Nissan 370Z

If you like your sports cars to be raucous and rugged, the 370Z is for you! Harking back to a time when chest wigs and medallions were all the rage, the spiritual successor to the Datsun 240Z is a blast from the past.

The Nissan’s raw power – delivered by its 326bhp 3.7-litre V6 engine – provides impressive acceleration. That helped the 370Z post the seventh fastest lap time. However, pure speed is not the only criteria for our Performance Car
of the Year, and the Nissan is let down by its coarse power delivery. For some buyers, the noisy soundtrack and whining differential will be part of the sports car experience, but they separate the Zed from its rivals.

There’s still plenty to crow about for Nissan, though, as the firm’s clever Synchro Rev Match comes into its own on the track. The system automatically blips the throttle as you make downshifts, so even novice drivers will feel
like experts. Enthusiasts may lament the new electronic aid, but it can be turned off if required.

With so much power available, it is easy to provoke the 370Z into sideways action, and you have to be quick with the heavy steering to hold it steady. On the smooth surface of the Anglesey track, the car’s stiff suspension
wasn’t a problem, but show it a mid-corner bump and the rear of the 370Z will skip around, so it requires concentration on undulating and heavily cambered roads.

Unlike the other Nissan in our line-up, the GT-R, the 370Z is not a technical tour de force. It is a traditional, old-school sports car, and if you’re prepared to take it by the scruff of the neck, it repays you with plenty of thrills.

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXCLUSIVE ON BOARD HOT-LAP IN THE NISSAN 320Z