The Z-Z fly
The buzz of the Z just got louder – the 370Z could be Nissan’s sleeper sports car hit
Superb revised V6 engine, assured handling and poise, generous equipment list, aggro new styling 
Fuel consumption and road tax will kill you Nissan’s revamped 370Z is even more of a romping, stomping sports car
By Derryn Wong
ONE OF THE most terrifying creatures in the African continent is not a lion, a rhino nor is it a venomous snake. It doesn’t even have teeth. The Tsetse fly (pronounced ‘zee-zee’) flies around biting people, infecting them with the potentially-deadly Sleeping sickness.
What does Nissan’s new Z car have to do with a irritating parasite? Well the 350Z which was never really the obvious choice if you wanted some Japanese-bred performance.
Nissan always aimed at loftier rivals (hence the Z’s own relative price) like the Porsche Cayman. And with the new-improved 370Z it’s not just wishful-thinking anymore.
Yes, you heard right – it’s got Porsche-fighting quality.
Like the infamous fly, the 370Z zooms around infecting people with the Driving Disease, by which they’re forced to get back into the seat and pilot the car mindlessly for the sheer love of it.
The new Z hasn’t gotten bigger by default, but has received a going-over wherever it counts most dynamically.
The wheelbase is 100mm shorter, with the rear wheels moved forward for better handling, now at 2,550mm. Overall length is shorter by 70mm, but it’s 33mm wider and with a 55mm expanded rear track for increased stability and more hunker.
And then there’s the new styling. The essential shape remains the same, all pouncing readiness, bulging wheel-arches and muscular lines, but the details are all pretty different – those arrowhead front lights, bonnet bulges and ‘fanged’ front air intake. The 350 had the right curves but not enough visual drama and it’s all made-up for here on the new Z.