2018 Nissan 370Z update rolls out overseas

While Nissan Australia has given the aging 370Z a kick in the pants by slashing the price of entry to $49,990 and introducing a tuned-up Nismo flagship, the company’s overseas arms have gone a step further and applied some mild updates to the V6-engined sports car.

The 2018 model year 370Z, now on sale in the European, US and Japanese markets, gets a minor refresh via new 19-inch alloy wheel designs, black-finished door handles and a blacked-out rear bumper fascia, while the tinted headlamp and tail lamp internals from the 370Z Nismo also become standard on the cooking variety Zed.

A red metallic hue also joins the colour pallette - though not for the Nismo.

Under the skin, the 370Z’s 3.7-litre naturally aspirated V6 carries over unchanged. However, manual-equipped models receive an uprated clutch supplied by powertrain parts specialist Exedy - with Nissan claiming the new clutch reduces pedal effort while also improving gearchange precision.

It’s unclear how long Australian Zed fans will have to wait for the updates.

The price adjustment applied earlier this month that saw the entry-level 370Z manual coupe dip below $50k and the 370Z Roadster convertible trimmed to $60,990 (add $2500 for the seven-speed automatic) wasn’t accompanied by any specification upgrades.

Wheels understands that Nissan may announce the arrival of the updated Zed within the next few months, but it’s worth noting that the 370Z currently on offer in Australia represents keen value relative to overseas models.

In the UK, the high-grade 370Z GT (which is most similar to the base-spec 370Z sold in Australia) retails for £34,285 in manual form - equivalent to $55,800 Australian dollars. Measured against the $49,990 370Z manual coupe that went on sale this month, it’s Australia that comes out ahead in value-for-money.

Even in the 370Z’s country of origin, Japan, the equivalent Fairlady Z Version ST retails for roughly AU$58,350. It’s unclear at this point whether the arrival of the mildly-updated 370Z will have an impact on Aussie retail prices, but if you’ve been yearning for a fast coupe for less than $50k that isn’t a Ford Mustang, now may be the time to pounce.