test drove my first solara...some questions

[cablemn]

took a ride in an se v6 today and was very impressed with the quality of this car. it was fairly loaded with options. i do have a couple of questions though. does anyone experience a lag or bogging down when going into a turn? the car seemed slow to accelerate. i did have the a/c blasting at the time though, and it was a kittle better when i used the manual mode of the tranny. i also noticed some suspension noise in the rear...like a knock sound when hitting bumps. anyone have any issues like that?
and...how much of a difference is there between the ride of the se and the se sport? i felt quite a bit of body roll in the off ramp. when i got back into my 2003 altima se v6 5spd after the test drive i noticed a huge difference in acceleration. i dont know if im ready to give that up even for such a classy ride as the solara. i didnt think 25 horses could make such a difference. i have to admit i was a little dissappointed with the performance. it didnt feel torquey enough. has anyone else driven an altima se v6? and how would you compare them? thanks guys im a little on the fence right now. any help would be appreciated.

[TW85]

I have never driven a V6 Altima, but the Solara will push your a$$ into the back seat under hard acceleration. The reason it did not feel very "torquey" or powerful is that, for some reason, Toyota designed this car such that it takes a lot of throttle to take full advantage of what the V6 has to offer. Once you're used to the throttle you can realize the power this car has.

I recently drove a BMW 330i w/ Performance Package for a day under full throttle accelerations. Once I got back into my Solara it took me a little while to get used to the throttle response. Now that I am used to the throttle again, the Solara's V6 feels (and is) quite a bit stronger than the BMW's I6. The BMW's I6 w/ Performance Package produces 235 HP and 222(?) lb.-ft. torque (Solara is 225HP/240 lb.-ft. torque).

Also, dyno numbers suggest that Toyota has underrated the 3.3 V6 in power.

[jesse789]

first the sport se i think is only the body kit that’s different (correct me if i'm wrong people).

the knocking sound when you hit a bump was probably the dealers license plate hanging out the trunk (if that’s how they tagged it) i had that same issue when i test drove a gt-s in December... i heard a open window like noise and smack over bumps and it was just the rubber holder for the dealer plate.

i probably have the heaviest right foot around here cuz there isn’t a time where i pull out on a right turn and not get some tire screeching... and half the time to the left as well.

i have experienced no difference in performance with a/c all the way up (its hot around here now! its like 95 and i got to do it all day!)

the horses maybe off by 25 between the two cars but the torques almost equal. one major thing to remember about the altimas is alot of the posted specs of the performance is off of the manual model, not auto. (they red line highest torque and horses about the same so you have those extra 25 at the same point so you are definitely going to feel a difference) if you talking about a new 2005 altima i would just say "hey slap a non-warranty-voiding supercharger on that solara and put the altima to shame" but price has to be a good five or so grand lower on a 2yr old model (granted its still "new").

and the body roll... i haven’t felt much at all (just alot having to hold on in the turns...) i go thru turns like a rally champ. i was at 120 on orlando highways and they curved back and forth and never had to slow down.

(if you don’t use the shifter like a real stick, going back up and down, cutting throw traffic... you cant tell the performance of the car. i'm lucky because my family’s bought now 7 toyotas from the same dealer and i was the 3rd in tampa to drive one they knew i was going to take a real ride in it. the vp of stadium jumped into the car when he saw me about to roll out with it and told me to take a lap around tampa with it. find a younger fellow at the dealer that you can really cut loose with the car with and then compare.

i would definitely say that nissan is my 2nd fav car company around, but still there’s nothing like a toyota. plus trd is hooking up this solara slowly but surely, nicely... where as nismo hasn’t done much in the past for the altima and probably not going to now. so anywho, there’s my two cents...

[Prophet]

Lag in a turn? No, I don't experience that. But, I do experience a slight lag accelerating off the line which is the same exact lag we get with our RX300. I believe both cars share the same engine.

No knock in the rear on my car.

As for the rest, I've never driven the Altima, but it doesn't surprise me that you're feeling the acceleration and torque difference between the two cars since, I think, you're comparing a manual 5 speed with an automatic ...To be expected on two cars with engines which are otherwise very similar.

In my opinion, it seems more a matter of if you're willing to give up the manual 5 speed....If I didn't spend 2 hours a day commuting in heavy traffic, it would be a no brainer for me!

[Shoe]

first the sport se i think is only the body kit that’s different (correct me if i'm wrong people).

um your wrong between the se and the se sport there are MANY DIFFERENCES more cosmetic than performance but still look closer at the comparison in your brocure / toyota web site

shoe

[jesse789]

ok... since i was told i was wrong (and now i looked it up... i was way off) excpet let me make one note, se will usually come with 16s and the sport with 17s... at my dealer i havent seen a set of anything less then 17s on any se/sport/sle (some bbs and some toyota).


v6 models....
exterior-
17s Opt on se, Stand on sport. Body kit with rear spoiler only avail on sport. Sport-tuned suspension only avail on sport.


int
Leather-wrapped steering wheel shift knob and parking brake handle not avail on se. Sport instrument panel with unique sport gauges only avail on sport. se gets Silver metallic-style interior trim and sport gets Black graphite-style interior trim (whch is like a carbon fiber almost look). Chrome-accented parking brake button and air vents only on sport. se gets Fabric seats with 8-way adjustable driver’s seat and seatback pockets and sport gets Dark charcoal fabric seats with 8-way adjustable driver’s seat and seatback pockets. Aluminum sport pedal covers only in sport.

and safety is the same.



so theres more of a point here... the body roll is due to the fact that it doesnt have the sport suspention!

[jesse789]

just a lil note again... besides the suspention, if you have a great dealer the rest of the options and what not you can get anything you want in whatever car you want. the same day i was got my solara i was dealling on a 04 se v6 camry. they were going to add the ground effects and do the custom seats and put 18 bbs wheels on it (it was still on the boat and wouldnt be here for about 15days and i needed a car then so i was staring out the window thinking about what i should do and saw my car in the back (it hadnt been detailed yet so they didnt have it out in the front lot... so i bought it and brought it back a day later for a free detail ) but anyways... you want the leather seats, dealer can do it. you want the pedals a dealer can do it.... you want the ground fx a dealer can do it. your buying it, if they say no, its their loss.

[yanges]

just a lil note again... besides the suspention, if you have a great dealer the rest of the options and what not you can get anything you want in whatever car you want. the same day i was got my solara i was dealling on a 04 se v6 camry. they were going to add the ground effects and do the custom seats and put 18 bbs wheels on it (it was still on the boat and wouldnt be here for about 15days and i needed a car then so i was staring out the window thinking about what i should do and saw my car in the back (it hadnt been detailed yet so they didnt have it out in the front lot... so i bought it and brought it back a day later for a free detail ) but anyways... you want the leather seats, dealer can do it. you want the pedals a dealer can do it.... you want the ground fx a dealer can do it. your buying it, if they say no, its their loss.

what make is that grille insert and where can i find one?

Thanks!

[jesse789]

what make is that grille insert and where can i find one?

its the one on ebay...

[mattyboyl]

I experience the same noise in the rear suspension sometimes. I'm going to have the dealer look at it when I finally take it in for my first oil change. I only have 4,000 miles and have owned my SE Sport since Nov.

[mtodde]

I have noticed the same acceleration lag when I punch it, but if you accelerate gradually it isn't an issue. It is most noticable from a dead stop. I've had my car for 2 1/2 weeks and had a Mustang GT so I imagine I will get used to it and adjust my driving. Using the sequential shifter definitely helps to get the most out of the car; that was a big selling point over the Accord V6 coupe.

[yanges]

I experience the same noise in the rear suspension sometimes. I'm going to have the dealer look at it when I finally take it in for my first oil change. I only have 4,000 miles and have owned my SE Sport since Nov.

let us know what they tell you regarding the rear suspension....Thanks!

i get a thump in the right rear every so often....and i do not even have a sub

[cablemn]

I experience the same noise in the rear suspension sometimes. I'm going to have the dealer look at it when I finally take it in for my first oil change. I only have 4,000 miles and have owned my SE Sport since Nov.

let us know what they tell you regarding the rear suspension....Thanks!

i get a thump in the right rear every so often....and i do not even have a sub

yes i believe it was the right rear. sounded like the exhaust pipe hitting something under there.

[erasat]

People, that's the same noise I heard in my my Coupe '04. I went 4 times to the dealership, they never found what was the reason of it.

The Service Manager took my case personally and tried it by himself, he even took a ride with me 3 times to try to hear the noise, and beleive it or not, when he was on the car, the NOISE never appeared, so it was basically impossible to track it down.

He told me that he dismounted almost everything in the rear suspension (it was on the right side also), he verified that everything was greased and he verified that weren't scratches of any form below the car, everythig was fine, well the thief that took my car solved the problem, now I haven't heard it in my Convertible.

[yanges]

People, that's the same noise I heard in my my Coupe '04. I went 4 times to the dealership, they never found what was the reason of it.

The Service Manager took my case personally and tried it by himself, he even took a ride with me 3 times to try to hear the noise, and beleive it or not, when he was on the car, the NOISE never appeared, so it was basically impossible to trace down it.

He told me that he dismounted almost everything in the rear suspension (it was on the right side also), he verified that everything was greased and he verified that weren't scratches of any form below the car, everythig was fine, well the thief that took my car solved the problem, now I haven't heard it in my Convertible.

can you send that guy to my house to steal mine

then i can get a convertible too!!