Well as most of you know I changed the Clio for a Dec 2006 350z (297bhp model).
mods by the previous owner where;
Japspeed K1 Exhaust
30MM lowering springs (due to size of the wheels the cars actually only lowered a few mm)
19x10 all round Rota GTR wheels with a polished lip
Pop charger (basically a cone filter coined pop charger in USA)
I was told they handle like a barge etc and to be fair the first few miles where a bit.. meh however.. on Saturday my friend and I went across the North coast of Northern Ireland.. there where quite a few roads closed which forced us along the back roads.
This is where I could really open the car up a bit.. any under steer can be resolved with a bucket of power kicking the arse out.. with the torque constantly available in any gear its a joy to drive. Its not any better than the R27 F1 Clio however.. that said its not any worse.. its completely different in every aspect..
Interior;
Versus the Clio interior its again similar the main difference being that the 350z has all the bells and whistles (heated leather seats, built in dash satnav and electric seats). There was a little squeaking coming from some of the trim but a prompt slap resolved this 'issue'. There are nice touches like 3 dash pods with oil pressure etc..
It is a nice seating position compared to the Clio.. its nice and low and you feel safe in it.
Exterior;
The exterior is great. The car has a lovely shape and because mines the face lift model I have the LED tail lights. The previous owner replaced the exhaust with a dual pipe setup with no back box. Its loud with the baffles in and deafening with them out. Luckily the previous owner gave me the springs and exhaust that came with the car so if I wish to change back at any time I have them sitting in my garage!
Gearbox;
Well the gear box is very "clunky" however it may be that I'm just not used to it yet. The gearbox has the same "cold" issue the Clio's has in that a few gears need you to double clutch to get in to that gear. Its a 6 speed with a push down to go to reverse.
Handling;
I'm not going to say much regarding this as both cars are very good at this point and don't want to start a forum war! Previously I said it was a different animal and this still stands true. Its not any more enjoyable.. but its not any less.. it does understeer more however the RWD arse moment can correct this.
Engine;
The engine is a gem.. no cold start issues! Once warmed up the car just pulls in every gear and with the pop charger installed the noise that it makes is simply amazing. Overtaking is a joy and you don't need a ten mile gap to get past someone. You can reach silly speed if your not aware.. I accelerated on to the motorway and when I looked at the speedo I was shocked..
Fuel Mileage;
Fuel mileage is a bit issue with these cars however I've found it quite respectable.. I achieved a modest 27.1 at the weekend(which was half normal driving and half back road fun) and around 21-22 around town. Personally I find this an acceptable mileage for a 3.5 V6 300 which is an N/A.. Other people disagree.. Also its worth mentioning that because mine is a December 2006 and not before April 2006 I get the dearer tax bracket.. instead of £250 its £475.. even though its the same engine...(same engine on the GT4 350z which has the £250 tax bracket).
I'll leave you with a few pics from Saturday but it was a great drive... (sadly not many pics of both the 350z or the MX5 and most of the pictures where taken from the MX5)
mods by the previous owner where;
Japspeed K1 Exhaust
30MM lowering springs (due to size of the wheels the cars actually only lowered a few mm)
19x10 all round Rota GTR wheels with a polished lip
Pop charger (basically a cone filter coined pop charger in USA)
I was told they handle like a barge etc and to be fair the first few miles where a bit.. meh however.. on Saturday my friend and I went across the North coast of Northern Ireland.. there where quite a few roads closed which forced us along the back roads.
This is where I could really open the car up a bit.. any under steer can be resolved with a bucket of power kicking the arse out.. with the torque constantly available in any gear its a joy to drive. Its not any better than the R27 F1 Clio however.. that said its not any worse.. its completely different in every aspect..
Interior;
Versus the Clio interior its again similar the main difference being that the 350z has all the bells and whistles (heated leather seats, built in dash satnav and electric seats). There was a little squeaking coming from some of the trim but a prompt slap resolved this 'issue'. There are nice touches like 3 dash pods with oil pressure etc..
It is a nice seating position compared to the Clio.. its nice and low and you feel safe in it.
Exterior;
The exterior is great. The car has a lovely shape and because mines the face lift model I have the LED tail lights. The previous owner replaced the exhaust with a dual pipe setup with no back box. Its loud with the baffles in and deafening with them out. Luckily the previous owner gave me the springs and exhaust that came with the car so if I wish to change back at any time I have them sitting in my garage!
Gearbox;
Well the gear box is very "clunky" however it may be that I'm just not used to it yet. The gearbox has the same "cold" issue the Clio's has in that a few gears need you to double clutch to get in to that gear. Its a 6 speed with a push down to go to reverse.
Handling;
I'm not going to say much regarding this as both cars are very good at this point and don't want to start a forum war! Previously I said it was a different animal and this still stands true. Its not any more enjoyable.. but its not any less.. it does understeer more however the RWD arse moment can correct this.
Engine;
The engine is a gem.. no cold start issues! Once warmed up the car just pulls in every gear and with the pop charger installed the noise that it makes is simply amazing. Overtaking is a joy and you don't need a ten mile gap to get past someone. You can reach silly speed if your not aware.. I accelerated on to the motorway and when I looked at the speedo I was shocked..
Fuel Mileage;
Fuel mileage is a bit issue with these cars however I've found it quite respectable.. I achieved a modest 27.1 at the weekend(which was half normal driving and half back road fun) and around 21-22 around town. Personally I find this an acceptable mileage for a 3.5 V6 300 which is an N/A.. Other people disagree.. Also its worth mentioning that because mine is a December 2006 and not before April 2006 I get the dearer tax bracket.. instead of £250 its £475.. even though its the same engine...(same engine on the GT4 350z which has the £250 tax bracket).
I'll leave you with a few pics from Saturday but it was a great drive... (sadly not many pics of both the 350z or the MX5 and most of the pictures where taken from the MX5)
.. I've something that makes me happy..
