330i ZHP VS 350Z

[Silva]

Oops, try this link for the Video:
http://auto.joins.com/upboard/pds/pdst/BestMotoring_350Z_TsukubaBattle.asf

 

[TheBry]

my neighbor has a new 350Z that he polishes every hour on the hour. Yet when I raise my garage door to reveal my little 325i backed into it's space, he stops and stares every time.

it's not all about HP

if it was, we'd all be driving Z's & G35's....

Right on, Blue! I was thinking the same thing when reading this thread. I actually drove the 350Z convertible before settling on my 330Cic. Although the engine was torquey (sp?) and as powerful as all hell, the car didn't feel as refined, and was definitely not as practical as the BMW. Also, it bothered me that the chassis, drivetrain, switchgear, etc. are shared by Infiniti in the G35 and by Nissan (Japan) in the Skyline-GT.

A guy at work bought the 350Z convertible and brags all the time about being able to smoke me on the track. But, you know what? We don't typically drive on race tracks... both of us use our cars to commute to and from work every day, and I catch him snatching glimpses of my new BMW beauty every day in the company garage. I love it! I think I know why he looks -- I heard someone at the office first pay him a compliment on the car, then ask if it's based on the Infiniti or vise versa, and then went so far as to say that his brother's G35 coupe had the same 3.5 V6 engine (although it only produced 280hp in the Infiniti). Of course, I've had no such questions. BMW is BMW period. No mistakes. The parts are shared within the brand, but nowhere else. I like it that way ;-)

 

[AWD330XI]

"BMW is BMW period. No mistakes. The parts are shared within the brand, but nowhere else. I like it that way ;-)"

Exactly. What made the past Z's so special is that they were limited edition sports cars based on their own platform and engine. Pricey too, but worth it. The new Z shares the same platform/engine as an Altima and drives like one, only until you hit the twisties. What is the point if you are buying a sports car? Most people buy that car for looks and I was one of them. It drove like an Altima with a tighter suspension.

 

[Bryan330i]

i'm talking about overall responsiveness in windy roads, not a straight shot. i am sure, that there may have been/were a lot of factors (i.e. his driving skills, not turning off traction control, etc.) who knows? but the point i was trying to make was that the M3 was more in-line in a comparison to the Z than a 330.

 

[izzyracer]

I ride my 330i sport at I-110 every morning heading to Downtown LA and I see a lot of Z's and I always see them bouncing up and down inside there cockpit, so does the car and it's a smooth road. So I take the suspension was made for cornering, right?

 

[AWD330XI]

The Z bounces up and down like a continuous sine wave. The first week I drove mine I was dizzy every day until I became used to it. I was popping Dramamines like they were candy.

 

[outpost22]

We first looked at a 350. It looked nice on the outside, but as soon as we opened the doors, we both went ..ugh

The interior was so cheap looking, we didn't even want to drive it. It bummed the salesman out.

We bought a 330ci instead. Good looks, great ride and refinement, and excellent interior.

 

[Kirby]

I ride my 330i sport at I-110 every morning heading to Downtown LA and I see a lot of Z's and I always see them bouncing up and down inside there cockpit, so does the car and it's a smooth road. So I take the suspension was made for cornering, right?

My Suburban bounces up and down on many roads, but I don't think it was made for cornering.

Seriously, a car can have stiff suspension and drive like crap.

 

[Kirby]

FWIW, the 350Z and the 330ci ZHP (ONLY the ZHP, not any other E46 3 series) are in the same SCCA class - B Stock (BS). The cars in a particular class are placed there by a comittee who compares weight, horsepower, aspiration, suspension, etc. and considers the cars roughly equal for racing. Here are the others in the same class :

BS TT (225hp, dual intercoolers) incl. ALMS Coupe
BS BMW 330 with ZHP, all M Coupe and Roadster ('96-'00) M3 (E30)
BS M3 (E36) Z3 6 cyl NOC Z4
BS Chevrolet Camaro SS ('96+) Corvette ('63-'82)
BS Chrysler Prowler
BS Ferrari 308, 328
BS Honda S2000
BS Infiniti G35 Coupe
BS Jaguar S-type R XKE (6- and 12-cyl)
BS Lotus Elan RWD Esprit Europa Twin Cam
BS Europa, Renault engine
BS Maserati Biturbo
BS Mazda RX-7 Turbo ('87-'91) RX-8
BS Mercedes SLK
BS Morgan Plus 8
BS Nissan 300ZX Turbo ('90+) 350Z
BS Plymouth Prowler
BS Pontiac Firebird WS6 ('96+)
BS Porsche 356, Carrera 4 cam 911, Club Sport 911, non-turbo, NOC
BS 914/6 928 (all) 944 (16V)
BS 944 Turbo (all) 968 Boxster
BS Carrera 2, Carrera 4 (964 chassis)
BS TVR 8 cyl and V6
BS Toyota MR-2 Turbo

 

[Blue]

I went for a spin with my neighbor in his Z this past weekend. That's a tight little car. Very nice, very fast. He took it up to about 100 on the highway, then it started to rain, then he let me drive. I hit about 100-110, which was plenty fast on partially wet road surface. He just put on a new set of Falkens with the rain grooves...nice tires. He drove again and we must have topped 120 down a seldom-used frontage road. He turned off the traction control and was hanging the ass end out around the corners (steptronic trans). The car bounces like hell on the streets but smooths down nice on the highway. It's a rocket sled from 80 to 100+. Engine has a nice growl. Interior is interesting, comfortable, set up well for the driver. It's a very good car for what it is - not the same purpose as a BMW. I'll be taking him for a ride in my 325 - we'll see what he thinks.

 

[AWD330XI]

The only thing I miss about the Z is the torque. That is the only noticeable difference between that car and mine. Oh, plus I can drive mine in the snow...