Autoblog

As a rain of ash fell on most of Southern California the crew from Inside Line set out to introduce enthusiasts to Nissan's new sports coupe, the 2009 Nissan 370Z. The gathering took place at the advertising offices of Chiat/Day, which supplied a striking background for the next generation Z model. First impressions of the 370Z in person were no different than those formed after viewing the initial images. The design intentions, to blend between the outgoing 350Z and stylings pulled from the Z cars of yesteryear, was especially apparent. However, it was certainly strengthened when the new model was parked in close proximity to examples of both the Z33 and its forebears vehicles. Getting a real life view of the new Z was nice, but a vehicle is best defined by the ease of human/machine interaction. The 370Z meet and greet offered the first opportunity to poke around in the coupe. Unfortunately, this blogger did not get a chance to peek inside the vehicle before the Inside Line crew put her on the spot for an opinion. The end result of the interrogation can now be seen on Inside Line's preview video.

After breaking away from the Inside Line crew I eventually secured a spot behind the steering wheel of the Z34. I was most curious about the side view offered by the larger rear fender and C-pillar combination, and as I suspected, the view was non-existent. The rear hatch also angled more sharply than the 350Z, which combined with the 370Z's smaller physical dimensions, meant less space for piling up junk in the trunk. The trunk held other surprise: an on-off switch for a rear differential cooler pump was hiding underneath the mat. The cooler addition is a typical Japanese trick for protecting sporty vehicles from abusive drivers, also known as members of the press. A shiny anodized fitting for an oil cooler was also spotted in the Z's front fender well. The extra hardware prompted rumors and questions about NISMO upgrades, but currently there are no answers on that front. One question that did receive attention was aimed at hashing out more details on the downshift rev-match option. According to those on hand, it will be a feature available on sport models and will operate through feedback on clutch engagement, brake pedal position, rpm, throttle position and gear selection.

Check the galleries below for everything we've amassed in the lead-up to the new 2009 Nissan 370Z's introduction, which should tied you over until the official unveiling at next week's LA Auto Show.



[Source: Inside Line]

Images of the all new 2009 Nissan 370Z have been trickling out of Nissan for the past few weeks as a lead up to the car's official unveiling at the 2008 LA Auto Show. Details have been mostly speculation thus far, but now some of the rumors can be laid to rest, thanks to information in a photo caption from the LA Auto Show's website. The new Z will reverse the recent automotive trend of bloated model redesigns by featuring a reduced wheelbase and more lightweight body pieces. We also now know that its VQ37 engine will put down exactly 332 horsepower. That is a couple more ponies than are currently produced by the same engine inside the Infiniti G37. For those who like to rest their left foot while driving, a 7-speed automatic transmission will also finally be offered. And for those who enjoy some fancy footwork, but don't have a perfectly calibrated heel-toe, a rev-matching downshift system will be available for the 6-speed manual. Thanks for the tip, RDS!



[Source: LA Auto Show]

We can't remember the last time, if ever, a video game made us really want to check out a car, but we have to see the new Nissan 370Z now. In the Need for Speed: Undercover teaser video it looked neat, but in the official shots a few days later the car looked like it was suffering from bloating and cramps. For some reason, however, the Z in motion -- and with, of course, perfect lighting -- does it for us. The perhaps overly teased front and rear lights make a certain sense now, but the truncated rear end still gives us pause. We're not yet settled on how we feel about it, but we can't wait to see it in person. Check it out video of the 370Z in Need for Speed: Undercover for yourself after the jump, and stay tuned for live coverage from the LA Auto Show.



[Source: YouTube via Autoblog Spanish]

The new 2010 Nissan 370Z was unveiled earlier today and will make its official debut at the LA Auto Show next month before going on sale in early 2009. The new Z car will also make an unusual debut within Electronic Arts' new racing game, Need for Speed: Undercover, which goes on sale November 18th. We already knew the car was involved in the game somehow after it was seen in screen shots of in-game video.

Driving games today have no trouble recreating cars down to the smallest detail, and Nissan says it worked hand in hand with the game's studio developer, Black Box, to make sure its new sports car was accurately rendered and drives like it does in real life. This means you'll be able to pilot the 370Z, at least in the virtual sense, weeks before it arrives on dealers lots. And from the look of these screen captures in our gallery below, the car took to being digitized quite well. We were going to pick up the new Need for Speed anyway, but this just gives us all the more reason.



[Source: Nissan, EA]

Looking pretty much like what everyone has been expecting for months now, the 2010 Nissan 370Z dropped this morning. The company hasn't released any details, although from the new nomenclature we can surmise that the sports car contains the new 3.7L V6 as used in the Infiniti G37. The new Z goes on sale early in 2009, and we'll see it live at the LA Auto Show in a few weeks.


[Source: Nissan]

Recently published spy shots of the upcoming 370Z have largely revealed the overall shape of Nissan's iconic Z car. But there's certainly more to see, and thanks to an official movie trailer for the upcoming Need for Speed: Undercover driving game, we've got a few glimpses of the final product. The 370Z will apparently be a drivable car in the game, which features a more theatrical story-line than most driving titles. The character you see above is Hector Maio, one of the game's criminals who pals around with his brother Zack. We've got screen captures from the video below, as well as the video itself after the jump. There are only glimpses of the 370Z throughout most of the video, particularly the car's headlights on in the dark, but near the end we see Hector greeting his, ahem, associates around it.


[Source: Carscoop]

Nissan continues to parade around a 370Z prototype near the Nürburgring in Germany, and today our spy photogs have nabbed its interior during a refueling stop. As you can see, the interior is definitely a Nissan, and in facts looks Infiniti-esque thanks to the large nav screen and joystiq-controls dominating the center stack. The spies say the quality of materials appear to be a vast improvement over the current model, and you can see this particular prototype's interior is wearing bright orange suede door panel inserts and orange seats. Certainly livens things up, no? Elsewhere there are three gauges atop the dash that point towards the driver and big paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, which our sources suggest may indicate that Nissan will use a version of the GT-R's six-speed dual-clutch transmission. That may not be the case, however, as the current car's five-speed automatic with paddle shifters, which Infiniti already pairs with the company's 3.7L V6 in its G cars, would look the same from peering in through the car's windows. Check out more interior and exterior pics that we've added to our gallery of 370Z spy shots below.


[Source: KGP Photography]

Nissan's upcoming redesign of its Z car is almost here, and proof positive is this prototype caught cruising around in the vicinity of Germany's famed Nürburgring. The redesign is on full display here, with the boomerang-style headlights and taillights first seen on the new Maxima clearly visible. The whole front end is new but retains a visual connection with its predecessor, while big fender flares give away that the new car might be rolling on a wider track. There are also a few more kinks and creases on the new car, which are on display in the chunky C-pillar. We think it looks terrific as an attractive evolution of the current 350Z. The new car will change its nomenclature slightly to 370Z when it debuts this auto show season thank to the addition of Nissan's new 3.7L V6 that will be producing well over 300 horsepower in the new Z. Word has it that Nissan has also worked hard to address one of the biggest criticisms against the current car: weight. We'll probably have more spy shots of the 370Z as soon as Nissan begins running it around the 'Ring, and wouldn't be surprised to see the car officially debut at next month's LA Auto Show.

[Source: KGP Photography]

When Nissan launched the 350Z in '02, it was working hard to reinvent itself and the new Z was clearly its halo car in the U.S. market. Now that that the revival has come and gone, expect the new 370Z to take on a new tack as a harder edged vehicle. In fact, Nissan plans to take on Porsche, the most classic of all sportscar manufacturers, with its newest coupe. Equipped with a larger 335-hp 3.7-liter V6 engine and having gone on a serious diet, possibly shedding as much as 200 lbs, the new Z will definitely have the cojones to keep up with its foes, including the Cayman, and its shorter wheelbase and wider track should conspire to make it quite the handler as well. We'll get our first official look at the new son-of-Godzilla at the LA Auto Show, shorty after which the Nissan 370Z should show up in Japanese dealerships with U.S. delivery at a later date. Hopefully, not too much later.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]