RicerX
Well-Known Member
Let's not sensationalize - the car does what it was designed to do from the factory. Its factory configuration is a "jack of all trades" configuration. Just like a base Mustang GT is. If you came into this thing thinking that the Z was going to be some high performance track star vehicle, you were always going to have a bad time. The Z was never that (despite being track competent, none of them were ever track stars save for maybe the TT Z32 for its time). The Nismo models were closer to that, but still not quite there.But that's kind of the point. That you have to go out and immediately spend $5k (or more) to get it to perform the way it should from the factory , for a $52k car.
Let's face it - this car has been completely hyped up for the past couple years , by Nissan and everyone else . Now that we see the reality of the car , it's clear that it isn't some high performance track star vehicle.
The Z only needs tires, brake fluids, and pads if you want to track moderately and have fun (more than that if you want to seriously track - that depends on the type of HPDE you're doing). All of that can be done for $2k MAX. We're talking less than 5% of your purchase price. If you're not tracking? Run it out of the box! The 370Z was plenty fun to sling around in public in purely stock form. This is going to be that plus the extra kick in the pants with the powertrain. The tires suck, yeah? But they'll be toast in 15,000 miles tops if you're doing it right. Break the car in and then upgrade.
There are too many other track-focused options out there if that's your game. This car is not nor will ever be "track-focused" without some help. It's a GT car. Always has been. Go get a Camaro SS 1LE if that's what you want it to do, or be prepared to shell out mod money to get the Z where you want it (and it absolutely can be done!). If you want a track car on the low end of the money spectrum, get a Miata. They're excellent and extremely cost effective, and punch well above their weight on a track. There's also a vibrant aftermarket for it. They're excellent durable cars.
Everyone seems to be upset about how much this car costs, and reads all these reviews with others' interpretations of what the car is, and act like the sky is falling when they emphasize all of the negative traits of the car as conveyed by someone they've never met with an unknown experience level (for the most part - there are exceptions here). Yet most, when asked (not all!) cannot articulate what car out there does it for them for the money. Put your money where your mouth is! Go buy what you feel provides the value for you. The pricing has been out there for months now. The competition is already out there. Why haven't you bought something else yet if this isn't priced right?
1) Drive the damn car yourself (when you can in 2026-ish - you'll be able to get a PlayStation 6, Gran Turismo 8, and a Nissan Z in a launch edition package) and form your own opinion. Most car mags have always dunked on Nissan for the past 20 years anyway. Hasn't stopped me from buying them. Shouldn't stop you either.
2) If you buy the car, enjoy it. Doesn't matter what the rest of the cars out there do. Enjoy YOUR car. You worked for it, you earned it, doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.