Nissan's Z is a sports car. It rides like one, handles like one, and has the same interior space as one. In other words, it is a showy, fast, canyon runner with room for two, an overnight bag, and your proof of insurance card.
The really great part of this new Z is its price. Starting out under $27,000(US) you get a very well equipped two seater with a dynamic and frugal V6 engine. To give you some idea of what a bargain that is you can easily pay that amount for a loaded Mazda Miata with 142 horsepower. The Nissan gives you 287 horsepower and that includes power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, 17-inch alloy wheels, AM/FM CD audio system and an engine immobilizer security feature. Of course, you can pay up to $38,000 (US) for a loaded version of the Z if you order the optional trim levels for the 350Z: the Enthusiast, Performance, Track and Touring. The basics are the same for each version except the Track option, which has larger wheels and competition brakes and a different transmission.
In 1974 bought one of the first Z cars in the United States that featured seating for four. These 2 plus 2 versions were nice riding, but fairly slow and full of problems with the carburetion. We threw out the straight six and planted a Chevrolet V8 under the hood and the car was much more enjoyable. Over the years Nissan has caught on to this need for speed and the new Z is much more fun to run because of this attitude. It also is a good-looking version that never failed to draw attention. Everyone, from old to young, asked about the Z. If you need attention, this is a great car to harvest admirers and Nissan and The Car Family believe that the Z is easily going to outsell the perennial champion Corvette now and well into the future. The reason is price. However, beware that if you load the Z up you are going to be within a few thousand of a base Corvette.
Dad's view: The ride is harsh, the handling is excellent, and the gas mileage for this 3000 pounder was 23 (US) mpg in mixed driving. Expect to get 18 mpg if you order the automatic and drive hard. Although I preferred the automatic transmission, which is nearly as fast and much easier to drive in heavy traffic, than the five speed manual transmission, if you want to get the most out of this eager ride the standard unit is more fun. For me, the bottom line is that this is not a poser and so if you are into its looks you are going to find its ride wearing over time. However, if you love to drive, you are not going to find a better use for your money.