You’re looking at the 370Z, the successor to Nissan’s hugely popular 350Z.
This topless roadster is a sexy, fast and affordable sports car. With a long bonnet and short rear, the car is smartly Japanese but is a Californian at heart — that’s where it was designed.
The engine is a brutish 3.7-litre V-6 that produces 332 horsepower and makes a fantastically loud noise under full acceleration. This model has a seven-speed automatic gearbox, but with manual paddle shifters — that sit behind the steering wheel — for those times when you want a bit more fun.
Performance
The front-engine rear-wheel drive setup is tops for sports cars. Brilliantly, if you floor the throttle at standstill, the car has enough power to cause its rear wheels to lose grip. Don’t do that on public roads, though!
Exterior
Outside the cool, curvaceous styling with sharp looking 19-inch alloys and similarly edgy lamp design suggest the hardcore nature of the drive.
Interior
The power seats and steering wheel are in leather, and black suede door trim means there is far less plastic this time around. Details, including aluminium finish on the dials and aluminium pedals, create contrast.
Best thing: Even with the roof down there is no flex in the car’s body, which is unusual for a convertible. Oh and the price … so much sports car for so little money compared to its rivals.
Worst thing: Fuel consumption and emissions reflect the raw power of that V-6 engine, too.
MSRP: $47,398
