WVCR-V

As a follow up to my post below about wanting to test drive one. I didn't encounter any resistance at all. The salesman was cool and readily offered me a test drive. I feel silly even being so apprehensive before. I have very little experience at dealerships.
I drove a 2016 370Z with the sport package. The first thing I noticed was the awkward clutch and mediocre shifter. Both were very sub par to the S2000. I digress, actually the first thing I noticed is how much more room I have in the 370Z. At 6'2" 220 that was a big part of my motivation to test one out. The engine and exhaust sound was unremarkable when cruising and at moderate thrust but when opening it up it has a decent growl to it. An aftermarket exhaust (which I usually am not a strong advocate of) could really help in that department. The torque was obviously better than in the S but being 600lbs heavier and geared taller, it wasn't as dramatic as I expected. The ride was very good for a sports car and the handling is really good but you can definietly feel the weight. Steering feels good and quick but is lighter than the S.
The Z would be a great road trip, highway car. With a quick jaunt up to triple digits it felt very confident and stable. Even though the Z puts down faster acceleration numbers than the S, it feels much more laid back and less urgent. The S is way more entertaining to downshift and stomp an the freeway. The feeling of quality is better in the S. The Z feels a lake any average import these days in terms of interior quality, a step down from the Hondas in their heyday. The Z is even more different than the S than I expected. I rode to the dealership with friend in his Toyota Tundra and hadn't driven the S in several days so when i got home I immediatly took the S out. The S is SO much smaller. Its 600 lbs lighter and its smaller by an equal percentage. If I was 5'8" I wouldn't be concerned about this but it is a factor at my size.
At the end of the day the S is a scalpel and the Z is butcher knife. The S is so, so much more precise in shifting action and throttle response. If the Z had anywhere near the level of quality feel through the drivetrain that the S has has I would seriously consider it. I may still revisit the Z at some point because I do like a lot about it, but the S is a superior driver's car for sure.

s2krazyyy

Glad you got to finally drive one! I definitely feel the same way that you do in comparing the two cars. My take is that if you are willing to mod the Z it REALLY wakes the car up(tune, exhaust, sway bars, SS etc)the Z in its stock form is kind of subpar. But the S2000 is just a very finely tuned machine from the factory and the Z was targeted more for your average joe, but you can mold it into what you want.

berlinablackie

I once owned both cars (350z and S2000) at the same time.
your analysis is 100% spot on.
In the end, sold the Z kept the S.

S2Ko0o

I have both currently, I hated the Z when I first drove it especially the clutch but the more you drive it you get used to it. Overall its been a great car, no real complaints. There are mods to remove the spring from the clutch or replace it with a lighter one to have more pedal feel. It certainly isn't an s2000 replacement but its fun in its own right.

adut015

I own both a Z and a S2000 too (glad to find out i'm not the only lunatic on the planet with 2 x 2 seaters). The Z has served me well as a daily for the past 5 years. Not missed a beat. It's fun to drive and there's definitely a lot more torque available for everyday driving and way less gear changes during city driving. The S2000 however, is the one that gets my heart pumping whenever I have a nice sunny day to enjoy the roof down. It is the most rewarding car in terms of shifting I have driven, I prefer the gear changes even to an e92 M3 and the B7 RS4 which are both absolutely great drivers cars.

zeroptzero

The Z's exhaust sounds nice from the exterior , it just doesn't infiltrate the interior I guess. They make a convertible Z which would be cool. I always regarded the Z as a major step up from the S2000, it sounds closer than I thought going by your review. Thanks for posting.

WVCR-V

No the Z is definatly not a step up or down. It is just a different type of car. So different in fact that saying either is really better or worse as a whole is kind of unfair. Its like saying a hammer is better than a drill.
However I will reiterate that the single worst part of the Z was the drivetrain. The gearbox and clutch of the S2000 are far superior. Period.
If I owned a Z I would have to look forward to driving my 2004 CR-V when i wantd to row a satisfying manual transmission.

adut015

I agree with this. My Z sounds very nice when I'm outside the car. But I can barely here it enough to enjoy it while I'm driving. I have an after-market Fujitsobu exhaust and still not enough sound infiltrates into the interior. And that's definitely not due to good sound insulation, can't tell you how load the tire noise is inside the car.

s2krazyyy

Only if you lived in CA id let you drive my Z with the clutch pedal/short shifter upgrades its pretty satisfying. I think you would be pleasantly surprised how much the drivetrain can be improved with 2 simple mods. I do admit if I couldnt have upgraded these things I think I would have eventually sold the Z, the stock drivetrain is pretty bad.

s2krazyyy

Always thought the tire noise was exclusively on the 370z. It has never bothered me to the point where I felt that I needed to take some dynamat to the trunk, but its pretty apparent on bad roads/in the rain.