There was once a time where Nissan churned out many awesome mechanical masterpieces.
In recent years, the Japanese car maker seems to have lost their identity a little. They seemed more interested in building eco-friendly hatchbacks and crossover SUVs.
The good news is Nissan have thought more about their motoring heritage. The latest incarnation to bear the “Z” name is the Nissan 370Z. Today I am going to review the Nissan 370Z Nismo.
In case you didn’t know, Nismo stands for NISsan MOtorsport! Anyway, here’s what you can expect from Nissan’s latest sporty coupe:
No blowers in sight
It seems the current trend for sports cars is to turbo or supercharge the engines. Nissan has gone in a different direction, instead opting to stick with natural aspiration. The Nissan 370Z Nismo features a 3.7-litre V6 engine under the bonnet.
Boasting a healthy 339 brake horsepower, it offers 15 bhp more than the standard 370Z. Nissan tuned the engine without any bolt-on modifications. The car will get you from 0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds. That’s good, considering the car weighs around 1.5 tonnes!
It has an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph. Bolted to the engine is a six-speed manual transmission. Another deviation from the current trend of sports cars! That’s because there’s no option to get a semi-automatic gearbox with the 370Z Nismo.
The downside to this engine (for environmentalists anyway) is that fuel economy isn’t good. One can only hope for around 26 MPG combined at best. Still, you’d lust after the Nissan 370Z Nismo because it’s a sports car, not because it’s frugal on fuel.
Fun on the twisties
The Nissan 370Z Nismo is a rear-wheel drive vehicle. When you drive the car, it promises a lot of (safe) fun on the road. It can handle corners at speed without killing you. What’s more, the car got built with track use in mind.
That means when you’re racing against others on a track, you won’t need to fettle with the suspension.
The Nissan 370Z Nismo’s equipment doesn’t disappoint
On a recent visit to the Autoworld Car Supermarket, I got reminded how extensive the feature list is on the Z. I had accompanied a friend that was buying one at the time. He was negotiating the deal with the salesman while I sat inside the showroom model.
If you’ve never sat in a Nissan 370Z before, let me explain what you get with it as standard. First of all, one can’t help but notice the infotainment system. It works in tandem with a high-end Bose eight-speaker system. You can even watch your favourite films when you’re parked up, thanks to the DVD player!
The steering wheel gets wrapped in both leather and Alcantara. Perfect for those cold winter mornings! Look behind the wheel and you’ll see a set of cool dials and gauges unique to the Z.
So, if you’re looking for a fun and high-performance Japanese rocket, consider the 370Z.
