Car companies anywhere in the world are notoriously edgy when it comes to test reviews involving any form of comparison with cars from other makes. And understandably so, for cars are highly complex things and no single car can never ever meet all the requirements of the discerning world wide populace of car enthusiasts.

Now imagine what the PR people at Edaran Tan Chong must have been thinking when we announced that we had a road trip planned with a Mitsubishi Evolution IX on tow. They'd just handed over the key to their one and only road registered 350Z test car and the looks on their faces clearly showed that they wished they hadn't.

An awkward silence ensued and we quickly took our leave before anybody got the smarts to change their minds. As we made our escape from Nissan HQ in Jalan Ipoh, we immediately got stuck in the throes of KL's midday traffic. Time then to take stock of the iconic sportscar's living quarters.

It's very wide in here, somehow managing to be cramped and spacious at the same time. The espansive dash top, low raked windscreen and low swooping centre console offers lots of breathing room. But the neck-high door line and cosy foot well gives you that encased feeling that you want in something you want to drive hard in. The firm, multi-contoured seats are swathed in burnt orange leather, electrically operated with in-built heaters in case you plan to drive to Siberia.

I had no troubles finding a relaxed yet alert seating position, especially with the deliciously chunky steering wheel adjustable for reach as well as rake. Interestingly, the instrument cowl which is dominated by the huge central tacho moves together with the steering coloumn. Another cool feature are the three driver-centric gauges atop the centre dash displaying analogue electricity and oil pressure readings plus a digital trip computer to measure fuel consumption and such.

(The rest of the article can be found in Hypertune Vol. 51)
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