Nobody likes to wait. I guess this is part of the reason why we buy fast cars. I was in a particularly impatient mood when I arrived at Nissan in Birmingham, England, for my drive in the new 370Z. It was Monday which didn't help, but the fact that nobody from Nissan GB had advised the branch that I was booked for the appointment had annoyed me hugely. I was left waiting without so much as a coffee for 45minutes before the car was finally ready to go. Eventually, I received the keys and left the car park in a frustrated huff, to an accompanying hail of Bridgestone wheel spin. Was it worth all the waiting?  Yeah. Definitely.

Nissan has made great play of the fact that the 370Z is a harder and more aggressive update of the already quite focussed 350Z. The engine is now 200cc larger and generates an impressive 330PS (or 332 bhp in old money). The body now wears some fearsome aero, and the interior is a vast improvement over the old model. Anywhere you should choose to place your touch, soft materials fall to hand, and the overall impression is of a thorough engineering quality. Everything seems to face the driver, and the ergonomics are excellent.

The standard car is well equipped, with keyless entry, BOSE stereo, cruise control, leather, every kind of traction control system you can think of, suede doors, heated seats . . . You get the idea. It is reasonable to expect this amount of kit on a 5.2 million baht car, but compared to its rivals, the equipment level is generous. It is perhaps unexpected too for such a hardcore driving device, but then Nissan is pitching the 370 in their advertising as “New Tech, but Old School.”

In fact the only feature I could have done without was the seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox. I cannot see buyers of this gritty, knife-edge Coupe being interested in the auto unless they have only one leg. Apparently, Nissan have shifted so many advanced orders on the 370 that there simply were no manual cars available in England on the day we needed it. The automatic 'box is fine for slipping gently through town, but it's slow to respond when you've been kept waiting for three quarters of an hour and just want to attack a road with some forcefulness. Reassuringly, 70% of sales will ship with the good old manual.

The rest of the package, as a pure driver's device, is almost without reproach. The steering wheel is tiny, and transmits every nuance of road surface to your sweaty palms. The tail of the car feels full and lively behind you, but squats beautifully under power as only a potent, rear-wheel drive car can. The exhaust bellows like a wounded gorilla, and the engine seems to want to rev forever. To travel any quicker than this in the real world, you would need to spend significantly more than Nissan is asking for this car.

It's a properly progressive looking thing too. Although the looks may not be to everyone's taste, I think it's a fantastic shape, which somehow manages to look both elegant and desperately aggressive at the same time. The interior too boldly carries on this theme of modernist bad-boy, with its spiky shapes and sweeping surfaces. It's a brilliant cabin, and one that renders competitor's offerings from the likes of BMW and Audi as immediately dull and unimaginative. The seats support wonderfully, and the ride quality was probably the one thing that surprised me most on first acquaintance. A long drive in the old 350Z was as comfortable as sliding down a mountainside on your face, but here, the suspension recognises the need to offer some pliancy over rough road surfaces. It is this soft and malleable nature of the chassis which enables you to press on and attack harder and with increasing confidence.

Practicality and outright performance seldom go hand in hand, but the annoying strut brace bar which dissected the load bay in the previous 350z has now been removed, so at last the Z has the ability to carry some of your stuff. It's not a car you would buy for sensibility of purpose, but it's a relief to think that Nissan has eventually thought this through. Too many cars in this class come across as weak, half-way compromises. It really does seem to cover all the bases.

The Nissan 370Z attitude seems to be, “Why take part if you don't wanna win?” This is supposed to be an aggressive, uncompromising and brutal car, yet it would be so easy and compassionate a partner that you could happily live with it day to day. Its performance rivals some supercars of ten years ago, which is astonishing given that it comes with a three year warranty and normal service intervals.

The 370Z sits above Tildas and Teanas in the Nissan house like a wrathful but equitable warrior prince. Such is the completeness of its victory that we should hallow its reign, and wish it long life and successful global domination. At the price, there is nothing to touch this right now.