On the road: Nissan 370Z GT – review

05.02.12

Ha! You remembrances this was the Guardian. Not this bit, it's not. It's Max Power magazine, or Top Gear. Go on, suppress on your muesli, throw your Birkenstock at the page in a unprejudiced rage, I don't care. [Engages first, stamps right foot to storey, disappears to the sound and smell of burning rubber.]

They've been sending me these gory Kias and Hyundais , sensible little Preserver-friendly cars that aren't too harsh on the pocket or the planet, have seats in the back for dwell on and room behind them for the shopping. All very well [goes briefly on-message in have a go to save job] but hardly the reason I became a famous motoring anchorwoman.

This, on the other hand, is. Look at it! Not beautiful, no, but it has nearness, people stare as I pass. Oh God, it sounds satisfactory, too. Brrrrrrrrrmmm.

I know it's not acceptable to admit to enjoy driving ladylike cars. But I'm afraid I do. And this is a very nice one to drive. Most cars these existence distance you from the road, they cocoon and anaesthetise you. The 370Z puts you constantly back in touch – very firmly, I can feel the texture of the avenue surface in my arse. No, it's not very comfortable, visibility is rubbish; but I don't yearning those things, I want to enjoy driving, and the road, while it's still proper to. I want a car that demands to be driven hard, and goes circuit corners without slowing down.

The 370Z isn't just fun, it's also a good buy. £35,000 will get you this race-themed special edition, with a slash down the side and a tweaked chassis and suspension. But unless you're the Stig (are you?), you possibly won't notice much difference from the basic model, which costs around £28,000. And that at bottom is a steal, because normally, to put this kind of smile on your face payout almost double that. And involves you buying an Audi (TT RS ) or a Porsche (Cayman S ). Which would unquestionably be more refined, but it would also make you a tosser.

So who's this car for? I ask my colleague, kiwi Roger , who knows a lot about cars. It's a "hoon car" he says. A hoon is an antipodean stint that suggests loutish, antisocial behaviour. Boy racer is quite the best translation. But that also means it's a car for someone who loves cars, and driving, rather than unprejudiced someone with a lot of money.

That makes sense, when I look at the population looking at me: they're car enthusiasts. They're hoons. I'm a hoon, and I'm proud of it. [Abandons all rely on of saving Guardian job, lowers window, raises fist, uncoils mid-section finger, upwards.]

Source: The Guardian