SALT LAKE CITY — The iconic Z car was first imported to the United States in 1969 as the Datsun 240Z, which was based on the Japanese Nissan Fairlady Z.

The current 370Z, still a naturally aspirated 3.7-liter V-6, has been around since 2009. While it's begun to show its age, the 370Z is still one of the better-looking sports cars on the road.

I picked up a NISMO model at Ken Garff Nissan Riverdale in Ogden and immediately asked sales manager “Big” Al Sorenson why Nissan has resisted the current automotive trend of smaller turbo engines with the 370Z.

“Nothing official from Nissan about it, but I imagine it’s wise to maintain a little distance, performance-wise, between your $175,000 GT-R supercar and your $40,000 sports car,” said Sorenson.

As I pulled away from the lot, I imagined what a turbo would add to the powerful V-6, and Sorenson’s hunch made perfect sense.

Exterior styling

The 2017 370Z is long in the tooth, but can still turn heads.

The top-end NISMO adds two-tone air effects, a rear spoiler and larger exhaust outlets that add to the appeal. The NISMO chrome exhaust outlets are enormous and sit below red accents on the rear bumper of the test model's black body.

From the rear, the 370Z sits low and wide. The body overlaps the fender flares and bumper, adding a sense of width. It’s a fastback look, and the roofline falls down between the wide fenders.

The prominent front and rear fenders are set off by the rakish roofline. The headlights are high and wide and press rearward over the front fenders, creating the illusion of speed. A red trim piece juts out below the doors and meets the rear fenders.

Large, lower air intakes up front, also trimmed in red, set the NISMO apart from other models.

Interior styling

The Z really shows its age in the interior.

Today, auto manufacturers are using retro styling cues to remind buyers of their favorite models from the past. The three-analog gauges cluster on the top of the dash fits this trend, but the digital clock inside most definitely does not. The mess of buttons surrounding the touchscreen is also a departure from the past.

The Z uses central dials to control the menu settings — common in cars these days — but the NISMO's are clearly outdated. There are a total of 14 buttons for the navigation, media and settings shortcuts.

There is nothing user-friendly about any of it, and other Nissan models have more modern setups, which should find their way to the Z. The touchscreen works well, but the center console is not angled toward the driver, making it difficult to reach.

The steering wheel, door panels, center console and seats are all finished in a combination of leather and suede, which looks and feels nice and adds a retro touch. The plastics used for media and climate controls are also dated but are organized well.

The analog instrument panel is offset by an out-of-place and dated digital readout to the left of the tachometer that simply clashes with the feel of everything else going on behind the steering wheel. The digital readout and the digital clock need to be replaced with something more befitting this iconic car.

There are storage shelves behind the two seats in the car, and I put the 6.9-square-foot rear cargo area to the test with a trip to Costco. There should be enough room for weekend-getaway luggage.

The Recaro racing seats are supportive, trimmed in red and only manually adjustable. Red stitching on the steering wheel and door panels completes the NISMO look.

Technology

The 7-inch touchscreen allows access to media and navigation systems and has split screen view. The Bose audio system has eight excellent speakers, two subwoofers and Sirius XM radio. The system is Bluetooth capable but lacks Android Auto or Apple Car Play.

The technological showpiece for this car is the 6-speed manual transmission with SyncroRev Match. The engine redline of 7500 revolutions per minute is impressive, and the rev matching technology ensures that downshifts don't break any necks.

The system monitors the clutch pedal, shift lever and vehicle speed. When downshifting, the system calculates the perfect RPM level and “blips” the throttle to provide a smooth downshift.

The engine RPM holds until vehicle speed catches up and allows for an easy power transfer while accelerating out of the downshift so the driver can’t make a mistake when downshifting manually.

Performance and handling

The 3.7-liter V-6 is large for a car this size and by modern standards. It would be typical now for a similar car to have a turbo four rather than the big six. With that 7500 RPM redline, the power band is huge and driving in moderate traffic is one of the best experiences behind the wheel of the Z.

Passing power is instantaneous and always at the ready, without any turbo lag. The manual transmission is smooth and gated well for freeway driving combined with the rev matching. I doubt I’ve ever had more fun in traffic.

Downshifts and acceleration combine smoothly to find the way out of traffic and into the next lane. The tight, precise clutch does take some getting used to, however, and begins to feel heavy as traffic increases.

The Z's handling is excellent and the car eats up canyon curves with ease. It feels heavier and stiffer than some cars of similar size, but the lack of body roll is impressive and powering out of curves is never a problem.

A touring model is available, but if it weren’t for the Recaro seats, the NISMO would be a fun highway cruiser as well. I’ve rarely wanted to run into traffic as much as I did behind the wheel of the Z.

The one Achilles heel is the rear wheel grip when accelerating out of a sharp curve. More than once, I was able to break the rear wheels loose on a sharp freeway on-ramp. This car lacks the weight balance it could have, due to the big V-6 up front.

The noise and solid feel of the V-6 is a big plus for the Z, compared to four-cylinder competition. Perhaps Nissan should consider a smaller turbo V-6 and aim for better weight balance than the current 55/45 percent front to back.

Conclusions

No question, the Z is overdue for an update. As good-looking as it is, the car is showing its age. The 2019 model year will mark the 50th anniversary for the Z in the U.S. I expect Nissan has big plans for that Z.

The interior is a clash of eras with modern meeting retro and a touchscreen cluster that simply overwhelms the driver with outdated buttons and dials. This classic two-seater would definitely benefit from a complete retro overhaul befitting its iconic status.

Despite some age and some flaws, this may have been the most difficult car to turn back in. Four days simply wasn’t enough.

Specs

Vehicle type: rear-wheel drive, front engine, 2-passenger coupe

Engine: 3.7-liter V-6 with variable valve timing

Transmission: 6-speed manual with rev matching

Power: 350 horsepower, 276 pound-feet of torque

Performance: 4.9 seconds zero-to-60 mph

Fuel Economy: EPA estimated city/highway miles per gallon 18/21

Warranty: 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain, 3 year/36,000 mile bumper to bumper

Price as tested: $46,960

Conclusions

No question, the Z is overdue for an update. As good-looking as it is, the car is showing its age. The 2019 model year will mark the 50th anniversary for the Z in the U.S. I expect Nissan has big plans for that Z.

The interior is a clash of eras with modern meeting retro and a touchscreen cluster that simply overwhelms the driver with outdated buttons and dials. This classic two-seater would definitely benefit from a complete retro overhaul befitting its iconic status.

Despite some age and some flaws, this may have been the most difficult car to turn back in. Four days simply wasn’t enough.

Specs

Vehicle type: rear-wheel drive, front engine, 2-passenger coupe

Engine: 3.7-liter V-6 with variable valve timing

Transmission: 6-speed manual with rev matching

Power: 350 horsepower, 276 pound-feet of torque

Performance: 4.9 seconds zero-to-60 mph

Fuel Economy: EPA estimated city/highway miles per gallon 18/21

Warranty: 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain, 3 year/36,000 mile bumper to bumper

Price as tested: $46,960