The Nissan 370Z has been around for almost a decade now, says Nick Tragianis on Driving.ca. It was launched as a no-frills, old-style sports car, with a normally aspirated engine, rear wheel drive and a revvy engine, and while its rivals all became lighter or heavier and turbocharged and technologically more advanced, the Nissan stayed the course and grew grey at the temples.
Hit the road and none of this matters though. Driving the Z is still a refreshing experience. There's a nice weight and mechanical feel to it that you'd behard-pressed to find anywhere else. The steering is heavy and communicative, the gear shift "pleasantly notchy", and the clutch lets you know exactly when it bites. The throttle is "properly responsive" and the exhaust note "nothing short of intoxicating".
The car is showing its age in many respects, and the boot is sparse. But few competitors will offer a driving experience as direct as the Z. It's an "aged track warrior that's refreshingly simple, rewarding and mechanical". When it disappears from Nissan's line up, "it will be sorely missed".
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It's quietly becoming the last naturally aspirated man standing, says Adam Binnie in Car. This revised model boosts the car's appeal with a lighter clutch and tweaked styling. Could it then be more desirable than a Porsche Cayman or BMW 2-Series? Perhaps not. There's still quite a lot of road noise from the wide tyres and the interior remains "disappointingly last-generation". Yet the most basic, pure version of the car is about ten grand less than its competitors.
It may be a "thirsty lump that's starting to show its age", but its old-school charm makes it "an intensely likeable thing". Sports cars like this are becoming increasingly rare, says Jordan Katsianis in Evo. It offers something unique in the market: "one hell of a lot of sports car for the price of a Golf GTI".
Price: £34,285Engine: 3,696ccPower: 323bhp at 7,000rpmTorque: 268lb ft at 5,000rpm0-62mph: 5.6 secsTop speed: 155mph
