2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster: An Automotive Anachronism

When Nissan wanted to build a sports coupe in the late ‘60s, they spared no expense. Recognizing that a graceful, swooping body would be absolutely necessary in order to gain a foothold in the narcissistic North American and European markets blessed with pretty cars since the roaring ‘30s, Datsun began with a racy, Ferrari 250-esque shell, dropped in a lusty 2.4 litre inline six fed by twin SU carbs, and gave birth to a legend. Known as the 240Z, the car was an undeniable hit, offering would-be, but destitute, Jaguar E-Type buyers with a cheaper alternative that offered head turning looks and impressive performance for just shy of $3,500 bucks. Who knew that cheap sports coupe would give rise to this: the $46,998 Nissan 370Z Roadster.

If the Z’s price hasn’t proven hereditary, the looks sure have. Granted, the convertible does come across as a bit of a sports car caricature, but there’s no denying that it’s as head-turning a design as the original 240Z was in 1969. Low and lithe with a set of curves that would look more at home on a Playboy bunny than a couture model, the roadster emphasizes its squat profile by virtue of its lower windshield than its coupe brethren pinning down a downright tiny roof. As with the previous 350Z Roadster, the new 370Z features a familiarly sculpted tonneau cover that closes over the convertible top when folded, but there’s a rub... literally. While cleaning the bright blue example loaned to me, I discovered that the tonneau had already worn the paint down to bare metal in the region right behind the doors on both sides. Needless to say, rust is not something you should have to worry about on a vehicle with less than 8,000 kilometres on the odometer. Most likely the result of the tonneau’s weight causing it to close with slightly more vigour than Nissan’s engineers intended, it’s also worth noting that this issue was complimented by an annoying squeak emanating from the passenger side when the roof was raised. Be it the result of a press car’s ridiculously tortured existence or some faulty design, it put a relatively serious damper on rainy-day motoring. However, excepting those foibles, the convertible’s level of build quality was typical of Nissan, which is to say it was quite good. Panel gaps were uniform and tight, and the lustrous Prussian Blue paint was absolutely stunning, adding to the convertible’s head-turning nature. Nissan has also protected the 370Z’s exterior quite extensively with clear plastic films on all surfaces at risk of damage from flying road debris, and my tester’s paint looked quite good as a result. While similarly flared vehicles like Mitsubishi’s Evolution often suffer from widespread rock damage on everything from the front end to the rocker panels, the 370Z remained unscathed; something quite uncommon on a Vancouver press car.

• Also: The Diabolocally Dramatic Nissan 370Z

But for all its buxom blue extroversion, it would appear that even the bustling bodywork of the roadster has a businesslike side, and it would appear that that side is the inside. With the roof raised, opening the upswept door via the very stylish vertical door handles invites the driver (or passenger) to take part in a Nissan-sponsored yoga class as one must struggle to contort their body in a particular pattern in order to successfully gain access to the somewhat cramped interior. With a wide sill, a low seating position, and a lower-still roofline, getting in and out of the 370Z is not a graceful motion, nor is it one that gym-goers will relish after an extensive leg workout. However, lower the roof on one of those rare sunny days, and the ease of ingress and egress is dramatically increased... not surprisingly. In any case, once seated in the 370Z, I came to appreciate the various textures and materials used throughout the attractive, but monochromatic interior. With extensive use of stitched leather, microsuede, and well-textures foam rubber, there is nary a surface to be found that doesn’t reward the inquisitive fingertip with a pleasant tactile sensation. Likewise, the seats and seating position is excellent, with a soft mesh material with leather inserts providing good grip supplemented by relatively aggressive bolstering from the hips up through the lower back. Although slightly narrow across the shoulders for yours truly, they weren’t uncomfortable, and the highly textures fabric allowed good airflow for the ventilated seat system that uses hot or cold air from the climate control system to keep your derriere at the perfect temperature. As has been the custom on Nissan performance cars for some time now, the entire instrument binnacle moves in concert with any steering wheel adjustment, and does a phenomenal job of keeping all the pertinent gauge faces squarely visible. Speaking of gauges, Nissan should be commended for creating of the most engaging I’ve seen in quite some time, with both the analog tachometer and speedometer being both easy to read and properly placed with the tachometer front and centre. With the multi-function display located to the right, any trip computer information is still easily read via the high-contrast red-on-black display, and pair of bright LED strips do an admirable job of communicating fuel level and engine temperature with substantially more style than the typical space-hogging analog gauges found in other vehicles. Above and to the right, a pair of largely useless gauges are joined by a digital clock that, if I’m honest, would look a lot better as an analog clock/stopwatch ala Porsche’s chronometer. Angled nicely towards the driver, these gauges ape the dash-mounted trio found in the old 240Z, and do add a sufficient dash of racing-inspired style to the interior. Below these gauges, a very nice multi-function LCD screen and the various stereo, navigation, and climate control interfaces allow the driver to quickly access any and all functions he or she may desire. The multi-function navigation/entertainment system is deserving of merit, as Nissan’s engineers obviously did sufficient research to discover that more control interfaces is always better, as they’ve fitted it with both console- and steering wheel-mounted selection buttons, a large rotary selector knob capable of scrolling and selecting the various on-screen buttons, and a touch-screen system. By offering three different interfaces, the driver can use the simplest method available; like using the steering-wheel mounted buttons to adjust radio stations, the rotary knob to scroll quickly through long iPod playlists, and the touch screen to enter navigation destinations. Such repetition is definitely not the cheapest way of doing things, but does make for a much more intuitive driving experience.

And the driving experience is (supposed) to be what this car is all about. Having handled a manual-transmission equipped coupe previously, I was anticipating much of the same exhilarating, tail-out antics I’d come to expect from the hardtop, albeit with a healthy dose of fresh air thrown in for fun. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Although the motor may be the same lusty 3.7L V6 found in front of the manual transmission, the new seven-speed automatic has an absolutely massive effect on the way the 370Z behaves. Softening power delivery substantially, the convertible, although never feeling sluggish, definitely found itself lacking the snap and sizzle of the clutch-equipped coupe I’d driven previously. Tromping on the gas pedal with reckless abandon triggered absolutely none of the slithering, smoky drama I’d expected, and although upshifts were sufficiently quick, it never felt like it was pulling quite as it did when I rowed my own in the coupe. Coincidentally, the convertible’s acceleration figures don’t support my opinion, as most critics have found the automatic to be the quicker of the two. Chalk it up to the relative lack of involvement demanded of the driver, or perhaps the smoother acceleration offered by the seven forward gears, but in any case I’d still opt for the manual gearbox.

Because the lazier attitude imbued by the slushbox during acceleration also has an undeniable effect on the vehicle’s cornering attitude. Left to its own devices, the automatic gearbox strives to keep the engine speed down at all times, and although it possesses a whopping seven forward gears, it seems incapable of dropping one or two gears at a time when prodded. Instead, it lays dormant until absolutely flogged, when it suddenly kicks down three gears at a time, sending the revs absolutely flying. Obviously, this has a detrimental effect on high-speed motoring, but this unpredictability can be circumvented by sliding the shifter over to the manual side of the shift pattern, where the transmission happily responds quickly and eagerly to any paddle-borne inputs form the driver. Interestingly, and unlike so many other paddle-shifted gearboxes, the 370Z’s automatic does not have any “Sport” mode provision, so if you want to go fast, you’re going to wrap those fingertips around the steering column-mounted shifter paddles.

But, that might be a bit hard to do when you’re sawing away at the wheel, desperately trying to cajole the big convertible around a high speed bend. Rolling around in 15 degree temperatures on often rain-soaked pavement gave little insight towards the 370Z convertible’s handling prowess, as my tester still wore its long-overdue winter tires. Squishy, loud, and with absolutely no wet-weather grip to speak of, the Blizzaks didn’t just kill the 370Z’s cornering performance, they slaughtered it on a level that would have seen Freddy Krueger’s wrinkly, deformed face turn green with envy. Magnifying the car’s tail-happy attitude, they gave the car a precarious balance point and attacking any corner with even a modicum of ferocity was a you-know-what puckering notion. However, even with the winter tires, the car tracked reasonably well through smooth corners, but did suffer from a bit of bump steer and path-influencing wallow when the road got rougher. The ride around town was what you’d expect from something of this pedigree, but I did not find it to be as terribly aggressive as some other scribes have alluded to.

All in all, the 370Z roadster presents an interesting proposition to the sports car buyer. With sheetmetal that will undoubtedly lure in those that find the Mustang, Corvette, and various other sporty drop-tops too sedate, and a comfortable a well-thought out cabin, it’s a far cry from undesirable. But just as there was a rub with the convertible top, there’s a rub when it comes to the price. As previously mentioned, a base price of $46,998 is pretty steep, and the price as tested ($55,298) is, to be honest, downright surprising. While the old Datsun 240Z provided buyers with style and pace for a minimum outlay of cash, this new 370Z is anything but bargain-basement. That puts it squarely in the crosshairs of such vehicles as Porsche’s Boxster, Audi’s TT roadster, BMW’s Z4, the Mercedes SLK, and even Ford’s Shelby GT500 convertible... and even within earshot of Lotus’ lovable Elise. And although the Nissan may offer plenty of panache, there’s no getting around the fact that it ends up looking like a relative lightweight on one star-studded heavyweight fight card. Add in its relatively poor inner-city manner (there are only a few vehicles on the road with comparable blind spots, and most of those come fitted with air brakes) and lack of storage space, and the tables seem to turn even further in the competition’s favour. While the 370Z coupe still offers buyers an excellent mix of performance and practicality for a very respectable price, the 370Z roadster seems to inflate the price to a somewhat exorbitant level that would have the old Datsun 240 turning over in its shapely grave. While a manual transmission and summer tires would definitely give a more engaging experience, I can’t help but wonder; could this more expensive, drop-top Z-car be the answer to a question no one asked?