After a few years of building 300ZXs that were more "boulevarde-cruisers" than sports cars, Nissan has lifted its act and come up with a stunning replacement that not only looks great, but one that can also be very rewarding to drive.
In addition to its sensational new styling that makes most competitors look decidedly old hat, the latest 300ZX is also a much more dynamic performer on the road, with top-rate handling, roadholding, steering and braking. Performance isn't quite at the top of the class, but it's strong enough to satisfy most enthusiasts, and is better than the previous 300ZX Turbo model.
The new 300ZX's power comes from a DOHC multi-valve 3.0 litre V6 engine that features variable valve timing and direct ignition (there's no distributor or high tension leads). This engine delivers 13 kW more power than the now-superseded 3.0 litre turbocharged engine. To harness this additional power, the 300ZX has a state-of-the-art, anti-lock braking system and drives through a viscous-coupling limited slip differential. The car's excellent handling and road grip comes from a four-wheel independent multi-link suspension, with seven-and-a-half-inch wide alloy wheels and high performance 50-series tyres. The delightfully accurate rack and pinion steering is speed-sensitive, power-assisted.
At $62,950 for the manual and $67,100 for the automatic (tested), the 300ZX may seem poor value to buyers of family sedans, particularly when you compare things like accommodation, luggage space and the ability to see out of the darn thing when you're trying to park. However, against competition such as the Toyota Supra Turbo, the 300ZX is competitively priced and against European imports such as Lotus and Porsche, it's a bargain.
Styling and features
Low, sleek and very modern, the 300ZX is by any standards a great-looking coupe. Though the design is officially Japanese born and bred, I wouldn't be surprised if Nissan's enthusiastic team at the company's Californian styling studios had more than a little to do with creating such a wonderful shape, along with some obvious influence from European "desirables" such as Porsche and Ferrari.
But though the design is a knockout in terms of looks, it's certainly not an efficient package as far as accommodation space for the overall size of the car. For example, a Nissan Pintara is shorter in body length, yet provides far more rear passenger room and luggage space. Other drawbacks of the design include poor vision to the rear, back corners and front extremities and the fact that the big doors need a lot of space when you open them fully, to avoid bumping things. These comments, of course, can be applied to most sports coupes and it's really a case of setting your priorities before purchase.
One aspect of the 300ZX that appears to leave no room for criticism is its standard of finish. The test car displayed excellent finish throughout, including paintwork, panel fit and trim.
Though the new 300ZX places more emphasis on the sporty aspect, particularly in its driving "feel", there has been no austerity drive on equipment levels. The previous model's T-bar sunroof — with removable glass panels — continues, along with all the usual comfort and convenience items such as air conditioning, central locking, electric windows, electric mirrors, cruise control, AM/FM stereo with power aerial and four speakers, halogen driving lights and remote releases for the fuel flap and rear liftback.
Comfort and space
In typical sports coupe fashion, the 300ZX looks after its front occupants pretty well however anyone unfortunate enough to ride in the back will find they have to put up with cramped accommodation, restricted vision and the sun beating down on top of their head through the large rear hatch window.
The driver and front passenger sit in a pair of body-hugging bucket seats that are both comfortable and supportive. Only the driver's seat is equipped with adjustable lumbar support and height adjustments, but the passenger's seat also provides good comfort. Both the front passenger and driver enjoy stretch-out leg room; head room is reasonable.
The ride is noticeably firmer than previous 300ZXs, due in part to the stiffer suspension settings and also the ultra-low profile tyres fitted. However, the front seats do a good job in insulating occupants from road shocks and overall. I rate comfort as satisfactory for a sports coupe.
Ventilation is reasonable, with a satisfactory flow of air through the system and a four-speed fan for extra boost when required. However the combination of a fairly confined cabin (that some people may find claustrophobic) and large glass areas means that air conditioning is needed in warmer weather to maintain comfortable conditions. In the right weather conditions, the cabin can be opened up by removing the glass roof panels (as long as you have left enough space to store them). The panels are secured by a key lock, a slide button and a release lever.
With the rear seat in use, there's only a very shallow load area available that's mostly suited to a couple of soft bags. Folding the rear seat back rest down increases the load length by more than 50 per cent and allows taller items to be carried. Either way luggage has to be lifted over a rather high load lip. A temporary-use spare wheel and tyre is carried in a well under the boot mat (at least it's inflated; in the previous ZX, the spare had to be pumped up with a 12-volt compressor before use). Cabin storage is fairly limited, consisting of a small glove box, a shallow ridded console tray and an open tray just below the radio, and a pocket in the rear of the passenger's seat.
Behind the wheel
The range of seat adjustments provides a good driving position in relation to the pedals and steering wheel, but most drivers will find they can't get the seat high enough to be able to see the bonnet and front extremities, making parking and manoeuvring in tight spots difficult. Vision is also poor when looking to the rear and to the sides, hom the door glass back. Forward vision for general driving is good, but otherwise, the 300ZX isn't a particularly easy car to see out of.
Nissan has surrounded the driver with a capsule-type arrangement of controls, which on the whole, works well but there are exceptions. The rotary switches on either side of the instrument panel take a little getting used to and the radio controls are too far away from the driver to reach easily. The instrument panel itself is clear and easy to read.
On the road
Performance of the new 300ZX can be deceptive. From rest, it takes a fair amount of energy to overcome inertia and get 1.5 tonnes of metal and plastic moving and so the 300ZX doesn't feel like a rocket off the line, particularly in the automatic version tested. However, once underway, the car accelerates very well and during our performance testing on a closed track, the new ZX auto either equalled or eclipsed all items set by the previous 300ZX Turbo in its manual form.
Obviously, the manual would go harder but the automatic is still a quick motor car by any standards and out on the open road, it's capable of providing a strong and satisfying performance. Even stronger performance is available if the driver is prepared to keep the engine working above 4000 rpm by manually changing down or using the automatic kickdown. The engine displays its liking for hard work by emitting a delightful growl when taken into the higher rev ranges (it's rev-limited at 7000), as well as a pleasant, deep-throated exhaust note. At constant speeds, the 300ZX is a fairly quiet car; the only abnormal noise we encountered being wind noise about the rear top corner of the door window frames when running at highway speeds.
The owner's handbook suggests that for optium engine performance, premium grade unleaded petrol above 95 octane should be used. However, all our tests were conducted using regular unleaded, with no noticeable effects on performance or driveability. Overall consumption for the new 300ZX, at 16.0 litres/100 km was worse tha~ the previous Turbo modei, but it was manual versus automatic, plus the fact that in the latest test, the air conditioning was in use for over half the journey.
For a relatively large "lump" of a car, the 300ZX displays a remarkable agility when pressing on. Even when driven with considerable exuberance, it corners flatly, with excellent adhesion provided by the fat tyres. The ZX feels safe and predictable at all speeds and in all conditions. For all intents, the ZX can be described as a neutral handler (meaning neither the front nor rear is prone to breaking away). A driver would have to be incredibly ham-fisted and savage on the car to experience either understeer or oversteer.
Complementing the ZX's excellent handling and road holding is its superb steering. You would go a long way to find a power-assisted system that combines a better combination of low effort for manoeuvring, with precise feel and accurate control at higher speeds. Operated through a thick-rimmed (it could almost be too thick for some drivers) sports steering wheel, it requires only 2.75 turns lock-to-lock.
But as good a handler as the 300ZX is, there are a couple of points about its design that warrant it unsuitable on rough roads. The first point is the risk of tyre and/or wheel rim damage. Ultra-low profile tyres (50 series on the ZX) have less "give" in the sidewalls and there is less distance between the wheel rim and the road surface and, therefore, they don't take too kindly to rough treatment. The other aspect to watch is limited ground clearance. It's fairly minimal on the ZX and the undercarriage can be easily scraped on uneven surfaces (lowest point is the front section of the exhaust).
Braking is as it should be on a high-performance car: powerful, effective and fade-free. Behind those attractive, open-style, large-diameter alloy wheels there's a high-tech braking system incorporating ABS (anti-locking system), ventilated discs front and rear and racing-style dual aluminium calipers with four pistons per side up front and two each side at the rear. The system proved well up to the performance capabilities of the car during testing, the only drawback I found with it was that maximum braking required an above average pedal effort. But the effort required for normal stops was only slightly above average.
Though the manual transmission would probably be first choice for performance enthusiasts, the electronic four-speed automatic with its lock-up torque converter certainly makes for easy driving and smoother progress in low speed traffic. Changes were smooth in the test car, even under heavy acceleration, and the ratios seemed well suited to the engine performance.
Servicing
Compared to the under bonnet layout of say, a Holden Kingswood of 10 years ago, the 300ZX can only be described as a mechanic's nightmare. The ZX's engine bay is crammed with engine and accessories leaving precious little space in which to work. Even a usually simple job like replacing the spark plugs should be entrusted to a Nissan dealer, according to the owner's handbook, as it involves dismantling some engine components and the use of an extra long wrench with a rubber seal to hold the plug from dropping into its deep port. Thankfully, the spark plugs are platinum-tipped, with a much longer service life than conventional plugs.
Maintenance is at the usual intervals, the first being carried out at 1000 km, then every 10,000 km or six months, with extra lubrication services specified each 5000 km or three months for vehicles operating in severe conditions. Like all Nissan passenger vehicles, the 300ZX is covered by a generous two years, 40,000 km warranty.
Towing
Though the owner's handbook points out that the 300ZX is designed primarily for carrying passengers and cargo, Nissan does give a maximum trailer load limit for the car. It's 454 kg, with maximum download on the tongue not to exceed 10 per cent of this figure.
Summary
It would be easy to dismiss the Nissan 300ZX as being impractical in terms of space efficiency, its practicability for carrying passengers and luggage, or its suitability for driving in congested city traffic. But that's not what sports cars are all about.
You only have to head the 300ZX out into the country to very quickly forgive any of the above shortcomings and revel in the car's marvellous handling and roadholding, its delightfully accurate steering, its powerful brakes and the strong performance. The fact that it’s also a great looking car, finished to high standards and equipped to luxury car levels, are all bonuses for buyers in this segment of the sports coupe market.
By NRMA Motoring, April 1990.
