Twin turbos and rear-steer feature render Nissan 300ZX

the most futuristic among the world's leading sports cars

By Kevin A. Wilson
F
rum the slnted intercooler air in-
1:lke.s in its front air dam to its
h,-spoilered tail, from its 300 hp,
~;~riable valve timing. twin-turbo
V6 engine to its electronically
~.clnlrolled 4ws system. the new Nissan
30UW Turbo is arguably the world's most
thoroughly modern sports car.
Some baditionalisw might say that it is.
instead, the world's most mndy spans car.
For the W Turbo hardly misses a technc-
logical trick--excluding 4wd and a Nin-
tendo-game dashboard-in its bid to lure
enthusiasts of the high-performance persup-
sion back into Nissan's fold.
And therein lie both the car's greatest
strengths and its debatable weaknesses.
The big differences between the $33.000
Turbo model and the S27,Waplus normally
aspirated 300W that drew widespread rave
reviews earlier this year arc just where
you'd expect to find them: under the hood
and in the rear axle. where Nissan's Super-
HlCAS 4ws is standard equipment. Less
significant departures include those air in-
takes in the nose. the rear spoiler (a lift-can-
celing necessity at the T W s higher top
speed, it doesn't harm the 0.32 Cd), and
standard driver-adjustable shock absorbers.
LH's get to the engine first, and pick up
the rest later. Twin inlmooled turbos boost
the normally aspirated twinsam. 24-valve
3.0-liter's Z22 hp to an even I00 hp per liter
a 6MO rpm in manual transmission form, or
280 hp (93.3 hp/liter at the same revs) with
the four-spacd automatic. In bdh variatiom.
distinguished by differmt variable valve tim-
ing camshafts and fuel management pro-
pans. toque is 283 lb ft at 3MO rpm.
The water- and oilsooled turbos. special
Garrett AiResearch models with T25 im-
pellers coupled to T2 turbines (a combina-
tion chosen to deliver the required boost
level with minimal spool-up time). are fed
from new cast-iron cxhaust manifolds.
Internal engine changes include a lower
compression rntio (from 10.5 to 8.5:l-pre-
mium unleaded is still required). a new
cast-aluminum piston with moly-coated
skim and an internal "cooling channel."
and both connecting rods and exhaust valves
made of sterner stuff than in the base en-
gine. Rounding out the package is an exter-
nal oil cooler with a high-rpm bypass cir-
cuit, a fuel pressure tank to aid hot-engine
scans, and an electronic governor to limit
top speed lo 155 mph (250kmIh).
So much for tech-talk, how's it work?
Splendidly.
Nissan says W mph will take 5.5-sec-
onds and the qumr-mile post should d p paFt
the window in 14.0-seconds fliu, or less.
What those numbers don't tell you is hat
nubo lag is minimal, power delivery remark-
ably smooth and quiet, the engine a tractable.
willing accomplice whether you're feaher-
fmting it through a s&ml m e or exploring
the exterior envuons of he envelope.
Olhers may offer us 300 hp or more i n the
near future. but at higher prices (BMW's
850i. expected to cost W.WO, is one ex-
ample), It's hard to imagine, though. that
anyone will soon make a V6 engine so
strong and yet so user-friendly. (Unless
you're a mechanic--excuse us. service
technician-in which case one glimpse into
the stuffed-to-the-edges engine bay could
induce n i g h t ms for weeks).
With either the five-speed manual or the
four-speed automatic. the drivelrain is
beefed up from normal W specs, and the
final drive ratio is a little longer-legged
(3 6921 vs. 4.083:l). The
manual transmission has sec-
ond and fifth gearsets built of
touzher material and a bee- I
fier clutch plate (vacuum-as-
srsted operation makes the
pedal feel l~ghter, if any-
thing). and the optional
($800) electronically controlled auio~eari~
works with the engine management system
to reduce torque input during shifts.
As in the n d l y aspirald car, fifth gear
on the pattern requires a definite upover-up
motion. Depending on your viewpoint. this is
either the one awkward element of a fine
shiner, or a simple reminder lo reserve that
0.752 overdrive for cmising and lo hold onto
direct-drive focuth to maximize w i n g abil-
ity. It's not mat tipping into the thmnle in
fifth at highway speeds reveals any defi-
ciency, just that it lakes a moment longer to
build boost. Leave it in fourth and you might
be fagiven for no( nuticing any lag at all. the
car leaping forward with an alacrity that
belies its 3474-pound curb weight (187
pounds heavier than in non-lurlm form).
Despite that mass and a nearly 170inch
length. the W Turbo. unlike. say, a Corvelte
or Polsche 928, doesn't ovemhelm the driver
with the sense ofpilaing a large. heavy high-
performance car. The ride. m i t e stifier sus-
pension bushings and bigger, lower pmfik
2-rated t i m at the rear, is only slightly firmer
than in the non-Nrlm car, thPnks in part to
thme adjustable shock abrmtrers. And han-
dling ... well. the ZX cenainly feels like a
smaller, nimbkr machine than you'd expect
- - m~e on a par with the four-inch nanower.
675-pwnd lighter Mazda RX-7 than with lk
only slightly larger Corvette.
If we have rexwations about the ZX
AUTOWEEK OCTOBER 9.1989
Swadngrpirdlwbos In comb~oat~on with a slightly quicker
md lnmwnlm wih.
s(oaiag ratm (14.8:l. 2.4 hn. lock-wid.
hO@d(m)-ahP hp. 16.8and2.8),wefamdthefesnncmadc
b o r ~ 8 ~
rhonaw.3QOD(Turbo
the Turbo car feel a bn nervous. witchy
mn, compved to the n o d M llmi sen-
w o n eraduallv eroded as we meat m m
tigJI18, the turning circle at low t i m bePhiodth; wk l . and
u\ d f i t ' s t h e s a mc 3 4 . 1 - f m oineonarsecnrkmvaledihcawnisdim ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~ ---
----
c i i i for bolh Ws); boih & stability in high-speed aauring.
fmot and rrar wheels point in We'll reserve final judgmnt until we've
the swr dhstiw in d y all had more seat l i m in a full-production W
eircumstanm. Wi one ex- Turbo, but arr initial impxssion is mat the
tion: A CP. thal seem all f w uadc-off for those 4ws benefits is non-linear
Tub, U K N ~ ~ , chey center on a mapr reason
La~i . l h. bl eJensati on. andacnbdel c-
nwtdhadli: sltenng feel. This r due m
I*g nrane to the supa-WCAS rear sbx-
h.y*aa. orec cap fat hose wbo've na
@m 4w tecfimlogy: Nissan's ap
+ ~ d l l k n f r n a ~ o f H o n d a o r Ma z d a
it's cnhiced toward mcdtum- and
a@ stability benefits rather than
&-mwll mntuuvaabilily.
So there's no counter-steer feature to
r!
whcdsinthesamednslional
initid turn-in u, a corm take a
sideways stcp thal feels eerie to
moSe ~ccustomcd to the mne
baditional way of doing things.
To offset this. Nissan's engi-
neers have programed Super
HICAS to give a brief, ti-action-
of-a-second of rear comiwsieer
when you first turn the stgring wheel, befm
the nar wheels turn to point in the same di-
Rcbonasthefmnb. Itthussiwlstestheyaw
and pitch we've cane to associate with di-
rrction drangs in 2ws cars.
Under full electronic governance, fed by
sensors for staring w k l angle. speed and
aczekRtion and vehick speed, the systcm
can turn the rear wheels up to l.Odegree
either inphase or cwnmphase. but nor-
d y uses m more than 0.4 of a d c p c .
swring response and somewhat artiticial
steering feel. This may be F l y blamed on
the speed-sensitive variable power-assist
steering we've critiqued in the p t ( AW,
June 19). But there's also that momentary
counter-phase rear-steer, which creates a
sense of demonic Nrn-in that isn't sustained
l h m u ~ u t the cornering maneuver. It takes
a lot of wMds lo explain, which may over-
emphasize its impo- the mad it's
an occasional minor annoyance, a defi-
ciency only in comparison with other
world-class spom cars. pdcularly the 30-
percent more expensive Porsche 944 S2.
On the plus side. we've no doubts thal
Super HlCAS works as N i says it does.
which we suspst might be a day advm
tage. partifularly f a less expaiared drivers
whormklbewawklmdbyihenu.lix
ZX W s high roadholding limits ( N i
SPECIFICATIONS
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lial acquainlance to be an aston-
ishing car. particularly for its
combination of performance and
value. One mi ght prefer the
nearly one-third less powerful
Porsche 944 S2 for i t s steering
claims 0.930.94 g) will rarely be encwn- and handling. Another might opt
tered on the sweet, but wr track experience for a similarly priced base Cor-
suggests remarkable near-limit stability. vetle's less-spacey looks and V8
Credit not only Super HICAS, but also
grunt (the L98 may have "only"
the wider rear tires, easily modulated thmt- 245 hp. but holds a bi g torque
tle. quicker overall steering ratio. the multi- advantage over the ZX Turbo at
link suspension and the viscous. limited-slip lower revs). But taken as a
differential for the car's easily managed package. the ZX is not only the
character. Its handling is more neutral than most modem sports car around.
i n the plow-prone normal ZX. and drastic an identical 125-foci 600 stopping distance. but a stunning achievement worthy of men-
throttle inputs i n a 300 hp car induce the I t takes sharp eyes to spot a Turbo from lion i n the same breath with the world's
expected oversteer. but recovery is easy and the front--the three-slot air dam "gills" are leading performance cars
free of unwarranted drama. How much the only clue. At the rear, the Turbo's spoiler Its 4ws system makes i t a more intense
credit for those good manners goes to the is the easiest means of distinguishing it from variation on the theme expressed i n our I&
4ws and how much to other design features its lesser sisters. but i t prompts a styling de- at the normally aspirarcd modcl: a sense that
we may never know-Nissan doesn't offer W. To us. it makes the rear quatters look the W is a digital rendition of a sports car.
the ZX Turbo without Super HlCAS and shorter, not a good thing on the two-seat while the likes of the 944 are d o g cars.
there's no switch to turn i t off. body. the mil of which verges on looking Just as (digital1 compact discs arc replacing
I n most other regards, you may safely m- stubby even without an appendage. (analog) vinyl in the r e c o d music world, it
sider the W Turbo the same car as the nor-
Overall. we find the 300ZX Turbo on ini- seem likely that cars like the ZX Turbo wi l l
ma1 ZX (AW. Feb. 6). There's the same replace the 944 and its ilk, at least i n the mass
wonderfully organic interior laywt. the same
lack of a cargo hold cover. The same comfy.
suppalive seats. the same poor rear thne-
quarter and straight-back visibility. The same
awful optional climate control system. the
same slandard manual NC. a betler choice.
I n wr pre-production sample. we also heard a
cargo hold rattle, just as i n our normally
aspirated MOW. This despite the same taut
feel, the same sense of solidity i n the chassis
(even with the standard T-tops).
One other shared feature: four-wheel disc
brakes and standard ABS. The Turbo model
gets thicker rotors. but no increase in diame-
ter or swept area. The result. says Nissan. is
market. On paper i t looks as though the ZX
Turbo has surpassed standards set for a $33.-
sports car; in reality y w find that "sur-
pass" isn't quite the right word, lor what i t
does i s redefine the genre, just as CDs did for
recording. And just as there are some audiu
philes who complain ihac CDs sound "wi-
t i zed and anificlal, there are car enthusiasts
who prefer the mne traditional appmach.
We often find ourselves within the latter
group. To those of like mind. we say the
3WZX Turbo is worth a test drive. just as
CDs are worth a listen. You may opt for
tradition. but you should do so only after
you know what you're giving up.
22 AUTOWEEKOCTOREK 9. l YUY