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07/05/2009
By EWAN KENNEDY
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It was born almost 40 years ago, in October 1969, and lived a healthy life until it almost reached 30 years of age. Then declining health in the sales arena saw the Nissan Z-Car to pass on and quietly laid to rest.
 Fortunately some intelligent engineers and stylists weren’t willing to let it lie in peace, so froze its genes and kept the DNA on ice until 2003 when the Z miraculously revived – and found to be in rude good health.
Which brings us to the new 2009 Z-Car. The Nissan 370Z is the latest incarnation of an iconic Japanese sports machine, one that seems even younger than the 350Z that spawned it. The engine size has gone up from the original 2.4 litres of the 1969 240Z straight-six, and has evolved into a V-shaped powerplant displacing 3.7 litres, but the same passion and personality that characterised the original Z-Car remains as strong as ever.
The shape is achingly accurate, not quite retro, not altogether modern, it shaves the edge of balance with cues that work just beautifully. The long nose and short tail; the slope down of the roof that begins all the way forward at the top of the windscreen; tiny rear-three quarter windows. They all work so well.
But we have to admit to having some doubts about the styling of the front and rear lights – perhaps they will grow on us, maybe not... in any case it's obviously a matter of personal taste.
 Then there's the interior, which features the longtime tradition of having three auxiliary gauges in the centre of the dashboard, as well as the more recent idea of a principal instrument display that moves up and down with the steering wheel when it's adjusted.
Clever design work means the new 370Z is shorter and lighter than the 350Z is replaces, thus making it not only more nimble, but endows it with extra performance while using less fuel. A three-way benefit that's greatly appreciated.
The new V6 develops a very useful 245 kilowatts of power, and 363 Nm of torque at 5200 rpm. This gives the latest Z-Car plenty of punch with the sort of throttle response demanded by the keen driver. It sounds the part too, we drove the 370Z over several stages of the Classic Adeiaide route as part of its introduction to the press. There the strong engine note and the way that rises and falls instantly as you work with the throttle pedal made it a real joy to punt hard and fast.
Handling is excellent, with heaps of grip through the tyres and by way of the lightweight suspension that reacts nicely even when the road is comparatively rough. The Z-Car can be bumped off line by severe surfaces, and creates quite a bit of road roar on coarse-chip bitumen, but no more so than other sports cars of this type.
 Transmission is by way of a short-throw six-speed manual shifter that we really loved, or a new seven-speed automatic. The latter has a fascinating rev-matching system, called SynchroRev by Nissan, that is a delight to feel and listen to, particularly when you are using the manual overrides to get the best from the car. Driving enthusiasts may be stunned to find the manual gearbox also matches revs automatically on shifts, so those hard-mastered heel-toe shifts are no longer required (you can switch it off if you would rather think for yourself!).
Priced at just $67,990 with a manual gearbox, and $70,990 with the auto, the new Nissan 370Z offers stunning value for money, being tens of thousands of dollars cheaper than equivalent vehicles from Europe. |
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