Agreed...Looking for gears? Maybe the tester should have spent some of the $9K on the auto? Obviously, I haven't driven the 2011 V6 Stang yet, but I find it hard to believe a "short" shifting transmission is a bad thing. One of the first mods people make to Mustangs is a short throw shifter...
Sending the rear wheels into a tizzy....Sounds to me like someone was downshifting into a lower gear before they should have....Nice way to penalize a car by not using a driver mod....

Oh well, I agree you can't win them all, but comparing a 4 seater to a 2 seater is really an apples to oranges deal. As others have said, I guess its some good praise for the new Stang 6 to even be included in the conversation with the 370Z....

 

also, the mustang was made to fit the v8 first, the body, engine bay, wheel base, etc., were all designed with v8 in mind...but the other two were 6ers from the start....so mustang wins by default, in my book anyway, apples vs oranges vs kiwis or w/e. ha.

 

Does it really matter? They are still just V6's!

 

no that does not make sense to me at all . . . . I don't know about the short throw part, but the part about the clutch has me bamboozled . . . maybe I need to attend a performance driving course to better understand proper clutch technique . . . but I always thought you were supposed to let out the clutch AFTER the gear shift was complete, not before ?????

 

Oh well, good comparison. The Mustang is out of its league anyway. These are the top tier models for the line they are in and the V6 certainly is not. The engineering around both the Z and Gen coupe are based on these top models, every effort goes into these. If Ford were to build a specific Mustang, V6 model like these companies did for the Z and Gen, it would be a totally different beast. Seems like they liked the Mustang in the review though. For daily comfort it's Mustang all the way. If you want a near amature track car, the other two are obvious choices. I mean really, the Z and Gen come with Brembo binders, that's just the start. I know I said the Z comes ith Brembos but they are not marked as such, take a look see at Z35 Track Edition with Brembo's, you will see a serious resemblance to style and structure. Not the same, just incredibly similar. Nissan found what worked and marked it as theirs.

Another note, I am seeing praise and dismay with the new shifting, well, it seems some drivers find it great, the others, I suppose invest in a machine shop to make you a billet grated shift plate if it's so difficult.

I am just going to say this, harp on me if you will but does it seem like the V6 performance pack looks SO MUCH better than the GT/CS? Just sayin'

 

As a 370Z owner I thought I'd chime in. The interior between the 350 and 370 are in completely different leagues. In fact I looked at the 350 when it was new and while I liked the car the interior was so wretched I bought an IS350 instead. The 370 interior is beautiful, and a great place to spend time on a twisty road. Also the 370Z does not have Brembos, they are now Akebonos. I appreciate all of the thoughtful, mature responses.

350 interior


370 interior

 

At first, I was really pissed that the V6 came in last. Then, the more I thought about it, the more I was amazed that the V6 was ever put into competition with those other two cars. Yeah sure, the V6 is a lot more sporty than it ever has been before, but the other two cars have a really big head start on the 'sporty' category. The V6 never used to get compared to anything. At least, anything remotely sporty. I heard it compared to a Ranger once, and the ranger won...

 

So, given that, did you consider a used 350 before picking your 370? Any particular features on the 370 you don't care for?

 

I've read a couple different reviews that mention the shift gates being too close together on the 6-speed, maybe that's what they meant?

 

To someone not sitting in them, they look fairly similar. What was the big change for you?

 

Whoops, guess I'd better get back on the research train. Either way, they certainly aren't single piston factory Ford brakes.

I really like both Z interiors. If the guage cluster weren't as cartoonish there wouldn't be much reason for the G37.I really considered one for a while, with the orange-ish interior as pictured too, but the car was too cramped and uncomfortable for me. I would love it for a weekender. Always enjoy a good Z (240,260,280,280ZX,300 meh, 300ZX[Twins], 350, 370) Just a great series. Good heritage too. Yay for Datsun.

 

Well for me it was the more agressive styling, increase of 30 or so horsepower and the much improved interior.

No, like I said before I looked at them new and didn't care for them at all. The outside styling was okay, but I'm big on interiors and the 350's was much too downmarket/plastic for my tastes.

Before I bought the Z I also considered the C6, Genesis Coupe, Camaro SS, and Challenger R/T. And now I'm very interested in the GT. I owned 5 Fords previously and my wife has a Focus.

 

I almost bought a 370Z last July. I am so glad that I didn't, now that I have an 11 GT on order. It was a nice car, but I'd rather have the V8 power and more room. The 11 V6 Mustang is much cheaper than the other 2 cars in the test, so it is not an apples to apples comparison IMHO.

 

Wow, really? That is news to me but i dont hang around the Z boards that often despite being in the market for one.

I know some of the 370z guys are pissed that Nissan cheaped out and didnt put an oil cooler on the Z. Its pretty much a required item if you want to do any track time. The VQ37HR is very sensitive to oil temp and once you get above a certain temp, which is really easy to do on the track, the car basically shuts down. So 3-4 hot laps and your done. I know people were pissed about THAT.

Other than that glaring weakness which you can rememdy with relative ease the new car is better in every way, atleast to me.

Its..

-smaller(exterior dimenions)
-lighter
-More agressive styling
-2 inches wider out back
-Makes a good bit more HP
-improved interior(materials/fit/finish)
-improved handling

I cant for the life of me think of a single thing the old Z does better. And dont forget the awesome syncro-rev-match gear box on the sport package cars. Because as much as everyone loves to pretend that they are super consistant heel-toe gods, they aren't! Geat little bit of trackday tech that is!

 

The syncro rev-match is amazing. Love it.

 

On the bottom, I voted for the Z as the best sports car, because it is. But with a budget, I'll be getting a Mustang.

 

It IS flippin' sweet...I played around with it a lot during my test drive...

I also like the keyless technology...Went on a long test drive with the salesman, came back to the dealer and only when I parked the car (and tried to hand him the keys) did I realize that he never even gave them to me -- They were in his coat pocket the entire time

 

The $14k 2011 Fiesta has this. **** you Ford...

Anyone know if the rev-match is patented by Nissan? Or is this something we could expect to see in other vehicles?

 

Yeah these are two of the features that are lacking in the GT that would make me switch right now. The lack of homelink and heated mirrors is also a glaring omission. I can understand that some people don't want those things on their car, but they should at least be optional. And and I said it in another thread here, but I hate the looks of the mast antenna.