Nissan 370Z 2010 is the right mix

The earlier generation 350Z came in at a time when the market needed a good and affordable sports coupé. Nissan's GTR introduction was quite similar. It arrived when the world was in need for a supercar that was affordable and technologically advanced in every aspect. Nissan delivered as promised.

The new 370Z is no different. It's the 350Z refined and adjusted to meet our demands today - like an iTunes software update on your Mac. Each update makes it look and perform better. The question is, how much better?.

I've never been a big fan of the way the 350Z looked. It was never my type of car. At first glance, the 370Z looks almost the same, except it's not. There are a lot of improvements over the last generation and it's not just the gadgetry. The new 370Z is a car that you would miss driving and it is the right blend of new features and improvements that have made it appealing. The exterior has undergone a significant amount of detailing and dimensional changes, giving it its new and improved stance and road presence. The car is now more compact and makes use of stronger and lighter materials such as aluminium door panels, hood and hatch. Other improvements include more ‘torsional rigidity' and reduced lateral bending.

Like in the previous generation, the aerodynamics of the 370Z also offer the same ‘Zero' front and rear lift with the help of an ‘inverse area' front bumper design and a rear design that regulates the air flow to the rear hatch. In short, the 370Z tries to embody the GTR's overall sporty appeal and design cues.

Moving on to the interiors, the cockpit looks way better than it did on the 350Z, although the functionality remains the same. It looks a lot like a fusion of the interiors of the GTR and the Infiniti G37. It's driver oriented to a higher degree than most Japanese sports coupés. It would appeal to the kind of person who wants an everyday sports car, someone who doesn't want the sophistication or price of the GTR but needs an affordable 2-seater sports coupé that is comfortable enough to use as a daily ride as well.

The cockpit controls are well laid out and easy to figure out, and most importantly, easy to live with every day. A challenge most car companies face these days is the ability to keep their interiors functional and simple while maintaining a modern design. The 370Z seems to have done well for itself in that department.

The seats are comfortable and well designed in order to suit the car's sporty handling as well as long distance cruising. The interiors also feature a Bose sound system which, frankly, failed to impress me. I am quite a minimalist when it comes to car audio and video. I just don't see the point in overemphasised in-car entertainment!

The 370Z is powered by a new and improved 3.7-litre VQ engine from Nissan that generates 328 hp @ 7,000rpm and 363Nm of torque @ 5,200rpm. An improvement over the previous generation and this, combined with the improved body characteristics, make the 370Z a seriously fun sports coupé to drive.

The new engine is now mated to more advanced transmission both for the manual and automatic versions. The 6-speed manual transmission option features a "SynchroRev Match" function that automatically matches the engine speed to the speed of the next gear position while upshifting or downshifting, thereby easing the clutch ‘shocks' that usually occur when not perfectly shifting gears on a manual transmission. In short, it can make an average driver feellike a good driver, and one who does perfect gear shifts!

The 7-speed automatic transmission comes with two new features as well. A Downshift Rev-Matching and Adaptive Shift control which, as their names suggest, offer smoother auto downshift and quicker paddle shifter usage respectively.

The technicalities that have gone into the enhancement of the drive characteristics are great in their own way, but my opinion is that they reduce driver input to the extent that it creates an illusion that one is a good driver. Sure, it makes things easier for most people, but it's not something that would be ideal in a sports car, but then, good drivers are good drivers irrespective. Technicalities aside, the auto transmission 370Z that I got to drive was indeed a good car. It's a sensible and functional sports coupé that is backed by the trusted Japanese reliability which most of us have grown to trust over the years. Handling was perfect and, to be honest, it delivered way more than I expected. The corner handling capabilities are really good for a car in this segment and, like Nissan says, the 370Z's chassis loves to be thrown around corners. The engine and transmission also feel suited to the car and they really enhance the driving experience. But one area where I thought the 370Z could have done better is in the isolation of road noise.

Although, overall I think it's a good car to have. A compact and powerful 2-seater sports coupé that is both sensible and reliable at the same time and won't set you back financially as much as a European sports coupé would. It has a lot of good qualities that make up for its minor deficiencies, and the package as a whole is appealing. Besides, enthusiasts also have the option of enhancing their 370Zs by going for the NISMO (a high-performance version of the 370Z)!