Used 2014 Nissan 370Z

For all-around enthusiastic driving enjoyment and for its carefully-crafted balance, the 2014 Nissan 370Z strikes a chord that makes it just right. The V6 engine is smooth, quick, powerful and responsive as a cat after a bug. It’s hooked to a precise-shifting manual transmission (with an automatic available). The 370Z’s handling is more track-day ready than most of its owners will ever require, yet its ride is perfectly acceptable for daily errands. And it looks great, inside and out. Price-wise, the 370Z’s competitors are among the Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang and Hyundai Genesis Coupe, but for many it’s in the category of the Porsche Cayman or Audi TT. Either way, it offers lots of capability and at a price that doesn’t require being a hedge-fund manager.

The 2014 Nissan 370Z is the product of a lot of very careful suspension tuning, and it carves corners and slices through twisty roads with the very best of them, yet without including the sorts of stiff springs that can be brutal on ride quality. The 370Z corners with very little body roll and the power steering delivers just the right blend of reduced effort with great on-center feel and predictable response. In sum, the Z-car takes on any pavement with balance and control that must be experienced to be appreciated. Keeping it going is the terrific 3.7-liter V6 that feels as crisp as a new potato chip and, maybe because we’re from an earlier time, we like sports cars to have manual gearboxes and the Z’s is one of the best. Add it all up, and this is a great car for taking the long, curving way home.

For a sports car intended for serious driving, the 2014 Nissan 370Z interior is functional, upscale and artistic. The instruments and controls are exactly where you’d want them to be when the motoring becomes more enthusiastic. Other details include soft-touch surfaces, accents of metallic-looking trim and a main gauge cluster that tilts with the steering wheel, keeping the tach and speedometer clearly visible at all times. The seating is comfortable and supportive. The three smaller gauges top and center of the instrument panel are a nice touch and a remembrance of three similar gauges in the original Z-car, over 40 years ago.

In an era when all cars seem to be growing bigger, the 2014 Nissan 370Z remains tidy. The low stance is snug to the road, the flared fenders and cantilevered roof give it a purposeful look, and it’s all enhanced with the available Sport Package, which includes front and rear spoilers and bigger tires and wheels. The higher-performance Nismo version includes more aerodynamically-influenced shapes, including a larger front spoiler and rear wing. For those who like to motor in the open air, the Roadster’s power-operated top neatly stows underneath a hard cover.

SYNCHROREV MATCH
Heel-and-toe downshifting, which requires using the right foot to both brake and blip the throttle to match revs, is a tricky skill to master. The 2014 Nissan 370Z’s SynchroRev Match system blips the throttle for you, automatically providing butter-smooth downshifts. (Purists can turn the feature off.)

CHASSIS TUNING
It’s not easy to give a sports car first-class handling and a livable ride, but that’s what Nissan engineers accomplished with the 370Z. You really can carve up canyon roads (and even race tracks, if that’s your thing) and drive in comfort for a night at the movies.

The 2014 Nissan 370Z Coupe and Roadster each come in two trims, base and Touring (plus the special-edition Nismo, as a coupe only). Even in base form, the 370Z is well equipped with automatic climate control, steering-wheel audio and cruise controls, keyless entry and start, xenon headlights and a 4-speaker audio system with auxiliary input. Moving up to the Touring trim adds power-adjustable heated seats, Bluetooth, leather and suede inside, aluminum pedals and a Bose audio system with eight speakers including two subwoofers. Standard safety features include stability control, traction control, active head restraints, tire-pressure-monitoring system and six airbags.

There are only two options available on the 2014 Nissan 370Z Coupe. A Sport Package is available for both base and Touring trims and includes a viscous limited-slip differential, 19-inch forged wheels, upgraded brakes, front and rear spoilers and downshift rev matching (when equipped with the manual transmission). Available only for the Touring trim is a Navigation Package that features a navigation system, real-time traffic and weather information, iPod connectivity and a 9.3GB hard drive for music storage. A Bose audio package – six speakers, 6-disc in-dash CD changer, Bluetooth – is available in the Nismo.

The 2014 Nissan 370Z is powered by a wonderful 3.7-liter V6 of 332 horsepower (350 in the Nismo). It’s quick, powerful and responsive, and holding down the gas pedal sends it spinning to redline with snap. There are two transmission choices, a 6-speed manual that’s a model of precise, slick shifting, and an available 7-speed automatic. Fit the 370Z with both the manual gearbox and the optional Sport Package, and you’ll get to enjoy SynchroRev Match, a system that automatically blips the throttle on downshifts for seamless gearchanges and clutch-matching, just like the pros do at the races.

3.7-liter V6
332 horsepower @ 7,000 rpm
350 horsepower @ 7,400 rpm (Nismo)
270 lb-ft of torque @ 5,200 rpm
276 lb-ft of torque @ 5,200 rpm (Nismo)
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 18/26 mpg (Coupe, manual), 19/26 mpg (Coupe, automatic), 17/25 mpg (Roadster, manual), 18/25 mpg (Roadster, automatic)