Full details: Nissan 370Z
* New 3.7-litre engine * Shorter, stiffer car to enhance handling * Styling cues from Nissan GT-R supercar...
This is the Nissan 370Z, the successor to the 350Z coupe.
As the name implies, it is powered by a 3.7-litre petrol engine. No performance or emissions figures have been released, although Nissan says it has much-improved low-end and top-end pulling power, making it a dramatically different to drive its predecessor, the 350Z.
Buyers of the 370Z have an option of a seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox that has steering wheel-mounted paddleshifts, or a six-speed manual shift, which utilises a sychronised rev-matching system to ensure perfect gearchanges when moving down the gearbox.
The 370Z is shorter, wider, lighter and stiffer than the old 350Z to improve handling.
Inside, the car remains a strict two seater, with the rear used only as a small cargo area . However, there is no longer a rear strut brace, which has allowed for the creation of a storage area behind the seats that is big enough to hold a briefcase. There is now also a lockable glovebox.
Nissan says the exterior styling takes cues from the 240Z, which was on sale in the 1970s, and, around the roof area, the current GT-R supercar.
The 370Z goes on sale in May. No prices have been revealed, but it is expected to cost from 28,000.
