Longing for a 6th gear
Oops! There's the exit leading to the beach. You enter the off-ramp and wind up in traffic. You slightly relax the throttle and drive toward the seashore to the sound of Love is in the air -- flamenco style!

The 350Z is available with a 6-speed manual transmission or a 5-speed automatic.

While there's indeed love in the air, the 5-speed autobox seems to lack some. From one stop light to the other, it proves to be more or less effective. Between 40 and 80 kph, the transmission has trouble finding gears and keeps playing both with the tach needle and your nerves.

So much so that you ask yourself: considering the extreme competitiveness of today's market, how is it possible that the 350Z is still not available with a 6-speed autobox? Why let the manual get all the glory? And when will we see paddle shifters on the steering wheel?

What if money mattered?
Money was not an issue... up until now. If you seriously begin to worry about your budget, well, you will slowly but surely get back to earth.

Not because of the roadster's performance, which is flawless. But you have to admit that $54,000 ($60,000 in the case of my tester) is... almost 10 grand for each cupholder. That's a pretty hefty price.

You have more than enough reasons to take a second look at the aforementioned plastics, which you feel are definitely -- dare I say it -- too cheap. You also reconsider the non-telescoping steering wheel and wonder why Nissan would not include stability control, heated seats and side airbags as standard equipment.

At $54,000, the Z doesn't come cheap. Better think twice about it.

In the end, it appears to you that the 350Z is perhaps committing the sin of arrogance. Oh, it has the right to, but you also have a right, which is to look elsewhere for other nice two-seaters. The Audi TT or Porsche Boxster, for instance. Sure, those two are even more pricier than the Nissan, but why make any compromise when buying a roadster? After all, maybe it's truly best to forget about money... What do you think?


Photo Credit : Philippe Champoux