Seeing the 2010 Nissan 370Z
Other minor exterior revisions include a restyled hood sans the "power dome" added to the 350Z in 2007. The hood's only surface detailing appear to be two character lines -- similar to the hood found on the original 350Z. Door handles are larger and triangular shaped, with a silver button probably for keyless entry. Note that the handles no longer line up with the door seam, but are inset by an inch or so.
Our base model test mule came equipped with handsome, 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels wrapped in Yokohama Advan Sport tires (245/45R18) -- the first time Yokohama's have been found on the Z. Brakes on this base model appear to be carryovers from the base 350Z. Up front, the vented discs appeared to be around 12-inches in diameter with what looked to be two-piston calipers. Rears discs were similarly sized, with a smaller, possibly single-piston setup.
It's more powerful -- probably: Here again, we must rely purely on speculation as Nissan would not confirm either the engine or the output of the vehicle it provided. We will say that the exhaust note sounds very similar to current 350Z, supporting the rampant rumors that the next Z will have a derivative of the current car's VQ35 engine.
So is it -- as has been posited by many -- in fact a 370Z? Again Nissan would not officially confirm, but logic says yes. The current Z makes 306 horsepower and 268 lb-ft of torque from its 3.5-liter V-6. Nissan has traditionally shared the Z's FM platform and VQ powertrain with the Infiniti G coupe. In 2008, that car went from G35 to G37 with the addition of a 3.7-liter V-6 that makes 330 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. Rumors of a 400Z (using the 4.0-liter V-6 found in the Nissan Frontier pick up) or 380Z (using a naturally-aspirated version of the GT-R engine) make much less sense as such a move would put the Z well ahead of Infiniti's G coupe. Transmission options are expected to be a six-speed manual and Nissan's new seven-speed automatic.
Our Conclusion: Whatever it turns out to be, Nissan's next Z left us favorably impressed. More often than not, auto manufacturers dull down vehicles in successive generations. They make them bigger, heavier, more feature laden. Often this physical and feature bloat comes from a desire to make the car more appealing to a wider audience.
With the new Z, it appears Nissan has done the opposite. When it could have simply slapped on new lights and thrown a bigger engine underhood, Nissan adopted the strategy applied to the 2008 Maxima. Instead of going bigger and heavier, Nissan made the new Z shorter, wider -- and in all likelihood -- lighter and more powerful. These are the kind of real and substantial changes that should get any red-blooded sports car enthusiast cheering.
But will they cheer for all the new changes? We'll see when the next generation Nissan Z is revealed to the world on November 19 at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.