Power Slot are full of surprises. First there was the huge Hummer H1, then the Polo arrived almost unannounced and now we have another new car - the Nissan 350Z.

The Nissan comes in a new, smaller display box. The base is the same size as those supplied with previous cars so they will still stack neatly, but the old cases are about 20% taller.

The Nissan looks good to my eyes. The body shape looks accurate and it's nicely formed with no visible flaws or mould lines. Glazing is flush-fitted and detail parts like lights and mirrors are neatly fitted. The front and rear Nissan badges seem to be white metal which is a nice touch. My only criticism is of the chunk wipers!

The body appears to be coloured plastic rather than painted but it looks convincing (it's a deeper, richer red than the photos). The tampo-printing is very good - crisp, clear and totally legible. It's a tiny bit transparent in places on my car but it's easily as good as most of the major manufacturers.

The interior is a shallow, almost flat tray. Driver and navigator present from the armpits up (the figures appear to be identical). The rest of the interior is moulded in black so it's a bit dark and gloomy, but there is some detail moulding around the dashboard and instrument binnacles. A red fire extinguisher provides some contrast. It's a minimal interior but it's probably enough for most people.

Power Slot could have taken the easy option and given the Nissan a modified version of the Polo's angle-winder chassis. But apparently that would have been too easy! So instead we have an all-new chassis that looks like it was designed to cater for the demands of serious racers.

The main chassis is fairly sturdy although the material is quite flexible. The guide is a clip-in style and sprung with about 10mm of vertical travel. The guide has a wide arc of travel, nearly 180 degrees.

The front axle is solid and runs directly in the chassis. The height of the axle can be adjusted - four grub screws are fitted, two above the axle and two below - to set the axle height and vertical travel. An Allen key is supplied.

The motor, magnet and rear axle are all housed in a separate pod. An inline pod is supplied and an anglewinder pod is being developed. The magnet is U-shaped, similar in size and strength to Slot.It magnets.

The motor is NC-sized, rated at 24,000rpm at 15v and 6.5 Gauss (magnetic attraction). The motor clips into the pod quite tightly and is further secured by two screws to give a really solid, secure mount. The motor is fitted with a 9-tooth metal pinion.

The rear axle runs in metal bushes which fit snugly on the axle. A 27 tooth Slot.It style gear is fitted - gear mesh is very smooth and positive. Axles are now 3/32 so parts from other manufacturers can be used.

The motor pod is attached to the chassis with two plastic brackets and the brackets are secured with two long screws. It's designed to allow the motor pod to 'float' and you can adjust the height of the bracket to control the amount of movement.

The brackets each have two legs which pass through the pod and into the chassis. A spacer is fitted on each leg to limit the amount the pod can move. The spacers are asymmetrical - one end is wider than the other. The photo below shows the pod without spacer and the effect of inverting the spacer. Power Slot will offer springs to replace the spacers in the future.

Setting the bracket height is a little fiddly but it's worth experimenting. The fixing screw is screwed into the chassis (rather than passed through it). So you fit the the screw and then give it a couple more turns, depending on what gap (if any) you want between the chassis and bracket. Then fit the bracket and spacers (if required) and secure it with the screw. 

This probably sounds more complicated than it really is! I think it's an effective system that allows a lot of flexibility in setting up your car. The only downside is that you need to take the car apart to make adjustments which may frustrate some racers.

Two long screws hold the body and chassis together, one at the front and one at the rear. The length of the screws means it's easy to introduce some body float.

On my little Scalextric Sport track it's quick. The magnetic downforce from the motor and magnet combine to give the Nissan plenty of traction off the line and through the corners. It has a lot more grip than I first imagined, and soon I was hammering the car around the track with confidence usually reserved for big-magnet cars. 

It's not just a case of magnetic grip though, the car slides and drifts but the 350Z remains so poised and smooth you don't really realise it's happening.

On my routed track the Nissan is very impressive. It's quite quiet and smooth running, though there's some gear whine. Acceleration is almost instant and braking is sharp and responsive. The motor seems to have a good spread of torque with no noticeable flat spots.

The longer straights really allow the Nissan to show off its speed. Braking is powerful and positive so you can really attack the corners, braking at the last moment. The Z love to be thrown into corners - it might twitch or drift a little but as soon as you're back on the power it sorts itself out and hurtles along the next straight. 

On my tracks the car seemed more settled with the motor pod brackets and body screws fairly loose, but fine tuning the Z to suit your track or tracks will be part of the appeal of this car. But even straight out of the box with everything screwed together tight, this is a fast, responsive and fun car to drive.

I'm really impressed with this car! I like cars that I can 'tinker' with, but that's only part of the reason. Power Slot have obviously listened to enthusiasts' feedback and responded positively, and I think they deserve a lot of credit for doing so.

Their Polo is a nice, competent car but the Nissan 350Z is a big step forward in every respect - looks, quality and performance. I think this is going to be a popular model and hopefully other liveries will follow. 

PS: Any chance of a Super GT pace car, please? 

Bigger pics in the Gallery