- Doors and Seats
2 doors, 2 seats
- Engine
3.7i, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
245kW, 363Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 10.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2012 Nissan 370Z review
I bought my 2012 MY13 Nissan 370Z in August 2015 from Newcastle, and drove it back home to Melbourne. It had 87,000km on the clock, with many other used 370Zs in my price range at 30,000km but a lot older, and I didn't trust that they'd been maintained regularly.
- My god it's beautiful!
- Overtaking power
- Smiles per gallon
- Nissan reliability for champagne tastes on a VB budget
- Bose audio system
- Exhaust noise is a bit underwhelming
- Cabin space? Where we're going we don't need cabin space
- Space-saver tyre
- Teenagers trying to race
- No new Z on the way yet
I've come from owning two Nissan Maximas in the past – big long 'boats' that are registered as cars. Let me tell you, the first 1000km in my 370Z really were an eye-opener. The first test drive I had of a 370Z, it was a wet day in Berwick and on an on-ramp the salesperson told me to floor it. Trusting him, I floored it, the car kicked out 70 degrees on the oily wet road, but then the magical amazing technologies kicked in and brought the car back straight, with the salesperson perplexed how I did it and saying I was a great driver. Little did he know the car was the great driver.
The 370Z has kept me out of a few potential crashes from distracted drivers, the sharp turning and agile chassis always ready to leap out of the way of a distracted driver. This car isn't the full-blown sports car that teenagers think of in their Fast & Furious fantasies, it's a grand touring car. It's amazing to drive to Sydney with a passenger, but just don't count on much luggage as you won't fit much in the small boot. But find it some corners and it will corner hard enough to make your passenger sick.
In terms of review stuff, it's been extremely reliable except for the steering lock issue (covered by Nissan out of warranty). I average 12.8–14L/100km combined driving, less than 7L/100km on long highway driving, and it takes 95 RON but is less thirsty with similar driving on 98 RON.
Servicing is relatively cheap for the car it is, and the Nissan service centres I've been to treat it with care. Insurance and tyres are the main expenses for me. My car will wear out all four tyres by 25–30,000km, with the rear tyres most likely needing replacement first.
But what I can say is I have nearly 140,000km on this 370Z from driving it daily across town for work, and I mostly haven't regretted it. There come times when I wish for a lot more luggage space, extra seats, but not the acne-scarred teenagers with their caps backwards trying to race me in their Commodores, when I just want to safely get home after a big day at work.
But whenever I feel like I'm about to sell it, the damn thing puts a massive smile on my face when I least expect it, whether from a bit of sporty driving or just looking at it every time I walk away from it. It's a beautiful thing.
To those looking for a used 370Z, my tip for buying is to look at the tyres – if they're cheap, then the person would most likely have spent less on other parts of the car. Another point is to floor the fun-pedal during the test drive – I test-drove two with low kilometres that had big amounts of grey and black smoke exiting the exhausts when temps were all normal. And finally, make sure the steering lock has been fixed, otherwise it's around $2000–$3000 to fix.
Overall, if you're wanting a two-door sports car that won't eat into your pocket and will make you smile when you need it most, get a Nissan 370Z – you won't regret it.