The 2011 Nissan 370z is the latest in Nissan’s long line of Z cars, which first hit America in 1969 and has offered sports car buyers a more upscale, stylish alternative to the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro for 50 years. The 2011 Nissan 370Z starts at $30,610 and includes a 332-hp 2.7-liter V6, six speed manual transmission, 18-inch wheels, a sporty suspension and seating for two.

The Nissan 370Z is available in several different trims, which add more sporty or luxurious equipment to the base car. The Sports package, which starts at $33,640, adds 19-inch wheels, a limited slip rear differential, a rev-matching transmission, front and rear spoilers and sports brakes. The 2011 370Z Touring starts at 35,310 and adds heated leather seats, a Bose audio system and Bluetooth connectivity. The Touring and Sports packages can be combined, and the 2011 370Z Touring with Sports package starts at $38,340. The top-of-the-line Z is the 2011 370Z Nismo. The 2011 Nissan 370Z Nismo starts at $39,990 and has a more powerful engine with 350-hp and 276 lb-ft of torque, sports brakes, a Nismo tuned suspension, unique 19-inch wheels and special styling inside and out.

The 2011 Nissan 370Z competes with the Ford Mustang, Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger, but with their high horsepower V8 engines (all three are about 400-hp), the American sports cars costing about $30,000 will win buyers concerned mainly with straight line speed. The 370Z’s main competition comes from the Mazda RX-8, which has 232-hp, 100 less than the 370Z. The Mazda also has just 159 lb-ft of torque, 111 less than the Nissan’s 270 lb-ft. The 2011 Mazda RX-8′s main advantage over the Nissan 370Z (and one that all of the American sports cars in the price range also have) is that it seats four, while the 370Z has just two seats.

The 2011 370Z gets the best gas mileage out of the sports cars costing about $30,000. The 370Z is rated at 19-mpg city and 26-mpg highway. The RX-8 gets 16 city and 22-mpg highway, the Chevy Camaro SS gets 16 city and 24 highway, the Ford Mustang GT gets 17 city and 26 highway and the Dodge Challenger R/T gets 15 city and 24-mpg highway.