Chrysler Crossfire 3.2 V6 vs Nissan 350Z vs Mazda RX8 vs Alfa Romeo GTV 3.2 V6

[nota]

For the 350 they aren't. The V35 engine pre-dates the Renault buy-in.

Renault getting access to Nissan's V6 was the sweet part of the deal and the Vel Satis is the Nissan 3.5l engine. Nissan got all of Renaults direct injection diesel technology.

Yes, so some Renault models now use the excellent Nissan-designed V6 - not the other way around as was alluded (eg 350Z using old PVR V6 derivative)

[Matra et Alpine]

Yes, so some Renault models now use the excellent Nissan-designed V6 - not the other way around as was alluded (eg 350Z using old PVR V6 derivative)

The Nissan is oft-cited as THE best V6 going.

The rumours are that IF Renault resurrect Alpine then they'll contune the V6 tradition for the range with an uprated version of the V35 :dreaming:

[henk4]

The Nissan is oft-cited as THE best V6 going.

Many times that has also been said of Alfa's V6.

[Matra et Alpine]

Many times that has also been said of Alfa's V6.

true, but the Nissan possibly stays that way even when wet ??

Italian electrics

[6'bore]

GTV. Aweosme looking thing.

[Vic Vega]

I would burn all my money instead of buying Alfa. It would, most probably, save me alot of headache, and not only because of Italian eletronics, but also because of Italian engineering. I don't need my car sitting in repair shop...

Mazda RX8

[Kumacho]

When I was looking for a car that I would enjoy driving daily and still be able to race it on the weekends, I looked at several cars.

I looked at the S2000, Z06, 350Z, Evo, Z4 and RX8.

The first car I drove was the S2000 and my impressions were:

The S2000 is a fun car to drive hard. But not a fun car to drive normally. The lack of torque makes this car a drag to drive daily. Handling was excellent in very tight corners. It didn't however, feel quite as well planted on high speed corners as did some of the others I tested.

Next I drove the Z06 and I was very impressed by all performance aspects of the car. It was forgiving if you selected the wrong gear entering a corner (torque is grand!) and straightline it was brutal. It was not as impressive in tight corners as was the S2000 and didn't seem to be as forgiving if your line was slightly off. But it was rock solid on high speed corners and when exiting any corner it was a force to be dealt with. What I didn't like about the car was fit and finish of the interior. It just didn't feel like the interior was up to par with the other cars I tested. The other drawback was being priced $20k higher than the others.

I then tested the Mitsubishi Evo and I have to say I was really surprised by this car! Never in my wildest dreams did I think a sedan would compete with a group of coupes. The Evo had good accelaration out of each corner and it was good at slow speed, tight corners and good on high speed corners as well. Much like the pipey S2000, gear selection needed to be right on and you needed to keep the car up in the boost. Really the only reason I looked at this car was because a friend insisted I test it. Since I wanted a 2 seater coupe I guess I tested the car with a bias and it didn't become my choice.

The RX8 was much the same as the S2000. You step on the accelarator and for the first bit of the powerband you are wondering what the fuss is about. But the RX8 just keeps building power as the RPMs increase. It still lacked the punch that the other cars had and really it was not a 2 seater either. It does handle very well and is quite neutral on highspeed corners. On the tight corners it had a tendancey towards understeer. It did not exit corners as wickedly as some of the others, but you could carry a higher speed entering the corners. Mazda really needs to make a pure 2 seater with good power. If the Miata MX5 had reasonable power and wasn't so cute, it would have been one of the cars I would have tested.

What can I say about the Z4? The one I tested had electrical problems! Imagine a brand new BMW with electrical problems... The feel of the car was super. It was very neutral in all types of corners leaning just a bit towards understeer in most. It had reasonable power and exited well. I just couldn't get past the lights on the dash that kept blinking at me!

Finally I drove the 350Z. Since my intentions were to find a car I could track, the model I tested was the Track. The others didn't have the Brembo brakes and in order to race in the T2 class I would need something with rock solid brakes. The Z tended towards understeer on tight corners and was extremely good on highspeed corners. The VQ35 is a solid engine with linear power. The good torque on the low end made it feel great exiting any corner. Gear selection on this car was not as crucial as with some of the others.

My final choice boiled down to the Z06 or the 350Z. With the $20k difference in price, I ended up making the Z my choice.

[2ndclasscitizen]

The Nissan is oft-cited as THE best V6 going.

The rumours are that IF Renault resurrect Alpine then they'll contune the V6 tradition for the range with an uprated version of the V35 :dreaming:

There's a couple of 300+hp NISMO versions running around, and there is the 30DETT version of VQ and i think a 35 one as well. The VQ has been right up there in best engine awards for the last 10 years, in 30 and 35 forms. I think it only got knocked off the top spot this year by the BMW 3.5 TT Diesel from the 535d and other models. The M-Technik 3.2 I6 is always a challenger to nissan as well

[quattro_20v]

Top Speed 254.3 kph / 158.0 mph
0 - 60 mph 5.2 seconds
0 - ¼ mile Not Available
0 - 100 mph Not Available
Lateral Acceleration Not Available
EPA City/Hwy Not Available

These stats are from the crossfire srt6 not the 3.2 with 218 hp

[2ndclasscitizen]

MOTOR gave the SRT-6 a good rap, it was pretty quick

[Esperante]

I would burn all my money instead of buying Alfa. It would, most probably, save me alot of headache, and not only because of Italian eletronics, but also because of Italian engineering. I don't need my car sitting in repair shop...

Mazda RX8

You are joking, right?

[quattro_20v]

MOTOR gave the SRT-6 a good rap, it was pretty quick

I know its quick but its in another price class, The normal V6 is in this price class, and for being a sports car it isnt the best buy...

[dave_fonz_164]

the alfa for the sound, feel, look, uniqueness and performance. That V6 may be old news and short on power compared to the others, but it still hauls ass, and none of those engines pull hard to the red line like an alfa V6......

as for reliabilty comments, sure the car might not be as fool proof as a Jap, but were talking about a european car here so a few quiggles are expected. The V6 has been around for so many yrs, its a very reliable unit.

[sunk]

The RX8. No sound like the rotary.

[FITZY]

Quote ``0 - 60 in 5.2 seconds`` you must be joking. More like 7.5 on a good day!