GT-R NISMO and 370Z NISMO in the Pacific Palisades

By Andrew Chen - June 5, 2015

Earlier this week, Nissan hosted a driving event at the posh Bel-Air Bay Club in Pacific Palisades, California to celebrate the launch of the all-new 2016 Maxima. They also brought along a selection of cars and SUVs from their full line-up which included a 370Z NISMO and GT-R NISMO.

After being thoroughly impressed with the Maxima, a car that appropriately wears its 4DSC (4-Door Sport Car) badge, I continued my performance tasting flight with the NISMO 370Z.

From the outside, the NISMO version of the Z looks aggressive, with its bold red accents and redesigned front and rear fascia. The rear spoiler and diffuser have also been reworked for the new model year, following some extensive on-track testing. This signature styling continues in the cabin with a red center mark on the Alcantara wrapped steering wheel and accented Recaro performance seats.

Having owned a 350Z since 2006, the 370Z NISMO feels familiar, but it’s clear that this car means serious business. The steering wheel has the right amount of weight to communicate ample feedback from the road, and the suspension and chassis are more rigid, but not to the point where it’s uncomfortable. The total package feels solid and it eats up curves with only the slightest hint of understeer.

With the Pacific Ocean as my backdrop, I opened up the throttle the best I could on a road with a 45 MPH speed limit and played with the Synchrorev Match on the 6-speed manual transmission. The car automatically blips the throttle for seamless downshifting during braking. Those who have mastered the heel-toe method can turn this feature off for a more traditional experience.

The official test-drive route was only 15 minutes long, and there were too many speed traps to take the 350 horsepower V6 to its 7,400 RPM redline, but from the sampling that I received, the 370Z NISMO is a proper sports car that can definitely punch above its weight.

Getting into the $149,990 GT-R NISMO is an experience in itself. I’m immediately greeted by very supportive Recaro seats, a metallic red tachometer and carbon fiber speedometer. Speaking of carbon fiber, this car has hand-laid carbon fiber components everywhere, including the front and rear fascia, side sills, trunk lid and spoiler. Just like the hand-built engine, these body pieces are produced on a just-in-time schedule so you’re better off blowing the engine than having a small fender-bender because it could take months to receive a replacement bumper.

Pressing the red start button on the center console wakes the beast with a series of angry mechanical noises; its sounds reminiscent of the ignition sequence for a real race car. The GT-R has a much heavier steering feel than the 370Z, but that’s because the wheel needs to communicate exactly where the 600 horsepower and 481 lb-ft of torque are going.

On paper, the GT-R is larger and heavier than the 370Z, but the extra 500 pounds isn’t noticeable with the ATTESA ET-S all-wheel drive system sending up to 50% of torque to the front wheels, pulling the car out of corners with grip levels that border on unreal. It takes a professional driver to really bring the car to its limits, and luckily, I got to experience that in late 2014 with Pirelli World Challenge driver Bryan Heitkotter behind the wheel:

Driving the GT-R NISMO is like piloting a teleportation device. Just as you finish your thought of “I want to be there,” you’ve already arrived, which makes passing people on the highway extremely satisfying. With all of the race-specific tuning, the car is still very usable as a daily driver; none of the convenience and comfort features have been sacrificed for performance. The ride quality on normal roads is surprisingly comfortable for a machine that lapped the Nurburgring in 7 minutes, 8 seconds.

This car is almost too good to be true, compensating for any mistakes that the driver might make (and trust me, you’re going to make mistakes with a car this powerful), but that’s where NISMO sets itself apart from other tuners. The engineers find performance through refinement in order to create a car that is enjoyable for everyone, from novice to veteran racer, and they don’t punish those that want to explore the limits.

Few will get the opportunity to experience these NISMOs, especially the GT-R which is being produced in very limited quantities, so don’t pass on a chance to jump in either seat should the option present itself.