2009 Nissan 370Z Tech Specs Revealed: Z34 370Z To Get 248kW 3.7L V6

TMR News and Features

2009 Nissan 370Z Tech Specs Revealed

Nov 12th, 2008 • 11 comments • Link to Article • by Tony O'Kane

The all-important power rating of the all-new Nissan 370Z has finally been revealed, and 248kW (332hp) is the magic number.

That’s 18kW (24hp) more than the current 350Z, 78kW (104hp) more than a Mazda RX-8, 31kW (41hp) more than a Porsche Cayman S and - gasp - 9kW (12hp) more than a 911 Carrera. As expected, it’s even a few kilowatts higher than the V36 Nissan Skyline 370GT, with which the Z34 370Z shares the same basic 3.7-litre VQ37VHR engine.

Further improvements have also been made aft of the motor, with the standard automatic now sporting seven ratios and a pair of paddle shifters. The six-speed manual receives an intriguing piece of kit: an automatic throttle-blipping function to smooth out downshifts. Couldn’t heel-toe even if your life depended on it? No worries, the car will do it for you!

The body is more rigid than the outgoing model, there’s greater use of lightweight materials and despite the similarities in appearance, there’s virtually no carry-over between the 350Z and the 370Z. News that will certainly delight those who never warmed to the 350Z’s emotionless body and low-rent interior.

It’s no secret that Nissan is gunning for top spot in the mid-range sports coupe stakes with the 370Z, and considering the car’s new-found grunt, lighter kerb weight, more luxurious cockpit and gorgeous (if somewhat controversial) styling, we’ve no reason to doubt they’ll make it there. With the GT-R taking scalps at the pointy end of the field and the 370Z poised to score even more kills in the middle of the pack, the only thing missing from Nissan’s line-up is a low-cost yet well-balanced RWD sports coupe. Oh wait, that one’s in the works too.

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Tags: 370, 370GT, details, engine, gearbox, motor, Nissan, official, skyline, specifications, technical, transmission, v36, VQ37VHR, z34

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Comment by Charlie
12 November 2008

Only 248kW? Not bad, but I’d still have liked more.

Considering how good the VQ engine is, I would have liked to see them turn out a car with 100hp/L. Hopefully the Nismo car will achieve that, and Nissan turns out more “complete cars” under the Nismo subdivision to really push the brand.

[Reply to this comment]
Comment by VincentQQ
12 November 2008

lol what for? Gotta start it low so they can easily offer more power in the subsequent updates

[Reply to this comment]
- Comment by Mark Bedford
  12 November 2008
  
  Yep thats the marketing chain working well
  
  Jee’s Nissan are pulling out some cracking cars lately in a lot of area’s.
  
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- Comment by Charlie
  12 November 2008
  
  It’s not a Holden. Pulling power out every year by tweaking the engine management is their trick.
  
  Each update of the 350Z’s engines has involved a significant hardware upgrade.
  
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  - Comment by Alec
    12 November 2008
    
    Not all upgrades were hardware.
    I believe the original 350Z engine received a software upgrade to release some extra KW’s before the newer 3.5 was released a couple of years after that.
    
    [Reply to this comment]
    - Comment by Alan Li
      12 November 2008
      
      The 206kW engine was the original release engine, and ran from 03-05.
      
      The 221kW engine first released in the 35th Anniversary during the second half of 2005, and onwards, copped variable valve timing on the exhaust side. The 206kW only had valve timing on the inlet side. This would have required a different head, at least on the exhaust side. It has different intake and exhaust manifolds. It may also have had different internals, since the 206kW engine was known to have weak rods and pins that restricted its ability to rev.
      
      The 236kW engine in the current 08 350Z is almost all-new aside from the short block. Definitely new internals, and a twin intake setup which also required different heads and plumbing.
      
      [Reply to this comment]
    - Comment by Charlie
      12 November 2008
      
      Each power hump has come with new parts.
      
      [Reply to this comment]
Comment by davidm
12 November 2008

It looks horn and is based on the V36 chassis - this is going to be sportscar porn.

Watch values of the clunky looking current model plunge quicker than GM share prices.

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Comment by Conquistador
13 November 2008

More power is always good but where does it make it? Does the bigger engine mean fewer revs?

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Comment by PJ
16 November 2008

^If it’s even 90% like the motor in my v36 redline is at 7,500 rpm if that gives you an idea?

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Comment by Taz
17 November 2008

More power is good, not sure of the styling…looks a bit awkward but may fall in love with it in person or after a drive…at least it doesn’t look the same as the old model like Porsche designs (I love Porsche and it’s iconic in the 911 DNA but not much is changing in the appearance dept.)

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