2019 Nissan 370Z Nismo Review: Old-School Fun

So, you want a sports coupe - but the newest offering from Nissan's famous rival, the Mustang GT, feels too compromised? Or does the Subaru WRX STI's all-wheel-drive not do it for you? You want a raw, mechanical, fast car that dances through corners and doesn't apologize for being loud while charging down straights. The NISMO 370Z may be one of the last analog performance models out there, but after ten years of production - and very few updates - one has to wonder whether it is still competitive in this segment. With a starting price of $45,790, even the cost remains unchanged from last year; so, at face value, it looks decently priced. The question, though, is this: is it still good enough to satisfy the boy-racer inside while staying relevant?

What's the Price of the 2019 Nissan 370Z Nismo?

The pricing kicks off from $45,790 for the manual and $47,190 for the auto. Both prices exclude taxes and the destination charge of $895. There are no specific packages that can be added to the 370Z Nismo, but you can option some additional performance upgrades along with a couple of aesthetic add-ons. Fully loaded, you'll be paying $53,595 before tax and destination fees. However, due to its waning popularity, 50/50 looks, and general body-style age, it's entirely possible that your local dealer will generously incentivize offers on a new model.

2019 370Z NISMO Exterior

Dimensions

2019 370Z NISMO Performance

Handling and Driving Impressions

With all the focus on chassis tuning and handling upgrades, it is expected that the corners are where this car really shines. However, Nissan canceled the inclusion of a proper limited-slip differential on the 370Z a while back, and this means that it's not as good as it could be. Meanwhile, every update of the car over the past decade has rarely been more than a minor facelift, and the competition now handles just as well around bends and leaves the plucky sports coupe in the dust on the straights. Those minor adjustments to the chassis do add up though, and although firm, the ride is compliant, soaking up imperfections - even potholes - while still remaining taut enough to push the limits of grip with confidence.

Braking performance is impressive at full-bore track attack and in town, thanks to Brembo four-pots grabbing onto 14-inch discs up front with two-piston calipers putting in the work on the rear. The steering is hydraulically-assisted (which usually lends itself to excellent feel), a trait becoming exceptionally rare on any car nowadays. However, it is speed-sensitive and can feel a little dead around the center on freeway cruises.

Interestingly, the driveshaft is made up of a carbon fiber composite, for lightness. This should mean that the rear wheels don't delay in putting the power down, yet we can't help but wish for a real LSD to pin down launches and slides properly.

2019 370Z NISMO Interior

2019 370Z NISMO Trunk and Cargo Space

Warranty

Verdict: Is the 2019 Nissan 370Z Nismo A Good car?

As a sports coupe, this 370Z Nismo really is amazing to drive. It's mechanical, simple, and engaging. It's a decent alternative to the brash V8 options out there, but make no mistake - this is still a loud, and aging, car. It's not going to win any family-car awards, and its styling is one of the most polarizing designs ever. If you love the way it looks and can live with its total impracticality and lack of modern tech, then it's a car you'll love jumping into and carving up canyon passes with. However, at over $45,000, it's a bucketload of cash for a car that isn't even slightly modern. With a price like that, it needs to be better in every way than it's rivals, but the Subaru WRX STI is faster and more practical, and the Mustang GT is so much easier to live with. For the same sort of money, you can even buy some badge-snobbery with a BMW M240i. Instead, get a used Nismo. After all, what would be the difference, really?.

What Nissan 370Z Nismo Model Should I Buy?

If you're going to potter around exclusively in traffic, the automatic may be for you; but when shunting the car on track or a back lane somewhere, the auto is going to frustrate keen drivers immensely.

We'd stick with the stock manual and its rev-matching function. Options-wise, the Nismo is plenty stiff and loud enough, and the performance gain from adding the exhaust is too minimal to endure your neighbors complaining even more than they already will. The cost of the base 370Z Nismo is also quite a bitter pill to swallow, so if you have your heart set on one, leave it as is.

2019 Nissan 370Z NISMO Comparisons

2019 Nissan 370Z NISMO vs Ford Mustang GT Coupe

Looking for the right sports car for you can be a fun exercise, as you're spoilt for choice. If you'd like to avoid crowd-crunching stereotypes and stand out from said crowd, the Mustang GT is not for you. However, as a car to live with and integrate your phone's abilities with, it's far better. The GT is more spacious in a way you can actually use, is better equipped, and costs a lot less. If you like autos, the ten-speed in the Blue Oval is also far better. Although not as sharp, handling of domestic sports cars has been vastly improved over the past ten years, and the 370Z may be within reach on twisty tarmac, provided you drive with commitment. As a daily compromise, we'd take the 'Stang, but if you want a no-nonsense analog canyon carver, the Nismo is the far more obsessive corner killer.

2019 Nissan 370Z NISMO vs Subaru WRX STI

Another option is the Subaru WRX STI, although if you don't vape and are not the most boring person at the party waxing lyrical about the benefits of all-wheel-drive while making blow-off-valve noises, you may not fit in on the owner's forums. The boxer's low center of gravity coupled with proper differential wizardry makes the STI a formidable opponent in every scenario, and that unmistakable exhaust note burble is addictive. It also has four doors and a big trunk, meaning that while you lose the mid-life crisis sticker of a coupe, you gain a car that can - and will - do everything you ask of it, and well. The Nismo seems to take itself too seriously, and although the STI name sounds like the byproduct of reckless coital engagement, it's safe and encourages spirited driving just as much as the Nissan. Pricing also starts below $40k, saving you cash for vape juice.

Altogether, the 370Z Nismo is less comfortable than the GT, slower than the Scooby, and more expensive than either. It's also less iconic anywhere around the world than either the champion of affordable performance or the hero of the rally circuit. Sadly, the Nismo would be a fantastic car, if only we were stuck in the mid-2000s. These days, almost everything provides better performance, comfort, tech, and value for money. It's past time for a new model, Nissan.