Nissan 370Z

It's party time at Nissan. Celebrating the company's global success in GT racing and 40 years of Z cars in the UK is this, the GT Edition - a car built to salute high-speed auto enthusiasts.

It gets the full complement of the Zed spec sheet, including iPod, satnav, reverse camera and 19in RAYS wheels, while someone at Nissan has retuned the Zed's dampers to make high-speed cruising less unpalatable for your spine.

It's a minor change, but pays off. The extra suppleness in the dampers - tweaked to soak up more road wrongness - means you can happily cruise all day in the big Zed without puréeing your vertebrae. The standard car's chassis was never neurotic, but this change polishes up an already good performer. The added composure hasn't softened the handling - it's still a joy.

There are a couple of niggles, though. The tyre roar can sometimes impede an otherwise quiet cabin, and the overall price begins to wander adrift of the 370Z's appeal. You can't help but adore the big-hearted Nissan though, and spec-for-spec it's still nearly £5k cheaper than an Audi TTS coupe.

Vijay Pattni

We like: Spine-friendly suspension, alloys
We don't like: Tyre roar, swollen price tag
The verdict: The best iteration of a good sports car. We'd delete the side stripes, though.
Performance: 0-62mph in 5.3secs, max 155mph, 26.6mpg
Tech: 3696cc, V6, RWD, 323bhp, 267lb ft, 1525kg, 248g/km CO2
Tick this on the options list: Luxury floor mats, £68
Avoid this: GT side stripes £0