1980 Datsun 280ZX Archive Road Test: A Japanese Corvette

From the April 1980 issue of Car and Driver.

Assuming that imitation really is the sincer­est form of flattery, Chevrolet must be practically purple from praise: Datsun’s gone and T-topped the 280ZX. We told you Japan had sights on its very own Corvette when the Z­-car was first X’d; the new roof treatment suggests our theory was probably correct.

The initial anguish over yet another sports car that traded fat anti-roll bars for power win­dows has pretty well subsided in this car’s case. The reason is that Datsun hasn’t fooled around with the transition. The Z-to-ZX mar­ket shift was such a shrewdly executed meta­morphosis that neither the car’s basic styling nor its powertrain needed fiddling with. Lux­ury was the target. Datsun single mindedly plumped up its two-seater as comfortably as it knew how by lavishing new luxo equipment on a proven package. Costs were allowed to float upward in the process, so the ZX came out smooth-riding, quiet, and well engineered for four-speaker stereo, cruise control, and all the other trappings of the automotive good life. As the Corvette punched through the 10-grand barrier, the ZX followed suit after a short, discreet inter­val. The key difference is that Chevy boosted prices in response to demand, while Datsun was conscientious enough to factor value into the equation.

For 1980, Datsun has taken the opportuni­ty to push the ZX higher. In addition to the T-top (sales brochures call it a “skyroof”), other new goodies are available. For a mere $70 (after you’ve plunked down $635 for air conditioning), you can opt for a set-it-and-­forget-it automatic temperature-control sys­tem to knock the chill off alfresco cruising. For $300, leather upholstery will caress your backside. And last year’s popular Grand Lux­ury pack is back, bursting at the seams with $1704 worth of sumptuous power assists to help raise the windows, steer the front wheels, and amplify whatever blasts out of the radio speakers.

If you’ve jumped to the conclusion that the ZX’s well-endowed toy list is an ambitious attempt to mask flaws underneath, you’re wrong. The ZX acts as if it had a corner on all the world’s torque as it scurries from rest to 60 mph in less than ten seconds. The quarter-mile flies by in seventeen seconds flat, and the brakes work significantly better than they did in 240–280Z days. The power steering is sensitive, neither too light nor too heavy. Feed it a winding road, and the ZX will carve itself a quick line with confidence, and conscientiously issue early warnings if you tread close to the limit.

If we had to rank the ZX’s character traits in order of intensity, the list would read something like this. First, and foremost, the ZX is an amusement park on wheels, packed with reminder chimes, electronic displays to carry out pre-flight countdowns, and joy­sticks to run the speakers—all intended to keep two participants perpetually at the brink of entertainment overload.

Second, the ZX is the sports car for the guy that’s just traded in his two-year-old Eldo and needs to go out and feel his oats one last time before the old ticker chimes midnight.

The third voice that cries out from the ZX’s soul is softer than the other two, and one you’ll probably be surprised to hear about. Unless it comes from the factory so equipped, the ZX goes through life pleading for an automatic transmission. Never mind that the five-speed delivers two more miles per gallon, there are a couple of reasons why the automatic works better. The five-speed ZX we tested had a severe case of motor­boatism, or nose-up/tail-down motion every time the throttle was tickled. Second, there’s a hitch in the electronic fuel injection that makes drivability ragged when you’d prefer gentle up- and downshifts around town. This is one of those cars you just can’t drive slowly and smoothly all at once. The best solution is to eliminate clutch-throttle-shifter action en­tirely, and let the automatic swish you about under full servo control.

Which will give any ZX owner more of a chance to appreciate the fine accouterments like the new skyroof anyway. Datsun has bet­tered Chevy designs here, at least from a se­curity standpoint. While a sharp blow to the front corner of a Corvette’s roof will snap its hatch-release handle over-center and offer ready access to thieves, the ZX has a safety catch to keep the main handle from being opened so casually. The hatches are gener­ous in size and well integrated with the car’s lines. The sealing system was leak- and draft-­free in our test car, and the creak-and-groan gremlins that come built in with aftermarket T-tops never raised their ugly voices. Datsun has generously provided air deflectors that hinge out of the sun visors, but we found tur­bulence in the open cockpit to be low enough that these weren’t really necessary.

So the T-top is one more successful move out of the classic sports-car mold toward a more laid-back life as a comfy cruiser. As an Asian Corvette, the ZX has already sur­passed the original.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com