Nissan 370z Nismo Review - Old School Cool, Or Just Out Of Date? 

I switched from a 370z to a Jaguar F-Type (V6S) couple of days ago. Even though I thought that the Jag will bring much more joy to me it isn't the case, it has brought me a different type of joy. 370z is a raw, old school, easy-controllable, curve-devouring machine without unnecessary systems that correct your driving skills. It' s still a fast car and it enjoys being driven in curves and that is where it shines. F-Type on the other hand is a refined, loud, comfortable beast in a gentlemen's suit perfectly capable of being a grand tourer and a track day machine if you can ignore the fact that it always tries to intervene in order to "help you". It's a modern world car, using a supercharger and a smaller engine in order to produce a lot of power. And if you live in a city where there are overall 50km/h limits, it has just too much power. It's barely controllable in lower speeds. I've had my F-Type for only a week and I still haven't tested it properly, but compared to a Nissan it drives a bit like a boat while 370z is more precise and from my experience more forgiving in case you make a mistake. On the other hand performance of the Jag are on another level compared to the Z's. I hear a lot of people saying that a Z is an outdated car - that's wrong; Z is a crocodile, a dinosaur adapted to live in the modern world perfectly capable of finding its own place in the Sun without being bothered by others. It's a great car and I consider myself lucky having owned such a car. 370z is a great car; it is cheap to run, it is reliable, it is fast, it is still good looking and most important of all, it will bring you joy. Whoever is in a market for a sports car in this price range, if you are weighing between a BMW Z4, Audi TT or maybe a Cayman (another price level) go for the 370z as it won't disappoint.

The OEM Nismo body kit for the 370z looks better than any aftermarket kits in my opinion

Long live the manual transmission and naturally-aspirated engines!

it feels like a 90s car in a modern shell. that's why i love it, it's not trying to compete with any other car, it's a good homage to what the older sports cars used to be about.

"At the rear, just two driven wheels." Damn why didn't they put 4 wheels back there?

Owned one of these 10 years ago GT model. Best performance car I've ever owed and that's including the m140i and F80m3 that followed. Drove down to Monaco in it back in 2010. The road leading upto casino Square was blocked by police on the evening so they could separate all standard traffic from the super cars which were guided to drive around Casino Square to show off to all the people there. They let us through in the 370z? Hilarious driving around with all the Ferrari and Lamborghini having your photo taken in a 30k datsun.😁

Love mine and also owned an S2K. For me the Nismo offers a realistic combination of looks, performance, sound (with the right choice of breather mods) and rarity you’d struggle to find elsewhere. Also, keep the alcantara clean and it won’t go all hard and shiny!

These are still very modern cars in terms of engineering and design. I love the way it looks, sounds, and feels. I need one as a second car asap

That exhaust setup sounds absolutely gorgeous as it rips past the camera from outside the vehicle.

I'm so so so happy to own one of these...😊

Thankful for these cars, we're stuck in the years of boring turbos and sound proofing, lifeless steering etc. Brilliant cars.

Personally I love the 370z for an 11 year old design it looks amazing. I even still get compliments everyday in my 2005 350z. Dont know why people call the 370z "old" if its exactly what an sports car should be being rear wheel drive with an meaty engine upfront and most important having a 6 speed which is very driver involved. Never thought we would get to an time where people call an car "old" for having analogue gauges 🤦‍♂️

These have aged so well. Looks fantastic

That car would drive me mad. I like noisy exhausts, but not that droney all the time. Loved the old 350z

Why is is classed as out of date? Never understood this, especially when this and the 350 are fantastic cars with great ingredients. It’s what a drivers car is.

Absolutely love this car! I admit the interior is dated but the driving experience is worth it! The exterior so appealing to me also! Can't wait to own one of these alongside my wagon!

Been waiting for this review. Been thinking about chopping my fk2r in for one. Wouldnt have the lairy exhaust though. Awesome review as usual mate and props for respecting the locals

Best thing for me is exactly the sound

Great review to show jayemm’s honesty when reviewing ... SHATUPP! 😂

I'm an expert on Z cars. I have owned a 240, 260, 280, 300, 350 and four 370's. The body will never go out of style. A million aftermarket parts available. Oh yeah, over the decades of paying for ownership of these Z's...I have never had any mechanical repairs...ever. Just normal maintenance. The fit and finish is perfect, No squeaks or rattles. How???? This car is 99% Japanese. Made in Japan, Japanese workers, Japanese factory and Japanese parts. It does not have a CVT transmission either. I am looking into buying a 2020 before Renault completely decimates Nissan.

I bought a Nismo last year with 129 (yes one two nine) miles on the clock for new MX5 / GT86 money. It is the last of the old fashioned analogue sports cars with hydraulic steering, manual gearbox, no active suspension etc. The standard exhaust does NOT sound good at all so an aftermarket is a good idea with the appropriate research. Mine sounds absolutely fantastic, better than an F Type V6 S IMHO. 🤓 Makes me smile every time I start it up and I get a V8 like burble on idle and low rpm overrun. There is NO other car like it at this price point folks.

It aged well. I still get compliments on my 2011 red Zed lol

I had a black 66 Nismo with GTR start button, switchable Armytrix exhaust, Stillen cold air intakes, big rear tail with accent red underside. Amazing car with about 380bhp. I sold it after 2 months as it made me car sick as hell. Real head turner. Had so many people ask me about it.

Just purchased my 370Nismo this car is amazing, it is hard to stop driving it..

One of my dream cars that I would love to own within 5 years. It is the last old school sports car that will still be relatively new 5 years from now.

Nissan have always made the best Japanese muscle cars 🚗

Got an Invidea Gemini exhaust on my 370z, which sounds more liveable than the one on Ant's car. Owned a 350z before this, and the 370z is a much easier car to live with as a daily for me. Great video 👍

Brand new the one to get was the sport pack, one up from the base. You get 330hp, lsd, and sport brakes for $30k and a warranty that you won't use because they are dead nuts reliable. What you don't get - any tech. Enjoy that exhaust because it's your infotainment.

Cheers for the review, planning on getting one, so doing the research, excellent review that gave me a solid idea of the car. Thanks again.

Japanese "special edition" cars like the Nismo 370Z, Nismo GT-R R35 and Honda NSX are always a funny story in the west. Unloved and underappreciated in the present, but worshipped, adored and coveted once production stops.

Currently in my 20s I want a z in the future. With the new Z coming soon hopefully the price of these will come down like the 350z when these came out.

I enjoy your car reviews the most at the moment.

10:26 Half expected to see a dogfight to be happening in the skies there. :) 11:32 Lovely shot with the S2000.

Genuinely don't understand why every youtube Z-car owner seems compelled to bolt trumpets the size of a fist instead of exhausts on their car.

amazing car and the used car prices on these just keep on getting better too

I had a 2016 370z sport. It was pretty good, my only issue was that the oil cooler was a little slow in monitoring the oil temperatures. On a hot day my temps would go very high. It was a fun old school car though. if you dont like all the new technology on modern cars, but still want a fun car. This is it. i just feel they are a bit expensive.

Love the car and it's been really well owned. Subbing to Antony for more of this motor.

Good review. Roll on 100k subs

Real nice sounding cars these are! Lovely lovely lovely sound!! 👌

Its popular these days (at least in the states) to knock these cars because they've gotten old and dated looking-- and truthfully they have-- but I've recently developed a soft spot for them. I'm looking to possibly purchase a 'pleasure' car in the next few months and I will definitely consider a 370 Z. I enjoy your content!

I have one of these, i have so much fun with it, people eho say it is aged maybe havent driven one ever, it isnt all about 0-60 in 3 seconds, take this baby to the track and you will fall in love

That beginning scene is so good

Lovely exhaust note!

A sports car with Supercar sound! Always liked these, great to see an, in depth review. Makes a change from all the other Porsche and M4 stuff.

I don’t even have to watch the video to answer this. It’s old school cool ... but I will watch the video 🤣🤣🤣. The 3.7 VQ sounds amazing at speed. Nismo was waaaaaay over priced. You get +15 hp and a bit of suspension. For $15k Two things stick out to me about this car. 1) Because it’s not a La Ferrari or a 911, you can have some visceral fun at 40mph. That makes it a great muscle car. But it’s sporty enough to to take to the track after a mod or 3 (cheap ones). 2) The 370z totally looks like an angry anime character. When it stops being made, people will look back like... yea. That was a cool car.

bought my pearl white nismo with 12,000k miles, under $30k usd and full warranty.. added resonated short tails and never looked back.. try to keep up with me on the twisted roads I run..you're toast.. old school ..you're connected to the road and will have full confidence that you can push her to the full limit.. BTW. the typical comments about the interior are same ol, some ol pussboy whining. . I prefer just one cup holder.. its my ride, not my passengers..lol.. one thing is for sure its design is timeless and never gets old.. wherever I take her she gets attention, a ton of it.. I'm on the East Coast USA so rare to see one..if you want attention she'll give it to ya.. my hope is that the new 400z coming doesn't stray to far from perfection the 370z nismo is right now..

We have 1 of these at our dealership right now. Such an awesome car

Sounds amazing

Great looking and great sounding car, i think the cheap interiors are just something you will have to expect when manufacturers produce a sports car as all money has gone into development/mechanics etc. Otherwise they would have stupid prices.

Is it weird that i was hoping you would pick up that littered can in the back ground. Totally put me off ;). Well done for getting straight back to it mate, love the channel (even the stuff i hate i love to hate).

When I was a young kid I had a 1967 GT fastback mustang that I loved. I sold that car thinking it was so old. I wish I had that car today. I bought a 2015 370z Nismo brand new, I maintained that car beautiful and it still looks new. The 400z is coming out but I love the lines on my 370z Nismo. I made the mistake on my Mustang but I’m keeping my 370z and love driving it everyday.

I owned a 350Z back in 2009 which Abbey upgraded with sports cats, a better Y pipe and a remap which was good for around 315HP, plus a great exhaust note and quiet when cruising, unlike the one in your video. I used the 350Z for track days and it was really great fun, although it was not very good fuel wise. Driven carefully I could never get more than 24mpg. In 2011 I changed it for an E46 M4 manual which was much quicker and driven carefully you could get 32mpg. I drove the 350Z from London to Munich and back and it was a supremely comfortable GT car. I have very fond memories of it. FWIW I did think about changing it for a 370Z but after a couple of test drives, I didn't think it was anywhere near as good as the 350Z. The 350Z just seemed more connected as well as a better drive.

Stunning. Love these Nismos 370Z cars. Amazing.

I find these 370z NISMO so sexy! I think they would make a great competitor to the Miata and 86 if it sported a 4cyl and was lighter/smaller.

I have a pre-face lift Nismo 370z and I absolutely love it. The interior is even more spartan than the post-2014 face-lift ones and just makes it feel like its just meant to be a car to be driven hard without the distraction of those ugly screens inside. Car sounds incredibly brilliant from stock and loud with non-tuned in burbles that are just so satisfying when you get them to come on. The pre-face lift ones here in the US have also stopped depreciating and have actually begun to incur a bit of appreciation which I'm quite happy about. Hope Nissan maintain the spirit of the Z in the upcoming 400z.

Bellend maximus exhaust for sure, you were very polite about it.

I had a 370z, was a great car for the money. They were trying to persuade me into one of these but at the time I couldn't justify the price jump at the time. The Nismo still looks so good though with the ducktail and front end.

I think the car sounds great! But that's just me. Great review!

Nissan built a great machine in the 370Z. But I will still admit to being surprised that the long awaited Nissan 300ZX successor was a two seat Naturally Aspirated machine that found itself stacked up against America’s mustangs/camaros and Hyundai’s Genesis Coupe. It’s seems like it is getting harder nowadays for a family man to own a 2 seat sports car without a prestige branding.

Sounds good, apart from the farty pops and crackles. Good review though, could see these as a classic in 10 years or so.

I really love these cars. So much fun for the money. Even just looking at my car makes me smile. My first Z was a black 350Z orange pack, from 2005. Bought it second hand a with Greddy exhaust and K&N intake filters. The sound was amazing, couldnt get enough of it. I think the car was abused a bit however by the previous owners. Because when I bought the car it all looked good, but I've had to replace quite a lot of parts over the next years. I didnt mind though, the car was running like new. But I've always had my eye on a 370Z. So in the beginning of this year I swapped the 350Z for a 370Z 40th Anniversary edition, from 2010. Everything is still stock, so its a bit too quiet for my liking. But it feels like a much more modern car in every way. I really enjoy the car. I take it out nearly every day. I might change the exhaust at some point, but I don't want it to be rudely loud as well. I like the sound of the Greddy's. But they're hard to get in Europe. I agree with anyone here in the comments, if you are considering to buy a Z. Do it! It's really worth it. Yes, there will be faster cars out there. But even when I'm just cruising along, with its wide ass, I have a smile on my face. For me the fun factor is very important. The interaction with the car. You are really driving. I miss this with a lot of more modern cars.

The ancient polo in dragon green holding you up, still looks great for its age too!

Digging the outro. No idea if it’s new or not. Cheers.

Owned one, fun car but the exhaust sound is annoying when it’s stock as well. On the highway it sounded like I had a vacuum running in the trunk, tough to live with in my view. Have an 02 S2K now and it brings more joy than any other vehicle I ever owned, absolute joy to rev!

Don't like the exhaust. I have a Fast Intentions and it's a bit deeper and not as shouty. No bangs and pops because that shit has gotten out of hand. Now there's really nothing wrong with the 370Z if you're actually a car enthusiast and know what you're getting. It's a pretty fun car stock. The main strength of the Z, for an enthusiast at least, is the aftermarket potential. A properly sorted NA Z is a weapon. If you're one of the few and proud, such as myself, with a twin turbo Z then you know it turns into a beast. I'm running 500 whp on 93 and over 600 whp on my E85 blend. Turboed since 6k miles on a stock block and currently have 32k. I set the car up to be sort of like a Japanese GT3/GT2RS. I have no problems keeping up with more expensive exotics and I just love backroads. Is it loud? Yes. I dynamatted it and it's still loud. Is the interior dated? Yes, but you make it nicer if you want by going to your local upholstery shop. It won't compare to current car, but an improvement is an improvement. Would I like an actual GT3/GT2RS/Ferrari, etc? Absolutely, but the way my car is set up I'm in no rush to get one. It makes me happy every time I drive it. I think the main negative of the Z is that it's old and fuckbois are getting their hands on them. I've seen some terrible Zs with ebay parts and all sort of hack jobs done to them. Buyers of used Zs beware.

Las Vegas you got to go up to Mt Charleston or Lake Mead both excellent to drive around Lake Mead ofc more towards the south where it gets windy.

Simply love this car! and what's not to love, manual, old school, personally a timeless design, big motor NA all with the reliability of a JDM car...and you can still buy this New OR a £25k car with very few miles

Always wanted one of these!

@ 10:27 it sounded like a WWII dogfight sound clip. Lol

I actually don't mind the exhaust. It sounds like a race car. Great video, though.

Love the review, personally, I would like to see a review of an off the line Z. Reviewing a modified Z kinda takes this in a different direction. I own a base model Z, it is a great car and the inner thing I love about it is that it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of higher models in the line up. To me, the base model is a true sports car with a traction control that can easily be over done. Mine is quite, drives smooth and is very comfortable.

370Z Nismo mk2 is a great looking car. The 350z was usually regarded as a better sounding more exciting than the normal 370 and didnt get as much fan fare but the mk2 Nisno certainly brought a bit of flare back. I also highly recommend tarmacsportz! Yes.. Former 350z HR owner...lol

In a few years this car is going to be highly sought after. HIGHLY!

what type of spoiler is that and where can I get it?

I never understood why these dont have the kudos with enthusiasts. People who buy these are real enthusiasts, willing to overlook the badge and apparent lack of quality for a real drivers car.

I am fortunate to have a 2018 Heritage 370Z and it's a great sports car value. Here in the states you can get the base 370Z for a starting price of under $32,000. Which is a bargain when compared with any potential competitor. I don't care that the electronics are a bit dated as I bought it to drive it. This is the last year so get it while you can.

Did the original reg start with gy17? Looks suspiciously like my old one...

Man the VQ engine sounds so sweet.

For a car, it's a hell of a car!

Good review on the Z, your right, that exhaust is far to loud and those ridiculous pop's and bangs are only good for teenagers with turbo vauxhall astras. Power as far as I'm aware is 326bhp for the 370z GT, 344bhp for the 370z Nismo. 330PS & 350PS in New money. I'm looking at getting one of these but just the normal GT this year. There is a good video online, of a comparison between the GT and Nismo, the GT was the preferred car for everyday use but the Nismo is over 3 sec a lap quicker around one of the American circuits (Can't remember which) but overall, there isn't anything else on the market like these now.

Just drove a 350z I'm in love

Love these..

Kill me but that's a beautiful looking car and that spec really helps it aswell

Interesting timing... in the last couple weeks I took delivery of a brand new 'base' 370z, as I was in the market for a second car and there was an amazing finance deal available. This joins my existing S2000 'project car' as a daily driver; so I'm doing the same back-to-back comparison you are as a fellow S2000 owner. The looks of the 370z have grown on me massively since I saw one in person; particularly this blue base model with the black/graphite alloys. I personally think this model has the most pleasant interior of the range. The quality is 'OK' rather than bad. I'd compare it to a modern Ford. The stock non-Nismo exhaust is fine; not too shouty. At low speeds it isn't particularly sonorous, but neither is my stock S2000. I'm still running it in so haven't been too exuberant; but when you're going for it, the soundtrack is rather exciting - and very different to the screaming F20C. The S2000 is (in my opinion) a much more precise sports car. The steering, shift and clutch feel are superior to the 370z. It has a more raw, direct driving feel. However the low-end torque of the NA V6 and more refined ride on bad surfaces make the 370z the better daily driver on UK roads; even though I consider the S2000 to be entirely daily-driveable. My only real complaints at this point are the stupid boot (more a shelf), lack of a digital speedometer and poor visibility out the back. On the speedometer front; I miss it so much from the S2000 that I threw together a GPS/Arduino-based one to stick in the 370z windscreen.

You mentioned about this car still being within its warranty period. Surely with those upgrades the cars warranty is now void?

Nevada has a few driving roads, just hidden away,

The experience of driving the 370Z is unlike that of any other car I've ever been in. I've never driven a car before or since that left me with the impression that it was unequivocally purpose-built to be redlined.

MY love fro N?A cars are still alive. The way cars are now days an exhaust is normally first mod have a fk8 type r it needs for a different exhaust.

I think it looks brilliant and you don’t see that many of them either which is always a good thing

Great sounds!

This car still looks new to me. Make the lights on the car all LED and it would look like it’s released today

I feel like the best version of this chassis was the G37 sedan. With mods it's as fun as the Z, but way more practical and low key. Checks off all the enthusiast boxes as well, except turbocharging, which IMO is a good thing

I've owned mine for 7 years and still love it. You can find better exhausts, mind you. Mine doesn't drone at all.

Its not a bad sports car at all. It also has seen motorsports sucess in time attack road racing and even won its class in the Dubai 24 hours in 2014.

Cool car. Always thought they didn't sound good with the stock exhaust, like it wasn't a V6 not a sporty one anyway. The exhaust fixes that

Might sound dumb, but is the steering wheel adjustable in length in the 370? (It wasn't in the 350 and in that i couldn't find a seating position. Either my hands were too short or i couldn't operate the pedals without the steering wheel and coloumn interferring.)

Please do review Lexus IS-F (if possible)

Quick, cool, handsome and Japanese. A truly sensible sporty car. I'd happily own one.

Loved my 350Z, would have bought a 370Z but not enough headroom for me. Hopefully the new Z coming out will have more headroom for average height (I'm only 6 foot) people.

The 09 -14 nismo models were the best. From the design to only coming in Manuels.