AUTOS CARS CUSTOM

After skipping class the day Nissan updated the rest of the 370Z lineup for 2013 and sailing through the past year with no changes, the 370Z NISMO finally is being updated for 2014. With the new Juke NISMO essentially defibrillating Nissan’s NISMO performance brand in the U.S., the automaker must have decided it needed to update its existing NISMO-badged 370Z to match. Thus, the 2014 370Z NISMO arrives this summer with a few minor cosmetic tweaks that bring it in line with the smaller, taller, frog-faced Juke NISMO alongside which it is being revealed at the 2013 Chicago auto show.

The key to the 370Z NISMO’s update is the application of dark gray paint to its front spoiler, rocker panel extensions, rear bumper, side mirrors, and rear wing. The gray items (except for the side sills) are accented with red pinstriping, just like the similarly painted pieces on the Juke NISMO. Until now, the 370Z NISMO’s body was pretty much a monochromatic affair. Inside, Nissan swapped the steering wheel for a new one wrapped in faux suede and fitted a new, red-colored NISMO tachometer. 

The new duds suit the 370Z NISMO well—especially the dark-colored lower-body pieces, which reduce the visual mass of the car’s fairly ridiculous-looking body kit. (Nissan says the extended front bumper with a fully integrated chin spoiler—the NISMO is 6.2 inches longer than a regular Z—improves aerodynamic performance; we think it just looks odd and a bit too Fast and Furious.) The subtle red pinstripes also add a bit of visual pop and convey notions of sportiness.

Otherwise, the 370Z NISMO enters the 2014 model year with the same 350-hp 3.7-liter V-6, 19-inch Rays forged-aluminum wheels, stiffened suspension, NISMO big-brake kit, six-speed manual transmission, and cannon-sized exhaust outlets as it had last year. To recap, the 18-hp difference between the NISMO and the regular 370Z is attributable to the NISMO’s unique exhaust system and tweaked ECU. We last tested a 370Z NISMO back in 2009—the 2014 model is mechanically identical to the 2009 version—and found it to be appropriately more engaging and sporty than lesser Zs, but also that its track-car pretense significantly narrows its appeal. 

Thanks to: Car and Driver