Nissan 370Z 2013

Lore & Background

Nissan's Z line is one of the oldest continuous sports-car names in the industry, and the 370Z carried that heritage into the 2010s with a design language that deliberately echoed the 300ZX and 350Z: a long hood, a short rear deck, and a cabin that feels like a cockpit rather than a living room. The 2013 model year sits comfortably in the middle of the Z34 run, benefiting from minor refinement updates over the 2009–2012 cars while retaining the character that made the nameplate a fan favorite.

In the Forza universe, the 370Z shows up in a long list of titles, from early Forza Motorsport entries through the open-world Forza Horizon series. It is rarely the headline car in a promotional trailer, but it is almost always in the player's garage by the second or third hour of play. Its role is that of the dependable workhorse: a car you can trust to behave predictably while you dial in your racing line, then push harder as your skill grows.

Because the 370Z is naturally aspirated, its power curve is smooth and rev-happy, peaking in the upper six-thousand RPM range. In a game context that translates to a car that rewards keeping the engine in its sweet spot rather than simply mashing the throttle from a standstill. Players who learn to feather the throttle out of slow corners and let the V6 build momentum find the 370Z far more rewarding than a brute-force alternative in the same class.

In Their Own Story

The rain had stopped an hour ago, but the tarmac still glistened under the sodium-vapor lights of the parking structure. You dropped the 370Z into first, felt the six-speed manual bite through the short shifter, and rolled out onto the empty street. The V6 idled with a low, lazy rumble that you could feel in the steering wheel. Out on the wet asphalt, the rear tires whispered, then sang, then howled as you fed the throttle past 5,000 RPM and the car slid wide, corrected, and straightened like a dog finding its owner. You hit the apex of the hairpin at the end of the block, felt the balance shift front-to-rear, and laughed. This was the car that had taught you what 'controllable' actually meant. Every other sports car in the garage felt like a different animal. The 370Z felt like a conversation.

Reader's Guide

Nissan 370Z, 2013, Class C in most Forza titles. Stock, it makes roughly 332 horsepower from a 3.7-liter naturally aspirated V6, tips the scales near 3,300 pounds, and carries a handling rating that sits in the upper-middle of its class—responsive steering, a balanced weight distribution, and a rear axle that is eager but not treacherous.

Tuning levers start with the engine bay. You can swap the exhaust for a free-flowing system, upgrade the intake, and add a mild turbo or supercharger kit to push output well past 400 hp. The trade-off is a shift in the power band: you gain top-end punch but lose some of the linear, rev-happy character that made the stock car so communicative. Suspension upgrades—stiffer springs, adjustable dampers, and anti-roll bars—sharpen turn-in and reduce body roll, but go too far and the car becomes twitchy over bumps and less forgiving on loose surfaces.

Tire selection is the single biggest handling variable. Upgrading to a stickier compound dramatically improves cornering grip and braking distance, at the cost of slightly heavier steering and a narrower speed window where the tires operate optimally. Aerodynamic add-ons (rear wing, front splitter, side skirts) add downforce for high-speed stability but increase drag, which can make the car feel sluggish in a straight line.

Brake upgrades and a limited-slip differential round out the typical build. The LSD helps with power delivery out of corners, especially after you've added forced induction, but a too-aggressive setting can make the rear step out under throttle in tight sections.

Build philosophy: treat the 370Z as a balanced, driver's car—add just enough power to keep it competitive, prioritize tire and suspension upgrades for feel, and resist the urge to turn it into a turbo monster that erases the character you fell in love with.

Did You Know?

• The 'Z' name has been a continuous Nissan sports-car designation since the 240Z debuted in 1969, making the 370Z part of a lineage spanning more than five decades.
• The VQ37VHR engine in the 370Z is a displacement increase over the VQ35HR that powered the 350Z, sharing the same basic V6 architecture but with larger bores and strokes.
• The 370Z was the final Z to use Nissan's VQ engine family; the 2023 Z (RZ34) switched to a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, ending the naturally aspirated V6 era for the nameplate.
• In several Forza Horizon titles, the 370Z is one of the most frequently purchased cars by new players, often serving as a driver's first rear-wheel-drive sports car in the game.