2020 Nissan 370Z NISMO

The Nissan 370Z is one of the last of a dying breed of naturally-aspirated sports cars, a certainty attributed to the 370Z's firmly kept ethos of remaining traditional - or as some might say, crude. As such, the 370Z has seen little change over the years, and even now, in the year of the Z-car's 50th anniversary, the small two-door coupe sees minimal alterations, despite more than a decade on the market. Although it's this purist ethos that has made the 370Z so appealing, it has dragged on long past its due date, and its age is impossible to overlook. Especially when compared to more modern class rivals such as the Toyota GR Supra. Nevertheless, the Nismo is equipped with a dialed-up version of the 3.7-liter V6 engine found in the standard 370Z, offering traditionalists thumping outputs of 350 horsepower and 276 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via an engaging six-speed manual gearbox or optional seven-speed automatic. The Nissan 370Z Nismo may be outdated, but it possesses a unique charm that eludes many of today's more contemporary sports cars; but will that be enough to keep it relevant in such a competitive segment?

The 2020 370Z Nismo in its base form carries a base MSRP of $45,790, unchanged from 2019, opting in the automatic transmission will cost an extra $1,400. That's excluding tax, registration, and licensing fees, as well as Nissan's $895 destination and handling charge. No specific packages have been created for the 370Z Nismo, however, an array of performance upgrades and aesthetic add-ons are available. A fully-loaded model will see the Nismo's base price scale to a little over the $50,000 mark.

With Nissan holding back on revisions, other than for a few minor facelifts, the 370Z has, almost by default, become one of the purest old school sports cars out there. It would make sense then to say that Nissan has purposefully neglected the 370Z in an attempt to keep its main appeal, which lies in its driver-focused design and old-school, mechanical, sports car feel.

Unfortunately, that has also disadvantaged its potential in terms of overall performance, as core class rivals that have been progressing with the times not only waste the 370Z on a straight but also around the corners. That's not to say that the Nismo isn't capable, its V6 delivers ample power reliably through the low to mid-range, and its chassis and underpinnings still imbue it with real prowess around turns. The V6 does, however, take severe strain at the higher end of the rev range, and doesn't make pushing the car to its limits very pleasurable. At least the Nismo features a limited-slip differential, which goes some way towards sharpening its handling.

Contrary to the 370Z Nismo's hefty mechanical controls, its steering is pleasantly light, thanks to some hydraulic assistance, but it tightens up at higher speeds. With Brembo four-pots up front and two-piston calipers in the rear, braking performance is decent too. The firmly sprung suspension tuning-which gives the 370Z Nismo its handling prowess-still manages to retain a fairly compliant ride, effectively absorbing road imperfections and most undulations.

The 370Z Nismo made a strong case for itself when it came out, it was a fun-to-drive and highly engaging coupe, and a favorably capable one too. But it has been a very long time since then and though it may still be a great traditionalist's sports car even now, not much at all has been done to keep it relevant or competitive. Today's more modern rivals now outperform the Nismo in every regard, from straight-line performance to handling dynamics and in terms of value for money. It still offers a unique mechanical feel that should appeal to a sports car traditionalist, but it's expensive and there are rivals that offer even more of a raw sports-car experience at better prices. Its lack of active safety features and advanced driver assists, especially any form of blind-spot assist is also a significant drawback considering the Nismo's prominent blind spots and the standard safety elements found in most modern vehicles, along with other general features and tech functionalities. Simply put, there are just far better packages out there today at far more appealing pricing points, the 370Z Nismo is an aging veteran.

The 370Z Nismo equipped with the standard manual transmission is the ideal setup, but an automatic will be the better choice for those who spend most of their driving time in traffic. The manual transmission is more engaging, which is what the Nismo is all about, and it also avoids the sluggish nature of the automatic, which would just be a frustration to anyone wanting to push the Nismo to its full potential. The available standalone mechanical upgrades are appealing, but the cat-back exhaust system is going to make the already loud V6 even louder and with the Nismo's already pricey MSRP, the additional costs are just going to hurt its already tenuous value proposition.

The Toyota GR Supra comes up close on the $50,000 mark at around $4,000 more than the 370Z Nismo. It is, however, a far more contemporary package, equipped with a turbocharged straight-six engine with a 3.0-liter displacement producing 335 hp and 365 lb-ft, marginally less hp than the Nismo, but a whole lot more torque. Giving the GR Supra not only a faster acceleration time but also greater fuel economy figures, with estimates of 24/31/26 mpg with the stock eight-speed automatic transmission. Unfortunately, there's no manual gearbox option for the GR Supra, but the refined eight-speed automatic dominates the Nismo's auto option in performance. It also comes stock with some favorable performance-based underpinnings that aren't available for the Nismo, ones that imbue the GR Supra with far superior capabilities overall. The GR Supra is all-new for 2020, meaning it holds a more contemporary design, more features and greater capability in both form and functionality over the 370Z Nismo. The GR Supra is just a clear representation of what a road-legal performance-based vehicle can be in the modern world, and it hands the latest Supra vs. Z-car battle the way of Toyota.

Unlike the 370Z Nismo, the Mustang GT Fastback made its way to the present having undergone numerous alterations and enhancements, yet, is priced around $10,000 cheaper than the 370Z Nismo. It's heavier than the Nismo but comes stock with a 5.0-liter V8 engine with outputs of 460 hp and 420 lb-ft which effectively compensate for the weight. The Mustang also offers both manual and automatic gearboxes, both of which are better refined than the Nismo's, though both are significantly less economical, returning 15/24/18 mpg and 16/25/19 mpg respectively. The Mustang is slightly faster off-the-line and handles similarly, but Ford offers a nice selection of performance-based upgrades for the Mustang which may give it the edge. Impressively, the Mustang is more comfortable on the road and provides about double the trunk capacity with 13.5 cubic feet on offer. Along with those advantages, the Mustang also receives a far superior feature and tech consignment including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay functionality. Overall, the Mustang is just a better car and is also much better value for money.