Orlando Sentinel's view

Tough times in the car business? You bet, but Nissan has been there before. Since 1970, the company’s Z sports car, the brand’s little four-wheeled icon, has been Nissan’s rallying point when it claimed its cars were sportier than the competition.

In 1990, we saw a brilliant new 300ZX; then within five years, it disappeared because Nissan was so broke that it could not afford to update the car to U.S. federal specifications.

Nissan was on the ropes. But in stepped Renault with a huge infusion of cash, and appointed one of its chief executives, Carlos Ghosn, to take over Nissan. The company remade its product line and returned to prominence, and in late 2002, it re-introduced the newest Z sports car, the 350Z, making a statement that said Nissan is back, and once again, wealthy enough to build a sports car.

Now for 2009, the statement is: We’re still here and still rich enough to redesign the Z, as the smaller, lighter, faster 370Z.

That said, Nissan is suffering along with everyone else in this recession. Overall sales for January 2009 were down 29.7 percent from January 2008, but this time, no one is talking about Nissan going under.

As always, the Nissan Z car will not be an enormous moneymaker for the company, but it is expected to pay its own way, and there’s little doubt that this remade model will do that.

The 3.5-liter V-6 has been pumped up to 3.7 liters, and horsepower is up 26 from last year, to 332. Transmission choice is a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic.

Despite being a few inches shorter, the 2009 Nissan 370Z feels about the same inside — snug but not at all crowded for two people. Luggage space beneath the rear hatch is adequate but shallow.

The cockpit design is handsome and functional, aside from the odd, out-of-place digital fuel gauge on the left side. In the center of the dashboard, on cars that don’t have the $1,850 optional navigation system — which ours did not — there’s a nice storage bin with a leather snap-up cover that replaces the navigation screen.

There are two basic models: The standard 370Z, and the Touring model, which is more luxurious, with leather seats and an upgraded stereo. Base price on the standard, which we tested, is $29,930, and the Touring is $34,460. Add $1,300 for the automatic transmission.

The test 370Z had only one option, but it was a good one: A $3,000 “sport package” that gets you upgraded wheels and tires, a front and rear spoiler and, on the manual-transmission model, a unique feature called “SyncroRev Match.” When you downshift, the engine computer blips the throttle to match the engine speed for the next gear down, making downshifts absolutely seamless and smooth.

It’s a technique race drivers have always done manually, called “heel and toe,” where you brake with part of your right foot, while blipping the accelerator with the rest of the right foot.

Matching the engine speed on a downshift eliminates that neck-jerking snap when you downshift and let the clutch out normally, which is no big deal at low speeds, but on a race track, it can cause a spin if it happens in a turn.

Is “SyncroRev Match” a gimmick? Yes. But it’s a very neat one.

Otherwise, the 370Z will feel familiar to 350Z customers. Steering is light and precise, handling is excellent, and the ride isn’t bad even on rough pavement.

The extra horsepower and lighter weight is noticeable, but marginally. The last Z car did not really lack horsepower.

Outside, the profile is very similar, but wider wheel flares and a different nose and tail announce that this is a new car, especially if you see it next to last year’s model.

But is it so much improved that 350Z owners need to run to the nearest dealership and trade for the new model? Only if you really want to.

By holding the base price around $30,000, Nissan continues to deliver one of the best performance bargains on the market, just as it did in 1970, when the 240Z was just more than $3,000.

Steven Cole Smithcan be reached at scsmith@orlandosentinel.com, at 407-420-5699, or through his blog at Enginehead.com.

Nissan 370Z

Base price: $29,930

Price as tested: $33,625

EPA rating: 18 miles per gallon city driving, 26 mpg highway.

Details: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car with a 3.7-liter, 332-horsepower V-6 engine with a six-speed manual transmission.