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By EWAN
KENNEDY
11 May 2009
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.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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