Putting it to work

One of the aces in the deck of the 370Z is its new-gen VQ37VHR 3.7 litre V6 engine. It’s a cracker this thing. Red-lined at 7500rpm, it will howl there effortlessly and willingly; throttle response is instantaneous and it can be brutally quick when kept singing in those upper registers.

With peak power of 245kW @ 7000rpm (that’s 15kW more than the last of the 350Zs) and peak torque of 363Nm @ 5200rpm, this all-alloy 24 valve twin-cam unit (in which 35 percent of the components are all-new) is one of the best V6s you’ll drive this side of Christmas.

It is a superb unit, makes a fearsome bellow when working, and is huge fun when you bury the shoe.

We sampled both the seven-speed auto and the six-speed manual. Both are nicely matched to the characteristics of the engine. With steering-wheel paddles, 0.5 second shift times, and a high level of lock-up preventing torque converter slip, most drivers can probably post faster point-to-point times with the auto.

But me, I’d choose the six-speed manual every time. It requires a firm hand (like the older Zeds), but with a precise gate, short throw and with SynchroRev match blipping the engine (and rev-matching) on downshifts, it’s a blast firing from apex to apex on a twisty road.

For my liking, the shift doesn’t quite ‘centre’ strongly enough at fourth and third, but it might be just me - others weren’t complaining.

With a light dusting of rain when heading out of Adelaide and with some long sections of tight corners and negative camber turning-crests, the superb chassis balance and predictable handling of the 370Z absolutely shone. You feel incredibly well-connected through the wheel and with what’s happening below, and can use the masses of power under the toe to tighten the line when really pressing.

The redesigned all-independent double wishbone front suspension and revised multi-link rear has less of the jiggle and none of the jarring of the first of the 350Zs (which, granted, improved over the life of the model).

The new car however is simply a brilliant steer. Straight out of the packet, it offers genuine track-day handling.

Brakes too are nicely weighted and with good pedal feel. Up front, 355mm Akebono sport discs and four-piston calipers do the work while 350mm rotors and two-piston calipers look after things at the rear wheels.

The only shortcoming on the road is the tyre roar. It’s not overly intrusive and only noticeable on coarse black-top, but it may bother some. The fact is, it’s not really a short-coming. Nissan could easily stick some more sound deadening in there, but the weight would suffer, and so the sublime handling would also suffer.

The value equation

So, would we buy one? Would you buy one?

Let’s not kid ourselves, at $67,990 for the manual, and $70,990 for the auto, the 370Z is getting into serious cashola territory. And it is going to be out of reach for a lot of car buyers.

But, that said, in the context of its capability - and it is such a damn good drive - and in the context of its competition, it looks like very good buying.

The cheapest BMW Z4, with far less standard kit and less raw performance, is considerably dearer. The Cayman, which might be the 370Z’s natural enemy in outright performance, is stratospherically more expensive.

So, yes, at the price you get a hell of a lot of performance and a hell of a lot of car. As Nissan Sales and Marketing General Manager Stephen Collins said, “The 370Z is alone in it’s class; in our view it is a very good value proposition.”

Lastly, that beautifully balanced engine is capable of returning some unperformance-car-like fuel consumption figures in normal driving. How does 10.5 l/100km for the manual, and 10.4 l/100km for the seven-speed auto sound?

Certainly, on this first drive, it’s fair to say that the legend of the Zed has a most worthy new flag-bearer in the new 370Z. While one of the cars on the media launch smellied its clutch, likely a one-off having had some fearsome treatment in very unsympathetic hands, the 370Z feels incredibly robust.

It also offers a stylish, blisteringly quick, balanced but raw-boned drive that sets it well apart from the common rung of sports coupes.

Nissan hopes to sell 100 a month. When word gets out, bugger the recession, that projection will likely be a tad conservative.

For first impressions of the 370Z on this drive, full marks. But we’ll give you the definitive word once we’ve had a full road test.

GALLERY » 2009 Nissan 370Z First Drive