2015 Nisan 370Z NISMO Road Test And Review

2015 nissan 370z

For the 2015 model year, Nissan has given the NISMO Z some updates. The model is being offered with an automatic transmission for the first time. An additional trim level is being offered, the NISMO Tech Package; and some styling changes have been applied.

While Nissan sports cars can trace their roots all the way back to 1959, the first true Nissan sports car, the 1963 Datsun SP310 Fairlady 1500, was imported to the United States as the Datsun 1500.

Nissan’s Fairlady Z models replaced the SP310 based cars in 1969. The American version of that first Z-car featured a 2.4-liter inline six-cylinder engine fitted with a dual carburetor intake system. Known in the US as the 240Z, it offered 151 horsepower and was a runaway success.

Some 45,000 units were sold through the 1971 model year. In 1972, Nissan sold more than 50,000 copies of the 240Z. Unfortunately, the ensuing years saw the model evolve away from a lithe sports car and more into a steadily larger and increasingly bloated GT car. By 1989, it was known as the 300ZX, and was similar to that original 240Z in shape only. The lithe and lively 240Z was completely lost—as was its original fan base.

When Nissan replaced the car in 1990 with the all-new 300ZX, the original concept was scrapped altogether in favor of a purpose built GT concept. With its near-exotic good looks, the new 300ZX was considerably more successful than its predecessor. In fact, it became one of the most desirable sports/GT cars on the market. All of this goodness was considerably more expensive though. By the time it went out of production in 1996, the base price of the Nissan was nearly $50,000 (equivalent to approximately $76,000 today).

The company re-introduced the Z Concept five years later at the North American International Auto Show. Designed specifically to sell for less than $30,000 while offering 300 horsepower, the 350Z was a throwback to that first Fairlady Z of 1969. As of this writing, the model has evolved through two generations to become the Nissan 370Z we know today. The subject of this road test and review, the 2015 Nisan 370Z NISMO, is the ultimate iteration of that car .

Equipment & Pricing

For the 2015 model year, the $41,990 NISMO Z remains available as a coupe only. Ordered with the newly offered automatic transmission, the price is $43,290.

Standard equipment for the 2015 370Z NISMO includes lightweight 19-inch forged alloy wheels fitted with summer performance tires, automatic bi-xenon headlights, LED daytime running lights, heated exterior rearview mirrors, keyless entry and start, cruise control, automatic climate control, one-touch power windows, power door locks with automatic locking, a leather-wrapped tilt-only steering wheel with alcantara inserts and a red centering mark; and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. Newly standard for 2015 is a revised seating treatment featuring leather and Alcantara trimmed black and red Recaros.

The new for 2015 $45,490 370Z NISMO Tech model ($46,790 with the new automatic transmission) adds a hard drive-based navigation system with a seven-inch touchscreen monitor, a rearview camera, Bose audio System, satellite radio, Bluetooth audio streaming, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a HomeLink universal transceiver.

Performance features include upgraded brakes and suspension dampers. The NISMO Z also gets unique front and rear aerodynamic fascias, and a rear wing to increase downforce to the rear tires. The front fascia and the rear wing have been restyled for 2015.

Design

Over the years, the 370Z’s design, while still somewhat recognizable as a descendant of the 2001 Nissan 350Z, has evolved considerably. In NISMO livery, it looks even more different.

The most striking change for the 2015 model is its revised front styling. The new look is inspired by the all-conquering GT-R. The primary changes include a deeper front fascia with redesigned LED daytime running lights, black headlight bezels, and the NISMO red stripe accents.

Other differences from the standard Z include more aerodynamic side skirts and the rear bumper treatment to improve the flow of air beneath the Z. The 2014 model’s huge rear has been downplayed a bit and is arguably more handsome.

Features & Controls

The racy theme continues inside the car, with the new Recaro sport seats chosen specifically for their ability to hold occupants in place during extreme cornering maneuvers.

The instrument pod moves in concert with the tilt-only steering wheel, maintaining optimal visibility of all of the gauges, regardless of the positioning of the steering wheel. The tachometer gets central placement, while the speedometer resides to its right and a digital fuel gauge is positioned to its left. Gauges for oil temperature, electrical system voltage, and the time of day are placed in a group of three on top of the dash to the driver’s right.

Unique to the NISMO 370Z are the seats, steering wheel treatment, leather wrapped shift knob, and the aluminum pedal set. Between the seats, on the vertical panel above the floor-mounted console, is a plaque designating each 370Z NISMO’s unique serial number and model year designation.

Comfort & Cargo

Before we go any farther, please be reminded the NISMO Z is the sportiest variant of the already very sporting oriented 370Z sports car. Outfitted primarily to serve as an outstanding platform for track pursuits, the NISMO Z is not configured with long distance touring comfort in mind.

That said, the seats do an admirable job of holding you in place, with the new Recaros offering more comfort than the NISMO’s previous seats. We found the driver’s seat to be right on the edge of lacking enough legroom for taller drivers. At 6’1”, we do fit, but we would also be appreciative of a bit more room.

Cargo capacity is just less than seven cubic feet in the shallow space underneath the rear hatch. Further, it’s compromised a bit by the rear strut tower brace fitted to improve the 370Z’s handling. There are two storage bins behind the seats, but in the interest of saving weight, they aren’t covered, nor, for that matter, is the main cargo compartment. Anything you leave back there will be visible to inquisitive individuals.

Seeing out of the coupe can be a bit of a challenge too, as the body rigidity (so crucial to the handling of the car) instilled by the thick rear pillars and small-ish windows forces a the compromise of limited outward visibility. That said, looking around the interior of the NISMO 370Z, the quality of the materials employed and the overall design makes it a very nice place to be. You can’t see out of it very well, but at least the inside looks really nice.

Safety & Ratings

Which brings us to the safety of the 370Z NISMO. Nissan would have done very well to fit blind spot monitoring to the Z, as it can be really difficult to see vehicles riding along your flanks on the freeway. You can adjust the mirrors to compensate somewhat, but true at a glance confidence simply isn’t there. The rear view camera included with the new Tech package definitely comes in handy for backing

Standard safety features include ABS, traction control, and vehicle dynamics control. Tire pressure monitoring (a very good thing since there is no spare tire), brake assist, and electronic brake force distribution are featured as well.

Neither NHTSA nor the IIHS (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety) has crash tested the 370Z.

Engine & Fuel Economy

Nissan’s 3.7-liter V6 has been tuned to produce 350 horsepower and 276 ft-lbs of torque for the NISMO 370Z. Variable valve timing and an optimized engine control module, along with a specially configured exhaust system are responsible for the power gains.

New for 2015, is a seven-speed automatic option with downshift rev matching, adaptive shift control, and paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The six-speed manual transmission also offers downshift rev-matching. This automatically adjusts engine speed when shifting to a lower gear—"blipping" the throttle the way an experienced driver would do to smooth downshifts.

Other key mechanical features contributing to the NISMO Z’s enhanced performance include higher spring and stabilizer bar rates, increased roll stiffness, and stiffer front and rear damping factors. The suspension system also gets a set of very light 19-inch forged aluminum alloy wheels, staggered in width from front to rear.

The braking system is comprised of large diameter 14.0-inch front and 13.8-inch rear vented rotors with four-piston front and two-­piston rear aluminum calipers. The braking system incorporates a variable ratio brake pedal, high-rigidity brake hoses, R35 Special II fluid, and red-finish calipers. And yes, for the record, we know the red finish of the calipers doesn’t do anything to make the car perform better. But they do look cool!

Driving Impressions

From the sound of the grumbly growly engine, to the incredible feats of cornering NISMO Z is capable of performing, the Nissan super sports car will almost always have you grinning from ear to ear when you’re out on the open road.

Screaming down a straight, getting hard on the brakes, and flinging the NISMO Z into a corner is one of the most satisfying things you will ever do behind the wheel of a sports car. The steering is delightfully communicative, the seats hold you in place as advertised, and the whole thing just flat works exceptionally well together.

You will find rough pavement a bit of a challenge, as the tightly suspended NISMO Z has a tendency to skitter a bit over rough surfaces, but when you ask it to bite, the car bites—hard. Once you learn how much bandwidth the Z offers in terms of its dynamic capabilities, you will feel practically invincible in nearly every situation.

The shifter seemingly glides from gate to gate of its own accord. We’ve already talked about how the SynchroRev Match feature eliminates the need for heel and toe downshifting—so all you have to do is brake, downshift and turn. The new automatic shifts crisply, seems always to be in the right gear, and does permit manual gear selection.

There was a time when the V6 was one of the best out there, sadly that’s changed. The engine still winds freely, and it pulls strongly too—both up to about 4,000 rpm. After that, it gets asthmatic, winds a lot less freely, and produces little additional thrust. It will continue to pull to its 7,500 rpm redline, but not as adroitly as it does in the bottom half of its rev range. Long story short, the engine basically hits a wall at four grand. We believe this can be traced to the intake system, as we know people who have changed it out on standard 370Z’s and experienced considerable improvement.

Final Thoughts

We are huge performance fans, so it can honestly be said we’ve never met a fast car we didn’t like. Of course, we have known a few we consider better than others, and frankly we’re wondering if the added expense of the NISMO bits is really worth it.

The base 370Z already handles beautifully, accelerates purposefully, stops with strong determination, and delivers nice steering feel with delightful responsiveness. So, other than the styling differences, we’re kind of left asking—what’s the point?

If you’re going racing, or auto crossing, or time attacking, it’s a good starting point we suppose, but for day to day driving, the NISMO rides quite harshly, transmits quite a bit of noise into the passenger compartment, and we’ve already mentioned how hard it is to see out of the car.

When all of this is measured against the additional $8,420 you’ll be asked to come up with to get into the NISMO over a standard sport trimmed 370Z, well…

That’s a pretty tough call.

Pros & Cons

Limited production means you won’t see a lot of others on the road, downshift rev matching transmissions (both automatic and manual), handsome interior…

Stiff ride, blind spots, noisy, suspension system stiffer than it needs to be …