At nearly $42,000, a fully loaded 2011 Nissan 370Z Touring isn't cheap-in fact, the car is pricey enough to merit a mild case of sticker shock. But upon closer inspection of its expansive spec sheet, followed by a multi-day test drive, the shock fades while the athletic coupe's intrinsic value grows.
Consider the 370Z's impressive attributes. There are the 14-inch front, 13.8-inch rear Akebono brakes that haul the 3362-pound Z to a stop from 60 mph in only 102 feet (a BMW M3 Coupe with Competition Package does it in 110 feet; a GT-R in 101 feet). These massive four-piston front, two-piston rear binders clamp hard on Nismo's optional $580 R-Tune performance brake pads designed to withstand temperatures of up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the quickest-stopping Z we've ever driven. And we've driven many, many Zs over the years.
There are the featherweight 19-inch aluminum wheels forged by Japan's renowned Rays Engineering, a supplier of the AT&T Williams Formula 1 team. Even now, only a handful of six-figure supercars roll on such fancy footwear. The rims, along with adhesive Bridgestone Potenza RE050A rubber, a taut suspension setup, and a vicious limited slip differential (all part of the Sport Package), help the 370Z Touring attain a 1.01 g average on the skidpad. That's slightly stickier than a mid-engine, no-option $60,000 Porsche Boxster S at 1.0 g, mind you.
Straight line acceleration adds to its value. The 3.7-liter V-6's 332 horses and 270 pound-feet of torque send the Z to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, while a quarter-mile passes in 13.4 seconds at 105.2 mph. A rocket it isn't, yet for the segment it occupies, the stats aren't disappointing.
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