream against the storm white. That would really wind me up and it's a pity that nissan still can't get this right. Good news though is it is not an issue with the black. Started her up and the nismo is definitely better than stock, it's a quality noise but for me not loud enough and not as nice as the stillen. The salesman took her for a quick spin and it was immediately apparent to me that this is no simple reskin. The car felt extremely planted with no roll whatsoever. I was worried as many reviews have said it is too choppy and harsh on British roads but I disagree. It was firm but very comfortable and a nicer ride than the roadster. One big positive was less road noise which I know is an issue with the coupe. It was quieter on the dual carriageway than other 370's I've been in. Seats were very comfortable and grippy but only fabric not leather and they seemed to lack wow factor for me. Another loss was heated seats. Now I know the excuse for this is that the nismo is a focused sports car so to cut weight the seats have gone but for me that's a step too far. It seems I am paying more to have less. One thing that annoyed me was that instead of hiding the heated seats buttons they just replaced the buttons with blank button covers. It's like when you buy a budget car and wonder what all the buttons could have been. This made it feel It feel cheap. Then I got a chance to drive. First off I love the alacantra wrapped wheel. The material on the gear know was a big step up too. Then the drive........it's a big step up. The car accelerated well and the increase in torque and bhp was apparent over the stock car. It felt good. The huge improvement is in the suspension though the car felt so well balanced and just held the road so well. It cornered with no roll what so ever but was still very comfortable on a rough dual carriageway and on twisty side roads. The exhaust sounded nice and I really liked the drive And it's quicker and more poised than a stock car. However my 370 after the uprev felt quicker low down in the revs and a over 5k the nismo still felt a bit flat in comparison. After a fun little drive we returned to the showroom. So in summary: -I love the looks, especially in black -Handling and suspension are a big step up -Car is very balanced and pulls well. Low down torque was good -Love the wheel -Nismo exhaust far superior to stock. But: - fabric seats, lack of heated seat option, leather and plastic button covers lacked quality - nismo still too quiet - my uprevd 370 felt quicker in low revs and over 5k If i was buying a new 370 now there is no question I'd go for the nismo, it's a far superior car. However against the uprevd car the power advantage is diminished and it didn't feel as quick. Yes you can have the nismo uprevd but that's more expense. I would also have to change the exhaust. I also love roadsters which is not an option on the nismo. In the end it comes down to price and unfortunately £38k is too much for this car. In a year or so after depreciation then it would be very very tempting. Despite the negatives above I loved it, it felt like a different car, a big step up but given my car is worth approx £17k did it feel worth a £21k step up. I'm afraid not. Maybe next year when there are low mileage demonstrators around. But for those that have bought one, enjoy, it's a cracking car. Going to test drive the new qashqai diesel next. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 (edited) Great write-up Will. Very balanced. I agree that the handling is the real winner on this car. One thing I would say is that the bumper colour match issue on white 370s varies from car to car and affects all white 370s to some extent. The match on my Nismo is much better than on my first 370z. I am very very picky about this sort of thing and I'm happy with mine, but fair play if you prefer the black I prefer how the white shows off the different colour parts of the body kit better. Also agree re the seats. The only downside to the Nismo for me is that I much preferred the leather seats. (Cloth ones are a fluff magnet too!). Just a thought...if you do end up going for an ex demonstrator you could get a good bit of money off, swap over your Stillen and sell the Nismo system Brand new one on Autotrader for £32k here http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201404113243563/sort/default/usedcars/model/370_z/make/nissan/page/2/postcode/tw14na/advert-type/standard-listing?logcode=ucnnp Edited April 20, 2014 by sipar69 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Great write up Will. And a good comparison for you to Rosie. Also agree re the seats. The only downside to the Nismo for me is that I much preferred the leather seats. (Cloth ones are a fluff magnet too!). At least in the Nismo the seats are all of one type seat cladding, not a mixture of fabric and leather like the normal 370's. I'm not a fan of fabric seats in any car, but obviously if you have leather you need heated seats in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstraw Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 What different suspension does the nismo have? Just lowering springs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ioneabee Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 are they cloth seats then or alcantra/suede ? the 370 has leather bolsters and suede centres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Saw Will just after his test drive and my suggestion was keep Rosie and maybe change the exhaust & suspension which will make it feel like a new car Sent from the golf club... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarnie Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 It does look much better in black! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny jones Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 The way i look at it is!! If you wont better leather seats and better inside! Buy a BMW/MERC/AUDI not a Jap car Good things i like are! Top Bose sound system!! inside is better than all the other jap cars iv had by far! Nice ride and not to firm looks cool and no colour difrence in bumper or wing Not so good! its really not as fast as you"ed think! You do get a bit of pull low down! but runs out of puff after mid revs! Its a pig to see eneything out the back/sides when your backing off drive ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross27 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Drop the black edition seats and trim in the car and I would then be very happy. Great honest review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sipar69 Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 are they cloth seats then or alcantra/suede ? the 370 has leather bolsters and suede centres Cloth. I preferred the seats in my previous 370s but that's about all. Feels a lot nippier to me that my upreved Black Edition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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