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370Z Rally Across America, presented by Nissan For the launch of the 2010 Nissan 370Z, Nissan broke with tradition and decided to bring this car to the masses. In a long-awaited nod to enthusiasts nationwide, the car would be taken to the people, by the people... The folks who love Nissans would be presenting the car to more people who love Nissans. Is this the start of a real enthusiast relationship within the company? Let's hope so! Great idea, in theory...But how to implement it? A multi-city US Tour, with a full staff and crew, for two vehicles, support trucks, equipment, travel arrangements, hotels, flights... a logistical nightmare, right? Wrong. Nissan selected the team that brings you the Hot Import Nights Tour to head up the Rally. These guys know how to prepare for events, and they brought their A-game on short notice. Nissan determined that certain "super-enthusiasts" across the country should participate in the Rally by offering them a chance to drive the 370Z throughout the entire tour. From professional Nissan race drivers to car builders to forum owners to collectors to aftermarket parts gurus, an all-star team of Nissan freaks was assembled. Again, a last-minute logistical nightmare was made completely manageable and smooth by the crew from HIN. Yours truly was fortunate enough to get a call to participate, and of course I jumped at the chance. Part of the deal was getting the word out about the Phoenix-area stop on the tour, and plans were made. I'd be
The next day would begin our travels, and my co-pilot for the trip was none other than Gregg Rogers, past-President of Sin City Z and 2009 President of Desert Z Association. Gregg owns a gorgeous, flawless droptop Z32 and a well-kept S30, and has been a Z fanatic since they debuted in America. He knows anyone and everyone involved in the Z community, and was an awesome traveling companion for this journey. Gregg and I selected the Monterey Blue base-model Z, and Marty Huynh (builder of what could be the world's most awesome G35 Coupe) would be manning the Chicane Yellow sister car. Prior to leaving Phoenix, we decided it would be a great opportunity to capture a memento from this occasion and replicate another historic journey from nearly 40 years prior. See, in October of 1969,
Getting out of Phoenix and heading east towards Tucson, Gregg coordinated an impromptu stop at a truck stop just south of Tucson with the local Z-car chapter. A perfectly-timed stop, we were welcomed by 20-something Z enthusiasts and curious onlookers who wondered what the hubbub was all about. Spending time with these guys made me realize how lucky we were to be participating in this event. A quick photo session, some Q & A about the new Z, and we were back on the road - We had a chase vehicle to keep up with! Let me go on record by saying I'm pretty sure we're the very first people to get a speeding ticket in a 370Z. A dubious distinction, but an honor nonetheless. One of New Mexico's finest nabbed us just outside of Deming doing 91 in a 75 zone. Even at that pace, we felt as if we were crawling along... This car BEGS to stretch its legs and be "let out to play", and as we left our unscheduled meeting with the long arm of the law, we wondered if we'd be stuck at pedestrian speeds for the duration of the trip.
Crossing through some of the smaller towns in west Texas, absorbed in the awesomeness of the Z, we lost track of one very important parameter of interstate travel: Miles covered vs. fuel remaining. With a stretch of over 100 miles between any thing remotely resembling a gas station, we sensed panic. Were we ALSO going to be the first people to run out of gas in a 370Z? No way, we'll make it. With the range meter reading 35 miles to go, and the next town 51 miles away, I had faith in the fuel economy of the Z. Easing up on the throttle, we were rewarded with a blank "miles to go" readout just a couple minute later, while still 30 miles from town. Fear? Hell yes. Who's going to call the chase truck? Who was supposed to remember to gas up? Uh-oh. We were in trouble.
Good enough for us - Time to fill it up. A couple locals popped out of the back of the store to gawk at the newfangled machinery, and we're pretty sure they hadn't even seen many 350Z's around these parts, much less a 2010 Z. Perusing the glory of the facility, every manner of dead, stuffed critter you can find in Texas was hanging on the walls... and available for sale. Need horseshoes? Wanda's got 'em, in every size. Need a set of antlers? Ammunition? Bait? A fishing license? Got those too. In fact, we learned that this building
Interestingly, we thought for sure we'd collect a caravan of interested 350Z drivers during our journey. Yet, we were amazed that we only saw THREE 350Z's on the road between Phoenix and San Antonio - and 2 of them were Roadsters. For a car that's so prevalent, we thought it mighty strange that we saw so few on the freeway. Strange. A little more about our accommodations for the trip: The Z's full-sweep gauges perform their dance at startup and hint at what you're about to experience. The tach is large, and centrally-mounted, where it should be. Triple binnacles house the clock, ammeter and oil temperature gauges atop the center of the dash, and they're shrouded for easy visibility in any lighting. There's some really well-designed angling to the top of the dash to prevent glare. The digital fuel gauge / trip meter combo looks terribly out-of-place and mismatched with the rest of the cluster, but there's also an analog fuel gauge present. Effortless acceleration makes it difficult to maintain any sense of decorum or respect for local ordinances, and we commented often that this car begs to be unleashed and allowed to run free. The Sport Mode manual transmission with Synchro-Rev Matching blips the throttle much more deftly between shifts than any expert driver - eliminating the need for heel-toe downshifts. Flawless shifting is the name of the game here - A short-throw shifter without the mechanical notchiness that is so prevalent in many "performance" cars has been replaced. Realistically, that harsh action is unnecessary, and the new Z has a silky-smooth feel to its shift action. A novice manual driver could easily learn the "black art" of rowing their own gears in this car. We averaged 22.1 mpg over our portion of the trip - Not bad considering our frequent forays into the wrong side of the speedometer. Torque, although only up a few lb-ft from the previous generation, seems much more prevalent. Dropping the hammer in 5th or even 6th at normal highway speeds results in a seamless, clean advancement to felony velocities without bogging - The 370 is perfectly content to settle into 5th gear across a wide range of speeds. After saying it to each other over a dozen times, we simply smiled when rolling into the throttle in 6th gear - It's absolutely the most fun you can have on the right side of the shift pattern. I'd say this is the 370Z's most impressive trait. Love it. Audiophiles will want to select the Touring Package to ensure they get the most out of the factory sound system. Enough said. If you care that much about the sound quality of the stereo, you're probably not in the 370Z target market anyway. Engine sounds are much tamer than the previous generation, with much of the signature VQ note absent when revving the engine in neutral. However, under load, the familiar note returns, albeit with a more refined tone. This car is significantly lighter than the Z33 it replaces - Door, roof and hatch are all aluminum, and the difference is notable. Almost universally, the coments elicited from passers-by were the same: It looks
Finding our way into San Antonio for the evening, we compared notes with Marty and found that we were both in a agreement in our assessment of the car. A good night's rest was welcome, and the HIN crew did it in style, putting us up at the Hilton for the night. The next day would be a long one, and we needed all the rest we could get. Comfort? Hell yes. No 'car-butt' here, even after 8 hours in the saddle. Both Gregg and I were equally comfortable in the 370's redesigned seats, and we agreed that the base-model interior is plenty well-appointed. I'd pass on the leather interior and opt for the base, as it's really, really nice. Head room is sufficient for a helmeted driver of 6'2" or more, and I was ecstatic to note the lack of sunroof in either car. Finally, maybe we can bury that horrible contraption from the 80's for good! Nissan's literature claims a 0-60 time of just under 5 seconds and a top speed of 150mph (drag- limited). We guessed this to be conservative. We're convinced we're right, as our testing reveals there's plenty of pedal remaining at 130+. The Z feels rock-solid all the way up the gauge, and backing down from brief jaunts to double the posted limit left us feeling as if we were plodding along. Again, this car feels like it's begging to play. Not wanting to risk a week in some backwoods Texas jail, we opted to 'call it good' and
Although our final destination was only a couple hours away, it arrived all too soon. This is a car we could definitely own, and its $30K price tag is a clear bargain considering the total package. We'll be testing the 7-speed automatic at a later date, and I'm looking forward to getting some track time in a 370 once it's made available to the public in a few months. If you haven't already made it out to see the new Z, there's a few tour stops remaining, and you can be kept apprised of the schedule at www.followthenissanz.com. Hope to see you there! Special thanks to: Nissan North America, Z enthusiasts all over the country, the staff of Hot Import Nights, Desert Z Association, AZ350Z.com, Glosser.com, Hilton Hotels, Sparco, the staff at Westgate, the New Mexico Highway Patrol... Author: Greg Childs (AZhitman), NICOclub )
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