Nissan 370Z NISMO looks up to its big brother, the GT-R
ROAD TEST EDITOR JAKE LINGEMAN: So this is the 2016 model. I think Nissan retuned the exhaust to sound less metallic and more race car. The company must have heard all my complaining. With the windows up or down, it sound much better than the last one.
Looking back at my last review, I do like most of the same things in this car. From the outside, it’s a “Fast and Furious” car. Super low, wide, big wing and giant black-rimmed tires all fit the part. The dual exhuausts in the back, especially with the new sound, complete the package.
Inside, we get suede and leather seats with suede on the steering wheel and a stripe at top dead center, all of which I like. The seats are tight, even for my small frame, but the bottom front and back both adjust, making for a good fit and driving angle. They’re a bit uncomfortable to get into though, so keep that in mind.
It doesn’t ride as hard over Detroit roads as you might think. It bounces some, but doesn’t seem to bang, even over the bigger bumps. At speed it sticks like glue. It’s fun to take turns harder and harder, to find where the limit is actually at. Under normal street driving conditions, it’s nearly unreachable.
This was the automatic version, which comes with paddles of course, but no S mode. I suppose it doesn’t really need it, I think S mode just added rev matching in the manual car, this one does it automatically. But, the shifts were a little slower than I expected. This isn’t a dual clutch, but I could ask for a little harder lockup.
Steering on the 370Z is fantastic, mechanical and weighty. Just the way I like it. It’s easy to hold around constant sweepers, and it’s nearly as easy to correct mid-corner. I would really like to autocross one of these cars.
I love the 370Z because it’s purpose built for one type of driver, catered to him or her. As good as many of the do-everything cars are, they’re just not as good at one thing as the 370Z, the Miata, hell even the Tundra TRD PRO we have in the office right now. My instant reaction right now is, “not for me anymore, but like the Nissan Cube, I’m glad it’s being made.”
NISMO models come with a revised dash.
ASSOCIATE EDITOR GRAHAM KOZAK: Last time I drove a 370Z — a 2015 model, also a Nismo — I really enjoyed every minute of it. I won’t say that I fell in love with the car, but I felt like I got it. I respected it. It was, maybe, something I could see myself in. Even if I’d prefer a 240Z in my own garage.
This time around, the Z-car mystique did next to nothing for me. I don’t think there are many other cars I’m so hot-and-cold on.
The 2016 370Z did get a makeover in the form of a new bodykit, but I’m not going to hold the revised front fascia responsible for my ambivalence. It’s not bad, actually; there’s a little more definition here than we saw on the previous car, but it’s not trying too hard to look like a GT-R. There are design elements I really appreciate, such as the Coke bottle swell visible in profile. Unfortunately, the overall effect is somewhat anonymous for what’s supposed to be a sports car.
If Nissan could have pushed styling a little further, they did well to leave the underpinnings more or less unchanged. The motor isn’t really emotional but it is powerful, though not so powerful as to overpower the 10.5-inch wide rear tires. There is, as Jake notes, a lot of grip here.
Mainly, I couldn’t get comfortable in the cockpit. The tightly bolstered seats, the stiff ride … these are things I distinctly remember enjoying the last time around. I’m not sure what changed. Without having the previous car at hand for a direct comparison, I can’t really pin down what threw me. I do think a flat-bottomed steering wheel (often thrown into less legitimately sport cars to serve no purpose but add style) would help free up some space for my knees.
It could well be that automatic transmission denied me that one additional mechanical interface necessary to form a bond with the car. Whether or not it’s faster around a track, the auto does take away some of the simple joy that comes from nailing that one corner on your ride home, etc. You know, non-track driving. The kind we all do on a daily basis.
Or maybe I’m just bummed that the plan to build Nissan’s IDx concept has been canned and I’m taking out my frustrations on a very competent and capable, if somewhat chilly, performance coupe.
Options: Nismo carpeted floor mats ($ 125)
