2011 Nissan NISMO 370Z Review

[ahmed_7erzon]

As a woman, I tend to be a very visual creature. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate what's under the hood of a car, but what really gets my heart going (especially in the beginning) is how a car can really grab my attention, and keep it. The 2011 NISMO 370Z is one of those cars. It's one aggressive-looking automobile that gets just as many looks from the ladies as the guys.

The NISMO is a high-performance version of the 370Z, NISMO being Nissan's tuner division. In Canada for the first time, the most powerful production Z ever offered delivers 350 horsepower. The press release for the NISMO says that the car was designed to be “highly emotional, yet totally functional”. They got the emotional part right.

The 2011 NISMO 370Z grabs your attention. It's one aggressive-looking automobile that gets just as many looks from the ladies as the guys. (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com)

The wide stance, beautifully sculpted fenders, upswept quarter windows, bold boomerang-shaped headlights and taillights, as well as the vertical door handles all work together to create a vehicle design that most people just have to take a second glance at.

Unfortunately, the interior is a bit of a letdown. Yes, it is very sport-inspired, but for the price tag I wish Nissan had used higher-quality materials.

The deeply scooped instrument panel with a full-length centre console completely separates the driver and passenger seat. The instrument panel consists of a 3-pod cluster with voltmeter, oil temperature and clock, while the speedometer and tachometer include an ”initial sweep” function that comes alive when the NISMO is turned on.

Standard interior comfort and convenience features include a push-button start, power windows and doors, cup holders and a 4-speaker audio system with redundant (yet convenient) steering-wheel mounted controls.

The black seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel column both feature attractive-looking red stitching. The sport seats are woven cloth and feature standard 8-way driver and 4-way passenger manual adjustments. Seats are firm and bolstered for extra support, and are designed to hold your body in place without interfering with shifting. Perfect for a day on the track, but I find them a bit too hard for everyday driving. I know the NISMO is a small 2-seater, but I noticed that when my boyfriend (who is average height) got out of the passenger's seat, he had to have the seatback reclined just to avoid hitting his head on the door frame. Despite the low roofline, there is good use of space for storage in the NISMO. Behind the seats are bin-type containers to keep your personal items from sliding around. Though the trunk is small, it's very flat and wide and you could potentially put a well-packed suitcase back there. This car has a 3.7-litre DOHC V6 engine. (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com) Nissan’s Advanced Airbag System, active head restraints, roof-mounted side-impact airbags, security system and tire pressure monitoring system are just a few of the standard safety features included on the NISMO. This car’s foundation is built on an advanced Nissan front midship platform, an advanced 4-wheel independent suspension and a 3.7-litre DOHC V6 engine. At 7,400 rpm, it produces 350 hp and 276 lb-ft of torque peak at 5,200 rpm. This gives the driver an additional 18 hp over the standard Z model. Only a close-ratio, 6-speed manual transmission with Nissan’s SynchroRev Match is available on the NISMO. This function automatically controls and adjusts engine speed when downshifting into the next gear, by blipping the throttle to ensure smooth shifts. The system improves your shifts by reducing the typical “shock” when the clutch is engaged, and I love how sporty it made the drive feel. If you prefer matching revs on your own, the system can be deactivated with a push of a button located next to the shifter. The suspension in the NISMO is tuned for a firmer ride and sharper handling. The roll stiffness rate has been increased, and the front and rear damping factors have been increased as well. What this means is that on a flawless, winding track, this beast will be extremely happy. It feels incredibly solid and tight in corners on the open highway. However, on city streets with uneven roads and narrow streets, the passenger and driver are not very happy. After less than 15 minutes, my boyfriend was very uncomfortable in the passenger seat. And though it took me several days of driving (I couldn’t get enough of the powerful engine), pretty soon I wasn't enjoying the stiff suspension at all, either. Functional? Not really. But emotional? Yes! (Photo: Lacey Elliott/Auto123.com) Maybe it's my age, but the more-refined Infiniti G37 IPL was much more enjoyable to drive and is, essentially, the same car. I wish I could say I would buy this car simply based on the way it looked and what's lurking below the hood. But unfortunately, the sensible side of me (and my backside) couldn't live with that suspension every single day. The deep sound of the powerful engine combined with the aggressive, smooth shifts and firm suspension really made me wish I'd had a track day booked this week. I know that my experience would have been totally different behind the wheel of the NISMO 370Z.