Is the interloper a lousy replica of German favourites, or does this join exactly the same Teutonic appeal using a buy - bin cost?

Think of the vehicle. Think about something having a strong, punchy V6, a capable rearwheel - drive chassis and sticker price and an equipment list that will place many an European producer to shame. Now, attempt to think of the reason this type of car should not be offered in Australia.

Drawing a blank?

So are we. The RWD stature sport-coupe segment is one that's been dominated by the BMWMercedes duopoly for quite some time now, with nary another maker daring to dilute their market-share. Yeah, there is the Lexus SC430, but sales of the weird-looking droptop imply that it's not the German-slayer Lexus expected it would be.

Beyond the Lexo there is Cadillac's beautiful CTS Coupe, which we can anticipate last year. But that is about a year from Aussie shores, so if you need an elegant, drivercentric coupe that does not hail from das vaterland? what things to purchase within the interim

Request any dealership and they will say there is nothing you can buy that fulfills that requirements. Dig a bit deeper yet, and also you'll uncover something which - somewhat inexplicably - was never officially offered on Australian soil, however, is maybe among the finest nonGerman luxury coupes now on offer.

In a starting cost of just under AUD$50k, it is a deal in comparison with similar machines from BMW and M-B.

But how can this generate? What is it like to stay with? Is the interloper a lousy replica of the German favourites, or does this join exactly the same Teutonic appeal using a bargainbin cost?

The V36 is off to a great start, before you have even reached for the door handle. Created from exactly the same bloke who composed the R35 GT-R's finelysculpted lines, the V36's smooth natural form is a joy to behold in the flesh.

Should you never warmed to BMW's present company 'face', the Nissan V36 only might be right up your street.

Even though there is also a leather / fabric combo available too, the pews within our test car were blackon - black leather with perforated cowhide within the center panels.

A tan and wood-grain leather setup is also accessible.

The devices are clear, legible and wellilluminated as the controls for the double - zone climate control are intuitive and straightforward to utilize. You will find steering wheelmounted controls for your system and Bluetooth phone function and also the column is electrically-adjustable for reach and rake.

The front seats may also be electric (although adjustment is manual) and rear reinforce seat entry is simple, however headroom is are in the rear. a little tight when you.

The seats are encouraging and comfy and storage bins are abundant, nevertheless there are some niggling complaints. That means individuals of more... (um)... European proportions might have a rough time together with the place, which is often a tad excessive for that broad of bottom, long of leg and tall of torso.

The buttons for your screen may also be written in Japanese and also the air and sat-nav do not operate in Australia. The Global Motor Group nevertheless promises us that Englishlanguage buttons are really an easy retrofit and that frequency converters and 'plug ins' can allow complete purpose of the air and navigation system.

The speakers could be somewhat complicated to function because of the controls being spread across two distinct portions of the dashboard, but once you receive your own head around it the sound created by the sixstacker CD player is just sublime. There's additionally an integral hard drive storage device also, or so the technology-savvy amongst you may upload your own songs for the V36's onboard program and eliminate CDs completely.

But enough of this; it is time to generate.

At speeds the 370GT is a joy. There's a good amount of torque in the midsized V6 (366Nm, to be precise) and also the big coupe gets up to date with little fuss.

Flatten the accelerator and also the engine reacts immediately due to Nissan's catchy VVEL varying valve-train technology, and pulls hard right up to the top reaches of the tachometer. Speed heaps on fast and also the engine sound is nearly musical - A great motivator to repeat, no?

The fivespeed automatic gearbox is easy, and the Adaptive Shift Control does a great job at forecasting driver behaviour and choosing cogs to match. Generate hard, it'll change hard. Shifts will probably be smooth and gently tap the accelerator, slurred and happen much farther down the rev range.

Nissan's newest tiptronic system is amazing, and likely among the finest slushbox-established functionality automobiles we have tried. There's little delay between pulling the most suitable paddle and really engaging another gear, while electricity transfer feels very immediate.

The suspension also boasts the same combination of relaxation and performance. The springrates are a bit firmer than most luxury vehicles, but the dampers are not completely unyielding and driving along a number of Sydney's more pock-marked streets did not faze the 370GT in the merest.

Unfortunately we did not get the opportunity to place the Skyline through the wringer on several tougher tarmac nevertheless we've got little doubt it had hold its in a circuit club day.

Regarding the ability, gear, handling and quality that you just get for that cost, the European competition is thrashed by the 370GT soundly.

In other words, the 370GT is drive, a superb cruiser and amazing value.

It really is unbelievable that Nissan confines this small gem for japan and US markets (where it is advertised as an Infiniti G37 Coupe) as soon as an Australian launch would probably find customers clamoring to enter one.