Sin City put on its best pair of clear stripper shoes and rolled out the red carpet for the latest iteration of Nissan’s iconic Z-car. A “young-ish” thirty-eight years old, the new 370Z returns to its roots as a pure, raw sportscar that is as fun to drive as it is sexy to look at. And don’t worry, there was not a bit of silicone or botox used in the making of this vehicle.
What is it?
Probably one of the sexiest, most fluid shapes to come from Japan since the original Toyota 2000GT sports car of the 1970s leading up to the Lexus SC coupe in the ’90s. Don’t start writing your letters: I realize these are not Nissans. Still, they represent a pinnacle of sorts for attractive Japanese design. Again, carrying the moniker of “Fairlady” in the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM), it features design cues that touch on several European models as well as details that add much to the overall visual interest of the car.
Oh, and one more thing: We can’t imagine any self-respecting Japanese macho man driving a “Fairlady.”
What’s it up against?
That’s an interesting question. When pressed to know what it was competing with, Nissan officials had a tough time naming a couple. We asked about the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro, they replied that were both four-seaters, unlike the 370Z. A Porsche, even in the Cayman range, prices out at thousands more than the Z. Ditto for anything in the BMW stable – even the Z4. So that leaves perhaps, an Audi TT, Mazda RX-8 and the 370Z’s cousin: Infiniti G37.
Any breakthroughs?
The new 3.7-liter engine for one. A shorter overall length and wheelbase, second. More horsepower (an 8.2 percent increase to 332-horsepower) and an added weight reduction leaving the 370Z 95-pounds lighter than a comparable 350Z. And finally, a brand new six-speed manual transmission with “SynchroRev Match.”
How does it look?
The new Z looks like one of the prettiest Vegas showgirl who was born with natural beauty – not in need of “enhancements,” if you know what we mean. Four inches shorter than the previous model, it features design cues that will entice as well as amuse in some cases. Start with the nose, for example: The similarity to the mouth of a catfish is readily apparent, save for the whiskers. Thankfully there were no side gills to go noodling with. Boomerang cues exist in the head and taillight assemblies, and overall the appearance is athletic and strong. Credit for this goes to the wide track of the rear that features a nice blend from the fenders to the rear fascia. In other words, the new 370Z has a nice ass.
The new Z is loaded with distinctive styling cues throughout. Among these are bold fender flares and optional chin and tail spoilers. Vertical handles at the trailing edge of the door carry on an established design. A new detail this year is side markers that double as turn indicators and logo badges. As the Z is a global car available in 132 nations, it was decided to carry it through worldwide. A European-spec rear fog lamp housing resides directly below the license plate assembly. Our US test model had a red lens in its place, but that could change by sale date.
And inside?
This is a case of the car fitting like the sort of fine suits you’ll encounter in only the poshest casinos along the strip. Seating is extremely good and newly-designed bolsters and anti-slip seating material help to keep the driver in place during turns that will surely be negotiated with gusto.
The center stack, although similar to previous Nissans products is now part of what designers call a three-layer interior concept. Split into information, operation and holding layers, it offers engine details in three gauges at the top, DVD-based Navigation and vehicle operation mode in the middle, and finally radio and climate controls at the lower portion of the console.
The rear cargo area holds the biggest surprise of all. The big fall down of the Z’s outgoing model, the 350Z, had a rear strut tower brace that took up valuable real estate in the rear hatch area. The new model sees the brace inverted and now located under the floor of the cargo area, which effectively opens it up, while at the same time adding strength and stiffness to the overall handling.
We call that thinking outside the box.
But does it go?
There’s no such thing as too much of a good thing. Hence the squeezing of 26 extra ponies out of the high tech hunk of aluminum. The VQ37VHR 3.7-liter now yields 332 horsepower and 270 lb-ft. of torque by way of the DOHC system with Variable Valve Event and Lift control. The new engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission, which is unique in that, according to Nissan, it is the world’s first SynchroRev matching tranny.
During our runs at Spring Mountain Motorsport’s 1.5-mile road course, the rev-matching came in handy during quick turns on the short straight course. Allowing for power-on exits from the sharp right and left-handers, it made the car a lot more fun to drive. This part of the optional Sport package can be turned off by the push of a button, if the driver so desired. For those who would rather have the slushbox do the work, there is an optional seven-speed automatic tranny with paddle shifters available.
Handling is improved by way of the shortened wheelbase and shortened overall length of the Z. Additional prevention of “rear lateral bending” is accomplished by the use of an underbody “V-Bar” to stiffen things up. The end result was a car that cornered faster and more sure-footedly than the previous model. In addition to this and the other stiffening of the suspension, the Nissan engineers were still able to make a car that was tighter and lighter than before. Steering was neutral, and offered good road feel. It was a case of “willing” the car to go somewhere, and it pretty much would do that. We did notice while making a right hand lane change that the right side rearview mirrors have grown in size. The better to see past the largish right side blind spot.
Tires run the gamut from standard 18-inch Yokohama ADVANs to optional 19-inch Bridgestone Potenzas. In our brief experience behind the wheel, we found that the ADVANs made for a quieter ride. Get in too-over-your head, and the 14-inch rotors in front with 13.8-inch discs at the rear will help to try and save you. Overall vehicle weight slots in at 3,232 pounds for the manual and 3,269 pounds for the automatic transmission.
In recapturing the Z-ness of the car, Nissan has simplified it into two distinct models: The 370Z and 370Z Touring. Starting at $29,930 plus destination fee of $695, it offers a sport package and navigation package as its only options.
Why you would buy it:
You think buying a hot personal sports car with great handling and power shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg.
Why you wouldn’t:
You are still holding out for your 1979 Trans Am.
2009 Nissan 370Z base price, $29,930.
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
12/19, 5:00 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Wow. Love everything about it except the front and rear lights.
12/19, 5:01 PM
posted by:
Veni Vidi Vici
“Sexy to look at”?!……..”Probably one of the sexiest, most fluid shapes to come from Japan since the original Toyota 2000GT sports car of the 1970s leading up to the Lexus SC coupe in the ’90s?!”.
Seriously……tell me you’re kidding. Like most of the 2009-2010 Japanese designs, this car is 1 ugly motha f**ka! LLN lost even more cred. in my view.
Come on LLN, if you want to be taken seriously as journalists, you can’t write thing’s like that.
Sexy to look at?!……………WOW
12/19, 5:16 PM
posted by:
Borat
This car was reviewed over and over. I guess, LLN does not have much creds to review more cars ergo this one reviewed over and over. No, it will not be mistaken for Alfa 8C nor Maserati.
Also, someone has a foot fetish.
12/19, 5:22 PM
posted by:
Kris K
My bet, you´ll have to see it in person and judge for yourself. I needed some time to let the design grow on me. But I still haven´t seen it in person. So I´ll keep my love/hate comments for now…
12/19, 5:25 PM
posted by:
Vosotros
It’s a great looking car. Very evocative. I’ve seen one in person and was impressed. Agree with the catfish comment! It’s not Italian, no, but it’s the best looking sports car I think I’ve ever seen come out of Japan.
Borat, the mere fact that LLN posts these reviews (which are good btw) gives them more credibility than you. Boratcarreviews.com doesn’t seem to work for me…
I can’t believe it starts under $30k… that’s a hell of a car for the cash.
12/19, 5:28 PM
posted by:
dorikin_86
Sexy to look at?……..sure the toyota 2000GT was beautiful but this?!
I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder but that fake fang in the bumper + funky shaped lights don’t spell beauty to me sorry.
The 3rd gen RX-7 was the last great sports car design from Japan….been waiting for awhile for another hit.
12/19, 6:33 PM
posted by:
Borat
Vosotros, sorry to disappoint. We’ll try harder next time.
12/19, 6:35 PM
posted by:
SJMURRAY
Withhold your comments until you see it in person. The pictures do no really do this car justice. Even the “Nike” check lights which look goofy in the pictures flow quite well with the design when you see it. The 19″ wheels are almost a work of art. I am not a big Nissan fan, but it really is a sharp car – especially for the money. Even the interior is much improved which I think was the weakest part in the previous car.
12/19, 6:39 PM
posted by:
Go370Z.com
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Zya there!
12/19, 7:02 PM
posted by:
sakio327
I saw this car in L.A. and it is really a good looking car in spite the two colors they had at the show was Yellow and Silver I wish I could see one in Red . I also had some concern about the overly busy interior, but it’s actually pretty nice inside in real life.
I would buy one, as long as I can buy one at a reasonable price, not marked up by the dealers like the Challenger SRT (which I also was thinking of buying). Please…more than $40K for any Chrysler product (other than the Viper, of course) is pretty steep to begin with, but $46K? Nissan dealers better not pull that same crap.
12/19, 7:37 PM
posted by:
NipponRules
Not bad looking vehicle. Nissan’s quality however isn’t quite there with ford, mercury, toyota, honda etc.
12/19, 8:06 PM
posted by:
2002tii
>>Also, someone has a foot fetish.<<
Borat,
Is that a problem?
12/19, 8:36 PM
posted by:
DrFill
First time I’ve heard anyone call a Z pretty
That’s quite a stretch
The interior isn’t gonna win any awards either
It can move the floor, doh.
And the price is right
I’d get the legitimately pretty G37
DrFill
12/19, 9:06 PM
posted by:
Kris K
The 350Z was really nice. Actually I had a fantastic ride in the convertible version. Due to the length of the road we chickened out at 240 km/h. Loud as hell, but very smooth, I loved it. If you´re going fast you don´t care about interior quality.
Sure, the interieur isn´t comparable to some other high class cars. But it´s ok. I´m talking about the 350Z right now, the 370Z might do better. This is still not Aston/Lambo territory.
For the money it is a very good car.
12/19, 9:25 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Nice review Mark. I don’t quite share your enthusiasm when it comes to the looks but then I haven’t seen one in person either. I’m not going to say I’m turned off by the visuals but, hey, I’m a pony car kind of guy and come to think of it I’d probably rather eat horse than a lot of things they call seafood. Andrew had a tough time finding something other than the obvious to compare the new Mustang to as well. If there is a grand scheme this is probably a good thing- like beer vs. wine. At a time when so many manufacturers are designing in America for Americans it’s obvious Nissan isn’t playing that game with the Z. Nor should they as evidenced by their efforts in the eighties which resulted in Z cars that might as well have had Buick portholes on the fenders. In fact I’ll go so far as to endorse the old adage that a happy medium only works at 3:00 am on your local cable access station.
By the way, I tried driving once in shoes like that but the heels kept on getting stuck in the empty cans rolling around the floor.
12/19, 10:03 PM
posted by:
melias
Johnnycanuck,
Thank you.
I actually think the rear of the car is one of the nicer views. (see the photos near the red rocks) And I am totally hip to the shoe thing. Just go ahead and try heel and toeing with those things on! It’s quite the balancing act!
Happy Holidays everyone!
12/19, 10:53 PM
posted by:
rds130
I’m sorry, but the Lexus SC coupe isn’t even close to as sexy as the NSX. Much sexier than the R32-R33 and Supra though.
12/19, 11:00 PM
posted by:
DrFill
Sorry
The SC and the Supra rock anything else you can put against them
Supras ate ZR-1s for breakfast
Smoked them up like a blunt!
Lexus SC was called by C&D “Possible the best car on the planet!”
DrFill
12/19, 11:28 PM
posted by:
Dan Ont Duk
Did anyone notice the sales-killing gauge, which has the led gas & oil levels? I have not heard one person say anything good about it, let alone car critics.
12/20, 3:35 AM
posted by:
buytheredcar
Ive posted this before and everytime i see a review of this car, I have to post it again.
this car has the same problem as the 350z, the center cross section has a shape like a barn.
It just looks way too dumpy and saggy.
the car looks like its melting.
the flat side windows make the car looks cheap.
the front end looks like its lifting. the relationship with the rocker looks odd.
the profile in side view looks decent but the actual surface of the car looks like it
was designed and modeled with a straight edge.
12/20, 9:15 AM
posted by:
jayjc08
There’s a difference between good looking and sexy.
The SC rocks anything you put against it? For boring, blandness, quite ugly to look at as well as slow speeds and buying age, sure.
Look up the video where Jeremy Clarkson chooses a Tiburon over the SC.
12/20, 11:46 AM
posted by:
DrFill
I was talking about the original, since the legendary Supra was brought into the conversation
DrFill
12/20, 1:20 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Gentlemen, let’s not dwell on the past. The automotive landscape changes rapidly every several years. Just one year ago, who’da thunk GM would be facing insolvency?
12/20, 2:24 PM
posted by:
melias
for the record, I was talking about the 1992-2000 Lexus SC300 / 400. The designer responsible for that car would fill balloons with plaster of Paris, and then toss them in the air and let them drop. The more interesting tosses were refined into drawings that eventually became the basis for this car.
12/20, 2:45 PM
posted by:
iluvamcars
UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY UGLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
12/20, 3:02 PM
posted by:
jayjc08
Oh, ok, for a second there my heart skipped a beat.
12/20, 3:26 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
I would like to see one of these with fewer options, smaller rims, and the 2.5L four cylinder out of the Spec-V Sentra bumped to 220hp. Price it at around $25,000 and it would compete very nicely with the V6 Mustang.
250Z Anyone?
12/20, 10:11 PM
posted by:
A4
you have to see these cars in person, i thought the new maxima looked awful in pictures and then when you actually see one its pretty gorgeous
12/21, 10:57 AM
posted by:
JSurfer1451
^ agreed
12/21, 12:48 PM
posted by:
jayjc08
I saw one of the new Maxima’s just a while ago. After seeing it in person, I thought it was less stellar than before. A fairly bland sedan with some strange headlights. Won’t age well.
12/21, 8:15 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
I think the new Maxima looks too much like an Infiniti. I thought there was supposed to be some difference between the two brands.
12/22, 1:45 AM
posted by:
JSurfer1451
^ not really, the only reason we have two brands is because we as Americans have to have the best and show it off to every body hence the need to secondary luxury brands such as Infiniti, Lexus, Acura, etc. That’s why they don’t have those brands in Japan, they could care less if they drive a car that is called “luxury.”
12/22, 9:04 AM
posted by:
bigjimid
buytheredcar – then you design, engineer, and manufacture it.
I was set on buying a new s2k after test driving an 07 s2k and 350z, but now I really want to test this baby out. Except, so far every color except for the greyscale colors make her look fat IMO. I really think this is a great looking car. Could be even better with an aftermarket nose too.
12/22, 11:11 AM
posted by:
planet_drive
This car is actually better and quicker with the 7spd auto than the 6spd manual. Its amazing how much better auto transmissions have become. 10 years ago a performance car absolutely had to be a manual for max performance. Now auto is the performance choice, but purists still love manual.
12/22, 11:56 AM
posted by:
JerkStoreAssistantManager
That’s just great planet_drive, why don’t you just bring a baseball tee to the local pick-up game of beer-keg-baseball too.
Anyway, why can’t there be optional stability control?
12/22, 12:03 PM
posted by:
planet_drive
Jerk, your comment makes no sense at all? What are you even trying to say? No wonder your just a lame Assistant manager. baseball is the most boring game in the world. Its only mildly entertaining if you get very drunk at the game, which is why so many people drink beer when at the ball game.
12/22, 2:05 PM
posted by:
jackjimturkey
MOrtgagestar1: ” GM just can’t sell overpriced low-quality, unattractive scrap. ”
Can’t sell it if you don’t make it!
I like the car. The name is too much of a mouthfull. Let’s just up the displacement and keep the name “350z.”
Anyway, looks like the GT-R will displace the last 300ZX as the best Japanese car ever.
The design isn’t that different, which is OK.
“Probably one of the sexiest, most fluid shapes ….” Way to go out on a limb there, LLN!
” We can’t imagine any self-respecting Japanese macho man driving a ‘Fairlady.’” Besides the fact that Japanese macho men are about as common as tough jews, the Fairlady name has been in place for decades. If it didn’t work, it’d have been dumped some time ago.
What’s it up against?: I think it’s only real direct competitirs are the G37 and the RX-8.
“an added weight reduction?”
Don’t ever use the phrase “thinking outside the box” again, LLN. It dates you.
DrFill: “I’d get the legitimately pretty G37.” All Datsuns are gorgeous!
rds130: “I’m sorry, but the (Toyota Soarer) isn’t even close to as sexy as the NSX.” I agree.
jayjc08: The JDM soarer was good, but not the best car on the planet.
A4: “i thought the new maxima looked awful in pictures and then when you actually see one its pretty gorgeous.” I agree.
JSurfer1451: “Americans have to have the best,” yeah, but many of us listen to marketing BS, rather than using our own common sense to figure out what the “best” is.
Japanese people are smarter.
planet_drive:
“baseball is the most boring game in the world.” Nope. That would be golf. Baseball is a thinking man’s game.
12/22, 4:00 PM
posted by:
BlazeAbraham09
Hahaha, dang. Nice article, Mr. Elias. I base the reviews I write at school off of your writing style and diction.
Honestly, I love the look. I just hope that Nissan won’t go overboard with the front fascia (like Acura does with ALL of its new sedans). The Maxima looks great and so does this one…
Lots of Scholarships + Good College= 370Z graduation gift from the parents.
12/23, 11:01 AM
posted by:
W16
Riiiiight… back to serious discussions…
No doubt this car will go nicely on the track– good value for money also. And at first glance.. OK: the overall look isn`t quite harmonious nor comprehensive… but as many of today´s car designs, sure it`ll grow after a while… exterior ****pit very retro.
12/24, 12:43 PM
posted by:
melias
BlazeAbraham09,
Just curious, what kind of grades are you getting for your reviews?
01/05, 1:24 AM
posted by:
prelude4life
the light design kills it, i just don’t like them.
01/27, 3:03 PM
posted by:
zeegone
This thing is badass, hated the lights at first but they’ve grown on me.