Photo: Nissan
Known as the Fairlady in Japan, the Z car entered production in 1969 with the 240Z that Nissan marketed as a Datsun in the United States of America. Fast-forward to the present day, and the 370Z is celebrating… wait for it… 12 years and no proper upgrades during this timeframe.
Codenamed Z34, the sixth generation still uses the 3.7-liter VQ engine from the 2008 model year. 350 horsepower and 276 pound-feet of torque for the NISMO doesn’t sound bad at all given the 3,457-pound curb weight, but then again, the sports car-buying public isn’t impressed.
Care to guess how many examples of the breed were sold in Europe? From a high point of 2,211 units in 2010, the 370Z nosedived to 562 units in 2019. The explanation for this downfall is a bit more complicated than it appears. Not only does the 370Z feel old, but there are more back-to-basics alternatives in this segment, including the Mazda MX-5 and Subaru BRZ.
Having said these, Nissan is currently developing the 400Z or whatever it’ll be called even though the company finds itself in deep financial trouble. Nissan has recently trademarked a new Z car logo in this regard, and along with it, the Nissan logo will also get a refresh.
Previously referred to as the 390Z, the successor won’t necessarily get a larger engine. Rumor has it the newcomer will get the twin-turbo V6 with 3.0 liters of displacement from the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport and Q60 Red Sport, codenamed VR30DDTT. More suck-squeeze-bang-blow thanks to forced induction is one thing, but as opposed to a N/A/ engine, the twin-turbo V6 produces maximum horsepower and torque rather differently. To the point, you won’t be able to rev the VR as high as the VQ (7,000 versus 7,500 rpm).
If Nissan decides to adopt the Direct Adaptive Steering from the Red Sport, then the 400Z won’t feel as direct to steer as the 370Z either. Whatever the future holds, the Japanese automaker knows that a drastic change has to be made in order to keep the Z car relevant in the 2020s and beyond. And yes, the first pieces of evidence of this divergence are the logos!
Care to guess how many examples of the breed were sold in Europe? From a high point of 2,211 units in 2010, the 370Z nosedived to 562 units in 2019. The explanation for this downfall is a bit more complicated than it appears. Not only does the 370Z feel old, but there are more back-to-basics alternatives in this segment, including the Mazda MX-5 and Subaru BRZ.
Having said these, Nissan is currently developing the 400Z or whatever it’ll be called even though the company finds itself in deep financial trouble. Nissan has recently trademarked a new Z car logo in this regard, and along with it, the Nissan logo will also get a refresh.
Previously referred to as the 390Z, the successor won’t necessarily get a larger engine. Rumor has it the newcomer will get the twin-turbo V6 with 3.0 liters of displacement from the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport and Q60 Red Sport, codenamed VR30DDTT. More suck-squeeze-bang-blow thanks to forced induction is one thing, but as opposed to a N/A/ engine, the twin-turbo V6 produces maximum horsepower and torque rather differently. To the point, you won’t be able to rev the VR as high as the VQ (7,000 versus 7,500 rpm).
If Nissan decides to adopt the Direct Adaptive Steering from the Red Sport, then the 400Z won’t feel as direct to steer as the 370Z either. Whatever the future holds, the Japanese automaker knows that a drastic change has to be made in order to keep the Z car relevant in the 2020s and beyond. And yes, the first pieces of evidence of this divergence are the logos!
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