- Nissan 370Z - Dragtimes
Nissan has made great play of the fact that the Nissan 370Z is a harder and more aggressive update of the already focussed 350Z. Is this sports coupe from Japan the best in it's class?
The engine is now 200cc larger and generates an impressive 330PS (or 332 bhp in old money). The body now wears some fearsome aero, and the interior is a vast improvement over the old model. Anywhere a person should choose to place their touch, soft material falls to hand, and the overall impression is of a thorough engineering quality. Everything seems to face the driver, and the ergonomics are excellent.
Nissan 370Z First Impressions
The standard car is well equipped, with keyless entry, BOSE stereo, cruise control, leather, every kind of traction control system imaginable, suede doors, heated seats . . . It is reasonable to expect this amount of kit on a mid-range sports car, but compared to its rivals, the equipment level is generous.
It is perhaps unexpected too for such a hardcore driving device, but then Nissan is pitching the 370 in their advertising as “New Tech, but Old School.”
Nissan 370Z Driving
In fact the only feature that should be sacrificed was the seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox. Will buyers of this gritty, knife-edge Coupe be interested in the auto unless they have only one leg? Apparently, Nissan have shifted so many advanced orders on the 370 that there simply were no manual cars available.
The automatic 'box is fine for slipping gently through town, but it's slow to respond when the driver just wants to attack a road with some forcefulness. Reassuringly, 70% of sales will ship with the good old manual.
The rest of the package, as a pure driver's device, is almost without reproach. The steering wheel is tiny, and transmits every nuance of road surface to sweaty palms. The tail of the car feels full and lively behind the driving position, but squats beautifully under power as only a potent, rear-wheel drive car can.
The exhaust bellows like a wounded gorilla, and the engine seems to want to rev forever. To travel any quicker than this in the real world, you would need to spend significantly more than Nissan is asking for this car.
Nissan 370Z Styling
It's a properly progressive looking thing too. Although the looks may not be to everyone's taste, some think it's a fantastic shape, which somehow manages to look both elegant and desperately aggressive at the same time.
The interior too boldly carries on this theme of modernist bad-boy, with its spiky shapes and sweeping surfaces. It's a brilliant cabin, and one that renders competitor's offerings from the likes of BMW and Audi as immediately dull and unimaginative. The seats support wonderfully, and the ride quality was probably the one thing that surprised most on first acquaintance.
A long drive in the Nissan old 350Z was as comfortable as sliding down a mountainside on your face, but here, the suspension recognises the need to offer some pliancy over rough road surfaces. It is this soft and malleable nature of the chassis which enables a keen driver to press on and attack harder and with increasing confidence.
Practicality and outright performance seldom go hand in hand, but the annoying strut brace bar which dissected the load bay in the previous 350z has now been removed, so at last the Z has the ability to carry some stuff.
It's not a car a buyer would buy for sensibility of purpose, but it's a relief to think that Nissan has eventually thought this through. Too many cars in this class come across as weak, half-way compromises. It really does seem to cover all the bases.
This is supposed to be an aggressive, uncompromising and brutal car, yet it would be so easy and compassionate a partner that an average person could happily live with it day to day. Its performance rivals some supercars of ten years ago, which is astonishing given that it comes with a three year warranty and normal service intervals.
The 370Z sits above Tildas and Teanas in the Nissan house like a wrathful but equitable warrior prince. Such is the completeness of its victory that we should hallow its reign, and wish it long life and successful global domination. At the price, there is nothing to touch this right now.
Dave Swinfen - Dave Swinfen is a freelance writer, automotive journalist, photographer and practising screenwriter. He writes for several overseas ...
