Nissan 370Z: First Look

By Feann Torr - 30/October/2008

Tokyo, Japan — The wait is over: Nissan has finally revealed the first official production photos of the new generation 370Z.

The new name confirms the Zed's beefed up engine size, which will now have a capacity of 3.7-litres, up from 3.5-litres.

Having road tested several Nissan 350Zs over the years, it's one of my all-time favourite cars to drive. It has balance, power, and poise and rewards the driver like few other cars out there when pushed to its limit.

But one of the things it could've always done with was a bit more poke.

Nissan has been listening, because the new 370Z will have even more herbs, to tune of at least another 15 kilowatts, and torque will be hiked as well.

In true drip-feed style however, Nissan has released scant few details on the new model, so at this stage we can only speculate on how much more power the bent six engine will deliver.

Update: We now have the official info in our grubby hands.

As predicted (well, almost) the new 370Z's 3.7-litre bent 6-cylinder engine will ouput 247kW (332hp).

That's about 17kW more than the Nissan 350Z. We were 2 kilowatts off... Maybe next time.

Some of the other features of the powertrain that have been revealed ahead of its L.A. Motor Show unveiling include the option of a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed automatic gearbox, both of which will increase the car's accelerative forces.

According to L.A. Motor Show sources, the 6-speed manual gearbox will feature "synchronized downshift rev matching programming". This electronic system sounds like an interesting idea, but first generation gizmos often have a trend of upsetting drivers. Watch this space.

And will there be a turbocharged Nismo model (sort of, see below)? I'm getting ahead of myself here... Deep breaths...

So what do we know? Nissan will launch the 2009-model 370Z at the Los Angeles Motor Show, which kicks off on November 19th 2008.

The new rear-wheel drive sports car will benefit from a new exterior look, the first major overhaul since its inception in 2003 and it will also sit on a new floorpan.

Looking at the photos, it's clear that Nissan's design gurus wanted to take the car to a new place, a more retro place. 

The rear end and especially the way the roof line tapers off is reminiscent of the classic 1970s Datsun/Nissan 240Z, and the exaggerated wheel arches - particularly at the rear - give the new Nissan 370Z a quasi muscle car aesthetic.

There has been some negativity surrounding the new roof line and the sloping rear end design, but I reckon it looks great. The little touches, like the subtle bump on the car's tailgate above the LED brake light strip and a motor sports inspired rear diffuser, work well.

The new-look headlights I'm not so sure of, but in time I'm sure they'll be a little less offensive to the eye and because there's no front-on images it's hard tell whether they'll improve the car's appearance. 

The brake lights also mirror this peculiar design cue, but aren't quite so dramatic as the headlights.

Proportionally, the new 370Z is spot on. The long bonnet, the wider rear track, the small greenhouse - it all adds up to a purposeful, sporty design that is unmistakably Zed. 

One of the few things that irked me about the Nissan 350Z was the interior, and the poor quality plastics in particular. I spoke to numerous owners who also had similar concerns and who were considering cars like the Audi A5 as an alternative because of this issue.

Nissan has certainly jazzed up the interior (it's good to see the excellent leather seats have returned) with new instruments, a high-tech centre console with improved controls and a new steering wheel.

You can click on the images for the larger versions, but it looks to me like Nissan has added higher quality plastics and a lot more stitched leather. Fingers crossed this turns out to be the case.

What we don't know is how much power the Nissan 370Z will have, but it's likely to be significantly more than the current model's 230kW (308hp). My guess is around 245kW of power or roughly 330 horsepower, and the word on the street is that the new Zed car will be lighter, which bodes very well for its handling dynamics.

It will be on sale in early 2009 in America, and will be in dealerships mid-2009 in Australia where it will join the GT-R from March in an all-out performance onslaught.

Stay tuned for the full monty on the 370Z when it's officially launched in Los Angeles in mid November. 

Update: Brochures of new 'sports' versions of the new Nissan 370Z have been leaked, including juicy new details and photos.

The Japanese brochures talk of two upgraded models both tuned by NISMO, one involves a gaudy body kit, the other is more about performance.

The first is called the S-Tune Aero and gets a decadent body kit that looks a bit iffy but claims to improve aerodynamics with new front and rear aprons, side skirts and spoilers.

The second upgrade sounds more enticing, the S-Tune Performance mod. 

This officially sanctioned package boosts the Nissan 370Z's engine and chassis performance with the inclusion of new brake calipers, LMZ5 19-inch forged alloy rims, firmer springs and dampers, and a new sports exhaust system.

Let's hope Nissan Australia offers these for 370Z customers when the car arrives here in mid-way through 2009.

Related Links:
- Nissan GT-R (2009)
- Nissan 350Z (2007 Road Test)
- Nissan 350Z (2005 Road Test)
- Nissan 350Z (2003 Road Test)
- Nissan 350Z Nismo Type 380RS (2008)
- Nissan GT-R: Supply & Demand (2009)
- Nissan GT-R Spec V: Leaked (2009)
- Nissan X-Trail (Road Test)
- Nissan Micra (Road Test)
- Nissan Dualis (2008)
- Nissan Silvia/200SX (2010)
- Nissan X-Trail (2007)
- Nissan Maxima (Road Test)
- Nissan Tiida (Road Test)