Nissan 370Z NISMO eventually arrives
Up to a third of all 370Z buyers to opt for fresh NISMO-tuned coupe
Nissan has today released the long-awaited 370Z NISMO in Australia, and it expects the 253kW/371Nm sports car to account for about thirty per cent of overall Z sales.
Australia`s very first NISMO-tuned 370Z is available here only in coupe form but with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmission (priced at a respective $61,490 and $63,990, plus on-road costs).
The latter is forecast to account for two-thirds of sales, in line with overall 370Z sales, which have numbered almost four thousand two hundred since launch, but of which only five per cent were roadsters.
Based on the sixth-generation Z-car very first launched Down Under more than eight years ago in April 2009, the 370Z NISMO has been available in the US for almost as long.
However, it not only comes with a paltry $4560 premium over the 370Z Coupe`s previous base price, but tops a repositioned 370Z line-up that now starts from under $50,000 for the very first time, at $49,990 plus ORCs – almost $7000 less than before.
The 370Z`s fresh sub-$50K beginning price undercuts other rear-wheel drive sports coupes like the popular BMW two Series (from $51,300) and sister brand Infiniti`s Q60 (from $62,900).
The two-seat 370Z NISMO Coupe, meantime, is pitched below mid-size German coupes like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW four Series and Audi A5, and just $4000 higher than the $57,490 Five.0-litre V8 Fastback GT version of Ford`s Mustang, Australia`s top-selling sports car.
The aged 370Z, for which there`s no sign of a replacement, needs all the showroom help it can get, with just one hundred eighty three sold to July two thousand seventeen – down seventeen per cent year-on-year.
So far this year it was outsold by the Mustang (with almost six thousand sales), Mercedes-Benz C-Class coupe/cabriolet (1831), Hyundai Veloster (1359), two Series coupe/convertible (1125), Toyota eighty six (1118), Mazda MX-5 (951), BMW four Series coupe/convertible (670), Subaru BRZ (412), Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe/convertible (338), Audi A3 Convertible (329), Audi A5 coupe/cabriolet/Sportback (300), Porsche nine hundred eleven (288), Lexus RC, MINI Cabrio (212) and Abarth one hundred twenty four Spider (221).
Nissan Australia`s 2nd NISMO model after the GT-R NISMO is the most powerful 370Z ever officially sold in Australia, with outputs enhancing to 253kW/371Nm courtesy of a revised ECU and H-shape harass system with thirty per cent lower back-pressure.
That`s 8kW and 8Nm up on the 245kW/363Nm VQ-series Three.7-litre DOHC petrol V6 found in the standard 370Z, but still slightly less than the 260kW/374Nm outputs in the same car sold in the US.
Chassis upgrades include a retuned suspension set-up with enhanced spring, damper and anti-roll bar rates, plus what Nissan says is a NISMO-reinforced three-point front strut tower brace.
There are upgraded brakes too, including high-rigidity brake hoses and spectacle brake fluid, but the vented rotors remain unchanged at 355mm front and 350mm rear, with four-piston front and two-piston rear aluminium callipers.
Stickier Dunlop SP SPORT MAXX GT six hundred high-performance tyres measuring 245/40 R19 up front and 285/35 R19 at rear (up 10mm) substitute the standard 370Z`s same-size front and 275-section rear Bridgestone Potenza RE050As.
They`re fitted to unique 19-inch RAYS alloy wheels measuring half an inch broader at 9.5-inch front and Ten.5-inch rear, and a tyre repair kit substitutes the makeshift spare wheel.
There`s a bespoke NISMO figure kit comprising more aggressive front/rear bumpers, side skirts and black wing mirrors – all with crimson inserts – plus a specific rear spoiler and NISMO badging for the front/rear, engine cover, front strut tower brace, centre console and tacho.
Other interior switches include Recaro NISMO sports seats with crimson Alcantara centres and black leather bolsters (plus eight-way manual adjustment for the driver, four-way for the passenger), a black/crimson NISMO Alcantara/leather steering wheel with red-stitched centre marker, crimson begin button and, for auto versions, crimson spanking paddle shifters.
Four exterior paint colours are on suggest: Eau Rouge crimson, Diamond black, Shiro White and Brilliant Silver, which is an extra-cost premium hue.
Carryover standard features include Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC), Anti-lock Braking System (Six pack), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA) and dual front, side and curtain airbags.
Like all 370Zs, there`s also a 7.0-inch integrated colour touch-screen, reversing camera with predictive path technology, HDD satellite-navigation with 3D mapping, Bluetooth connectivity, eight-speaker Bose audio system with 9.3GB hard drive, automatic climate-control, Xenon headlights, daytime running lights and viscous limited-slip differential.
2017 Nissan 370Z pricing (plus ORCs):