Mom's view: Inside the Z was interesting, but not overwhelming. The shift was easy to use and reach, the seats quite comfortable, but the rear view mirrors were too small and rear visibility was limited. The three-pod gauge cluster in the middle of the dash reminded us of our old Z's set-up. Our car did not have the optional navigation system and so the place for the monitor was taken by a fairly handy storage area. This was good indeed, because this car has very little room for a purse or a package. There are storage compartments between the front seats and beneath the rear cargo shelf. The "trunk" offers limited room because a large aluminum cross bar affixed to the tops of the rear-strut towers reduces the usable storage area. My comments are thus tinged by the fact that although this is a sports car, it is not a car to go shopping and thus limits its use to those who have a second car or never buy more then three bags of groceries. For me, the bottom line was how cute it looked and its extraordinary pricing. I feel that just as the original Z revolutionized the sports car scene over two decades ago, the 350 Z is going to do the same thing today. But, I would hold out for the convertible coming soon to a dealer with a waiting list near you.
Male college student's view: Really stout, bordering on awesome, but don't bother ordering the optional CD player because you are going to want to upgrade the 350 Z's stereo immediately. It just isn't right. The sound the engine makes borders on good, more gurgle then grunt,
Young working female's view: A very nice car. I liked the fact that even though it was low to the ground it was easy to get in and out of. The passenger seat is not nearly as good as the driver's seat so obviously, this is car is designed for personal transportation. I liked the fact that the tilt steering wheel moved with the gauge pod sort of like the Porsche 928. You get standard limited slip differential and traction control, 17-inch wheels and tires, Xenon headlamps, six-way driver's seat, cruise control and a stereo as standard equipment, but the real feature is the powerful engine and styling.
Family conference: If you buy the 350Z now you are probably not going to lose any resale money for a couple of years that is how eager the people who viewed our test model seemed. We were impressed by its features and the way it wanted to please us. Whether it is going to steal sales from Corvette, Porsche, BMW, or Mazda is doubtful. We feel it is going to attract a move up crowd from the slammed Honda and Toyota crowd who have previously been limited to buying used Supras to find six cylinder speed and handling and joining them well be those smitten by the Z's good looks. Certainly, a sales winner with the convertible due shortly and someone, somewhere already placing a turbocharger under the hood and getting nearly 500 horsepower on pump gas.
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