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Administrator
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NJ
Posts: 9,930
Drives: 09 370Z MB Sports M6
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Very nice find, sbsmoov!  I am liking the review.
Quote:
It's hard to believe, but seven years have passed since the Nissan 350Z was introduced. Then, Road & Track secured the exclusive first drive of the car, which appeared on our December 2001 cover, weeks before anyone ever got a sniff of its exhaust fumes. Flash forward and it's déjà vu all over again. I'm again in Japan, examining the 370Z in the brisk Hokkaido air with Z-meister Shinjiro "John" Yukawa (also the head guy of the 350Z team). He expounded on the virtues of the new car, just as he had then — but this time, his tone was a bit more relaxed and he smiled a lot. He had the look of someone who was pleasantly confident, like a basketball coach who knew the outcome of a game before tip-off. That the 350Z was a resounding success is obvious. Since the 2-seat sports car hit the market, more than 250,000 have been sold worldwide, with 70 percent of those sold in the U.S. It revived a new culture of value-oriented sporty cars from Japan, with machines like the Mazda RX-8, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Subaru WRX following the Z across the Pacific. So, for the second act, the pressure was on Yukawa to come up with something new that retained the essence of the original car. After experiencing the new 370Z, you start to understand why he's in such high spirits.
By now, most of you have seen photos of the car, but it looks much better in the flesh, as those who've visited the Nissan booth at the Los Angeles Auto Show can attest. The first things to catch your eye are the headlights and taillights. They're wild shapes that look like warped arrowheads, but they blend nicely with the rest of the car's styling. The general shape of the Z hasn't changed, but careful observers will notice that the car is shorter. At 167.1 in., the new Z is 2.5 in. shorter than the previous car, with a wheelbase cut by nearly 4 in. It's also 1.7 in. wider, with a roofline lowered by 0.1 in. Despite the shrinkage, the 370Z remains adequate for two 6-ft.-plus individuals, and their luggage is easier to haul because Nissan relocated the rear strut brace forward and lower in the compartment. There's also a proper glovebox. The true benefit of the car's downsized dimensions is less weight. The new Z is more than 200 lb. lighter than the 350Z; it's as if the old Z went on a strict diet and strengthening regimen.
The strength part of the equation comes from the VQ37HR. Nissan's 3.7-liter V-6, which also sees duty in the Infiniti G37, has been tuned to produce 332 bhp at 7000 rpm (up 32 bhp) and 270 lb.-ft. of torque at 5200 (up 10 lb.-ft.). The new engine revs smoother than the 3.5-liter V-6 it replaces, and its broader torque curve is made possible in part by Nissan's Continuously Variable Valve Event and Lift Control System, which alters valve timing and lift for increased efficiency.
Once you press the throttle pedal, it's immediately clear that the 370Z is a different animal than the 350Z. Amidst the familiar hum of the VQ, the new Z leaves the line with more vigor. The hearty low-end punch is still there, but the 370Z keeps accelerating robustly, pulling strongly all the way to its 7500-rpm redline.
What's notable here is the 6-speed manual transmission. It's basically the same unit as before, but now has what Nissan calls Synchro Rev Matching. This slick system automatically matches revs on downshifts. From the time you take the Z's shifter out of gear, computers monitor the shift lever's movement and anticipate a downshift. It then matches revs perfectly as you grab a lower gear: All you need to do is brake and clutch. It's faster and more precise than conventional heel-and-toeing.
According to Nissan, this technology — seen for the first time in a production car — took five years to develop. And let me tell you, it works. A 7-speed automatic will also be available. The 370Z sprints to 60 mph in a scant 5.1 seconds, which bests the old car's mark by almost a half second, and to the quarter mile in 13.7. We performed our tests at an elevation of 1500 ft., so don't be surprised if the car runs a 5.0 or better when we get our hands on one here near sea level.
Yukawa's crew used the Porsche Cayman S as the 370Z's handling benchmark. At Nissan's proving grounds in Rikubetsu, Hokkaido, the new Z shined, keeping pace with the Cayman S on the road course's many tight corners. Turn-in response is much crisper than before, and the steering exhibits a livelier feel. There's a little body roll, but nothing to upset the car's overall balance. The neutral nature of the new Z allows you to get back on the throttle more aggressively after a corner's apex because the rear tires stay planted. Credit here also goes to the sticky Bridgestone Potenza tires. (The base 370Z comes with Yokohama Max Performance Summer tires, 225/50R-18 front and 245/45R-18 rear.) The front suspension of the 370Z has been revised, now with upper and lower A-arms. In back, the multilink setup remains basically unchanged. Drifters will be happy to know that it's still easy to clutch-pop the new Z into an elegant slide, while freeway commuters can take comfort in the car's smooth ride quality. The car recorded phenomenal handling numbers, eclipsing those of the Cayman S. It registered 0.97g on the skidpad and ran through the slalom in 71.4 mph.
There's good news and bad news inside the 370Z cabin. First, the good: The center dash no longer has the cheap plastic surface we've all come to hate. The entire section is now upholstered in faux leather called Sofilez that's more tasteful in look and feel. The bad: The design of the fuel level/engine temperature gauge. You look at it and ask yourself: What were Nissan designers thinking? Not only is it really odd looking — a small metal plate that's aesthetically inconsistent with the rest of the instrument cluster — but it's unreadable when driving in sunny conditions. I'll take the old needle gauge any day. Note to Nissan: Keep the old gauge on standby, you'll no doubt get complaints.
The 370Z hits dealer showrooms in January, and although pricing has not been announced at the time of writing, the base car will come in around $30,000, with the top-of-the-line model topping out at about $35,000.
It's nice to see that the Z has evolved effectively, yet gradually, with its main attribute — value — firmly in place. The 370Z continues to offer the style and performance of European sports cars at a fraction of their price, a tradition started by the original 240Z back in 1970. It's a package that's hard to beat, especially in today's woeful economic times, and once you drive it, you too will be grinning like Yukawa.
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Video Link: Road&Track
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