2024 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:13
Among the Japanese sports cars, Nissan's Z-series is something of the last of the Mohicans. For the 40th birthday, the sixth generation got even more snappy.
By Thomas Flehmer
“Morituri te salutant”, the doomed greet you - this is how the gladiators marched in front of the respective emperor in ancient Rome. In modern times of crisis, Japanese sports cars seem to have taken on the role of gladiators. Honda is sending the S 2000 on its final journey and Mazda's RX-8 is waiting for the distant future of Wankel fuel cells. On the other hand, Nissan appears as the keeper of mad rice bowls. In addition to the GT-R, the Japanese engineers have now also set up the sixth generation of the Z series. Almost 40 years after the presentation of the Datsun 240Z, the 370Z, which will be available from July, is even sportier.
Shark-shaped air inlet
So the successor to the 350Z has shrunk. The wheelbase has been shortened by ten centimeters, the wider track ensures even more cornering stability and 32 kilograms less would probably also be wanted by one or the other Z driver. In terms of design, the new sportiness was implemented especially in the front area. The shark-shaped air inlet, in conjunction with the boomerang-like headlights, puts every aggressive-looking snapdragon to flight and can easily keep up with the front of the German competitor Porsche Cayman.
In the long Z tradition, the A-pillar also forms the highest point of the two-seater, which is just 1.31 high, before the roof drops sharply towards the rear and thus also houses a load space of 235 liters under the long rear window. This time also without the crossbar, which made loading and unloading difficult in the predecessor.
Hard plastic instead of leather
The differences to the competitor from Zuffenhausen ultimately come to light in the interior. Even if Nisssan has further improved the cockpit, the price difference of around 20,000 euros compared to the Cayman is noticeable here. While the representative from southern Germany packed everything in leather with elegant stitching, in the 370Z you have to put up with a landscape made of hard plastic. The door panels in Alcantara are only an approach towards the premium. The analog instrument panel is disguised by a digital mouse cinema on the left edge, the three round instruments, integrated in the Z-row since ancient times, do not even begin to look beautiful with their plastic cover.
The operation of the navigation system and on-board computer is good for this. The buttons can be conveniently operated like a computer keyboard. And the leather seats also reflect the targeted premium charm. But at the latest when the now 331 hp and 3.7 liter six-cylinder engine was started, one has come to terms with not sitting in a premium model of Swabian design.
No bubbling with double-declutching
Because with the first gas pressure, the 370Z points to its individual life of its own. The sound is not as nice as that of a Porsche, but sports car hearts beat faster in view of the roaring engine. The double-declutching function, called Synchro Rev-Control, sensibly adjusts the speed when downshifting the crisp six-speed manual transmission, but the inclined sports car driver misses the actually obligatory bubbling. But even without bubbling, there is joy when, with ESP switched off, the slip in the curves demands the full concentration of the driver.
If you want it a little more comfortable, you can use the seven-speed automatic transmission, which was used for the first time. Although this does not have a double clutch transmission, the car still approaches the regulated top speed of 250 km / h without noticeable interruption in the train. If you want to change gears earlier, you can still use the paddles on the steering wheel to sprint up to 100 km / h in just over five seconds. Nissan expects that a total of ten percent of the 640 buyers still expected this year will invest 2100 euros for the new transmission variant.
Consumption value purely theoretical
After all, with a consumption of 10.4 liters of Superplus per 100 kilometers, automatic drivers should consume 0.1 liters less than those who drive manually. But Germany will be more debt-free than that benefit will pay off. Especially since the value of ten liters can be assigned about as much importance as the current promises of the federal government about state aid for ailing car manufacturers. The 370Z still conveys one or the other shot more driving fun than its predecessor, so that the right foot is more often than intended in the almost horizontal position.
In order to be able to depress the accelerator pedal so far, at least 38,690 euros must be invested for the basic version. However, 90 percent of all Z customers add the currently very attractive sum of 2500 euros in Germany in order to go straight to the start with the “Pack” variant. Many have to bite their teeth in order to save the sum together. But discipline is also required after acquiring the powerful fun machine, otherwise it's “morituri te salutant”.
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