C/D Archives: 300ZX vs Dodge Stealth

[kevm14]

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons ... rison-test

Never drove either, but..300ZX. All. Day. Long.

[kevm14]

That AWD Stealth sure was a pig at 3,826 labs. That was very porky by early 90s standards. Don't believe me? That's about the same as a BMW 735i.

The RWD 300ZX was a heavy but much more reasonable 3,570 lbs. As such, the Stealth trapped 98 and the 300ZX trapped 102. The 300ZX still had a better ET, despite the RWD. It's just a much better car.

[kevm14]

Both ninjas, incidentally, are quick enough to leave a standard Chevrolet Corvette sucking dust.

Alright alright. Fine. But this was ONE year before the LT1! Which would have been right there with these cars, if not just a tad ahead.

[kevm14]

Running full bore, the Z felt supremely composed and responsive. The steering was superb, allowing surgically precise turns and transmitting plenty of information from the front tires. The chassis followed inputs from the helm without a ruffle. The drivetrain never stuttered. After being put through five hard laps, only the brakes showed signs of fatigue.

The Z displayed mild understeer in most corners, but we found we could break the rear end loose with power or a sudden move off the throttle. The breakaway was always easy to control, too. The 300ZX Turbo is a terrific track car.

At $35,357, the 300ZX Turbo lists for almost $6000 more than the Stealth, but its strengths make it a fair buy. Such performance, refinement, and poise simply cannot be had anywhere else at anything near the price. Indeed, to find another sports coupe with as fine a brew of civility and speed, you'd have to move all the way up to the $62,000 Acura NSX.

It's funny how good the 300ZX was, and for nearly half the price of the NSX. And it still looks really good. Actually, something else to remember is this car came out in 1989, which handily beat all the other 90s Japanese supercars.

[Adam]

At least until the 4th gen Supra, but Toyota didn't release that until 1993.

[Bob]

I drove a 300ZX with some boost upgrades back in 01 or 02. At the time it was the fastest car I had ever driven. It was quite entertaining to drive and pretty well put together.

[kevm14]

At least until the 4th gen Supra, but Toyota didn't release that until 1993.

I wonder how the 300ZX stacks up. I know the Supra was faster but how about the rest of the car? I feel like the 4th gen Supra was a bit heavier, refined, definitely a clear GT car, whereas the 300ZX retained some real sports car characteristics. But I've never driven either.

[kevm14]

I drove a 300ZX with some boost upgrades back in 01 or 02. At the time it was the fastest car I had ever driven. It was quite entertaining to drive and pretty well put together.

I actually remembered that today. Compared to your Z06 though, probably not in the same league. I mean, the Z06 had real throttle response and torque at every RPM, as soon as you ask for it.