So I was passing by St. Charles Nissan (Chicago Suburbs) and they had a pearl white 370 Nismo parked right out front... well I HAD to pull in a gawk at the "new" kick *** Nismo Z package....

As I read the sticker it states 350 HP... meh (face palm).... remember when the 300ZX TT was one of the fastest off the showroom floor cars in the 90's... Why won't Nissan offer the Nismo versions either as a SC or TT version so it can compete with some of the Mustangs, Chargers and Camaros with the GT, SRT and SS/LS type packages... for the price tag of a brand new NISMO the pedantic interior and 50 HP is really not worth the money....still a sub par interior and music options that you could best at WalMart.

As I gave my above rant to the salesperson who told me "I really needed this NISMO" to replace mine parked next to it(HAH! no!), he couldn't tell me any specific but said Nissan has "plans" for the Nismo Z model to bring it up to par with the competition...

Just a little Monday rant on a car that I have loved forever and it now pales in comparison to some of its american & luxury counterparts... Come on Nissan!!

Has anyone heard of these "Plans"? I am thinking that factory TT or SC seem to be some of the only options....

 

The Nissan rep at ZdayZ refused to say a word when we asked that question.

 

So using the 44-48K price range, the nismo Z at 332HP versus the Camaro 2SS 426HP, Mustang GT 435 HP and the Challenger SRT at 485 HP.

I understand there are 6 cyl counterparts but I was looking at $$$ vs. delivered HP

 

Agreed. A member here picked up a Z06 for that price point. It wasn't new, but I imagine the r and d dept undersrands their competition in this range.

New models usually launch around August or so in N A, so we will see what they have up their sleeve if anything. In a perfect world they would offer-

Base,
Suspension upraded
Turbo or SC
And a top of line Suspension and FI and call that one Nismo.

Even Mustangs come in all flavors, .02

 

I wonder what plans he's talking about. Last time I heard, Nissan was talking about downsizing the next Z to the level of the craptacular overpriced FRS and BRZ who is now doing horrible in sales now. The same thing that killed off the 300ZX is happening with the 370 with it's ballooning price tag. They could at least make some effort and make it drop some weight if they can't increase the power. The Americans are moping the floor with the 370 and even the Germans with the Cayman and Z4 which are priced higher are on par or selling more than the 370 I think.

 

Here is the pic... had to run to a meeting ....

 

Why not? Cost, primarily- the millions it would take to develop a new SC or TT V6 (and pass Federal emissions testing) would not make sense to put it into an older Z34 chassis. And the Z sells in such small numbers that Nissan is stretching this model cycle to maintain a full lineup of vehicles. On the other side, Japanese production of the NISMO Z is just enough for the marque to sell all the limited production they make. Better to have a little less supply than demand.

The next Z won't be out for a couple more years as Nissan takes their time to assess the market for mass-produced sportscars. My guess is there's still an internal dialogue going on as to whether to take the Z back to its roots, or move on to a faster, more powerful (and expensive) model line.

 

IMO, you can't really compare the z to a Mustang, Camaro, Challenger, they're different cars, if you want more HP in a platform like the z then save up and get a Corvette or 911, if all you want is HP and to go go fast in a straight line then get a Mustang, Camaro or Challenger, you'll never use all 332 HP that the 370z has on the street anyways, the vast majority of us can't even push that car to it's limits on a track.

 

Agreed... I had those options last year and could have gone 20 different ways but my love of the Z dating back to the 280Z days just trumped them all... I guess it is more of a reminiscence of when the TT Z, TT Supra and TT 3000GT were the bad asses in the market. I wouldn't trade my DD experience in my Z, pull in the driveway with a on my face everyday. It's really unique looking and handles like a dream and turns heads everywhere. If I want it faster I can always just put some money into it and compete with some of the other cars mentioned. It's just odd that the Zoom & Boom for the Japanese car dealers seems to be saved solely for their Luxury lines or in the 80K and up price points i.e. GTR and Lexus F-Sport... I guess I will just have to get a GTR next!

 

that would be me, the main reason i parted with the Z is that it wasnt getting any faster without spending a ton of money. for $45k i got an 08 C6 Z06 with only 10k miles.

 

It's not the power I'm concerned about. It's the weight that is the problem. Yes the 370 is lighter than a fully equipped Z33 (not the base or enthusiast trims) but they should be trying to be different and make it lose some weight to be more nimble and to prove you don't need to keep upping the power to make a quick fun sports car. Honestly I would be happy with the Z if it had 300HP again but knocked off about 800lbs. from it's bubble butt.