06-25-2010, 04:14 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NJ
Posts: 9,930
Drives: 09 370Z MB Sports M6
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DRIVE TIME: Nissan's 370Z roadster is the best 'Z' car yet!
Quote:
Can it really be 40 years since the Nissan (nee Datsun) 240Z appeared?
I remember seeing the first pictures in Road & Track. Suddenly, from the land that churned out dumpy little sedans came this apparition. It had a long hood, a short tail and scooped out headlights. It was beautiful.
Over the years, the Nissan Z has had a number of different faces from the bloated early 1980s design approach through the "lozenge" look era and on to the taut, chiseled lines that brought the Z back from boulevard cruiser to today's muscular profile.
Like the original Z, the 2010 car does not look like anything else on the road. You can spot it at the other end of a football field and know instantly what it is.
The current model Z debuted as a Coupe in 2009 followed by the Roadster tested here.
The current car is visibly more compact that the previous version. It is four inches shorter in the wheelbase and 2.6 inches shorter overall.
This translates into quicker steering response. Aided by the wide front and rear track, the car reacts to driver inputs immediately. In fact, you can enter a tight turn and, with the stability/traction control switched off, steer on the throttle which is marvelously satisfying once you get the hang of it.
One thing I noticed was the solidity of the 370Z. This is attributed to a much stiffer body/frame from the previous Z and additional structural reinforcement for the Roadster (over the 370Z Coupe), including in the A-pillars and side sills.
Visually, the body of the 370Z Roadster is a series of compound curves and ellipses, not a straight line is to be found.
Like the Coupe, the Roadster has vertical door handles and a distinctive new headlight/taillight treatment, which features an aggressive "boomerang" shape. High Intensity Discharge (HID) bi-functional xenon headlights with auto on/off feature are standard.
A challenge was to take the very tightly tapered roofline, which makes the Coupe look so aggressive, and carry it over to the soft top.
Credit modern engineering and a lot of servomotors that move the Z-shaped arms of the top up and down in 20 seconds. The black cloth top (Bordeaux hue available) follows the shape of the Coupe's roof faithfully and even has a large rear heated glass window.
The passenger area can best be described as twin cockpits because of the high doorsills and the large transmission and drive shaft tunnel running down the centre. The drive shaft, by the way, is carbon fibre.
The Z Roadster features unique leather "net" seats with four-way power/four-way manual operation on the driver's seat (four-way power on the passenger's seat).
These second-generation net seats are exclusive to the Z Roadster and have integrated heating and cooling. Adjustable front seat Active Head Restraints are also standard.
One of the design cues from the original Z is the three pods top centre (and angled towards the driver) for oil temperature, voltmeter and a clock.
The instrument panel, like the doorsills, is high and you really get the feeling of being, not just in the car, but part of it.
The six-speed, manual transmission (seven-speed automatic optional), because of the amounts of torque it has to handle, feels brawny and shifts like it. The clutch, on the other hand, seems almost too light and bites in the very top of the pedal travel.
Leaving from rest takes a little getting used to but soon you find yourself bringing the engine up to a hair above idle and letting in the clutch until you sense the torque coming in.
At that point, you can do just about anything you please from mild to wild. That's because this 3.7-litre engine is so willing to please.
Compared to the previous generation 350Z Roadster, the new Z convertible picks up 26 horsepower and two lb/ft of torque (332 hp, 270 lb/ft) compared with the previous 3.5-litre V6.
Based on the "VQ" V6 engine architecture, it is so smooth in its power delivery that you really have to watch the speedo.
Estimated fuel economy is 11.6 L/100km City and 7.7 L/100km Highway for the manual transmission and 11.4 L/100km City and 7.6 L/100km Highway for the automatic transmission.
The double-wishbone front suspension uses lighter forged aluminum arms and a lightweight rigid aluminum-alloy cradle, along with a lighter stabilizer bar with a 35 per cent improved lever ratio.
The four-link rear suspension is also stiffer and lighter, with the rear cradle entirely integrated into a single unit. "High response" shock absorbers are utilized on each corner for improved ride comfort.
Fitted to my tester was the optional ($4,000) Sport Package that adds 19-inch RAYS forged lightweight aluminum-alloy wheels with Bridgestone Potenza RE050A P245/40R19 front/P275/35R19 tires.
Believe me, these babies grip but they are strictly summer tires. During the cool 13 C days I had the car, I had to be very mindful of how much road temperature affects traction, or lack there of, if you are too aggressive.
The Z's standard four-wheel vented disc brake system includes Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist (BA).
The Sport Package also includes Nissan Sport Brakes with large diameter 14.0-inch front and 13.8-inch rear rotors (versus 12.6-inch front/rear standard rotors) with four-piston front and two-piston rear aluminum calipers.
Pricing for the 370Z Roadster with Bordeaux top starts at $46,998. Factoring in options like the Sport Package, Navigation Package ($2,500), metallic paint ($135) and shipping ($1,550) made for an as tested price of $55,183.
In terms of performance, handling and amenities about the only cars that come close are the Audi TTS and Porsche Boxster S but they cost a good piece of change more.
Where the 370Z stands out, is not just its impressive performance, but how it looks just sitting there, let alone at speed.
It was the Datsun 240Z that set the benchmark 40 years ago and the 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster is a more than worthy successor.
(NISSAN 370Z ROADSTER 2010 AT A GLANCE)
BODY STYLE: Sports roadster.
DRIVE METHOD: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive.
ENGINE: 3.7-litre DOHC V6 (332 hp, 270 lb/ft).
FUEL ECONOMY: Manual, 11.6 L/100km, city and 7.7 L/100km highway; seven-speed automatic, 11.4 L/100km city, 7.6 L/100km highway.
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Source: http://www.bclocalnews.com/lifestyles/96425704.html
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