2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster
WHAT IS IT? Sporty two-seat convertible.
HOW MUCH? Base price $37,690; as tested (Touring edition with 7-speed automatic) $47,690.
WHAT MAKES IT RUN (QUICKLY)? A 3.7-liter V-6 with 332 horsepower and 270 lbs.-ft. of torque; 6-speed manual or 7-speed automatic transmission.
IS IT THIRSTY? Average for the class, with a rating for either gearbox of 18 mpg in town, 25 on the highway.
ALTERNATIVES: Audi TTS, BMW Z4, Chevrolet Corvette, Mercedes SLK350, Porsche Boxster.
Convertible owners in wintry climates anticipate April as eagerly as baseball fans. Sweaters are packed away, car covers are shaken off and the drop-top is roused from hibernation — weather permitting.
Granted, the modern hardtop convertible offers year-round driving convenience, albeit from inside a sardine can. But hard shell or soft, springtime in the north is also when cabin-fevered convertible fans dream about new cars. And for people whose Porsche dreams don’t square with their budgets, the Nissan 370Z Roadster is a sweet dose of reality.
Just as the hardtop Z strikes me as the definitive under-$40,000 sports car, the Z roadster makes an open-and-shut case as the best car of its kind for less than $50,000. The roadster’s strength begins with the Z coupe’s unshakable chassis, which provides backbone for the transformation. That structure lets the Z hammer over rough roads with tremendous control — a big gain over the 350Z.
While the drop-top can’t match the coupe’s sweetly raked roofline — the car looks like a squat mushroom from some angles — flared haunches and scaled-down proportions make the 370Z more handsome than its 350Z predecessor. Low-swept door panels reduce the impression that you’re sitting in a tub. Striking 19-inch Rays wheels, part of the $2,800 Sport package, are almost a must. (The package includes stronger brakes, sportier tires, a limited-slip differential and, for stick-shift models, Nissan’s groundbreaking SynchroRev Match, which automatically blips the throttle for racer-smooth downshifts.)
The new fully automatic top is the next upgrade; it eliminates the manual release of the previous model and operates (a bit clangorously) in about 20 seconds. The rear glass area is larger, creating a better outward view.
Whereas the coupe offers 6.9 cubic feet of storage and a Mazda Miata 5.3, the Z has just 4.2 — barely enough space for two light packers on a weekend trip.
But the real upside, aside from serious handling gains, is the interior: Compared with the 350Z’s cut-rate cabin, the 370Z’s seems price appropriate, with faux-suede padding on the door panels and center console, brushed metal throughout and body-hugging sport seats. The latest Nissan navigation system is equally strong, with comprehensive street mapping, robust graphics and myriad choices of map views.
And I can’t recall a convertible at any price whose audio system is this, well, audible at highway speeds with the top down: The crystalline eight-speaker Bose system is, unfortunately, available only on the deluxe Touring model.
Choose the 7-speed automatic transmission and you’ll spank through gears with the nicest set of paddle shifters this side of an Italian exotic. Though I’d still choose the manual, Car and Driver found the automatic is quicker: from stoplight to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds, compared with 4.8 for the manual. That 0-60 sprint is just 0.3 second behind a 430-horse ragtop Corvette.
More important, the chassis and suspension harness that power. The ride is crusty, though livable, on lumpy roads.
The roadster starts at $37,690; add $1,300 for the 7-speed automatic. Starting from $42,540, the automatic Touring model I drove reached $47,690, including the Sport package, navigation system and Black Cherry paint, capped with a merlot-colored top that I would prefer in contrasting tan (not available, though black is standard).
Luxury two-seaters with less power and handling — the Mercedes SLK350, Audi TTS Roadster and BMW Z4 sDrive 35i — cost $10,000 to $15,000 more. Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury brand, offers the four-seat G37 convertible, but while it is a cousin of the Z it’s a relative softie.
To get a better-performing roadster, you’ll need to drop $65,000 on a comparably equipped Porsche Boxster S; to outgun the Z with 8 cylinders, you’ll need a Corvette convertible, which is $20,000 more than the Z.
The Z isn’t cheap. But it’s a fast reward that middle-class buyers can aspire to — even if that ultimately means a preowned model. Either way, for convertible zealots, the Z is perfectly in season.
About the Author