What is it?
2003 Nissan 350Z
What's special about it?
Nissan has been milking the return of the Z ever since the debut of the original concept in 1999. At last year's North American International Auto Show, Nissan showed the Z Concept. The rumor before the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show was that the finalized Z would appear. It did, but not everything has truly been finalized. Milking it some more, eh, Nissan?
Here's what the company did provide: The car you see is the final production version of styling and design. It will indeed be called the 350Z. Exterior styling has changed only slightly compared to the Z Concept. Inside, the car features high-quality interior materials and aluminum trim on the instrument panel, door handles and a few other minor locations. Like the Z Concept, there's a rear strut brace in the cargo area for increased body rigidity. Nissan says the car has sufficient luggage space for two golf bags behind the front seats.
Power will come from a normally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine and be channeled through a six-speed manual transmission. The Z's engine is very similar to the engine used in the Maxima and Infiniti I35 and features continuously variable valve timing and an electronically controlled throttle. Final horsepower and torque figures have not been released, but output should be around 300 horsepower, about the same as the old 300ZX's twin-turbo engine. As any proper sports car should be, the 350Z has rear-wheel drive and possesses an ideal weight distribution. The front and rear suspensions are independent multilink designs, and the car rides on 18-inch wheels and tires.
Why should you care?
The original 240Z earned popularity and loyal followers by offering high performance at an affordable price. The 350Z should fit that mold. At the car's debut, Nissan reiterated that the car will be priced less than $30,000. Expect the 350Z to arrive midway through the 2002 calendar year. — Brent Romans
2003 Nissan 350Z
What's special about it?
Nissan has been milking the return of the Z ever since the debut of the original concept in 1999. At last year's North American International Auto Show, Nissan showed the Z Concept. The rumor before the 2001 Tokyo Motor Show was that the finalized Z would appear. It did, but not everything has truly been finalized. Milking it some more, eh, Nissan?
Here's what the company did provide: The car you see is the final production version of styling and design. It will indeed be called the 350Z. Exterior styling has changed only slightly compared to the Z Concept. Inside, the car features high-quality interior materials and aluminum trim on the instrument panel, door handles and a few other minor locations. Like the Z Concept, there's a rear strut brace in the cargo area for increased body rigidity. Nissan says the car has sufficient luggage space for two golf bags behind the front seats.
Power will come from a normally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine and be channeled through a six-speed manual transmission. The Z's engine is very similar to the engine used in the Maxima and Infiniti I35 and features continuously variable valve timing and an electronically controlled throttle. Final horsepower and torque figures have not been released, but output should be around 300 horsepower, about the same as the old 300ZX's twin-turbo engine. As any proper sports car should be, the 350Z has rear-wheel drive and possesses an ideal weight distribution. The front and rear suspensions are independent multilink designs, and the car rides on 18-inch wheels and tires.
Why should you care?
The original 240Z earned popularity and loyal followers by offering high performance at an affordable price. The 350Z should fit that mold. At the car's debut, Nissan reiterated that the car will be priced less than $30,000. Expect the 350Z to arrive midway through the 2002 calendar year. — Brent Romans
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