2004 Nissan 350Z Reviews

Ewan Kennedy reviews the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Nissan 350Z and Nissan 370Z as a used buy.

It might be the last letter in the alphabet, but ‘Z’ is the first that comes to mind when thinking of the great sports cars Nissan has made over the years. It came into being with the great Datsun 240Z sports coupe in the early 1970s and has continued to identify the company’s sports cars ever since.Today it’s used on the 350Z, Nissan’s current sports car that first hit our roads back in 2003. When launching the 350Z, Nissan’s then managing director, Leon Daphne, said it was the company’s “halo” car, designed to represent the “heart, soul and passion” of the company.MODEL WATCH The 350Z continued the rich history of Nissan sports cars dating back to the iconic 240Z. With two doors and seating for two the 350Z is not a car for the family. It’s the car owned by those without kids, or those who want a second fun car for the weekends.The 350Z range was made up of three models: two coupes and a roadster. The Touring Coupe was tailored more to those who wanted their sporting motoring with a slightly softer edge than its Track Coupe cousin. It came with leather trim, drilled alloy pedals, Bose sound system with six-stack CD player, and rolled on 17-inch alloy wheels for a suppler ride. The Track Coupe had all of that, but had a more defined sporty edge with 18-inch alloy wheels, bigger disc brakes and electronic stability control.The Roadster could be transformed from a comfy and secure coupe to an open top cruiser at the push of a button, when the power roof would fold down out of sight.The 350Z’s power came from a wonderful 3.5-litre double overhead camshaft V6. When asked it would willingly deliver to the tune of 206 kW at 6200 revs and 363 Nm at 4800 revs. Down low there was plenty of torque on tap, whether you just wanted to cruise along without changing gears, or if you wanted to slam your foot to the floor and race through the gears.The 350Z was superbly tractable at low speeds, but ask it for its best and it would pin your ears back like few others. If you wanted it would reach 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds and race through the 400-metre dash in 14.5 seconds.But it wasn’t just a straight-line hero; it really came into its own on a winding country road where you got to experience its full performance repertoire. Buyers had the choice of a six-speed manual, which was criticized for its less than precise gearshift, or a five-speed auto with a paddle shift manual mode. Final drive was fittingly delivered through the rear wheels.The 350Z boasted an almost perfect 50/50 weight distribution. It was marginally heavier on the front than it was on the rear, but the near perfect distribution was one of the reasons the 350Z had a wonderfully balanced chassis.Underneath it had independent all-alloy suspension front and rear, speed sensitive power steering and four-wheel ventilated disc brakes. There was also a raft of electronics to keep a watchful eye over proceedings. All models had ABS antiskid brakes, brake force distribution, brake assist, and traction control. On top of that the sporty Track Coupe also had stability control and more powerful Brembo brakes.Inside, the 350Z was snug. There wasn’t a huge amount of space to stretch out, you felt surrounded, but there was a sense of security and plenty of support if you wanted to push things to the limit.IN THE SHOP Generally the 350Z is trouble free with few problems coming to the surface in the first few years it has been on sale. The earliest cars now have around 60,000 km on the odometer if they’ve been used daily, but there are a number that have been reserved for weekend use and haven’t got as many kays under their belts.The wonderful double overhead camshaft V6 is robust and doesn’t appear to give much trouble at all. It does, however, require PULP or better to be used. Likewise the transmissions and drive train seem robust and reliable. The chassis generally is standing up well, although there are some reports of high tyre wear.IN A CRASH The 350Z’s safety package was comprehensive, with all models having dual front and side airbags, and the Coupes also having curtain airbags. Add to that a responsive chassis and powerful brakes, with an extensive array of electronic driver aids, and the safety package is an impressive one.OWNERS SAY Greg Bird has owned his 350Z for the last four years, but has used it as a weekend car and it has only clocked up 35,000 km. He says it’s easy to drive, whether driven down to the local shops or hard around a racetrack. The steering is razor sharp, the handling great, while the engine has good torque and a good spread of power through the rev range. It’s also been economical, and utterly reliable. He’s not so rapt in the rear visibility, which he says is poor, the interior noise level, and the high level of front tyre wear, which he says was fixed under warranty.Derek bought his 2003 350Z Touring second hand when it had done 14,000 km and sold it when it had 35,000 km on the clock. He says it was the best car he’d ever driven. It had great performance, and loved corners and straight lines, and he loved the firm ride. The fuel consumption was 14.2 L/100 km around town and around 8.5 L/100 km on the open road. His only complaints were a squeak in the driver’s seat and the cheap look of the interior plastics.LOOK FOR • chunky styling• sizzling V6 engine• good road holding• responsive chassis• powerful brakes.THE BOTTOM LINE Good looking thrill-a-minute sports car with a great engine and agile chassis.RATING 80/100

One thing the original Zed failed to deliver was a rag top, drop top or whatever you want to call it top – although it came close with a glass, targa-style roof in the 80s.Enter stage right the gorgeous 350Z Roadster which carries a $10,000 premium over the coupe, but is easily the pick of the pair.It's a steal compared to some of the high-priced Euros and gives little away in terms of style or performance.There's only one model. priced from $69,990, and if you want an auto it is going to cost another $2800.Nissan is renowned for the 3.5-litre V6 that resides in the Zed. It's the same power plant as in Maxima, albeit in a very different state of tune. It delivers 206kW of power at 6200rpm and 363Nm of torque at 3800rpm.It's not the smoothest or quietest of engine around but we don't think anyone is going to find this a major problem. Drop back a gear, drop the top and listen to the note from the twin exhausts.We were particularly surprised by the good economy that we got out of the roadster. It returned more than 600km from a single 76-litre tank of fuel, although we should point out it drinks premium. That's better than 12.6L/100km.When you cut the top off a car you need to compensate for the loss of structural rigidity by reinforcing the underbody to stop the chassis twisting. They've made a good fist of this with the Zed because there is little or no scuttle shake, at least on the roads we travelled.The roof is a snap to release. Push the release button, pull down the central handle and then hold down the under dash button until the cloth roof is fully retracted, stowed neatly under the twin bubbles of the hard cover.Our test vehicle was the six-speed manual and while it was a little stiff at first the changes were reasonable smooth by the time we got the hang of it. There's plenty of torque so the car will happily dawdle around in top gear.Acceleration is strong across the range but the car is hard to get off the line cleanly and we'd like to see a bit of work done in this area.Handling is excellent with a traction control system that can be turned off. But we wouldn't recommend this unless you're an experienced driver.The roadster is not the easiest of cars to get in and out of. It's a long way down with huge doors that open wide and this can be a problem in narrow spaces.Standard equipment includes leather upholstery, heated seats and a kick butt 240 watt Bose sound system.

Young turks pump the ¿hang loose¿ sign with their fists, their girlfriends call out complimentary exple-tives, dads drool and mums swoon – well almost.It's a good looker that's for sure.This is the soft-top version of the 350Z coupe and is exactly the same mechanically as the coupe sharing a 3.5-litre, 206kW, V6 engine and a six-speed manual transmission or optional five-speed auto.It also has the coupe's interior and the same equipment.Chassis reinforcments provide more stiffness – necessary because of the soft top. Weight is only slightly up compared with the coupe at 1548kg for the manual roadster.Only one version is offered while there are two coupes.Roof operation is electric and takes about 30 seconds either way. It's stowed in a special compartment behind the two seats under a slick looking lid with twin head pods.A single, centre mounted roof lock is manually operated.Included in the equipment is a superb Bose Audiopilot sound system that ranks as one of the best around. It automatically adjusts volume according to ambient noise.The 350Z roadster has European developed suspen-sion dampers to retain the car's sporty feel and enhance ride quality despite the chassis changes and increased weight. For top down driving, a neat perspex wind buffer sits between the seats so your hair isn't ruffled.The 350Z roadster is impressive dynamically offering superb grip through 18in wheels and low profile rubber.The steering is direct and responsive while the suspension gives a relatively comfortable ride. Com-bined that with multi piston brakes and the roadster is in the upper echelon of handling for a road car.Hi-tech components include a carbon fibre com-posite drive shaft and a viscous limited slip differential. The throttle is electronic and a twin outlet exhaust is fitted.On road performance and feel is sporty with superb acceleration available from the big V6. Gear changes are quick and slick and the pedals are well placed for easy control. The engine isn't the smoothest around, growling and bellowing at times but that probably adds to the sporty allure of the car.I found the cabin cramped with not enough seat movement provided. Access can at times be challeng-ing.Boot room is surprisingly large and there are plenty of practical storage areas inside the cabnin to make up for the lack of a glovebox.It's up against some classy competition but at $69,990, the 350Z roadster is right on the money in just about every area.