If you have to pay $3.50 for a gallon of gasoline, you may as well have fun, and look good, while you're burning it. The 2008 Nissan 350Z is flat-out fun to drive, built for sunny days and back-country roads. Unlike another fun-to-drive roadster from Japan, there isn't an ounce of cute in the looks of this car. The 350Z isn't big, but it's bad-looking. And by bad, of course, we mean good. But you can see that.
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Photo by Nissan
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Nissan 350Z
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ABOUT THE NISSAN 350Z:
Body style:
Coupe, roadster
Trim lines:
Coupe: base, enthusiast, touring, grand touring, NISMO. Roadster: enthusiast, touring, grand touring.
Price:
Base MSRP coupe, $28,120-$38,290. Roadster, $35,800-$41,500
Drive:
Rear wheel
Seating:
Two
Engine:
3.5-liter, 306-horsepower V-6
Transmission:
Six-speed manual, five-speed automatic
Miles per gallon of fuel:
17 city, 24 highway
WHAT'S SPECIAL:
No matter what gear you're in, no matter what the speedometer says, you feel you can go a lot faster just by stomping the gas pedal. The 3.5-liter V-6 cranks out 306 horsepower, and that power is accessible throughout the rpm range. A radar detector might be a handy accessory to have should you buy this car.
WHAT WE LIKE:
The 350Z is a sports car with steering as precise as a laser. It handles as well as German roadsters costing about $10,000 more. The six-speed stick shifts quick and sure. The soft top of the roadster folds down in about 20 seconds.
WHAT ISN'T THERE:
Storage room. The trunk will hold a couple of overnight bags, but you're unlikely to fit a set of golf clubs in there. There isn't much storage space in the cabin either. You'll have to be judicious in your CD selection for any road trip.
YOU OUGHTA KNOW:
For the serious midlife crisis, consider the NISMO 350Z, a coupe with an aggressively stylish aerodynamic package that includes front spoiler. It also offers a sportier suspension package and heavy-duty Brembo brakes. The NISMO is available only with a six-speed manual transmission. And would you want it any other way?
EXTRAS:
The roadster interior is more Spartan than luxurious, but offers the necessities of life: automatic temperature control, six-speaker sound system and well-designed steering wheel controls for sound and cruise control. The driver's seat offers good lateral support to keep you in place through the curves, but the upholstery seems a bit thin to be comfy all day. The safety package includes seat-mounted side-impact air bags.
AND ANOTHER THING:
A tempered glass wind deflector works well to make top-down interior noise tolerable.
