Feel the difference, drive a superb 350Z

I WILL shed a tear for the 350Z. With the imminent arrival of the newer, faster and lighter 370z, which will carry the chassis designation of Z34 it seems that the days for one of the characterful sports cars of the noughties will come to an end.

While my own personal adventure with this car will go on to continue, the new range of colour swathe for the available car does not contain Pike's Peak White, which is my favourite colour for the Z.

The pearly white colour of the car is to be replaced with a "moonlight white" colour and thus robbing the next round of Z owners the hue which shows off the clear lines of the older Z33 best. Two friends, both fellow Z33 enthusiasts, have had resprays to their black and silver Zs respectively. Both to a shade of white. However the colours of the 350Z are not the strongest of its features. It is the way the car can drive. Previously the choices open to a sports car enthusiast were quite limited, especially for those looking for something practical, which many say a 350Z is not.

While it has limited boot space, I have carried out my fair share of airport trips, brought two sets of golf clubs to the driving range and been able to get away with carrying numerous articles for dry cleaning and not to mention photography equipment including the odd tripod with relative ease. Of course compromises have to be made, and an understanding partner will be needed if you are already married or are in the process of doing so.

However the 350Z makes an extremely interesting proposition for those with a maximum number of two in their family.

When you first hop into the 350Z, immediately a few things take your notice, how the long bonnet which stretches out in front of you, and the cabin shrinking around the driver. For those behind the wheel the dials in front of you tell you all that you need to know about the RPMs in a nice big tacho alongside which sits the speedometer, and to the left three more sit atop the centre console, reading the oil pressure, voltage, just like in the older cars and the readings from the on board computer.

For the solitary passenger the view is a startling contrast to that of the driver. Peering out the windows, the windscreen takes up most of the surrounding environment. Since there are no rear seats, leg room is monumental and the plush leather seats comfy enough to fall asleep in. Either way, it becomes intimate extremely quickly, and the only thing left to do is to start the car.

You need to first dip the clutch and turn the turn key before the engine comes alive. Several updates have taken place, so depending on how old the car you are driving will give you different power outputs. The first is a 286-horsepower car, the second which was available from 2006 is a 300 horsepower car, while the latest version available from 2007 is the 306hp car. Torque remains similar over the three variations, with the first having 274lb of torque per foot, 260lb for the second revision and 267lb of foot for the latest version.

The rumble from the 3.5-litre V6 engine is a nice and composed sound, which transforms from V6 thrum to a mechanical yowl at higher engine speeds. The power delivery from all three engines are similar, it is a nice linear feel of acceleration.

Completely opposite from the turbo charged pace of the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Evolution cars. It feels like the torque from down low peaks at 2000rpms and continues to smother you throughout the rest of the rev range. In truth it plateaus at 4000rpm, and will continuously drive up until the limit.

Again the different characteristics of the engine means that for the first batch of 350Zs produced in 2003 up to 2005, the limit will be 6500rpm. For the Anniversary edition models and those produced in 2006, their limit is at 7000. The pick of the bunch though is the newest VQ35 HR 2007 and 2008 models. This gives it a 7,500rpm red line limit and ample play time inbetween changing gears.

It is the generous amounts of torque which make this car such a joy to drive. Try cruising along the highway in the top gear of any other Japanese sports car and you would be hard pressed to find one which can do so with relative ease.

In my experience there has always been a trade off, with the VTEC system found in Hondas as well as the RX8 you find yourself sitting on a hornet's nest, with the engine buzz getting somewhat annoying at the best of times and down right intolerable when you have to constantly overtake. While the turbo cars may argue that there is hardly such a thing to encounter with theirs, fuel consumption was what put me off turbo charged wonders like the Evolution, as great and wonderful as they are.

To cap off my fuel economy and driveability argument, I double checked the average of the fuel consumption with the on board computer of my 350Z, registering a 15.4km for every litre while on long highway travelling. With that kind of fuel economy coupled with the 76 litre capacity gas tank, this equates to about 1,170km of cruising range! Of course not all the driving we do here in Brunei is highway driving, but to achieve half of that on a full tank of gas in a sports car means that its just as happy attempting to be a Grand Tourer as it is a fully fledged racer.

The handling of the car cannot be questioned, the 350Z has been used as a staple diet in Drifting competitions in Japan, Europe as well as North America. In standard fare, there seems to be an initial feel of under steer, but the boutiful wads of torque mean that, if you knew how to, you can steer the car with the rear wheels. The weight and length of the car does mean that it needs a certain amount of skill to get the best of out the wonderful chassis, but that is part of the fun in driving a rear wheeled drive sports car. The other positives to come out of those traits is a very solid and planted feel when driving at higher speeds, while still being comfortable enough at low speeds.

While I have no qualms about this car being a daily driver for some, I am also under no illusions that it will fit the criteria for everyone. Sports cars will always have their place, and play the roles intended by their respective owners. Likewise the 350Z, will always be a firm favourite for sports car enthusiasts and drivers. Some will feel it could become a contemporary classic for everyone else its simply one of the most enjoyable driver's cars you can find.

The Brunei Times