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      05-28-2020, 11:45 AM   #18
supra93
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Nissan Has A Chance To Succeed Where The 2020 Toyota Supra Failed

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanca.../#4719bcdd74d8

Quote:
Nissan Has A Chance To Succeed Where The 2020 Toyota Supra Failed

In a video released today, Nissan finally announced the replacement for the more-than-a-decade-old 370Z sports car. While the video leaves a lot to the imagination, reports over the past couple of months suggest it’ll be a massive step in the right direction. Most importantly, this is Nissan’s chance to succeed where Toyota failed with the 2020 Supra.

Nissan’s coupe ran relatively unopposed for 11 years, until the 2020 Toyota Supra came along, but by then, the Nissan was ancient news. Surprisingly, the new Supra didn’t completely outshine the 370Z on paper.

Despite being so old, the Nissan actually put up a decent fight with power output and a curb weight similar to the 2020 Supra. The Toyota Supra does benefit from a pair of turbos, which help lower its 0-60 mph sprint time, but, crucially, the 370Z comes with a six-speed manual transmission. A point of contention with Supra fans who can only shift gears using a seven-speed automatic.

The Nissan makes do with 350 hp from a 3.5-liter V6 and weighs 3,333 lbs in its top trim. The 2020 Supra claims 335 hp from a BMW-sourced 3.0-liter inline-six and tips the scales at 3,397 lbs by comparison. While it’s true the 2021 Supra received more power at 382 hp, it’s still difficult to justify the $50,000 cost versus the Nissan 370 Z’s base price of $30,000.

According to the reports, Nissan will borrow the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 from the Infiniti Q60, which is good for 400 horsepower. That’s one point for Nissan. Judging by what little of the new car can be seen in the video, hints of 240Z are still obvious. And as long as Nissan stays more faithful to a retro-inspired look than Toyota did, it should get nod for design as well. Rumors circulating also hint at the new car taking the name 400Z as aopposed to reviving the 300ZX moninclature.

Where Nissan can really win favor is in the transmission and price tag departments. A manual transmission goes a long way with the sports car segment. It’s an increasingly rare sight, but Toyota caught tons of flack for not offering one on the Supra. Nissan can gain a lot of favor by making it an option for potential buyers.

The current price of the 2020 Nissan 370Z makes it a legitimate affordable alternative to the Supra. If Nissan can keep the price of its new Z car below the $40,000 mark, use the old model as a baseline, while benchmarking against the Supra, it has a chance to show Toyota everything it did wrong with one of the most hyped cars of the year.
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