A top notch GT gets better.

Introduction

Upgraded for 2006, the Nissan 350Z remains the flag carrier for the rejuvenated Nissan lineup. Like the original Datsun 240Z, it's fast, it's fun, it's pure sports car. And, again like the original Z, it's affordable, or at least attainable. 

The most fundamental change for 2006 is the expanded installation of the more powerful V6 previously reserved for the Track model and last year's 35th Anniversary Edition to all models with the manual transmission. Other functional upgrades include larger wheels, more responsive power steering, better brakes, improved lighting and added audio features. 

Carried over are all those features that make the 350Z such a performance bargain: carbon-fiber driveshaft, drive-by-wire throttle, anti-lock disc brakes vented front and rear with electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist. Add the convenience features that come standard, such as automatic temperature control and a premium stereo even in the base Z, and the price is compelling. 

Available as a coupe or roadster, the 350Z delivers racecar handling, rear-wheel drive, and thrilling acceleration performance. The suspension keeps the tires glued to the road through fast chicanes. Bounce over the curbs on a road racing circuit and the Z will hold its line. Styling details like the controversial industrial-design door handles ensure this car will never be called bland. 

Nissan says the 350Z was designed to be a sports car an enthusiast can live with every day. While its firm ride, abrupt throttle response, and awkward cup holders don't make it a great place to drink coffee, eat doughnuts, and make phone calls on the way to work, it is a comfortable car with usable cargo space, and getting in and out isn't impossibly awkward. Order a version with the excellent five-speed automatic, and you'll have a commuter for the daily stop-and-go that will still leave a grin on your face after a quick run down a favorite racer road. 

Bottom line: The Nissan 350Z more than delivers on the promise of its stellar looks. It's a real sports car with serious GT performance. The Roadster adds wind-in-your hair freedom. 

Lineup

Eight variants of the 2006 Nissan 350Z are available: five Coupes and three Roadsters. All come equipped with one of two versions of the same 3.5-liter V6 engine, and all but two come with a choice of either a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic. 

For 2006, all six-speed manual transmission models get the 300-horsepower engine. Automatics come with the 287-hp version. (This changes for 2007, when Nissan will certify the automatics with the more powerful engine.) Minimum wheel size increases an inch, to 18 inches; all non-Brembo brake-equipped models get larger rotors; bi-Xenon HID headlights and LED taillights are standard; steering power assist is now vehicle-speed related instead of engine-speed; and the optional Bose stereo adds MP3 capability. Three new paint colors are offered: Interlagos Fire, with a special, hue-shifting pigment that changes from dark brown to dark-bluish purple, depending on the viewing angle ($500), Silver Alloy and Magnetic Black. 

The base 2006 Nissan 350Z ($27,650) comes standard with automatic temperature control, 160-watt AM/FM/CD with six speakers, power windows (with auto-up/auto-down on both sides), power door locks, power mirrors, remote keyless entry, vehicle security system, heated outside mirrors, cloth seats with eight-way manual driver and four-way manual passenger adjustments and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter boot. It comes with a six-speed manual transmission. 

The Enthusiast model ($29,350) adds HomeLink universal transceiver, cruise control, traction control, viscous limited-slip rear differential, rubber-nibbed aluminum pedals, illuminated steering wheel audio controls and switchable electro-chromic rearview mirror. The Enthusiast model is also available with the five-speed automatic transmission ($30,350). The Roadster Enthusiast is available with the six-speed manual ($35,050) or five-speed automatic ($37,050) and comes with a four-way power/four-way manually adjustable driver seat. 

The Touring model is available with the manual ($32,450) or automatic transmission ($32,950). The Touring comes with leather-appointed seats with a four-way power driver's seat, a two-way power passenger's seat, and seat heaters, and a 240-watt Bose CD6 with MP3 capability and six speakers plus subwoofer. The manual transmission Touring gets Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Nissan's electronic stability control system. The Roadster Touring models come with six-speed manual ($37,650) or five-speed automatic ($38,650) and offer as a no-cost option a blue top in place of the standard black. 

The Track model ($34,550) gets vented Brembo brakes, 19-inch lightweight aluminum wheels and front and rear spoilers. It comes with the cloth, but is equipped with VDC, the viscous differential, HomeLink, the aluminum pedals and the electro-chromic mirror. 

The new 2006 Grand Touring model comes with the Track model's wheels and body aero parts and VDC. The coupe is available with the six-speed manual ($35,850) or five-speed automatic ($36,850); likewise, the Roadster is available with the manual ($40,000) or automatic ($41,000). 

A DVD-based navigation system with upgraded graphics and functional improvements for 2006 is available on the Touring and Grand Touring models ($1800). A choice of Sirius or XM Satellite Radio is offered on the Touring and Grand Touring Coupes ($350). 

Safety gear on all models includes dual-stage front airbags, with seat-mounted side airbags on the Roadster Touring and Grand Touring. Antilock brakes with Electronic Brake-force distribution and brake assist and traction control are standard. So is a tire pressure monitoring system. A side air bag and curtain air bag package is optional ($620) on the base Coupe and a very good idea, as is the supplemental side air bag option ($250) on the Roadster Enthusiast. 

Walkaround

Not much has changed with the looks of the Nissan 350Z, though there have been some revisions for 2006. A modestly altered feature here, a sharper looking trim piece there, just enough that those in the know will know, but not enough to upset the proud owner who put together such a great deal on a 2005. 

Specifically, fewer, but more prominent horizontal bars fill the grilles of the 2006 models. The headlights look the same, but aren't; both beams are now xenon high-intensity discharge units. HID headlamps produce whiter light. Taillights fit in the same openings but now consist of LEDs, in place of last year's filament bulbs. Light-emitting diodes offer quicker response for the brake lights than traditional bulbs. 

The bulging fenders and fastback and short front and rear overhangs give the Coupe its aggressive stance. This taut body layout, coupled with weight savings gained from a carbon fiber-reinforced, plastic driveshaft and an aluminum hood (and on the Roadster, a plastic trunk lid), balance the Z well for responsive handling. 

The Coupe's sleek shape helps the Z slice through the air with a minimum of drag (0.29 Cd on the Track model). The Roadster's cut-off backlight (rear windscreen) isn't nearly as slippery (attaining a drag coefficient of 0.34 Cd). Underbody airflow is managed well, with zero lift on the front (and zero lift on the rear of the Track model). 

Interior

The Nissan 350Z cockpit is designed for driving, helping the driver quickly become one with the car. The cloth seats are form-fitting, supportive and comfortable, made of a soft, carbon-fiber colored material that grips the body in the corners. The driver's seat bottom features a mound in the center at the front to restrain the driver from sliding forward under deceleration, known as submarining. Aggressive side bolsters grip the waist to hold the driver in place, especially in the Roadster models, which give the driver a more aggressively bolstered seatback. The leather seats in the Touring model feel a little firmer than those in cloth, and are available in charcoal, burnt orange or frost. Cloth or leather are good choices in this car. The supportive seats and a driver's dead pedal mean you never feel like you have to hang on. 

The seating position should be good for drivers with long legs, though the steering wheel felt a little close when the seat was adjusted for the legs of a six-footer. It's worth noting, however, that this feeling went away the moment the key was turned in the ignition as is often the case in race cars. The Roadster boasts an inch more headroom than the hatchback, thanks to the articulation of the top's various mechanicals. 

Tilt the steering column and the main pod of gauges moves with it, ensuring a clear view of the instruments for drivers of all sizes. The instruments consist of a big tachometer and flanking speedometer, fuel and temperature gauges. Nestled in three pods on top of the dash are a voltmeter, an oil pressure gauge and a digital trip computer. Reminiscent of the original Z, they look retro-cool, but reading them requires more than a glance. 

Two toggles to the right of the steering wheel operate the trip computer, used to check outside air temperature, distance to empty, speed, average mileage, and average speed. It has a stopwatch function (to check out those 0-60 times), and a tire-pressure monitor. With the Trip Computer, the driver can program a shift light to come on at a certain rpm. The small red indicator on the tachometer begins flashing about 500 rpm before the preset engine speed is reached, whereupon it comes on solid. You can program it for the ideal shift points for acceleration or for fuel economy, then let your peripheral vision pick up the indicator, which might prove more precise than using the seat of your pants. We've seen race cars with this feature (though the red shift light in those is sometimes as big as a golf ball). If you don't like this feature you can turn it off. 

The interior of the Z suggests the carbon-fiber tub of a prototype racecar. The material surrounding the shifter and forming the center dash looks like carbon fiber. Likewise, the large expanse of gray material lining the door panels suggests carbon fiber in appearance. The quality of the materials is okay, though some of the pieces would never be allowed in an Audi. It looked austere at first, but grew on us. Stylish interior touches, such as the inside door handles integrated into aerodynamic pods for the side vents, give the Z a racy, modern look; with the AC at work on hot days, the handles chill to fit their frosty look. Passengers often grope for the door release the first time they try to get out, distracted by the big grab handles adorned with genuine aluminum and relieved by the Z's dot motif. 

Stylish audio controls include a big volume knob, clearly marked buttons for channel seeking, and six station buttons that can be preset simply by holding them down. Below the radio are three large knobs for the automatic climate control system, which comes standard. 

The leather-wrapped steering wheel looks and feels great, and comes with cruise controls. Overhead in the Coupe are well-designed map lights and a bin for sunglasses; in the Roadster, map lights beam out of the underside of the rearview mirror. Power window switches are auto-up/auto-down. Niss. 

Driving Impression

Turning the key and hearing the engine roar to life is the first indication that the Nissan 350Z is no poser. Turning onto a winding road proves this beyond a shadow of doubt. Sharp steering, terrific handling, and excellent grip make it a real driver's car. This car is very fast with brilliant acceleration. The Roadster's additional weight, a result of the platform strengthening to increase rigidity, no doubt adds a tick or two to the 0-60 measurement but isn't noticed in everyday driving. 

Mounted longitudinally and driving the rear wheels is Nissan's excellent VQ V6 engine. It's smooth and has a distinctive sound, the sound of a big sports car engine. It generates lots of torque at low rpm, pulling smoothly from about 2000 rpm. Maximum torque of 260 pound-feet comes at 4800 rpm, tapering off as 300 horsepower is reached at 6400 rpm; equivalent figures with the automatic transmission are 274 pound-feet at 4800 rpm and 287 hp at 6200 rpm. The engine is still pulling smoothly as the rev limiter steps in at 7000 rpm with the manual and 6600 rpm with the automatic, but this engine is more about low-rpm torque than high-revving horsepower. Nissan's Continuously Variable Valve Timing Control System helps the V6 produce a nice, linear band of torque. Drive-by-wire technology reduces mechanical weight and complexity. 

The short-throw shifter feels good, and it's effective. The six-speed gearbox shifts quickly and deliberately. It feels perfectly synchronized, making shifting easy and enjoyable. Clutch pedal effort has enough heft to remind the driver that this is a serious sports car. With the Roadster's top down, the exhaust tone is music to the driver's ears, rising and falling melodiously and crisply as the gears are worked through the turns on a twisty road. What isn't music to the ears in the Roadster is the ever-present road noise, even with the top up; we're not as sure about wind noise because, if there were any, it was masked by the hiss of tires on pavement and the hustle and bustle of nearby cars. Conversations in almost normal tones with the top up had to be ratcheted up several notches with the top down. 

The automatic transmission works great, really smooth and responsive, and it didn't leave us feeling like we were missing out by not having the manual. With manual mode selected, the automatic holds lower gears right up to the rev limiter, upshifting only when the driver desires. Downshifts are electronically managed to ensure an overly rambunctious pilot doesn't over-rev the sweet V6. The delicious exhaust tone is wasted on Roadsters fitted with the automatic, though, when it wanders almost aimlessly up and down the scale as the engine slips seamlessly from gear to gear. 

Handling feels taut and well controlled in both hatchback and Roadster, and the latter experiences very little of the dreaded cowl shake common in lesser conversion convertibles. These cars really stick through fast sweepers, allowing the driver to keep the throttle down. The steering is sharp and accurate, and the Z changes directions brilliantly in transient maneuvers, without excessive understeer turning in or sloppy oversteer coming out. Cornering is flat, without much body lean. The tires generate lots of grip, even when driving in a rebellious manner. It's hard to imagine using up all that grip, save for a competitive event or an emergency maneuver. This car doesn't beat you up, but the ride gets jouncy on bumpy roads most noticeably when cruising slowly, whether fitted with 18-inch or 19-inch wheels, although more so with the latter. But we expect a firm ride with a sports car like this. 

Buffeting at highway speeds with the top down was much less than expected, thanks to the tempered glass deflector mounted between the rollbars behind the seats and to racy body panels tapering back from each of the seat positions. Anti-flap seatbelt retainers further reduce the perceived bu. 

Summary

The Nissan 350Z is the car for drivers who want serious sports car performance in a GT body without shelling out the big bucks. Its rear-wheel-drive chassis is rigid, and its suspension is taut for excellent handling. The V6 delivers lots of torque for strong acceleration performance. Whether you opt for the six-speed manual gearbox or the five-speed automatic, there are no dogs in the lineup. The interior is the weakest link, but you can get comfortable with a little time spent living with it. 

NewCarTestDrive.com correspondent Tom Lankard filed this report from Sacramento, California; with Mitch McCullough reporting from Los Angeles. 

Model Lineup

Nissan 350Z 6MT ($27,650); Enthusiast 6MT ($29,350); Enthusiast AT ($30,350); Touring 6MT ($32,450); Touring AT ($32,950); Track 6MT ($34,550); Grand Touring 6MT (35,850); Grand Touring AT ($36,850); Roadster Enthusiast 6MT ($35,050); Roadster Enthusiast AT ($36,050); Roadster Touring 6MT ($37,650); Roadster Touring AT ($38,650); Roadster Grand Touring 6MT ($40,000); Roadster Grand Touring AT ($41,000). 

Assembled In

Tochigi, Japan. 

Options As Tested

side-impact airbags ($250).