Sadly, Yutaka Katayama, Nissan’s first U.S. president and father of the Z-car, died February 19, 2015 at the age of 105. Katayama was the executive who renamed our sports car when it was exported to the United States in the late 1960s. At that time, it was called the Fairlady and its new name became the 240Z. Notably, Katayama put together the key concepts for the Z-car, contributing significantly to the birth of the sports car still revered by driving enthusiasts.
Known as “Mr. K”, he poured his efforts and passion into both the Datsun and Nissan brand as an ambassador for 80 years and was recognized by both the U.S. and Japanese Automotive Hall of Fame for his contributions to the automotive industry.
Almost a half century later, the legendary Z® has evolved and is now called the 370Z® to reflect its current engine displacement. Two trim levels hav e been added for the 2015 model year – Sport and Sport Tech, which incorpora te content from previously available option packages. This brings the Z Co upe lineup to four standard models, including the previously available 370Z and Touring grades. Now in its sixth generation, the iconic Z is still an awesome package of performance power, style and handling. The base model 370Z with a 3.7-liter V6 produces a full 332 horsepower with 270 lb-ft of torque at 5,200 rpm and i s thought of as one of the best V6 engines in the business. It comes standard with a 6-speed manual transmission or the choice of a 7-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode, paddle shifters and Downshift Rev Matching.
The 370Z Coupe’s exterior styling is unmistakable as the car’s front and rear fascias, side sills and low-profile rear spoiler help it sit low to the ground, hugging the pavement. Its curves are highlighted by body sides that emp hasize the wheel wells that hold sizable, 18-inch black-finish aluminum-alloy wheels.
The coefficient of drag is 0.30 for the 370Z and Touring models and 0.29 for the Sport and Sport Tech models. The 370Z Sport and Sport Tech grad es also feature zero front lift and zero rear lift thanks to extensive aerodynamics efforts – including an “inverse area” front bumper design, which creates a smooth fl ow of air to the sides of the vehicle, while the rear design maximizes the control of air flow from the roof to the rear hatch.
Underlying the aggressive appearance of the 370Z Coupe is a light, highly rigid structure designed for enhanced performance. The FM platform provides a refined foundation for the well-proportioned body – which includes a 100.4-inch wheelbase, 167.5-inch overall length, 72.6-inch width and 51.8-inch height – giving it a classic sports car look and feel.
The body features aluminum door panels along with an all-alumin um hood and an aluminum hatch. A front suspension cradle, rear structural reinforcements and an underbody “V-bar” are designed to help reduce front and rear lateral bending (versus the previous generation design). The design also uses a carbon fiber composite radiator housing and strengthened rear fender and hatch areas.
By design, everything is oriented to the driver from the tilt-only steering wheel to the 3-bay gauge cluster (oil temperature, voltmeter and digital clock). The traditional 2-seat layout is built around the deeply scooped instrument panel with a full-length center console. The 2015 model year 370Z has a revised steering feel, adjusted suspension tuning and new trim levels while eliminating option packages.
Equipped standard with push-button ignition and Nissan Intelligent Key®, the driver merely needs to touch the button on the driver door to unlock the car, jump in, engage his seat belt, step on the brake and push start and he/she is ready to roll. 370Z comes standard with automatic temperature control, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, six air bags, electronic stability control and traction control. For 2015, Bluetooth® hands-free phone connectivity has been added standard on all Z models. Tech and Touring models come with the Nissan Hard Drive Navigation System (08-IT), 7-inch VGA touch-sensitive display and RearView Monitor.
370Z NISMO®
Although it has been 45 years since the arrival of the original 240Z, its influence remains strong in the design of the current 370Z with its short wheelbase, wide track and low center of gravity. The 3.7-liter, double overhead cam V6’s easy power-on-demand can get the car up and going with gusto and will rev all the way to the 7,500 rpm redline. This allows the 370Z’s NISMO-tuned dual exha ust to create strong engine sounds that can be heard outside the car. As in previous years, the key to the outstanding pure performance is the Variable Val ve Event and Lift (VVEL®) system which helps optimize intake valve open/close movements, allowing the needed air to be sent promptly to the combustion chamber at the precisely optimized time.
Since the VVEL system can adjust to open the valves slightly, i t improves fuel efficiency by reducing camshaft friction and fuel waste. It also provides cleaner emissions by allowing for quicker warm-up of the catalyst and b y stabilizing combustion when the engine is cool.
Two transmission choices are offered for the first time on a Z NISMO model. The close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission features standard SynchroRev Match®, the world’s first synchronized downshift rev matching manual transmission, which allows rev-matched heel-toe-like downshifting. The SynchroRev Match function automatically controls and adjusts engine speed when shifting to the speed of the next gear position, essentially “blipping” the throttle to smooth out any up/down shifts. New for 2015, Nissan offers an automatic transmission for the first time on its top-of-the-line, 350-horsepower 370Z NISMO. The newly available 7-speed automatic comes with Downshift Rev Matching (DRM) and Adaptive Shift Control (ASC) and is designed to offer quick, manual-like shifting when operated in manual mode with a target time of 0.5 seconds between shifts. With optimized torque converter lock-up logic, the 7-speed automatic feels very direct, like a manual transmission.
Also standard is a Viscous Limited-Slip Differential (VLSD) with shorter final drive ratios than the standard 370Z for better acceleration feel – 3. 692 versus 3.357 (A/T); 3.916 versus 3.692 (M/T).
The 2015 370Z NISMO also features a strut tower brace and a pai r of performance body dampers, which quickly and efficiently react to help contro l body vibrations from road input. The 370Z NISMO-tuned suspension provides increased spring control and body-dampening with the front damper mounted to the core support and a rear damper connected to the rear control arms. These along with the strut tower brace improve overall chassis and suspension rigidity. The 370Z NISMOs are equipped with 19-inch super-lightweight forged alloy wheels by RAYS® and 19-inch Bridgestone Potenza S001 high-performance tires that help grip the road.
Braking is provided by NISMO Sport Brakes with large diameter 1 4.0-inch front and 13.8-inch rear vented rotors with 4-piston front and 2-piston r ear aluminum calipers. The braking system uses R35 Special II fluid and includes a vari able ratio brake pedal, high-rigidity brake hoses and red-finish calipers.
The 2015 NISMO exterior styling features a bold headlight/taillight treatment with the fierce “boomerang” shape and a more subtle, downsized rear s poiler. High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon headlights with black bezels and an automatic on/off feature along with new LED daytime running lig hts are standard. The Hyper LED Daytime Running Lights and black headlight bezels provide a greater level of visual differentiation from the standard 2015 Nissan 3 70Z Coupe.
The 2015 370Z NISMO Tech model comes with a Nissan Hard Drive N avigation System, 7-inch full-color TFT touch-sensitive display and voice recognition, RearView Monitor, Bose® audio, SiriusXM satellite radio, automatic dimming rearview mirror, suede-like interior trim and special Recaro® sport bucket seats. The Recaro seats are deeply sculpted, so slim and medium-sized bodies feel firmly planted and held tightly within the side bolsters. The new seat s are designed to provide more uniform body pressure and better all-direction holding during spirited acceleration, braking and cornering.
