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My friend for the day was Synchro Rev, Nissan’s biggest development find since the GT-R’s transaxle unit. This intuitive unit works like a charm, especially for those who’ve never been successful at this rather tricky driving technique. Available on the manual, Synchro Rev just blips the throttle when you downshift, preparing the gear in advance. Shifting from third to second when straights met curves only made it quicker than my still slow technique. It even works well while dawdling around town when you have to shift from fifth to third and catch a street racer napping. For expert drivers, it can add a fraction to their times and for complete novices, an entry into a hitherto unexplored world. With a short-shifting and precise gearbox like the six-speed manual on the Nissan, Synchro Rev works its magic as the road ahead started to clear up. Downshift from fifth into third – 120, 140, 180, 180, 180.... the speedo needle kept banging at the speed limiter as gear after gear, the tacho kept crossing the magic 7000 rpm figure. For a car that’s capable of hitting the tonne in just 5 seconds, the 370Z comes into its element. And I kept wishing that the road back to Tokyo would be just like the hills of Odawara. Though they were not to be.Thankfully, I had a car change and slipped straight into Z number two, an automatic example, to beat the weariness of Tokyo’s dreaded rush hour evening traffic. It doesn’t feature Nissan’s new dual-clutch system like the GT-R – instead it relies on good old automatic tranny construction techniques. However, it isn’t as bad a unit either – heck, excellent would be more apt here. The seven speed unit with the optional limited slip differential on our test car was as precise an automatic as it would get. Upshifts, downshifts, no shifts... they all seemed to work precisely. It felt like my fingers and the long paddles attached to the steering (not the wheel) were connected by a 3 mbps broadband connection. While going up the gears, it feels extremely smooth, while downshifting a gear doesn’t blip the throttle as much as you would expect. So you move a couple of gears down, prepare the engine to stay in the torque rich mid-range and pin the throttle down. It never felt like it would lag behind a manual 370Z over Nissan’s Hokkaido track by more than a second or two. And Hokkaido is Nissan’s exact replica of Nurburgring and Germany’s autobahns, down to the road surface, signboards and even trees.
The ‘ring however is a different place in a different world. Tokyo is what mattered that day and over the elevated roads leading into the LED lit city of the Far East, all matters came to naught. Japan has always had an answer for anything the world has thrown at it. Whether it was solving the TGV riddle or getting kids across the world hooked to gaming consoles, they always seem to find the right answers. The 370Z then, I’m happy to report, answers many questions. It handles beautifully, the steering is pin-point accurate while the engine is one I want to steal right now. The new Z is better than most of its competition – even the interiors are snug, high quality stuff that the 350 couldn’t pull off. It is one-up on its predecessor, but it may still have some way to go before it topples the Cayman from its mighty position. But there’s no doubt that the new Z is a fantastic attempt by Nissan; the GT-R-like obsession is seen in this car too.Nissan is seriously considering launching the 370Z in India next year. And there are some fantastic roads back home I can think of to have a blast with it. But I will be prepared with medication for slightly bloodshot eyes this time around.
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