2005 Nissan 350Z Test Drive

The Best Sports Car Value on Earth

The Nissan 350Z is faster than a Porsche Boxster S -- and costs half as much.

Not since the bad old days of the muscle car have we had it so good. What are we talking about? Cheap, fun, fast cars, that's what.

By this time next year there will be -- by our count at least -- a dozen recently launched sedans, coupes, convertibles and hatches:

• They can scoot to 60mph in less than 8 seconds; half of those 12 will be even faster, launching to 60mph in under 6 seconds.



• They can turn on a dime, or, at worst, a quarter.



• Six of them will sell for less than $30K; the other six, for less than $20K.

Let's name just a few of these headliners, shall we? There's the Subaru WRX, and an even faster, forthcoming (2003), WRX STi; the Mitsubishi Evo VII, also coming in 2003; the Dodge Neon RT/4 (2003); the Acura RSX Type-S; the Mini Cooper S; the Ford Motor SVT Focus; the forthcoming Pontiac GTO and perhaps the Pontiac Solstice. Last but by no means least, the Nissan 350Z, which we have just had the great pleasure of driving for about 700 miles.

More on the Z -- a lot more -- in a moment. First, you really have to put things in perspective. This many fast, agile, sporty cars -- all offered for such reasonable prices -- is truly a bellwether, not just of consumer demands, but also of just how artful car making has become.

Today, Japan, America and Germany can deliver cheap metal that can fly down the road, brake as well as it accelerates, look great and get much-better-than-SUV mileage. Have we not at last entered an age of automotive nirvana?

Perhaps no other car signifies how far we've come than Nissan's big star, the 350Z, which goes on sale in August for a base price of $26,269.

Meant as the successor to the great Z cars of the 1970s-90s (from the 1969 240Z all the way to the 1996 300ZX), the new 350Z is, we think, another breakthrough car, one that is going to scare Porsche, Audi and BMW, and also send Japanese competitors like Toyota back to the drawing board to try and figure out why they stopped making fun cars like the Celica Supra.

What have we been smoking? Tires, of course!

That's right, we've been driving one of the best sports car values in recent history and we're about to give you all the whys and wherefores behind the great new Z. Are there any faults? Sure, but lets shut up already and cut to the chase.