<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>UK-Spec: This is the 300bhp S-Tune we drove in the UK. Note how much less aggressive the nose is compared with the Japanese S-Tune S2.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=text11 align=right>by: Gavin Conway</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Andrew Frankel's last road test for 4Car was the 252mph Bugatti Veyron. He didn't call me from the cockpit to enthuse frothily about the wonderfulness of it all, which didn't surprise me. This is, after all, the man responsible for the first-ever road test of the McLaren F1. In fact, there isn't an important supercar on the planet that he hasn't had a proper old thrash in, so Frankel's oh-my-god threshold is rather higher than average.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Design: Wing is meant to evoke that of a full-house Touring car racer. Over the top? Yes, and all the better for it.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
So imagine my surprise when he did call from the cockpit of a Nissan with the simple command that I "simply must drive this car. It's amazing." Really? Really. It's Nissan's NISMO 350Z S-Tune GT, a car that Nissan Motorsport International (NISMO) created to celebrate the company's success in the Japanese Touring Car Championship. Just a handful have been produced, with one of them finding its way onto the UK press fleet.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Seats: Japanese S-Tune S2 seats designed to hug you hard during those high lateral-g corners. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Nissan UK are keen to promote NISMO - think of it as a version of BMW's M-sport or Merc's AMG - to a British audience. Buyers can already specify NISMO 19-inch wheels and an "aero" package from UK dealers, but the S-Tune goes much, much further.
To begin with, the engine's output has been bumped up to a shade under 300bhp. And the sports exhaust has been tuned to deliver a noise of titanic proportion, which is hugely amusing should you find yourself in a tunnel. The clutch, suspension and cooling system have also been uprated and the interior gains racily supportive, lightweight seats trimmed in Alcantara.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Wheels: S-Tune S2 wears forged, one-piece 19-inch alloys. Which look awesome.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Visually, the S-Tune also gains a nutty touring car-inspired rear wing and an almost comically aggressive front and rear-end treatment. And the pearlescent paint and NISMO decals remove any doubt about the car's intent.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Cabin: Driving position good, dials easily readable.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
My chance to drive the S-Tune came sooner than expected. Ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan invited us to try an S-Tune S2. And that 'S2' badge denotes an even more powerful 325bhp prototype engine than the UK S-Tune. So, even madder than the car Frankel was so moved by.
Lovely. But the offer of a unique car to try out in Japan can be a bit of a mixed blessing. It's always nice to drive something special, but if you're anywhere near Tokyo, that usually means a traffic-crawl rarely involving full engagement of clutch, much less getting the thing out of first.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Engine: This, the Japanese Spec S2's engine, would not be legal for the UK.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Here's a tip, then. If you've got the wheels to justify it, go to the Hakone area outside Tokyo. Nissan sent us there, where we discovered absolutely sensational roads; very fast sweepers combined with tight, technical hairpins and breathtaking elevations of all sorts.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Console: Sat nav screen was clear, although author had a little trouble with Japanese instructions. Actually, a lot of trouble...</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
And even in the middle of monsoon conditions, the S-Tune was sensational. Start with a tiny stub of a gearlever - "somebody's nicked the gear knob" - operating a six-speed box, controlling a gearbox that felt so mechanically precise and direct that you'd shift just for the pleasure of it.
Add to that an engine with stupendous throttle response, coupled with urge that felt relentless, pretty much regardless of gear and engine speed. Garnish with an exhaust note containing a bass note to shame a dub sound system and you've got the full S-Tune experience.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Action: Even on rain-soaked roads, the 350Z S-Tune S2 can be pedalled hard and fast.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
But here's the thing. The measure of a truly well-sorted chassis/engine combo is just how hard you're happy to push it in marginal conditions. Here, the S-Tune inspires huge confidence, feeding back precise information about available grip through meatily weighted (slightly too meaty at low speed) steering, tying down the body with extra-large anti-roll bars and giving progressive throttle response for confident power-out-of-the-corner moments. For enthusiast drivers, this really is a terrific package.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Brakes: Bigger brakes for bigger performance. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
But, back to the UK and reality. The 300bhp S-Tune that we also tried in the UK - slightly less hardcore than the Japanese S2, but otherwise the Full English - isn't coming here and if it did, would cost 50,000 (considerably more than, say, a Porsche Cayman).
So what's the point? Well, Nissan would be quite happy to sell you a whole range of NISMO upgrades beyond the aero package and wheels currently on offer, so this little demo car is one way of stirring interest.
But, back to the UK and reality. The 300bhp S-Tune that we also tried in the UK - slightly less hardcore than the Japanese S2, but otherwise the Full English - isn't coming here and if it did, would cost 50,000 (considerably more than, say, a Porsche Cayman).
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Rear: Even the back-end of the UK S-Tune is more subtle than Japanese stablemate.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
For us, though, the NISMO 350Z S-Tune GT is much more significant. It's proof that Nissan is (still) serious about building drivers' cars that can stand comparison with the very best on offer from Europe.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mobile call to make...
source:http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/driving-impressions-2005/N/nissan/350z-stune-s2-2005.html
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>UK-Spec: This is the 300bhp S-Tune we drove in the UK. Note how much less aggressive the nose is compared with the Japanese S-Tune S2.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=text11 align=right>by: Gavin Conway</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Design: Wing is meant to evoke that of a full-house Touring car racer. Over the top? Yes, and all the better for it.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
So imagine my surprise when he did call from the cockpit of a Nissan with the simple command that I "simply must drive this car. It's amazing." Really? Really. It's Nissan's NISMO 350Z S-Tune GT, a car that Nissan Motorsport International (NISMO) created to celebrate the company's success in the Japanese Touring Car Championship. Just a handful have been produced, with one of them finding its way onto the UK press fleet.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Seats: Japanese S-Tune S2 seats designed to hug you hard during those high lateral-g corners. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Nissan UK are keen to promote NISMO - think of it as a version of BMW's M-sport or Merc's AMG - to a British audience. Buyers can already specify NISMO 19-inch wheels and an "aero" package from UK dealers, but the S-Tune goes much, much further.
To begin with, the engine's output has been bumped up to a shade under 300bhp. And the sports exhaust has been tuned to deliver a noise of titanic proportion, which is hugely amusing should you find yourself in a tunnel. The clutch, suspension and cooling system have also been uprated and the interior gains racily supportive, lightweight seats trimmed in Alcantara.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Wheels: S-Tune S2 wears forged, one-piece 19-inch alloys. Which look awesome.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Visually, the S-Tune also gains a nutty touring car-inspired rear wing and an almost comically aggressive front and rear-end treatment. And the pearlescent paint and NISMO decals remove any doubt about the car's intent.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Cabin: Driving position good, dials easily readable.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
My chance to drive the S-Tune came sooner than expected. Ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan invited us to try an S-Tune S2. And that 'S2' badge denotes an even more powerful 325bhp prototype engine than the UK S-Tune. So, even madder than the car Frankel was so moved by.
Lovely. But the offer of a unique car to try out in Japan can be a bit of a mixed blessing. It's always nice to drive something special, but if you're anywhere near Tokyo, that usually means a traffic-crawl rarely involving full engagement of clutch, much less getting the thing out of first.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Engine: This, the Japanese Spec S2's engine, would not be legal for the UK.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Here's a tip, then. If you've got the wheels to justify it, go to the Hakone area outside Tokyo. Nissan sent us there, where we discovered absolutely sensational roads; very fast sweepers combined with tight, technical hairpins and breathtaking elevations of all sorts.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Console: Sat nav screen was clear, although author had a little trouble with Japanese instructions. Actually, a lot of trouble...</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
And even in the middle of monsoon conditions, the S-Tune was sensational. Start with a tiny stub of a gearlever - "somebody's nicked the gear knob" - operating a six-speed box, controlling a gearbox that felt so mechanically precise and direct that you'd shift just for the pleasure of it.
Add to that an engine with stupendous throttle response, coupled with urge that felt relentless, pretty much regardless of gear and engine speed. Garnish with an exhaust note containing a bass note to shame a dub sound system and you've got the full S-Tune experience.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Action: Even on rain-soaked roads, the 350Z S-Tune S2 can be pedalled hard and fast.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
But here's the thing. The measure of a truly well-sorted chassis/engine combo is just how hard you're happy to push it in marginal conditions. Here, the S-Tune inspires huge confidence, feeding back precise information about available grip through meatily weighted (slightly too meaty at low speed) steering, tying down the body with extra-large anti-roll bars and giving progressive throttle response for confident power-out-of-the-corner moments. For enthusiast drivers, this really is a terrific package.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Brakes: Bigger brakes for bigger performance. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
But, back to the UK and reality. The 300bhp S-Tune that we also tried in the UK - slightly less hardcore than the Japanese S2, but otherwise the Full English - isn't coming here and if it did, would cost 50,000 (considerably more than, say, a Porsche Cayman).
So what's the point? Well, Nissan would be quite happy to sell you a whole range of NISMO upgrades beyond the aero package and wheels currently on offer, so this little demo car is one way of stirring interest.
But, back to the UK and reality. The 300bhp S-Tune that we also tried in the UK - slightly less hardcore than the Japanese S2, but otherwise the Full English - isn't coming here and if it did, would cost 50,000 (considerably more than, say, a Porsche Cayman).
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11>Rear: Even the back-end of the UK S-Tune is more subtle than Japanese stablemate.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
For us, though, the NISMO 350Z S-Tune GT is much more significant. It's proof that Nissan is (still) serious about building drivers' cars that can stand comparison with the very best on offer from Europe.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mobile call to make...
source:http://www.channel4.com/4car/road-tests/driving-impressions-2005/N/nissan/350z-stune-s2-2005.html
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=text11></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
