We skipped the normal launch programme for Nissan's new 370Z, choosing instead to take the first available test unit on a road trip to the Barberton area in Mpumalanga.

This eagerly anticipated 'rice rocket' takes off exactly where its 350Z predecessor left off — it's just as if they’ve pumped it up with more steroids.

One controvertial aspect is the styling. Some like the more muscular lines, while others feel it's lost some of that classic elegance that the 350Z had. I'm with the latter camp. One thing I can't deny though, is that it looks aggro, pumped up and ready to pounce on anything that challenges it on the strip or the drift circuit.

Mechanically, the new Z is very much like an old Z on steroids.

There's a new 3.7-litre engine, in which power is up from 230kW to 245kW and there's a broad spread of torque throughout its 7500rpm operating rev range thanks to the application of even further advanced Variable Valve Event and Lift (VVEL) technology from Nissan.

For a naturally-aspirated V6 this Nissan pulls very well, almost feeling in the realm of a V8. There's just so much torque available in the mid-range too, that thrashing it through a mountain pass can be done with minimal gear-changing — in fact just leave it in fourth and concentrate on the rest of the driving experience.

On the road

On the road, the 370Z feels remarkably well planted, although it's not as direct as some other sports cars — at the limit it still needs to be manhandled to get it to do exactly what you want. It's a true sports car, yet can also eat up the miles as ably as a true GT cruiser.

The cabin is rather quiet — too quiet for our liking. A fair amount of road noise makes its way in from the chassis, but we hardly hear the thing we'd like to hear most — the wild bark of that brawny engine.

The 370Z has been tweaked in the chassis department, and dimensionally it is also lower and wider, which always helps. What's more, the weight distribution has been split at 53/47 front/rear, which places a little more weight on the front end to help maximise grip on turn-in, which then shifts to a near-perfect 50/50 distribution as the driver unleashes the power on the exit of the corner.

This car is everything we'd expect from the Nissan Z stable and the price, starting at R500K, is not unreasonable either.

Nissan 370Z Pricing:
Manual: R499 000
Automatic: R516 200