2019 Nissan 370Z: Old Dog, No New Tricks
Nissan's sports car marches on for another year with little change for the 2019 update.
Topline: Nissan announced the changes to the 370Z's 2019 model year Tuesday and it looks like there aren't many overall, just surface adjustments.
What's New: The Coupe, Roadster, and Nismo body styles of the car are retained, though standard features receive small improvements in the form of an auto-dimming rearview mirror and backup camera. Option packages receive the most changes, with refinements made to the 370Z's Heritage Edition trim, and alterations to other packages. The starting price tag remains unchanged at $29,990 for the 370Z Coupe, $41,820 for the 370Z Roadster, and $45,690 for the 370Z Nismo, which ditches its 'Tech' suffix once again.
Heritage Edition expands its paint options from Magnetic Black to Deep Blue Pearl and Pearl White, complete with exterior graphics and highlight color interior trim. The package is only available on the Coupe, which also combines its Touring and Sport Tech packages from the 2018 model year into Sport Touring.
What You Need to Know: The 370Z is now one of the oldest enthusiast car platforms on the market, first being produced for the 2009 model year. Nissan has been noncommittal when speaking of a potential successor, though rumors of a next-gen Z car are plentiful with reports from earlier this year describing the development of the "400Z" as it is known as a joint Nissan-Mercedes project, akin to the Toyota-BMW partnership that will underpin the new Supra and Z4. Power plant options will reportedly consist of a 2.0-liter turbo-four and an Infiniti-derived, twin-turbo, 3.0-liter V-6 making up to 475 horsepower in Nismo trim, which would lay down the power with all-wheel drive.
Rumors say the next Z's concept car will arrive on the scene at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, and that it will be seen in its final form at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. Imminent arrival of a replacement would justify Nissan's marginal investment in the platform for the 2019 model year.
Nissan wouldn't discuss the "400Z" reports the last time The Drive contacted them about the next Z, so we asked again. We'll give an update when we hear back.