Jeremy Clarkson is relaxing by his Cotswold fireside with his feet up and a glass of Christmas port by his side (I imagine), so once again the tough job of putting fast cars through their paces falls to me.

I come to the task fresh from an incredible six weeks away playing two sports on two different continents. First, I was invited to play in the Nelson Mandela Invitational, a Pro-Am golf tournament held at the Arabella resort near Hermanus, Cape Town, where I had the honour of meeting the great man himself.

He was at the presentation to receive a cheque for 1m rand raised for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and the Player Foundation, and told us: “We must encourage children to participate in sport, as it not only unites communities but it unites nations.”

From Cape Town, South Africa, to Buenos Aires, South America — not a flight I’d recommend to my worst enemy, but after 26 hours of travelling I had arrived in the land of Fangio, arguably the greatest racing driver of all. I was there not for driving but for polo, to play it but also to experience the best tournament of all — the Argentine Open. In its 110th year, the games are held at the stunning Palermo polo fields, set in the middle of the city.

If the polo was amazing, I can tell you the driving was equally exciting. The Argentinians don’t seem to have many laws relating to the road, you see. Or if they do, they don’t obey them. It’s easier to ignore them, I suppose, when a quick 20-peso backhander will excuse you from the inconvenience of penalty points or court appearances.

My first experience of Avenida Libertador, an eight-lane freeway that runs through the city, was more like inclusion in an episode of Wacky Races than a drive into town. Indicators aren’t used, lanes don’t exist, and if there’s a gap available you make it yours. Undertake, overtake, soft shoulder, hard shoulder . . . just weave your way through and do as you want. I can see why Fangio was so good at the wheel.

Despite being half asleep when I returned to England I couldn’t help but notice two new cars sitting proudly and patiently on my driveway. The first was the Nissan 350Z you see here, the second an altogether stranger affair (you’ll have to wait until next week to find out about that one). What a welcome home.

What I first noticed about the Nissan was its truly classic sports car shape. You know — long bonnet, tidily short overhangs and super-sleek lines. Nissan engineers have moved the front-mounted engine back towards the car’s centre and pushed apart the standard 18in wheels as much as possible, all to make it a more stable and comfortable drive.

Most people associate the Nissan brand with perky superminis or dodgy minicabs rather than race-bred sports cars, yet the 350Z is the latest in a long line of performance models from the Japanese company.

The first of the so-called Z-cars was the Datsun 240Z, introduced in Britain in 1970. It became the world’s bestselling sports car due to its popularity in America. Then Datsun became Nissan and five more Z-cars were sold here, although critics complained they were becoming too Yankee influenced — soft and fat. Today the Nissan marketeers talk lovingly of Z-DNA, and refer to the 350Z as “the return of a legend, with no compromise”. This may be pushing the point a little, but at least it shows they’re keen to get back to sporting Z-car roots.

As I had returned home from such a long trip to that horrid empty-fridge feeling, the Nissan’s first outing — to the shops — made the perfect practicality test. With its seemingly endless boot space, there was no problem fitting in two weeks’ food shopping, the dry cleaning, dog and cat food, some stocking fillers and a couple of boxes of Christmas crackers. I even thought about trying to fit in the Christmas tree, but that would have been pushing it a bit.

Town was heaving with the usual pre-Christmas gift-buying pandemonium, so parking spaces were hard to come by. Yet the Nissan somehow squeezed into the tightest of gaps and made my hectic shopping spree actually enjoyable.

So the 350Z had passed its first test; the next one would be quite different: I had a track day booked. The car’s 3.5 litre V6 is from a series judged by an American magazine to be one of the best 10 engines in the world today. As I wound it up to high revs I wasn’t going to argue with them.

It has been tuned to deliver 280bhp at 6200rpm with peak torque of 270 lb ft at 4800rpm, which means it’s lively and muscular. That gives it a top speed of 155mph, sends it from 0-62mph in a respectable 5.9sec, and with its big fuel tank it manages an impressive 435 miles between fills. ()

The Nissan’s interior is okay although there have been moans about tacky plastic and flimsy finishing, but the driving position is almost perfect, and similar to that of the Honda NSX, another sports car I found very comfortable. All the most important settings (music, cruise control, air-conditioning) are located on the steering wheel for easy access, and the seats are a good size — you’re neither jammed in tight nor sliding around. The seats are set low on the floor and almost equidistant between the front and rear axle helping the centre of gravity and improving headroom for tall occupants.

I was blown away by the sounds: there’s a seven-speaker Bose system that doesn’t distort when you pump up the volume. Not that the 350Z needs music — turn the stereo off and instead enjoy the sexy, throaty tone of its lovely V6 engine. In fact, engineers spent hours analysing recordings of other performance cars in order to get the right sound.

I woke up early to a cold, dry and slightly foggy day, and was looking forward to getting down to the track. But to my disappointment, even after a few gentle laps to warm up the 18in Bridgestone tyres, it felt as if the Nissan was somehow being held back, as if I had a nervous driving instructor sitting to my left with dual controls and little faith. While it felt balanced and safe, let’s just say that it wasn’t being much of a turn-on. It wasn’t until I discovered a button marked TCS, which took the traction control away from the clever little Japanese computer and gave it to my right foot, that the car truly lit up. What a difference.

I was hard into the first bend — a long, sweeping left-hander. The nose just started to break away a little but that instantly turned into a glorious four-wheel drift. I braked heavily for the first right-hander; the V6 throbbed away on the down-change to second and I balanced the substantial understeer with a slight tweak of the throttle. Easy. I could talk about this lap all day as the Nissan had really started to perform. It’s a lively, spirited car with powerful brakes, a taut, predictable chassis and a slick gearchange, not balky like in some other modern sports machines.

I have never been a lover of Japanese sports cars but the 350Z is a great all-rounder that did a lot to persuade me otherwise. If you’re considering an Audi TT or a Porsche Boxster, you should certainly add the Nissan to your test-drive list. It’s just a shame they didn’t deliver it to me in Buenos Aires for a real test . . .

VITAL STATISTICS

Model: 350Z GT
Engine type: V6, 3498cc
Power: 280bhp @ 6200rpm
Torque: 270 lb ft @ 4800rpm
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Suspension: (front) Multilink with double wishbone <I>(rear) Multilink
Tyres: (front) 225/45 R18 (rear) 245/45 R18
Acceleration: 0 to 62mph: 5.9sec
Fuel/CO2: 24.8mpg (combined) / 273g/km
Top speed: 155mph
Price: £26,500
Verdict: A genuine all-rounder, at home on the track and down the shops
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