Testy transmission

I'm all for automatic transmissions ? I even own a car with one — but the combination of the transmission and engine management system turned the 370Z into a disappointing on-off vehicle.

It cruises smoothly and effortlessly at low speeds and through heavy traffic, the 363Nm of torque making it easy to roll the body along. Give it a little more on the pedal and it responds well, with the first hints of a throaty roar from the twin exhaust starting to appear.

Step down on the pedal even further (and I'm nowhere near the floor yet) and the car decides it's time to race. What was once a mild-mannered sportster cruising along and changing gears at between 3000 and 4000rpm becomes a monster. All 245kW of the power in the engine tries to make it down to the wheels at once and the revs rocket all the way to redline at 8000rpm before even a hint of a gear change appears.

And yes, I did try the shift paddles behind the wheel and found them very little use as well.

Be light-footed

The Nissan bowls along and just keeps on feeding out the power until you step off the pedal and the beast in the front goes back into its cage.

I quickly learned that "giving it gas" was only for occasions where there were long, straight and open stretches of road ahead. I tried the technique on several occasions to overtake another vehicle but very nearly ended up in the back of the cars ahead. Given time, I think a more respectable driving technique could be developed, but this car remains a beast wrapped in steel.

The handling is solid. The car often feels more like it remains glued to the ground by sheer weight, with very little feedback at low speeds to tell you if road-holding is unstable. That's probably because it never is. At higher speeds the feedback from the car begins hinting when you're moving into the trouble zone. Even then it's possible to get very close to completely losing it on the road before you realise that slight twitching from the rear is the Nissan about to let go and tumble across the road.

Page three ... Learning quickly