From the beginning, the high performance models from Nissan bearing the Z badge had a profound impact on the motoring world. For enthusiasts, the Z badge stood for power, performance and reliability. It all started with the iconic 240Z (still a much sought after classic today) that first rolled off Nissan's production lines back in 1969. It became the proverbial thorn in the sides of many owners of Detroit's muscle cars when it was first introduced to the US. Following the 240Z's success in both domestic and overseas markets, Nissan continued to develop the Z family line with the 280Z, 300ZX (3rd and 4th gen) and the 350Z.
When it came to the 350Z roadster though, things got a little™erm™lazy. It seemed like in a rush to produce the roadster form, Nissan's designers simply took a buzzsaw to the roof of the coupe and called it a day. Leaving it looking exactly like what it is™a coupe missing its roof. The body lines on the front and rear just seemed abruptly broken where they were once joined with the roof. Leaving the roadster looking rather incomplete.
The interior too (this applied to the coupe as well) seemed a little under par for one of the premier sports cars from the brand. And was a direct result of the company's cost cutting efforts at the time.
Thankfully, the latest 370Z roadster has left the botched surgery that was its predecessor behind. On first impressions, you get the feeling that unlike the previous 350Z, the latest 370Z was designed to be as much a coupe as it is a roadster. It looks sublime in either form with its lines gently curving and meeting with each other over the entire length of the car.
When it came to the 350Z roadster though, things got a little™erm™lazy. It seemed like in a rush to produce the roadster form, Nissan's designers simply took a buzzsaw to the roof of the coupe and called it a day. Leaving it looking exactly like what it is™a coupe missing its roof. The body lines on the front and rear just seemed abruptly broken where they were once joined with the roof. Leaving the roadster looking rather incomplete.
The interior too (this applied to the coupe as well) seemed a little under par for one of the premier sports cars from the brand. And was a direct result of the company's cost cutting efforts at the time.
Thankfully, the latest 370Z roadster has left the botched surgery that was its predecessor behind. On first impressions, you get the feeling that unlike the previous 350Z, the latest 370Z was designed to be as much a coupe as it is a roadster. It looks sublime in either form with its lines gently curving and meeting with each other over the entire length of the car.
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Exterior
I thoroughly love how the reflections play across the car's exquisitely formed surface. There isn't a line or curve out of place on this car.
In the front, the 370Z makes no apologies for what it is. A pure thoroughbred sportscar. Like any other, it sports the aggressive 'get outta my way' snout of one. The front fascia seems to take design cues from the head of a viper (the snake not the car from Detroit). The conservative intake with the contoured sides resemble the fangs of a viper in strike position. This sinister expression is further accentuated by the lamp clusters that blend seamlessly with the waistline of the Z complete with the little crinkle just aft of the front indicator to define the expression further.
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In a bid to show Nissan's attention to its design, is a strip of aluminium with little indentations made into it for detail giving the lamps further definition. The entire lamp cluster trails the waistline of the car from the nose to the front fenders to the rear lamps. Accentuating the car's graceful lines further. The detailed touches continue onto the door handles that are formed from solid aluminium. Complimenting the many machined aluminium details within the interior.
Towards the after portion of the car, the 370Z took some lessons from Stuttgart and gave the Z nice haunches to enclose the rear wheels. Bringing further attention to the car's wide and powerful stance. This beautiful waist gives a lot of sex to an already beautiful automobile.
Perhaps the only gripe I have about this very attractive machine is in the rear. I understand that symmetry was perhaps fundamental in its design philosophy but the rear could've mirrored the front of the car a little less to create further distinction. It is however a minor gripe as the contoured LED taillight clusters are still beautiful to behold. The short drop-off in the rear does hint at a rather conservative boot capacity.
The wheels serving this goddess of a body would have to be pretty special in their own right. And on the 370Z, they are. In fact they're some of the most attractive and high-quality alloys I've seen on a stock car yet (GTRs, Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis notwithstanding). The car rides on a quartet of 19 inch 5-spoke forged alloys from RAYS Engineering. The rear deep dish alloys are especially appealing. Further enhancing the car's wide powerful stance.
Towards the after portion of the car, the 370Z took some lessons from Stuttgart and gave the Z nice haunches to enclose the rear wheels. Bringing further attention to the car's wide and powerful stance. This beautiful waist gives a lot of sex to an already beautiful automobile.
Perhaps the only gripe I have about this very attractive machine is in the rear. I understand that symmetry was perhaps fundamental in its design philosophy but the rear could've mirrored the front of the car a little less to create further distinction. It is however a minor gripe as the contoured LED taillight clusters are still beautiful to behold. The short drop-off in the rear does hint at a rather conservative boot capacity.
The wheels serving this goddess of a body would have to be pretty special in their own right. And on the 370Z, they are. In fact they're some of the most attractive and high-quality alloys I've seen on a stock car yet (GTRs, Ferraris, Porsches and Lamborghinis notwithstanding). The car rides on a quartet of 19 inch 5-spoke forged alloys from RAYS Engineering. The rear deep dish alloys are especially appealing. Further enhancing the car's wide powerful stance.
Interior
On that fateful morning when I first settled my bum into the Roadster's cockpit, I instantly knew it was going to be hard getting out at the end of the day. No, I haven't put on THAT many pounds. It was due to the fact that I felt right at home in the driver's seat. There was no awkwardness, no discomfort nor claustrophobia. Just the surety of being at one with this machine.
The reason for that was the driver-centric interior. It didn't matter if the roof was opened or closed, I still felt safely cocooned in the Z. Properly supported by the semi-sports seats, I felt at one with the control surfaces despite the steering wheel being just rake adjustable. The driving position was as perfect as anyone could ask for (one of the best I've ever had). I dare say that it was almost like being back in a Porsche Cayman S.
The wheel was placed close to me in an almost 90 degree position for any hassle-free lock to lock steering action. Not only that, the instrument cluster tilts in unison with the steering wheel. The pedals too were perfectly spaced even for a size 12 driver like myself. Sweetening the driving comfort further was the Alcantara bolster on the side of the centre console where your leg could brace against during hard cornerings.
Looking around the interior, it is a very far cry from where the 350Z left off. Everywhere in the interior you're awashed with high quality plastics that give solid feedback. Machined aluminium bits are jewelled across the interior to further up the quality feel.
On that fateful morning when I first settled my bum into the Roadster's cockpit, I instantly knew it was going to be hard getting out at the end of the day. No, I haven't put on THAT many pounds. It was due to the fact that I felt right at home in the driver's seat. There was no awkwardness, no discomfort nor claustrophobia. Just the surety of being at one with this machine.
The reason for that was the driver-centric interior. It didn't matter if the roof was opened or closed, I still felt safely cocooned in the Z. Properly supported by the semi-sports seats, I felt at one with the control surfaces despite the steering wheel being just rake adjustable. The driving position was as perfect as anyone could ask for (one of the best I've ever had). I dare say that it was almost like being back in a Porsche Cayman S.
The wheel was placed close to me in an almost 90 degree position for any hassle-free lock to lock steering action. Not only that, the instrument cluster tilts in unison with the steering wheel. The pedals too were perfectly spaced even for a size 12 driver like myself. Sweetening the driving comfort further was the Alcantara bolster on the side of the centre console where your leg could brace against during hard cornerings.
Looking around the interior, it is a very far cry from where the 350Z left off. Everywhere in the interior you're awashed with high quality plastics that give solid feedback. Machined aluminium bits are jewelled across the interior to further up the quality feel.
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Even the buttons on the centre console's Bose 8-speaker audio system gave solid tactile feedback. Sound quality too was impressive which is no surprise from a Bose. Pumping out incredible performance over the entire sonic range. The system is enhanced further with AUX-in and MP3 CD features.
The same high-quality buttons of the audio system is replicated on the steering wheel as well. Just behind the wheel sits a pair of robust magnesium paddle shifts that are easily accessible even when caught in the twisties. The paddles felt solid enough that they will stand up to thousands of white-knuckled actuations without failing.
Open top driving can be had at the push of the aluminium machined button placed next to the handbrake lever within the time spent at the redlight. Proof of Nissan's commitment to quality is on the inside of the fabric roof's finish. The roof can be operated at speeds of up to 5km/h which really doesn't count for much whencompared with Porsche's more practical speed of 50km/h.
For a sports car, the boot space is decent although you wouldn't expect to put anything more than a gym bag for a weekend getaway.
The Drive
You would expect that with such an excellent driving position, the drive would be out of this world. Well, I wouldn't call it out of this world but it does land somewhere close to that. The 370Z is powered by Nissan's fourth generation Naturally Aspirated VQ37VHR V6 powerplant. This new powerplant is 200cc up from the 350's 3.5-litre unit. This new 3.7-litre (370Z..duh!) engine chugs out 333bhp with 363Nm of torque.
I would readily admit that it would be unfair to compare the 370's performance to that of the GTR's considering the latter does have a twin-charged 3.8-litre V6 underneath.
The same high-quality buttons of the audio system is replicated on the steering wheel as well. Just behind the wheel sits a pair of robust magnesium paddle shifts that are easily accessible even when caught in the twisties. The paddles felt solid enough that they will stand up to thousands of white-knuckled actuations without failing.
Open top driving can be had at the push of the aluminium machined button placed next to the handbrake lever within the time spent at the redlight. Proof of Nissan's commitment to quality is on the inside of the fabric roof's finish. The roof can be operated at speeds of up to 5km/h which really doesn't count for much whencompared with Porsche's more practical speed of 50km/h.
For a sports car, the boot space is decent although you wouldn't expect to put anything more than a gym bag for a weekend getaway.
The Drive
You would expect that with such an excellent driving position, the drive would be out of this world. Well, I wouldn't call it out of this world but it does land somewhere close to that. The 370Z is powered by Nissan's fourth generation Naturally Aspirated VQ37VHR V6 powerplant. This new powerplant is 200cc up from the 350's 3.5-litre unit. This new 3.7-litre (370Z..duh!) engine chugs out 333bhp with 363Nm of torque.
I would readily admit that it would be unfair to compare the 370's performance to that of the GTR's considering the latter does have a twin-charged 3.8-litre V6 underneath.
But just to give you a real-world idea of the 370's performance, when you floor it, the instantaneous kick in the pants you get is about 60 percent of what you'll get in a GTR. That said, the throttle response is truly sublime as you feather the throttle through a series of bends.
And it is in the bends where the 370's driving position really earns its money. The steering in the Z was direct and communicative. More than that, the steering wheel itself felt good in my hands with just the right amount of weight. I know that I might get hung for this but it almost felt like I was back in a Cayman. The brakes (4 pot front, 2 pot rear) themselves added to the driving pleasure by giving the right amount of braking feel and sensitivity in quick corners.
Despite its excellent performance, the damping in the Roadster is surprisingly forgiving. Even on rough roads, the chassis coped well enough with only a minute amount of discomfort translated to the occupants. But it is still more comfortable than the coupe's.
There is however one let down despite the car's excellent drivability. I felt that the sound from the new 3.7-litre powerplant's stock pipes were rather rough and lacks the punch of the older 3.5-litre. It would probably do better with some after-market pipes to sweeten the sound.
Conclusion
It is with little doubt that the new 370Z Roadster has brought some of the shine back to the Z badge and fully making up for what the previous generation lost. Compared with the coupe, the Roadster loses little in terms of performance. Negligible in my opinion when the trade off is the freedom of open-top driving. The exhaust might need some work but everything else though is about as much we could ask for from a sports car steeped with 40 years of heritage.
And it is in the bends where the 370's driving position really earns its money. The steering in the Z was direct and communicative. More than that, the steering wheel itself felt good in my hands with just the right amount of weight. I know that I might get hung for this but it almost felt like I was back in a Cayman. The brakes (4 pot front, 2 pot rear) themselves added to the driving pleasure by giving the right amount of braking feel and sensitivity in quick corners.
Despite its excellent performance, the damping in the Roadster is surprisingly forgiving. Even on rough roads, the chassis coped well enough with only a minute amount of discomfort translated to the occupants. But it is still more comfortable than the coupe's.
There is however one let down despite the car's excellent drivability. I felt that the sound from the new 3.7-litre powerplant's stock pipes were rather rough and lacks the punch of the older 3.5-litre. It would probably do better with some after-market pipes to sweeten the sound.
Conclusion
It is with little doubt that the new 370Z Roadster has brought some of the shine back to the Z badge and fully making up for what the previous generation lost. Compared with the coupe, the Roadster loses little in terms of performance. Negligible in my opinion when the trade off is the freedom of open-top driving. The exhaust might need some work but everything else though is about as much we could ask for from a sports car steeped with 40 years of heritage.
