Can A Hot Hatch Beat A Nissan 370Z? - Fifth Gear

[@zedmanz]

My 370z is very slidey in the wet and I'm not at all surprised that the Renault beat it. I'm actually surprised it was that close. The cabin of a Z is still a lovely place to be and the headturns/comments I get could never be matched by a hatchback. Give me the Z anyday.

[@ThaMaikel13]

@AngryDuck76 Did you drive both? I'm in the same boat now, choosing between a Z and a M135i. Only drove a 370z yet

[@sipsimies1588]

@@ThaMaikel13 m135 is definetly a more refined and versatile car

[@zaco805]

@@ThaMaikel13 Im literally in that same spot now along with a couple of other cars< what did you go for in the end?

[@ThaMaikel13]

@@zaco805 i ended up going with the m135i manual, really like it and it feels more refined compared to the 370z. But the naturally aspirated v6 of the Z is also a beauty mate.

[@zaco805]

@@ThaMaikel13 Oh nice one cheers for the reply, ive got while to decide. Got some other options as well like an s5 and 330i but leaning towards the 370. Enjoy your whip bro.

[@CommonsFilms]

Am I missing something here... the 370Z’s lap appeared to be carried out on a very wet track and the Renault on a much dryer track. If that’s the case I’m surprised there was only 2 seconds in it!

[@justino6054]

So, the hatch got 2 seconds quicker and it got to drive on drier conditions, the Z clealry had very wet roads. So, on dry roads, the Z would absolutely annihilate that thing. Plus, the Z looks heaps good. All hatches look like mum's off to the supermarket.

[@PerformanceY]

What many people don't understand is that Megan RS is a beast on the track

[@chodkowski01]

Being it was a rally sport why didn’t they put it up against the 370z Nismo?

[@mistreku]

they say the 370z it's one of their fav GT cars at 5th gear, then he says the car understeers too much and the transition from understeer to oversteer is too snappy to be fun. journalism at its peak.

[@garideb]

The time isn't really a surprise given the conditions, but the fact that they both enjoyed the fwd hatch-back more than the rwd sports car is an eye-popper.

[@Rorschach34Bos]

compare RWD to FWD in the Rain neither of these car won, U WON

[@KarthikKovi]

Using a cell phone to clock the times and deciding which car is faster ... ingenious

[@bbirdman1981]

dry track, different story. but still impressive renault

[@znismo1]

bbirdman1981 yes in a dry track I'll bet money the 370Z is faster. It is still a pretty fast hot hatch though

[@guillaumed1691]

bbirdman1981 I'm not so sure, 2 secs is quite a gap !

[@heamees4822]

I doubt it, 370z weighs way more and Renault has a way better chassis

[@NeedMoarRage]

so it'll be 2 secs faster than the Megane? Or even just make up just 2 secs? They're compared to be the Porsche GT2 RS of FWD hatchbacks for a reason. Renaultsport knows how to make a top notch chassis.

[@PR1NCETD0T]

Sergio Aguirre well, you could always do a bit of weight reduction, wheels, exhaust, remove spares and maybe gut the trunk since nothing fits there but a golf bag anyways. Top of that, the only civic i’d want to drive is the Type R FK8.

[@lucianrajah]

Why do they make reference to a Megane Trophy (265) but show the picture shows an RS 250? The three-instead-of-six LED DRLs as well as the silver steering wheel insert suggests that it's a (pre-facelift) RS250.

[@trevorclark5189]

Hi mate I understand why you think that but it is a 265. How do I know? Well research and the fact that I own the actual car that they are driving. It is very fast and has since had a power upgrade to 297. Chris Harris also drove the same car in an ECOTY video and he also loved it

[@CalgaryRambler]

Well over here North America, the 370Z head is still a winner. I might add to that the Renault model is not sold over here North America or in Canada so the real winner is the 370Z no surprise there!

[@pierrephilosophale2952]

love the Renault Megane rs !!

[@coenpronk3378]

Both cars had the same tires?? Tires can make or break a car!

[@janmatys8990]

Hm, the thing I waited for was a word about conditions and ... YEP! In wet conditions the FWD could be faster and probably easier to drive so "funnier" too but be honest ... on the DRY road the 370Z/350Z goes like a BULLET!

[@matthieugerard3124]

This totally sucks that they don't make as many hot hatches here in America compared to the UK

[@cawimmer430]

My American friends poke fun at us Europeans for driving such cars, but then they tell me that they need a Ford Excursion because it's great for driving across the country with some friends. Yeah, I do that here in Germany with my small BMW 118i to! :D

[@AndreiDragonulBGS]

matthieu gerard compared to whole europe

[@romanjeremy5156]

In Europe these cars sell well because we simply have less space for parking ! They are also light and practical. I love my megane 3 coupé, I'll keep it until I get kids eventually ;-)

[@jeffex72]

Grip equals power, might be different story in dry weather

[@FEGTTTSDH]

The Megane is a weapon

[@yenchey3270]

and yet there are still people out there in this world that would dare say a bad word about a frenchie

[@EugVR6]

To be fair, the Renault is designed to attack roads and tracks, which is why it's always up there as one of the great hot hatches. The 370z is a softish GT car and out on a long A road would be the faster car, it's almost a compare of apples and oranges.

[@chodkowski01]

The 370z Nismo is made for the track and would have been better than the base 370z.

[@wasuprobleemjoh]

in the 280hp era, the 350z was always among the slowest of all the Japanese sports cars in best motoring.

[@znismo1]

wasuprobleemjoh no it wasn't

[@bbirdman1981]

i left sti's and evo's behind on the track with a 350z. not on the straight tho

[@znismo1]

bbirdman1981 was your 350Z a DE? I had both a DE and HR. The DE wasn't as quick on the straights but my HR would smash on many cars.

[@bbirdman1981]

i had the 2003 DE. slower on the straights but still handeled like a sharm. cornered faster then the 4wd, in the dry of course

[@Mr3kbeats]

Your talking about DE those are a piece a stock HR will cook a full bolt on DE

[@erijqudus1960]

Challengers to a reigning classic are just challengers. To reach the level of 370Z they have to live at least 50 years, then we will talk.

[@oracleofpelham511]

Soaking wet vs mildly damp.. yea thats a heads up

[@jp8950]

The Z’s lap was in the rain, on a soaked track. The hatch was in the sunshine. I’ll take the Z every day of the week, over the grocery getter.

[@jp8950]

xxBOUNTYxxHUNTER Well we’re both entitled to our opinions. Now get in your megane, and go buy some groceries.

[@neon-kitty2281]

xxBOUNTYxxHUNTER while its quick, its still a hatchback. Fwd hatchbacks are mostly economical grocery getters. But its surprisingly quick ill give it that but its a car that wont draw attention really to it unless you have a trained eye. Personally i would pick the 370z, sure its less convenient but it looks great and its rwd. But everyone is entitled to their opinion ofcourse.

[@Dannyyzeee]

I'll take anything that's not fwd. I don't get why people try to make performers with fwd the whole point of it is to be economical

[@123kion]

mainly to keep costs down, a rear wheel drive set up is more expensive, 4 wheels drive is even more costly.

[@taelorwatson9822]

The road was much dryer when the Megane was running it. But yes, lighter with less hp can and will win. Part of it is the track condition and tire compound.

[@chodkowski01]

They used a rally sport car against the base 370z. They should have used the 370z Nismo.

[@JamesMcBride1]

Shocking it (the Renault) set a faster lap in better conditions....

[@iulianmaciuca5628]

Hmmmm...shocking indeed...for me at least. The car that I have is faster than the car that i want...Really confused :(

[@almightykeys4734]

Don't take a video seriously.....this was on a wet track. The 370Z is way faster straight away and i seen faster clocked times than this video.

[@Erowens98]

All this proves is that skill matters, and that fwd suffers less in the wet. The 370z needs a better driver to see its full potential because its reat wheel drive and has more power. I suspect a 350z would also have been faster in this case because it has a bit less power so takes less skill. The Renault is more "point it that way and floor it", very idiot proof.

[@Explow23]

Why im enjoying this more than new top gear... Fifth gear is just better in everyway...

[@jeffk464]

There are a couple of French cars it would be nice to get in the US.

[@twentytwoprod]

dude, our cars are unreliable shitboxes. it looks cool to watch a brand new model run on video but 30k miles in you'll start having troubles... We French are good at wine, sex and healthcare but we suck at car manufacturing...

[@neon-kitty2281]

Jeff K i dont think the americans would be too happ about it, french cars have a tendency to have....issues. Theres a reason why the 3 french manufacturers arent that common outside baguette land. (I know this beacusr ive had people in family and relatives that had french cars and there were always problems with them. My parents bought 3 citroens before they gave up and bought something else. If you want trouble free ownership get a japanese car or something that doesnt has it parts glued together with paperglue)

[@G1lgamesh777]

Love 1:46. Wish I had the skill (and dared) drive my 370 like that!

[@klepetar]

technically.. the 370z is a hatch.. 350z too..

[@rwac07]

The Megane is a track-focused spec and the Z is not. Should have put it up against a Nismo 370.

[@NSB25445]

But it also has 63 horsepower less and front wheel drive, so I think that actually the Z has the advantage.

[@rwac07]

@@NSB25445 Fair point but if we're trying to prove that the Megane is a quicker track car then it should be against a track-spec 370, not a base or a sport.

[@dragokulas2969]

I'm here before this video goes viral and scattered with mad Americans.

[@matthewkonopka3012]

4:57, "in these conditions at least"

[@videomaniac108]

I have a 2019 370Z sport coupe 6M all-black, similar to this car. If their 0 to 60 time was 5.3 seconds then there must have been a mechanical problem with the car or a mistake in the launching or shifting technique, as I typically get closer to 5.0 secs. On a cool day with 93 octane fuel I might get close to 4.9 secs. My car is ceramic-coated with a very slick coating to which nearly nothing can stick, so I may have slightly less parasitic air drag at the higher speeds. Short of a 911 Carrera S, I wouldn't trade this car for anything. I did install Hotchkiss sway bars in the front and rear. The car is significantly more responsive in the turn in with pretty much neutral steering into through and out of corners. The trade off has been a harsher ride, although not too bad.

[@yezyk07]

0 to 62... there is no such thing as 0 to 60

[@videomaniac108]

@@yezyk07 ???

[@eyalschnider]

renault started going the jappnise way of being very good in one thing.i really like renault and bmw from europe,but for me jappanise are no. 1.

[@TomTom-hw7sh]

it was wet....laugh...oh my god ..what does that mean...that a nissan only is fast when its dry??come on shut up...the renault fucks the nissan here on this track..bast!great car

[@Nopenotatall]

The 370zs in america don't have the rear windshield wiper for some reason

[@kernoleary1394]

good

[@elvislad]

We all knew what the result would be :~}

[@AlastorTheNPDemon]

Let me guess: they don't sell these in the States.

[@Nopenotatall]

Nope, in 25 years you can import one though

[@bjornironsides6474]

how the hell did he recover that 150mph slide?? wow

[@engared]

One of the best cars I have ever driven. The megane that is.

[@iphone202020220]

I bought a vauxhall superboss 2.0 16V when i was 16. That thing non turbo would knock out this megane but they are great cars. Sold that car moved on to super bikes.

[@danieljordannicol9937]

Viewing The superboss is just under 8.0 seconds to sixty and a top speed of 139mph. Wouldnt touch the megane mate sorry.

[@engared]

Viewing Yeah the Superboss might be a fun car but I've had my megane keep up with modified evos, stis, porsches and other seriously fast cars round b roads and tracks. It literally is the GT3 of fwd cars.

[@iphone202020220]

engared The Superboss could keep up with all those cars even without a turbo. When it's turbo charged good luck and have fun watching tail lights the entire way. I don't care though my main car is my Golf 7R that has a 3.6L VR6 engine pushing about 700HP in a light city car body with two little biturbo's. That alone would rape any super car you own in your life.

[@iphone202020220]

daniel jordan nicol Do you even know what a superboss can do? Hahahaha that acceleration you just named was a joke.

[@hyucker1362]

why can't we get that Renault in America

[@DocWolph]

At least a Nissan, Right?

[@hyucker1362]

Yea, we have the Nissan.

[@JoeHardman]

Cuz it's French

[@hyucker1362]

***** well I know that It could be imported

[@JoeHardman]

Import one then... As far as I know, no French cars are sold in the US anymore. There's probably some conflicting regulation with the way French cars are made which prohibits them from being sold in the US (just a guess)

[@heilong79]

Horse power is nothing, you can have a 1000hp tank and a 150hp civic could beat it, we really should always look at power to weight to decide how fast something is.

[@julianbryantjb]

If you race a Z you have been Zed (mark of zorro) or something?

[@johnroberts9845]

Load of bollocks the 0 to 60 . I have an automatic 370z and I had it the digital test on mine and come in at 4.5 on a dry and warm day

[@H8GNN]

Doubt it since my turbo one struggles to beat that

[@samhuertasosa]

Love my 370Z from CDMX

[@willliam1343]

An auto Z with a decent driver would destroy the little farther box.

[@willliam1343]

^fart box

[@gitaarmovies2003]

why does he still have an iphone 3?....

[@KhydowGaming]

it was called 3g back then

[@gitaarmovies2003]

Khydow W yea i know

[@KhydowGaming]

when the 4th one came and it wasn't called a 4g i was soo confused

[@ComandanteJ]

Put a Leon Cupra R or a Golf R32 (both cars with the same model age as the 370z) and they would still own the 370z.

[@alexthyer]

ComandanteJ but who wants a golf or a seat?

[@christosswc]

Now to the real world. You take the Megane to an uphill twisting road, get on the power on corner exit, turbo kicks in, cars starts to push. That's just bullshit. FWD is bullshit.

[@WorkinDuck]

Christos Segkounas yeah, in corner exit where you want to go straight. FWD can be quick as fuck if driven and engineerd good. Only problem is power above 300 - 350 HP where you start to get trouble in normal driving conditions

[@mattmattmatt131313]

That is bullshit. I've seen plenty of hothatches embarrass rwd BMWs with more HP and the like on a twisty "european" alpine road. Your average rwd driver will chicken out way before a fwd driver will and lack of confidence in the car means...slow. Evo magazine few years ago claimed that a hothatch can even keep up with supercars on a twisty narrow road. Hothatches in Europe are the optimal choice (why they sell well too).

[@christosswc]

Maybe I should have made it more clear. I do not compare them for performance. I'm comparing them in terms of driver satisfaction. Much more important to me than which one is fastest, it's not a racetrack.

[@mattmattmatt131313]

Oh I agree, speed alone should never be the main goal of performance street cars. Otherwise we would all be driving around in stiff undrivable race cars. If you are comparing them in terms of driver satisfaction ,you got your answer right in this clip, the Megane is more fun and engaging to drive- coming from people who review cars for a living, just because something is FWD does not mean it can't be fun. I'd take the Megane RS (FWD) over a Licoln TownCar(RWD) any day of the week. MeganeRS was also featured in many car magazines yearly Best Drivers Car competitions, rubbing elbows with 300k supercars, so you really can't deny it is a fun car. The 370z is a bit heavy and too understeery/oversteery, I've seen a few onboard accident footage, that confirms that. There are other much better rwd sports cars out there (cheaper too), like the BRZ/GT86 or Mazda MX5. PS Not that it's a bad car...I wouldn't mind owning any of them haha

[@christosswc]

mattmattmatt131313 I understand that any good FWD car will be better than a not-so-good RWD one. But it comes down to personal experiences and how you like to drive. To me how a car responds when you break traction with the throttle is an important part of the driving experience. Especially with the roads becoming so crowded and the modern cars so fast. I like to play around with the throttle on corner exits and a RWD car can provide fun even in slow corners or just starting from a dead stop.. That's why I mentioned uphill because it is a scenario where when pushing the limit you can break traction easily and safely like on an uphill hairpin. Not saying I drive like a hooligan, just saying that slow cornering is where you can actually try to reach the limit of the car safely and it would make sense when playing with the limit to go over it. FWD cars respond by pushing and spinning the front wheels, this really puts me off. Of course when driving at 80% and just enjoying the experience of fast cornering and hitting apexes and all that it comes down to balance and feel but if the car in question is RWD then I will never stop there, I will go the extra mile and play around.

[@sidahmedouabel7417]

i prefer a big atmo engine

[@dreamofcalifornia7]

may be he didn't start the stop watch at the same time

[@booklailert]

noureddine elcadi he start it at the line. It can't be so far off.

[@rayansue1]

What french music was in this video

[@MattDiffey]

Why does this channel keep uploading content that's half a decade old?

[@XheadVISION]

Yeah i was wondering why he had a iphone 3

[@DaddySmaan]

Meaningless without knowing what tyres each vehicle was on

[@hartsickdisciple]

Try it on a dry road. The Z will take it.

[@ajunta2270]

Not likely.

[@heilong79]

The only issue with the Megane is that it is a French car.

[@sukhdevr3489]

So is bugatti

[@gustavocaballero8677]

Why do they never test the 370NISMO?

[@niceprince]

CTR faster than the Renault?

[@almightykeys4734]

....nope I still like my Z :) Race me on a straight away? you're doomed ;)

[@pbfloyd13]

FWD; FTW!

[@elmoz122]

why is it always wet

[@niksarass]

ask that to your girlfriend

[@thefiftyfour]

elmo z England.....

[@elmoz122]

Redeye Bandit gotcha. I would go crazy

[@thefiftyfour]

elmo z yeah it's pretty shit mate, our roads are constantly wet/damp for like 7 months of the year

[@elmoz122]

Redeye Bandit like florida for 5 months of the year, but we do have sunshine most of the year

[@addonisryan]

You guys are full of crap. You lost time in the Z because the "stunt driver ran onto the grass. That deserves a do-over.That piece of crap wouldn't stand a chance against a 370Z in the hands of a less biased driver!

[@thefiftyfour]

DonR. 'stunt driver' LOL I think you should wiki mark higgins before talking shit mate

[@TRIGGZ123]

Really? Lol looks like the floor was wet

[@NeedMoarRage]

I love how so many people are crying because a Renault hatchback beat a 370z and not marginally either. Shows how ignorant people can be as the Megane is one of the one of better driver cars out there. There's a reason you see so many on tracks like the Nurburgring.

[@neon-kitty2281]

NeedMoarRage i understand your point, however they were a bit unfair to the nissan due they ran laps with it while it was soaking wet, meanwhile the track seemed dry when they ran with the renault. But both cars are quite quick, even the grocery getter fwd box. Still i would go with the Z due to higher reliability, rwd and good looks.

[@justthefactsmaam2571]

sales pitch

[@julianbryantjb]

Question : Where did "zed" come from? In the USA we call it the "z", in Japan it is the "fairly z". This started in Europe, new zealand, or Australia. How did the ed get added to the name?

[@LongReach]

It's pretty simple if you really know cars. The megane has electronic stability control where the z only has traction control. If you switched off the stability control on the megane things would be different...... Especially in the wet.

[@marcamant7258]

At the moment Nissan was a part of Renault...

[@its.Andy1]

0-60 in 5.3 seconds?🤔 for my Z I calculated 4.8-4.9 seconds.

[@superben2000]

best hot hatch ever vs a second tier RWD coupe.... predictable result

[@mattmattmatt131313]

It's a fair comparison, I think, as they both occupy a similar spot in the car market...(one step up from) the entry level performance car. If you were to compare them by price alone the MeganeRS would compete more with the BRZ/GT86, while the 370z would be one step up. It's an interesting comparison, I would love to see european hothatches vs US muscle cars (both v6 and v8 levels).

[@Rorschach34Bos]

and in the rain

[@mattmattmatt131313]

The results wouldn't be that much different. All reviews praise the MeganeRS as one of the best drivers cars around, while the 370z is more of a "meh" old heavy sports car.

[@Rorschach34Bos]

ok i gave up i`m actually a 987 Cayman S owner i used to own C6 corvette for 5 years , love these RWD Fun : 370Z》》》》》》》》》》》》MeganeRS

[@03056932]

lol second tier? what? Z car has a heritage no renault ever made possesses. It is obviously faster in any conditions that aren't these. I would imagine they intentionally did this piece in this weather for a sensationalist result, ie the one they want.

[@ferprecia1352]

This guy is not driven the car the same way each other.this a fake video

[@BigHeadClan]

Both cars drove in the wet (maybe a touch dryer for the Renault), so it makes no difference here, as for the Z loosing come on people the car is nearly 11 years old and hasn't gotten a notable performance upgrade once since it was refreshed in 2008. If Nissan ever decides to refresh the Z it will be an absolute monster.

[@hartsickdisciple]

The wet road is more of a detriment to a RWD car, so it hurts the Z a lot more.

[@badrobot2765]

Having done a fair bit of research now i have discovered that pretty much any car can beat a 370Z including the Nismo variant

[@alexthyer]

Glen Cameron ffs loool

[@tomwebb7091]

Holy crap 2 seconds a lap faster lol so in a 70 lap race the Renault would be 2minutes 20 seconds ahead... or to put it another way it wouldnt be far from lapping the Z twice over 😂. But y know what??? Id still have the Z anyday.

[@kpsig]

@Cantdothis212 No it will not. That Renault is built for track use.

[@joeydepp779]

These guys are bozos 😂

[@Nishan113]

They really are. They let the Megane run on a dry track and the Z on wet track, like wtf. Either put them both on dry or both on wet. Also the Trophy is a track pack basically, ordinary RS is much softer. So they either get a standard RS against a standard 370Z (the one we saw here) or get the Trophy and the Nismo Z. Otherwise it's completely unfair

[@joeydepp779]

@@Nishan113 10000% agree 👌

[@joeydepp779]

@@Nishan113 and every one that drives a Z knows the traction is a nightmare on wet ground, you can slip just driving normal at times so trying to record a lap makes no sense against a car on dry ground. They obviously don’t understand how high revs with RWD works lol

[@mituc]

FWD FTW!

[@collapsingquantumwav]

The Renault is only gonna last you a few days.

[@Wookie697]

Answer is : no

[@18T220]

FWD cars are for peasants.

[@AndreiDragonulBGS]

18T220 RWD*

[@18T220]

Owned a Porsche Boxster S for years and currently own a Golf GTi, RWD is hands down better.

[@jeffk464]

not completely hands down, FWD is still better in the snow. Not that you should drive a porsche on salted slippery roads anyways.

[@mattmattmatt131313]

Well there's your problem you went from a Porsche to a Golf. Had you went from a Beetle(rwd) to a MeganeRS your view would be the opposite. You downgraded, you went from the best handling car (ever) to just an ok one. RWD and FWD has got little to do with it.

[@niksarass]

He went from a peasant boxter to a peasant volkswagen, probably because of peasant incomes.

[@tomderdoktor2159]

Would it be dry the renault would have been 3 sec in front..😂😂the nissan fanboys....jes..the weather is guilty for everything😂😂😂it slows the renaults speed down either,so what..equal conditions..more power ,more torque on the nissan..so what??come on guys this is a renault..kawoommmm..a very fast one

[@Mr3kbeats]

Anybody who thinks the piece of shit Renault is faster than a 370z has no history in Japanese cars and only gets their knowledge off this bootleg top gear

[@TomTom-hw7sh]

give the megane a better comparison ..a nissan 370z....a wannabe "fastandthefurious" drift car....its slow....and shitty to drive.....drive it slow..on dry conditions and maybe your looking cool in this car....have a nice day.