  2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster. Click image to enlarge |
The car’s extra width has resulted in additional hip, shoulder and headroom, as well as the ability to carry a little more cargo. The interior volume is 1,481 litres in the Roadster (vs. 1,461 litres in the Coupe), but the need to house the fabric roof robs the trunk in the open car by 76 litres compared to the hatch configuration of the Coupe (195 litres). There are clever storage spaces tucked behind the seats to augment the map pockets in the doors, and the traditional glove box.
Unlike most of the current convertibles vying for your attention, the 2010 Nissan 370Z retains the traditional cloth-type roof design. Living in a wet Canadian climate I must admit that I like the perceived four-season robustness of the hardtop roof structure, not to mention the increased security they offer, but folding large panels of metal and glass into a compact body is a complicated engineering exercise that comes with its own set of drawbacks. Hardtop units add substantial weight and mechanical complexity, and due to their inability to become truly compact, they tend to rob the design of cargo space.
   2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster. Click image to enlarge |
The addition of a hardtop can help stiffen up the chassis of a convertible vehicle, reducing the sloppy feel and cowl shake that hinders both handling and comfort in many open vehicles. Not a problem with the 370Z, as this car was engineered as a roadster from the get-go. After spending more than my fair share of time with this sporty machine doing laps around a test track in late October, I can almost guarantee that no sane person will ever refer to this car’s handling as sloppy. In a field that included the likes of handling superstars like the Audi R8 and S4, Porsche’s Panamera Turbo, the Volkswagen GTI and Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the 370Z Roadster emerged as a crowd favourite with the assembled journalists when it came to exercising some demons on the test track.
Operation of the top is accomplished with the touch of a single button. There are no latches to manually disengage and no handles to grab. The entire process is completed in about 20 seconds.
The top can be operated via the touch of a button on the door handle as long as the “intelligent key” is in your possession, even from outside the car. This is a great feature when returning to the car on a hot day as you can quickly cool the interior down by retracting the top. Perhaps you park the car in its topless state and exit the vehicle, only to spot an abundance of pigeons or a suspicious-looking individual in the parking lot. Now you can quickly put the top up without having to get in and mess around with keys and controls.
With the top down, wind turbulence is kept to a minimum by the addition of a small, clear Plexiglas dam mounted between the integrated roll hoops. While it doesn’t hinder visibility, the same cannot be said for the very wide fabric panels which act as roof pillars or the miniscule rear window. To be honest, even with the top stowed, the visibility rearward isn’t very good due to the car’s tall rear deck, wide haunches, and low seating position.
 2010 Nissan 370Z Roadster. Click image to enlarge |
Both variants of the 370Z share the same engine and transmission options. The 370Z features a 3.7-litre VQ V6 engine that generates 332 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. V-Valve technology adjusts the valves to maximize both performance and fuel efficiency. The standard transmission is a six-speed, close-ratio manual. Selection of the Sport Package will add to the car’s capabilities, as the standard manual transmission gains the ability to rev-match (SynchroRev Match) as you move down through the gears, ensuring that there will be instantaneous power delivery when you transition to the throttle. A similar concept (Downshift Rev Matching) is at work to automatically blip the throttle as you operate the paddle shifters on cars fitted with Nissan’s slick seven-speed automatic transmission. Either way, you better be prepared for lightning-quick response.
