There's nothing subtle about the latest Nissan 370Z - it's loud, brash and a fully-fledged member of the Fast and Furious set.
This is a proper old-school – and, because this generation has been out since 2009, old – front-engined rear-wheel-drive sports car with pumped-up guards a pedigree that harks back to its famous Zed car ancestor of 1969, the 240Z.
Nissan recently wiped almost $13,000 off the price tag, too, coinciding with a slight facelift that includes the addition of vertical LED daytime lights. The 370Z range is now priced from $56,930 (plus on-road costs) for the coupe manual and $59,930 for the auto.
Meanwhile, the 370Z Roaster has also benefited from a $10,960 price reduction, and now cost from $65,930.
Its closest rival in terms of rear-drive architecture and performance credentials is the 3.0-litre BMW M135i, which costs $64,900.
Audi's contender is the TT 2.0-litre TSFI, but it's priced considerably higher, from $75,050 for the front-wheel-drive version and $77,650 for the all-wheel drive Quattro.
Both the BMW and Audi employ turbocharging to derive additional power from their smaller engines, whereas the Nissan 370Z relies on its bigger, but non-turbo 3.7-litre V6 for good old-fashioned tyre-frying fun.
And there's plenty of that on hand with 245kW/363Nm on tap at 7000rpm and 5200rpm respectively – good enough to send the Zed from zero to 100km/h in a claimed 5.3 seconds (5.6 sec for the auto).
By comparison, the BMW makes 235kW and a stomping 450Nm through a standard eight-speed auto – enough to propel it from 0-100km/h in five seconds flat, while the Audi develops a lesser 147kW/280Nm and needs six seconds.
