While a number of 2015 model year updates have been applied to the Nissan 370Z (new seats, a mild facelift and revised suspension among them), the range is still the same shape as it was before, with the Nismo version standing above all others.Opting for the Nismo means abandoning hope of the Roadster bodyshell or automatic transmission, both of which would compromise its performance. In return, you get 339bhp from the three-litre V6 petrol engine which in other 370Zs produces a slightly more modest 324bhp, and a resulting 0.1-second drop in the 0-62mph time to 5.2 seconds.The front end of this Nismo looks significantly different from that of the last one, mostly because the airflow is now directed to provide better cooling and increased downforce. The rear wing is smaller than before to reduce downforce with a view to improving the aerodynamic balance and prevent understeer at high speeds.I won't dwell on this, but that last bit seems to be a case of solving a problem that shouldn't have existed in the first place. Why was the previous Nismo allowed to go into production with an oversized rear wing? Did someone miscalculate? Or has an argument between the engineers and the marketers only now been resolved in favour of the former?Well, anyway. One thing that has characterised the 370Z right from the start, but did not apply in the slightest to the 350Z that preceded it, is that it gives the impression of being so angry it might bite its own legs off at any moment but is in fact a pussycat to drive.Every 370Z I've ever sat in has been like this, and it applies to the Nismo too. Interior noise levels are lower than they used to be, but the engine sounds pleasantly growly at very low revs and roars impressively at very high ones. Clunky noises in the gearbox which would be unacceptable in most cars are so suitable for this one that I could easily believe they were engineered in deliberately.But the sense that you're driving a race car rather than a road one is in complete contrast to the Nismo's behaviour round town, which is perfectly ordinary and not at all tiresome. Meandering along country roads is relaxing too, and when you get fed up of that and start pushing harder the car responds by putting the power down without fuss and doing more or less anything you want it to in the corners.It isn't quite as capable as the Porsche Cayman, with which Nissan likes to compare it, but its spread of ability is nearly as impressive. If I had the choice, my heart would be urging me to pick the German car over the Japanese one, but to be honest the most compelling reason for doing so is that, at six foot three, there's more than enough room for me in the Cayman but I'm a bit squished in the 370Z.I'm especially squished if I have to wear a crash helmet, but that wasn't going to stop me taking up Nissan's offer of driving the Nismo round Rockingham race circuit on a part-oval, part-infield layout very similar to the one you've probably seen on television.The only difference was that instead of staying on the banking round Turn One, we were directed off it and into a third-gear chicance before rejoining the oval a little further on. For safety reasons this was probably a wise move, but plunging down to the chicane was quite an experience in itself, and it's a tribute to the Nismo's set-up that it could get through this tricky section quickly enough to need a change up to fourth very shortly after the exit.The rest of the lap wasn't quite so much fun, but for a standard road car the Nismo was very well behaved even in what you might call "fast trackday" (but not quite competition) driving, an ability to turn in sharply being possibly the most impressive feature.Although it wasn't permitted, it would have been nice to be able to switch off the traction control and allow modest tail slides to get the car round the apex of tighter corners, since determined efforts to make up time here were hampered by mild understeer.You wouldn't really need this for a trackday, though, and it would definitely be advisable to keep the traction control switched on for road use, where the Nismo is already quick enough - and certainly enjoyable enough - without its driver causing unnecessary risk.At £37,015 the Nismo is by far the most expensive 370Z (you can have the entry-level model, which is hardly any slower, for £10,000 less) and there's no way that buying one could be considered a rational purchase. But if you want to be rational, buy a Qashqai. 370Zs are fun, and the Nismo is the most fun of all. Engine 3696cc, 6 cylinders Power 339bhp Transmission 6-speed manual Fuel/CO2 26.6mpg / 248g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 5.2 seconds Top speed 155mph Price £37,015 Details correct at publication date
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