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The Road Ahead : October 2010
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Nissan's 370's fully auto folding cloth roof takes a little over 20 seconds to lower or raise. WWW.ROADAHEAD.COM.AU 46 THE ROAD AHEAD OCT/NOV 2010 MOTORING ROAD TEST NISSAN 370Z ROADSTER The latest iteration of Nissan's long line of legendary Zed cars is the wild card among our pack of soft tops. This is an out-and-out sports car. Under the bonnet is a 245 kW/363 Nm 3.7-litre V6, hooked up to your choice of six-speed manual or 7-speed auto transmission (our test car came with the latter). The Z carries its 1618 kg weight (which is some 133 kg more than the auto Coupe) well, driving through a viscous limited slip diff to get the power down early and emphatically. In testing, it averaged 3.3 seconds from 0-60 km/h, 4.6 to 80 and 6.4 to 100, with two on board, and 50-80 km/h flashed by in 4.1 seconds and 60-100 in 4.6. The auto, which has optional sequential paddle shift, is up to the task, although at times is a little slow to respond when asked to down shift more than one cog. Additional bracing through the A-pillars, side sills and doors, along with a high-strength hoop frame mounted horizontally around the boot, has been incorporated into the Roadster to compensate for the loss of rigidity which happens when you cut the roof off a car. Team this with wide low profile tyres and well-tuned sports suspension (double wishbone front and four-link rear), and the soft-top 370Z has the goods to attack twists and bends with undiminished zeal; cornering flat, gripping tenaciously and the wonderfully-weighted steering transmitting a flow of feedback to your palms. However, for every action there's a reaction, and the trade off for all this dynamicism is felt in the everyday ride, where a fair bit of road shock is transmitted through the seat of your pants and the thick meaty steering wheel over second grade roads. Tyre rumble also is present on rough surfaces, although for some reason doesn't seem as bad as we remember the 370Z Coupe to be. It stops as well as it goes, thanks to the Brembo performance brake package, although we were surprised the stopping distances from 80 km/h weren't shorter (average 25.0 metres). High-backed sports seats, with height and tilt adjustment to the cushion, and lumbar support for the driver, also offer plenty of lateral support. However, the steering column lacks reach adjustment, and rear and rear three-quarter visibility is not good with the roof up. We see a space saver spare wheel also as something of a minus. The fully-automatic cloth folding roof, which takes 23 seconds to lower or raise, recesses into a rear compartment and not the boot, which means cargo space is unimpeded -- a huge plus in convertibles. The boot, while not extra large, will accommodate a set of golf clubs, so Nissan says. If your priorities lean towards performance, and you have no need for a back seat, then the 370Z Roadster might well be for you. NISSAN 370Z ROADSTER RRP: $77,990 (auto) SAFETY: Dual front/side/door-mounted curtain airbags, electronic stability and traction controls, performance anti-lock brakes (355 mm ventilated front, 350 mm ventilated rear discs) with electronic brake distribution and brake assist. KEY FEATURES: 19" alloy wheels, touch-screen satellite navigation, eight-speaker Bose audio system, remote key with push-button start, automatic climate control airconditioning, bluetooth, rear fog lights, Xenon headlights. ENGINE: 3.7-litre, DOHC, 24-valve V6. FUEL (ADR figure): 10.9-litres/100 km (95 RON premium unleaded), 14.7 (as tested). CRASH RATING: N/A EMISSIONS RATING:
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