Nissan's Z-factor

By Michael Moroney

It's stylish and powerful and has reincarnated the Nissan sports car image with real distinction. That's my verdict on the new Nissan 350Z, which packs a powerful look with an even more impressive engine.

I've had the 350Z on the road for a short few days and that feeling of power stays strong. The massive engine power from the V6 is a shade rougher to the ear than when that very same engine was fitted to the Murano SUV that I tested recently. It's the same engine, but in the Murano it has more manners in terms of smoothness and ease of acceleration.

There is no point in having a sports car if the engine doesn't behave like one. That's the Nissan message and this is true to form in the 350Z. You'll be seen as well as heard in this car, especially when the colour is red.

Nissan has packed impressive power into this engine. More impressive than the engine power is the massive torque output. Only Audi's S4 can beat it on torque, all other sports models, including the Porsche Boxster, are well below the 350Z torque figures.

So you have the new Nissan 350Z shape now can you match it with acceleration? The 350Z is rated at 6.9 seconds in a 0 to 100km/hr race.

That's not the hottest in the sector, but it's close to it. Hit the acceleration pedal and you'll get the full effect. The G forces leave the competition standing, but not all of them.

Alfa Romeo's GT model, with a similar sized engine, can more than match the 350Z performance, but without the rawness of the Nissan engine treatment, that adds to the 350Z's sporty impression. The 350Z has impressive road-holding features. Run it into a corner and you never feel like losing it. It hugs the road so well that you are more likely to feel the bumps than lose control.

The gear lever is well positioned and the gear change requires the level of work that seems to enthuse sports car owners. But the clutch pedal is light and easy to use.

The internal features of the 350Z are very sporting. The dash is suitably small, with a tight seating position and no rear seats. This is strictly a two-seater car, with minimal boot space.

I was intrigued by the only obvious instruction notice in the shallow boot - how to get a set of golf clubs in without re-shaping car. The instructions were rather detailed, leaving me, a non-golfer, wondering that if it required that level of details, could it be easy!

If you can afford to consider a sports car, then you can count on the new Nissan 350Z to be on your short list. OK, it will cost a lot more than a Hyundai CoupÅ or a Toyota Celica, but it packs in much more power and a more modern styling effect.

Like all sports cars, the 350Z is a statement machine, the size of the statement that you want to make depends on the depth of your pocket and how young you want to feel. Personally, I preferred the sheer effect of this engine in the Murano, but maybe I'm more of a SUV person.

I never warm to the cramped driving position of a sports car. Maybe, I'll experience a second childhood sometime soon and then regret that I've not enjoyed the effect!