Damn. I was really hoping this was going the car that got me out of my z33 Nismo.
Having purchased 3 different new z33s over that car's lifespan ('04 base, '05 enthusiast with US S-tune package, and '07 Nismo), I've always kept an eye on the z34 hoping that Nissan (and more specifically Nismo) would get me to want to upgrade to the newer models. Which is why I've been lurking on this site, off and on, for several years now.
I do feel for you guys in your disappointment about no real performance upgrades for the car over the span of it's lifetime. The 350z benefited from it being the only performance car Nissan offered for most of it's existance. We got many upgrades, I'm sure at least in part from Nissan using it for the Super GT series. The car was constantly tweaked and offered in many different versions, even though several were never offered in the US market (e-type, s-tune gt, 380rs, all the engine packages Nismo of Japan had, etc.). And when the 350z Nismo came out, it really seemed like a "race-inspired" vehicle. But it seems that since the release of the GT-R, THAT has has become the car that Nissan wants to develop most and the Nismo 370z seems to get pretty shafted as far as model revisions go.
I do like the 370 Nismo very much. I think the looks are pretty comparable and just depend on your preference. I tend to find the body of a base 350z to be cleaner than the base 370z, but I think they're both very sharp cars. Interior-wise, I think the 370z wins hands-down with quality, but again I like the cleaner, more basic layout of the 350z. I know that a lot of people like to comment that the 350 Nismo has the same power as the base model in '07-'08, but a lot of us that bought them (especially new) had come from earlier 350z cars with either the first gen DE or Rev-Up engines and the HR really was an upgrade for us. The 370z Nismo kit flows much better than the 350z Nismo, and the latter does look like a car that has a body kit that just does not fit with the base car. But I do really appreciate that look. The "ugliness" of the 350z Nismo just always worked for me. The single color body of the early 370 Nismos just never "popped" for me. When they updated the body to a 2-tone for the '14s this changed and I seriously considered trading up. Especially with the Alcantara steering wheel. Very want.
There is so much about the '15 that I am very jealous of. I want that steering wheel. I love those seats. And I have very much wanted a factory nav setup. I was always jealous that the 350z Nismo cars in Japan were offered that as an option and we never got them. I was also always jealous of the leather and alcantara seats that the JDM cars had. But this car just seems like it's going in the wrong direction.
Every time I look at the photo of the '15 parked by the GT-500 car, I think how far apart those two things look to me. Just like every 370z, I'm sure it's nicer and it's better in most if not all measures of performance, and the amenities are certainly nicer, but I just don't want to get rid of mine for one. And it seems wrong that this new car has a body kit that reminds me of the c63 AMG Black, but the Mercedes has a bigger wing. W T F.
If I didn't own a Nismo, I'd probably be looking into buying the new one. But if you own any previous Nismo car, I just don't see a reason to give it up for this (unless you can't use a standard transmission anymore for whatever reason). I will definitely go find one when they are at a nearby dealership and maybe I'll change my mind. But at a certain point, your new car just becomes your car. And I've yet to see one offered by Nissan that makes me think that, once a potential new car becomes just my car, I won't miss my current one more than I'd appreciate it's replacement
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