Nissan 370Z Roadster 2010 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $74,990
Options fitted to test car (not included in above price): seven-speed auto $3000
Crash rating: TBC
Fuel: 95-98 RON PULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 10.9L/100km combined cycle
CO2 emissions (g/km): 247 auto (249 man)
Also consider: paying a lot more for Z4, SLK or TT RS

About our ratings

During my time with Nissan's Z Roadster, a fellow described it to me as something for people who can't stretch to an SLK, Boxster or Z4. By such logic, of course, the people only buy those cars because they can't stretch to SLK55 or a 911; whose drivers only plump for them because they can't reach an R8 or a Maserati Gran Cabrio; whose drivers are in turn just prancing-horse wannabes and so it goes on ad Bugattium.

Even if the Sultan of Brunei doesn't drive one, the Z is a roadster of considerable integrity and sporting prowess. It has fine chassis dynamics, a ripping V6, terrific ergonomics and it's beautifully screwed together. All at a price that that can only be answered by sniffy accusations of unfulfilled aspiration.

Even ignoring the fact that most people would call $80K a considerable spend on a car, these miss the point of the Z completely. The original 240Z of the early 1970s was Japan's spiritual forefather to the MX-5: elegant in its lightness and simplicity, pure in its sportsmanship. And though not cheap even then, at around $5K it opened up a new niche of something-like-affordable sports motoring.

From there, everyone knows the story: over 20 years, the Z lost its mojo and died, buried under the weight of mock-prestige flab. Until 2002 that is, when Nissan exhumed the badge and revived the spirit of the original in the 350Z.

In 2009 they overhauled a good thing with the more refined and potent 370Z, of which this is the droptop version.

The 370 is taut, gruff and sporting in its intent. The Roadster is lithe and purposeful in silhouette when the tent's up, beautifully proportioned when it's down. I find its bulbous, retro bum-lines particularly appealing.

It's an accomplished drive, too. All drop-tops need extra chassis stiffening to compensate for the absence of a hard roof. This inevitably takes its toll on the scales. Nissan's bracework here has made for exceptional rigidity, with the weight gain offset by bonnet, doorskins and bootlid of aluminium and a carbon-fibre driveshaft.

Nissan's managed to keep mass down to about 1600kg. With the engine mounted behind the front axle and RWD, this is distributed 53:47 front-to-rear (with the seats noticeably closer to the rear axle, put people in the car and you'd doubtless push this closer to 50:50).

Packaged with a high-revving V6, a low centre of gravity, a well sorted steering/suspension setup and big low profile tyres, it delivers plenty of smoking satisfaction for the money. It's performance is evident in a 0-100 km/h dash time in the mid-fives (it's 5.6 seconds for the six-speed manual; the slick-shifting auto may be faster).

Our test car's seven-speed automatic was smarter than your average sequential twin-clutch, quick to incorporate changes in driver behaviour into its auto program and trusting enough to do what it's told without overriding orders.

On paper, most of the V6's mojo resides up in the revosphere – you have to go to 7000 to find its peak 245kW. While its peak 363Nm of torque only turns up at 5200, variable valve timing broadens its torque curve to serve up lots of low down urge.

Sharp, talkative steering and taut, Track-spec suspension invite active involvement from the driver. Such is its composure that the cut-in threshold for the stability control is high, and when it happens it's hard to tell without the advice coming from the dash indicator. High marks overall, in fact, for balancing out such engaging handling with supple suspension damping.

The interior is snug for six-footers without the claustrophobia and elbow-banging of some two-seaters. The fully-electric leather seats are well bolstered without being squeezy.

There's no foot-wide sill to clamber over, and you sit high enough off the ground not to need Olympic gymnast training to enter and exit the cabin with grace. These are the things that make the Z Roadster one of the easier open-tops to live with.

In keeping with the formula, you get the equipment you deserve for the money, served up simply and useably: keyless entry and start; seat heating; leather wheel and shifter; eight-speaker Bose audio with a CD stacker and auxiliary input; DVD satnav and Bluetooth. Interior build quality would do Audi proud.

We liked the soft-touch textured plastics and the quality of the stitched leather.

One serious hole in the kit list, however, is a reversing camera. The Z Roadster is down there with Lamborghinis and Loti for rear vision – or rather lack thereof. The omission is all the more odd given the screen – the costliest part of such setups – is already there.

Cabin ergonomics are well thought out with no glaring flaws, although some might grumble about the limited rearward seat movement and lack of reach adjustment in the steering column. But thanks in part to an instrument pod that tilts up and down with the wheel, this six-footer had no trouble finding a driving position good for a stint of several hours.

It's not bad for storage either, with glovebox and reasonable door pockets up front, handbag-sized bins behind the seats and a decent boot for a roadster – good for a couple of decent overnight bags or, as Nissan has pointed out, even a full golf bag with room to spare.

Safety is well covered, with xenon headlamps, the full panoply of stability and braking aids and front, side and door-mounted curtain airbags.

The Roadster is not the quietest car in the world, with a fair bit of noise coming off the broadly-shod 19-inch alloys even before the tar gets coarse. With the top down, it doesn't match Benz's Aircap-equipped E Cabrios for freedom from unwanted airflow. But it's as pleasant as most other drop-tops at urban speeds and, becoming similarly less pleasant over 80 or 90 km/h.

The Z's 'tent' doesn't match Audi or particularly Benz for operational elegance or insulation from ambient noise or passing air either. It's still sound and snug in the wet, however, with a pleasant slight airiness at speed without being draughty, and – unlike several past European test cars costing twice the price and more – completely free of rattles and squeaks.

It would be nice, though, if the side windows came up automatically after the roof locks into place.

Competitors? The Z Roadster lives in its own world, with little or nothing to match its sporting abilities for the money. It outperforms base-level German fare costing nigh on $20,000 more, and that's before you open their options catalogues. All of which means the price advantage is just a bonus.

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