Is the Nissan 370Z NISMO Edition worth it?

The Nissan 370Z will go on sale this April 2020 with three variants on offer under two designations. The first and most affordable variant is the Premium MT variant which has a 6-speed stick and an auto rev-matching feature. This is followed by the Premium AT variant, which has all the same amenities as the MT, but this time with a 7-speed automatic transmission. At the top of the model lineup is the NISMO Edition 370Z, which sports an uprated engine and only comes with an automatic transmission along with a plethora of NISMO goodies. 

Now that’s all well and good until you get to the price tag of these 370Z variants. The manual 370Z will set you back P2,779,000, not a bad price considering that you’re getting one of the only modern manual transmission sports cars available to buy brand new. Add P100,000 and you get the 7-speed automatic transmission with the same tech, which brings the price of the automatic variant up to P2,879,000. All things considered, the 370Z is a bit of a bargain at its Premium trim all things considered, but the real head-scratcher is with regards to the NISMO Edition’s price. 

At nearly four million pesos with some change, the 370Z NISMO Edition is priced at P3,888,000, and over a P1,000,000 increase over the standard models. It may seem steep, but after doing some digging, we figured that the price of admission might be worth it considering what you get bolted on and warrantied on Nissan’s icon. 

First up, almost every bit of the exterior is populated by the NISMO Design body works. Everything from the front and rear bumpers, side skirt, rear spoiler, side mirror, and even the exhaust are from Nissan’s in-house tuning brand. Instead of the normal look that the 370Z has, which is already great, we must say, the appearance of the NISMO Edition just looks so much more attractive. With the body looking good, Nissan has opted to fit wider wheels and tires to the NISMO Z. Instead of going with just a 19 x 9 and 19 x 10 staggered set of wheels, the NISMO Edition comes equipped with 19 x 9.5-inch forged alloy wheels in the front, and 19 x 10.5-inch forged alloy wheels in the rear, adding to the car’s already-good performance with more rubber on the road. 

All this exterior muscle is nothing without some interior finesse, which is why Nissan has opted to give the variant a full-NISMO package. Instead of the normal sport seats, the NISMO Edition gets NISMO Recaro Seats, which do lose out on the motorized functions but make up for with ergonomics and Alcantara inserts that only enhance the driving experience. Even the steering wheel and gauge cluster are NISMO parts, which only add to the value. Down the line, these key items will be sought after, and highly valuable and its packaged with an OEM-quality install. 

Normally, uprating your engine outside of the factory will leave your warranty in question, but the NISMO Edition has 339 hp instead of the Premium’s 327 hp rating. Peak horsepower is also increased due to a higher redline. Instead of 7,000 RPM, the VQ37 found in the NISMO Z achieves peak horsepower at 7,400 RPM. Torque also gets a bump up from 363 Nm to 371 Nm. These gains are brought about by a NISMO-engineered exhaust system, which is standard on the top edition. Handling is also improved, with a set of performance dampers and strut tower brace from NISMO. Paired with the wider tires and forged wheels, the car will take what you can throw at it better than the Premium variant. 

So is it worth it? Well, if you can appreciate the effort and engineering that Nissan has made to its iconic coupe, then P1,000,000 is a small price to pay for a model that is the ‘ultimate’ variant in the lineup. Considering the amount of original NISMO parts on the car, getting these items aftermarket will not only be a challenge but an expensive feat. A million and change is still a big sum, and if you want to go your own modification route with the choice of an automatic or manual transmission, then the Premium variant will give you plenty of driving excitement on its own.