Nissan’s iconic Zed car has been given a makeover, if a minor one.
The 370Z now features smoked front and rear lights, with a smoked finish for the exterior door handles and new design 19-inch alloys.
There’s also a richer shade of red that replaces the superseded Bordeaux.
Available as a coupe or soft-top roadster, the coupe accounts for an amazing 95 per cent of sales.
Prices start at $49,990 for the 6-speed manual, which now gets a high-performance EXEDY clutch that makes it more responsive and fun to drive.
There’s also a 7-speed auto for $52,490.
The Roadster kicks off at $60,990.
The 370Z is powered by a 3.7-litre, six cylinder petrol engine that kicks out 245kW of power at 7000 revs and 363Nm of torque at 5200 revs, with fuel consumption figures of 10.4L/100km.
With almost 4200 domestic sales since its April 2009 debut, the Nissan 370Z is fitted with Nissan’s Premium Braking System, Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Anti-lock Braking (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and dual front, side and curtain airbags.
Satellite Navigation with 3D mapping and 7.0-inch integrated colour touch screen, sports leather accented seats and Bluetooth is also standard.
For those who can never have enough power these’s also the high performance 370Z Nismo, priced from $61,490.
The Nismo version offers an increased 253kW of power and 371Nm of torque — just 8 more kW and 8 more Nm — but it’s in the ride and handling department that Nismo excels.
Launched as the Datsun 240Z almost 50 years ago, the Z was fully redesigned in the mid-‘80s and rebadged the Nissan 300ZX before the 370Z nameplate was unveiled at the 2008 LA Auto Show.
