The Diabolocally Dramatic Nissan 370Z

Upon my driver’s licence, as with most others, there is a tiny graphical representation of my glowing countenance. Of course, as with most others, this representation is horribly rendered and bears little to no resemblance to my actual face. But, nonetheless, I could almost make out tiny beads of sweat breaking out upon its miniscule forehead as the RCMP officer’s sweaty thumb and forefinger pinched down upon my thin piece of plastic of the utmost importance.

“Had anything to drink today?” he queried, glancing up to check my pupil dilation as I tried to discern his facial features within the black silhouette that stood directly between me and Earth’s sun.

• Also: 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster: An Automotive Anachronism

“No” I nervously replied, sure that the aroma of singed brakes and acrid rubber would give my alcohol-free, but socially unacceptable activities of the previous few hours away.

But fate was on my side as a hand emerged from faceless silhouette; my driver’s licence dangling expectedly from between two fingers. A quick thank you, and a smooth clutch engagement later, and I was back on my way, watching the RCMP road check disappear through the 370Z’s rear porthole. Having just spent the previous hours of my life probing the gorgeous car’s limits on the backroads of British Columbia’s coastal mountains, I wondered if the police officer I’d just left behind could hear my sigh of relief through the open windows; a sigh I could have sworn was echoed by the laminated mini-me that was once again securely entrenched behind a clear plastic window within my wallet.

Welcome to life with a Nissan 370Z.

The inveterate successor to the Z-car throne, the new 370Z combines the mechanical legacy of the 350Z with the styling of the long defunct 240Z. Itself styled by the same master that put his pen to paper and created the form of the Ferrari 250 GTO, the 240Z lives on in the 370’s upswept beltline and overall dimensions, with a long nose and the majority of the bulk resting squarely over the rear axle. More aerodynamic than the outgoing model with a coefficient of drag that measures 0.30 for the standard model and 0.29 for the Sport, the 370Z’s taut shape reflects the car’s shift in dimensions. With a wheelbase that’s four inches shorter and a track width that’s 1.3 inches wider at the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear, the new 370Z’s impressive looks capitalize on the more aggressive dimensions with sheetmetal that stretches over the wheelwells and accentuates the cars lower, wider, shorter stance. Of course, that’s not to say the new look isn’t without its flaws; the Nissan’s figure may scream sex appeal in a way that’s hasn’t been heard since you dated that knockout redhead, but the L-shaped headlights and taillights definitely have their critics. Also, the quality of the paintwork isn’t quite on par with that of its competitors, and all the plastics bear witness to speedy painting with a surprising amount of orange peel that was especially obvious on my black tester (also, it’s worth noting that the paint had already begun to peel from the hatch-mounted rear wing). Furthermore, the shark-toothed grille appears to have been borrowed from a kindergartener’s sketchbook, and the front air dam is low enough to serve as a cow catcher for ants. Seriously. Find me a speed bump that thing won’t bounce off of, and I’ll show you Saskatchewan.

Step inside however, and it’s a different story. There are really are no complaints to be had here, where leather, suede and plastic combine to provide the car buying public with perhaps the best interior to be had on this side of an Audi. Feeling excellently assembled, there’s nary a material amiss, and all the switchgear feels top rate. The door panels have appealing suede inserts colour matched to the car’s body colour, and the door-borne armrests cosset your elbows with surprising softness; a real rarity these days and a huge plus to those travelling long distances. The gauge cluster is equally driver friendly; housed in a binnacle that tilts with the steering wheel so as to prevent the wheel from obscuring any of the various readouts. With a prominent tachometer and speedometer dominating the dash, the familiar amber-tinted multi-information readout is of the standard Nissan ilk, and provides a nifty location for both the temperature and fuel readouts; both represented by LED light bars above and below the multi-information readout’s LCD. Although available with navigation, those 370Z’s without see the space where the huge navigation unit would reside transformed into a handy storage bin behind an attractive leather wrapped and stitched flip-up cover. Out back, the old 350Z’s rear strut bar mount has been reconfigured to provide the load area with actual usable space, although the undivided, large, flat carpeted area conspires to send smaller objects soaring across the cargo area.

Thumbing the starter button ignites the same 3.7 litre VQ-series V6 that endows Infiniti’s G37 with such a ferocious bite, albeit with a significantly different bark in 370 guise. Vastly raspier than the old 3.5L housed within the old 350Z, the exhaust note is equally distant from the mellifluous howl of the aforementioned G37. It’s not quite as pleasing a soundtrack as you’d expect from the 337 horsepower V6, and the only saving grace is the impressive thrust that accompanies it. Up 26 horsepower from the old model, its power in the mid to upper ranges of the rev band is most impressive. And although the bigger engine may benefit from just 2 more lb-ft of torque, the acceleration off the line is far more explosive than before thanks to a myriad of weight savings in some very key areas. Totalling approximately 225 pounds less than the 350Z  (depending on specification), it’s where the weight comes off that makes it feel so different: a carbon fibre composite driveshaft reduces rotating mass ahead of the axle, while wheels that are seven pounds lighter in the front and six pounds lighter in the rear give increased sharpness to the throttle response.

This brings us back to the fateful encounter that introduces this road test. With less weight where it counts, more power and a shorter wheelbase, the 370Z is the quintessential hooligan car. The car is naturally endowed with a propensity for oversteer, and the V6’s ability to further the tail-out antics makes for a car that is all too easy to get carried away with. While the standard modern sports coupe’s attitude is typically one of a fast-in, fast-out approach, the 370Z adopts an altogether more dramatic approach, coming into corners a mite slower, and leaving with tendrils of smoke clawing at the rear tires. It’s certainly not the fastest way to travel, but I’ll be darned if it isn’t more fun. The relative lack of sound deadening material only adds to the maniacal experience, as your ears are purview to every rock, pebble, and pine needle that bounces off the rear wheel arches. Likewise, the much-talked about “SyncoRev Match” transmission works exactly as advertised, matching revs on downshifts automatically and creating a whole lot more engine and transmission noise in the process.

Of course, driving such a diabolical machine is also massively more stressful. Statistically speaking, as an enthusiastic driver, my time to pay the piper will inevitably occur. In fact, it was just a few weeks ago that the enjoyment I derive from driving Jeep’s sans doors caught up with me to the tune of $108 ticket for violating BC Motor Vehicle Act Section 219(1). So, to spend a significant amount of time in a car that is capable of turning the extremity of every corner into a section of red and white striped curbing is akin to duct taping a pair of Bud’s to an alcoholic’s hands. So, after my seven day test period was up, I was melancholic about handing the 370Z’s keyless fob back to Nissan’s local press fleet coordinator. But no matter how lucky I considered myself (and my driver’s licence) to be after seven hectic days with one big badass troublemaker of a car, it was all I could do to take one last glance at its hulking hindquarters in the rearview mirror, and try not to miss it too much.