TRUE ZEST
Great drive, sensational presence, Z-Factor
A-pillar restricts vision, boot is tiny
Introduction
Few automotive badges conjure as much magic as the ‘Z’ which has graced Datsun-cum-Nissan sports cars since the debut of the now legendary Datsun 240Z at the end of the swinging ‘60s. That car was in turn descended from Nissan’s successful roadsters which were known as Fairlady in most markets. The MY 11 edition of the 370Z Roadster draws on this heritage (call it Z-Factor), and revels also in its close relationship with the Nissan GT-R, which has thrown out a challenge to Porsche and Ferrari like no other Japanese car in history.
The 370Z Roadster sacrifices none of its Coupe sibling’s creature comforts in providing a magnificent open air driving experience for the surprisingly modest price of just $75,790 in manual guise and $78,790 if you wish to lose the clutch pedal.
This latest MY 11 model boasts wider rear vision mirrors and a reversing camera for much enhanced rear vision. It also gets heated/cooled seats.
Exterior and Interior Design
This car expresses Z-Car DNA in all key elements of design and engineering. Indeed, the stylish side indicators where the Z lights up orange are not necessary to give this game away.
Sometimes more than the roof is lost in the transition from closed coupe to roadster but not in the case of the 370Z. The styling is at once deeply muscular and elegant. The standard 19-inch alloys fill the guards out magnificently and the 370Z has a very broad, poised stance.
The new body paint for 2011 is Gun Metallic, which was first seen on the GT-R.
Z-Car DNA is imprinted everywhere in this cabin. Start with the commanding forward view down a long bonnet. For older enthusiasts, it’s not just 240Z memories that come to mind but, it its 50th anniversary year, Jaguar’s E-Type. (And, of course, Nissan’s designers and planners took more than a cursory glance at the Jag in creating the 240Z.)
The first edition of the old 350Z disappointed with a somewhat cheap feeling to the dashboard and controls but not the 370Z, which delivers palpable, tactile, consistent quality. There is no feeling of any corners having been cut (except, perhaps, the ones you cut on your favourite back roads).
Despite their utterly twenty-first century vibe, the steering wheel and the triple auxiliary gauges set into the dashboard evoke the 240Z, taking you straight back to 1969 (which just happens also to have been the year of the first Falcon GTHO).
The very attractive leather and alcantara combination of the trim is matched by extremely high quality plastics. Although the pricetag is less than $80K, the ambience feels more like $100K-plus.
You sit just above the tarmac and not all that far ahead of the rear wheels. This serves to enhance the feeling of perfect balance when you drive the 370Z.
Naturally, only two people can travel and they won’t have room in the boot for much more than a couple of changes of clothing.
One of the charms of the Roadster is that it combines the best of open air motoring with lavish luxury. And yet this car never feels compromised or soft because all the responses are so sharp and balanced. It is at once hard-edged and utterly civilised. There’s no room here to list the comprehensive safety equipment but it matches almost any car on the market.
You can get the roof folded away electrically in 20 seconds or so. For MY 2011 Nissan has added what it calls “climate controlled” seats which direct either warm or cool air through perforations, thus overcoming a criticism – one of the few –of the 370Z Roadster at launch.
Performance and Economy
With 247 kW worth of growling V6 under that long bonnet, there is as much urge as you could want. Because this lusty engine also delivers 365 Nm of torque, you are not forever changing gears. This has always been a Z-Car trait but the 370 takes things significantly further. That slight tendency of the earlier cars to feel trucklike has been utterly dispelled. You can, of course, choose not to change gear at all.
Instead of the standard six-speed manual you can have a superlative seven-speed automatic for a $3K premium. The manual can be criticised for notchiness. The SynchroRev feature which blips the throttle during shifts is fun but many of us would rather switch it off and do the job all by ourselves. Hey, this is a sports car, isn’t it?
Having said this, the automatic gearbox is even more impressive because of the instant throttle response and delightfully smooth yet rapid shifts. Subjectively, in kickdown mode the auto feels swifter than the manual. You also score that extra ratio along with ASC (Adaptive Shift Control), M-Mode (M for manual), and charismatic chrome paddles on the wheel. The automatic version even uses less fuel – 10.9 litres per 100 kilometres on the highway versus 11.2 for the manual. Job done.
Ride and Handling
The problem with most convertibles is some loss of body rigidity which manifests itself as slight flexing (scuttle shake). But the 370Z is among the best of its type on offer. Even quite bumpy little tracks rarely trick the 370 Roadster into betraying its lack of a roof. Nissan designed the Coupe and the Roadster at the same time, so very little additional bracing was required. As for the Coupe, it delivers a carved from the billet feeling of body integrity.
The handling is near perfect. On public roads you will never experience either understeer or oversteer, but this poise does not come at the price of an unforgiving ride. And the steering feel is absolutely pure: precise, sharp, go-kart-quick. The brakes are fabulous with perfect pedal feel.
There really aren’t any. Maybe you could consider the Audi TT Quattro Roadster but the 370Z kills it on performance while costing $20K less.
Summary
If you want the best value high performance convertible, look no further. The 370Z Roadster combines the luxury of a $120K European luxury sedan with the torsional rigidity of a Porsche cabriolet and performance of the Subaru WRX STi. Nissan’s classic Z-Car has already met the future.
Nissan
