In these days when even a Mini is bigger than its predecessor it’s certainly unusual for a manufacturer to be boasting that its car is smaller, and better for it, but that’s certainly the case with Nissan’s new 370Z.
While the 370Z may be a little bit smaller than its predecessor, the 350Z, it is bigger and better in almost all other respects, boasting a bigger engine, more power, better safety and improved handling.
CarAdvice has just spent a day driving the 370Z over some challenging sections of road used for Adelaide’s iconic Classic Adelaide Rally, and we’ve got to say right from the get-go this is one fine sports car.
Nissan was making no secret of the fact that it was benchmarked against the Porsche Cayman, and we’d have to say that in most respects its delivered an automotive body-blow to its benchmark, plus it costs nearly $50,000 less.
It’s also instantly recognisable as something different from the 350Z, something that befits a car that will be 40-years-old later this year.
While the history of the Nissan Z-car may have been a bit of a case of the good, the bad and the downright ugly, there’s none of that in this latest iteration.
In it’s benchmarking against the Porsche the 370Z has eschewed bulking up by going lighter, slicing 100mm out of the wheelbase behind the driver, while the front and rear tracks are 15mm and 55mm wider.
At the same time the 370Z retains styling cues that link it directly to its heritage, the signature quarter window behind the doors echoing the original 240Z, the sharply raked roofline and hatch and the trio of gauges across the top of the dashboard.
It’s only a little over two months since Nissan launched the latest version of its iconic sports car the GT-R supercar, and now it has further stimulated the sports car market, which the company says is holding up surprisingly well in the current automotive market, with the more affordable 370Z.
“The 370Z’s pricing is more Mazda RX-8 but in terms of performance and other attributes it’s closer to the likes of the Porsche Cayman, Audi TT and BMW Z4,” said Nissan Australia’s brand manager for passenger cars, Darren Holland, in Adelaide.
He went on to add that Nissan considered that the 370Z sat in its own space in the sports car market.
Nissan is certainly going all out to lure buyers with the lavish equipment level on the 370Z.
Standard features include xenon headlights, electrically adjustable heated sports seats, Bluetooth, climate control, Bose audio, DVD satellite navigation, cruise control and 18-inch alloy wheels. Six airbags and stability control, called VDC in Nissan parlance, are both part of the safety package.
The 370Z utilises Nissan’s FM platform, which underpins the US-market Infiniti G37 coupe, and also gains that car’s pop-up bonnet to give more protection to pedestrians in the event of an accident.
At the same time the pricing has been sharpened and the single model is now $2000 cheaper than the previous 350Z Track, with buyers paying $67,990 for the six-speed manual and $70,990 for the seven-speed automatic.
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