Nissan 370 Zed’s Mercedes Connection

Next Gen Nissan 370Z

The recession seems to have forced auto makers to work together and these unusual alliances might spawn unusual products. For starters, how about a Mercedes diesel engine in a Nissan 370Z? If that sounds like sacrilege, you’d better get used to hearing more of such stuff as Nissan and Daimler are now actively exploring synergies and one fallout of this seems to be a merc powered Nissan Zed.

Now, Mercedes Benz makes plenty of rorty engines but still, we aren’t sure if the civilized Mercedes engines ever match up to the rowdy Nissan Z/Fairlady series. While Mercedes Benz V6s might somehow make the cut, the rest of the engines seem like pure idiosyncrasy, especially considering the Zed’s brawler heritage. Picture this, the Nissan 370Z with a 2.2 liter turbo-diesel pumping out 221 horses and a prodigious 560 Nm of twist.

That diesel motor even has a 20 Bhp electric motor to make sure that the greens grin. Or this: the 370Z with a Mercedes Benz Diesotto engine that can run both of petrol and diesel. While these engines will definitely be more frugal, will emit less carbon from their tailpipes and might manage to save the world, in my book they simply look like bow ties on a biker’s leather jacket. Come on Nissan, the 370 Zed deserves something way better.

News and Image courtesy: Autoten

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