Top Gear’s guilty pleasures: the Nissan 350Z

I’ve always been an ‘own-brand’ kind of person. I like bang-for-buck and value for money, and tend to not see the point in paying over the odds for something just because of the badge or brand name on the front.

Maybe that’s why I’ve such a hankering for a Nissan 350Z at this very moment. Check the classifieds (in the UK at least) and you’ll realise just how simple it’d be to pick one up and still have change from £5,000.

Okay it might be fairly leggy at that price with plenty of miles on the clock, but doesn’t that just show how reliable the 350Z can be? And yes, plenty at this end of the scale are terribly modified, but every once in a while a gem will pop up with the optional GT Pack and the 18-inch forged Rays wheels.

Penned at Nissan Design America in California, the 350Z followed the classic sports car recipe of beefy engine up front, two seats in the middle and all of the power sent out back. The name came from the 3.5-litre naturally-aspirated V6, which at launch in 2003 made 276bhp and helped the 350Z sprint from 0-62mph in under six seconds. On sale through to 2009, the drop-top Roadster arrived in the UK in 2005, before power was upped to 296bhp in all manual cars in 2006. 

Then, in 2007 the whole lineup was facelifted, which brought a more prominent bonnet bulge and a new, higher-revving engine that made 309bhp and an improved 264lb ft of torque. I’d argue that all 350Zs qualify as a guilty pleasure, though, because with a kerbweight of around 1.5 tonnes and more of a mini-muscle car feel than delicate sports car, it’s probably something that we should be critical of.

But these days driving a 350Z is like eating instant mashed potato (own-brand, naturally) or playing Snake on a Nokia 3310. It’s a comforting throwback to simpler times – a sleek-looking coupe with a brawny engine that sends its power to the rear wheels through a chunky manual gearbox. That is unless you’ve gone for the five-speed auto. If you have, please feel free to show yourself out. The manual doesn’t have the slickest shift you’ll ever experience and the clutch is particularly heavy, but all of this adds up to an engaging drive and matches nicely with the weighty steering and lively rear end.

And then there’s the interior. Don’t expect soft touch plastics and knurled metal – this is a bargain basement 2000s interior and feels it, but there’s everything you need and nothing else to distract you from driving. Plus the seating position is spot on.

So, that’s why a high-mileage, used 350Z would be top of my ‘guilty pleasures’ list this year. What’s yours, folks?

Images: Jonny Fleetwood