The classy new styling works well to my eye, though you may think differently. The turbocharged 2.0 litre four cylinder engine remains, and stills produces a respectable 147 kiloWatts of power and 265 Newton metres of torque. And since it didn't gain any weight with the new look, the performance is still blisteringly quick - in fact quicker than before thanks to a shorter geared, slicker shifting six speed manual gearbox.
Motor magazine recorded a 0-100km/h time of just 6.9 seconds, and a standing quarter mile of 14.8 seconds.
On the road this is all well and good, but in gear acceleration is where it's at. How well does the car accelerate away from cruising speed? Extremely well, thank you very much. Even in a long, loping sixth gear around 90-100km/h the 200SX stacks on the speed when you dump the right foot.
And its stability and grip in corners is impressive, yet, amazingly, without sacrificing one of the smoothest sports coupe rides we've sampled. Whether trundling sedately around town, or firing it up your favourite hill climb, the 200SX swaps between elegant cruiser and exorcet missile without batting an eyelid.
The seats are good. Firm, supportive and adjustable, which, along with the adjustable steering wheel makes it easy to achieve a good driving position. And is it my imagination or is there more front headroom in the new model?
But there definitely isn't more room in the boot. A trip to the drycleaners and the fortnightly shopping run for two saw the smallish boot compartment filled and the backseat called in to help.
Nissan's new 200SX is a step forward in style and execution and, priced around $40,000, definitely deserves a second look.