Chris S

Thanks to Articfury, I got to drive a 350Z Track model today, and was very impressed. Here's a quick comparison vs. my S2000. I won't address areas that everyone knows.

Finish:
Lots of orange peel in the paint. S2000 def. seems higher quality here.

Powertrain:
Plenty of power and torque - it moves. Pretty close in full throttle acceleration, but the Z has a clear advantage in roll-ons. The S2000's shifter and clutch engagement were clearly superior.

Handling:
The Z felt very capable, but not nearly as agile as the S2000. The Z felt like it had more idiot-proof handling, esp. w/ TCS/VDC engaged. The S2000 feels like it's charged up on a caffeine overdose in comparison. Nice steering feel...Nissan def. paid attention not to over-assist it.

Comfort/refinement:
The Z has a big lead here. The Z interior had plenty of room for me, and was reasonably quiet. The longer wheelbase/wider track allowed for a good ride for the level of handling. Seats were very comfortable. The stereo sucked almost as bad as I remember my S2000's when it was stock.

Afterwards, I went for a short drive in my S2000, and had more fun in it...I'm sure part of the difference was conservatism due to driving someone else's car and being topless in the beautiful weather we had today. Nonetheless, the Z was awesome, and would make a better all-around car. It'll def. be at or near the top of my list when (if?) I'm ready to try something else.

I've been thinking of an M3 for my next car (not anytime soon), but this seems to have many similar positive attributes at a much more attractive price. Too bad I can't have both an S2000 and a 350Z!

integrate

How did the interior quality look to you? The plastic they used is supposedly recycled and seem pretty weak and able to scratch easy. Felt like I could break/crack some of the plastic pieces pretty easily.

Chris S

It didn't look as nice as the S2000's plastic, but wasn't too bad IMO....I could live w/ it.

S2000typeR

For the price, it's a good buy. The track model is a bit frustrating though, NO LEATHER AVAILABLE!??! At least some Sparco, Bride, or Recaro seats?!

Chris S

Leather is available as a dealer-installed option...anyway, it's role is to be the top dog performance-wise. The seats are great, irrespective of the lack of a brand name attached to them.

Jaykkub

I test drove a Track model last week and I thought the seats were pretty nice. I don't really like the leather in the s2k. I tend to slide a little bit if I corner hard. Never had that problem in my cloth seats in the WRX. Car is nice. I'm trying to get a hold of one right now.

StrangeDaze

I agree on the S2000 seats. I think Honda just felt that they had to put leather in it, so they did. I would prefer something like the new Civic Si seats. They look pretty close in construction to the S2000, but they are cloth and seemed fairly "sticky" if that makes sense. I wonder if they would bolt into an S...?